Turin (Italy) (AFP) - Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara claimed a first pairs gold for Japan in the Grand Prix Final in Turin on Friday ahead of world champions Alexa Knierim and Brandon Frazier of the United States.
The world silver medallists led all the way to push Knierim and Frazier into second spot after the free skating final in the Palavela with Sara Conti and Niccolo Macii taking a surprise bronze for hosts Italy in the six-team final.
The Japanese survived errors with Kihara, 30, touching down on a triple salchow and 20-year-old Miura doubling a toeloop, but confirmed their form this season after wins in Skate Canada and the NHK Trophy to set themselves up as favourites for the world championships at home in Japan next year.
"Today's performance was not our best but we are really happy to win the first Grand Prix Final as a Japanese team," said Kihara.
"We both made some mistakes so we are upset about that.Overall we think it is a great experience for us heading into the World Championships in March in Japan."
The pair teamed up three years ago and won Olympic bronze with the Japanese team in Beijing, with Miura saying it was a "miracle" that all had come together for them.
"I think meeting Ryuichi itself was a miracle," said Miura of her partner who previously represented Japan with Narumi Takahashi and Miu Suzaki at the 2014 and 2018 Winter Olympics.
"Meeting our coach as well as everyone who supported us.I think all of it's a miracle.The World Championship this season will be held in our country so I hope people will enjoy our performance there."
Skating to "Atlas: Two", Miura and Kihara produced a triple twist, throw triple Lutz and loop to score 136.50 points for the free skate and a total of 214.58 points overall to beat their American rivals by a slim margin of 1.3 points
Frazier paid for errors in his solo jumps in their routine to "Sign of the Times" and "Healed Broken Wings" with the Skate America champions achieving 135.63 for 213.28 overall.
The Italians moved up to third following their skate to the "Cinema Paradiso" soundtrack despite Macii falling to push Canada's Deanna Stellato-Dudek and Maxime Deschamps down to fourth.
In the absence of the banned Russians and also the Chinese, who did not compete in the Grand Prix Series this year, all the pairs teams are first timers in the tournament.
Sakamoto leads way
World champion Kaori Sakamoto led the women's short programme ahead of compatriot Mai Mihara, with Belgian Loena Hendrickx in third going into Saturday's free skating final.
Olympic bronze medallist Sakamoto scored 75.86 points for her skate to music by Janet Jackson, with Mihara, who won both Grand Prix events she entered this season, just 1.28 points behind after her skate to "Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence".
Hendrickx, the world silver medallist, is third on 74.24
In ice dancing, Canada's Piper Gilles and Paul Poirer opened up a slim 0.44 lead on three-time Grand Prix Final runners-up Madison Chock and Evan Bates of the United States after the rhythm dance section.
Gilles and Poirer's ChaChaCha and Rhumba selection earned them 85.93 with Chock and Bates scoring 85.49, for the Samba and Rhumba.
Italy's Charlene Guignard and Marco Fabbri are sitting third with 84.55 going into Saturday's free dance final.
None of the Olympic medallists from February are competing in ice dancing this season.
The competition concludes on Saturday with Japanese world champion Shoma Uno leading compatriots Sota Yamamoto and Kao Miura going into the men's free skating final.
