Olympic debutant Yuma Kagiyama topped the men's free skate section of the figure skating team competition Sunday at the Beijing Winter Games, earning a personal best 208.94 points to help Japan finish the day in third place.

The 18-year-old Kagiyama became just the third person to ever score above 200 in the free skate, joining back-to-back Olympic champion Yuzuru Hanyu and U.S. star Nathan Chen in the select group.

Yuma Kagiyama of Japan performs in the men's free skate of the figure skating team event at the Beijing Winter Olympics on Feb. 6, 2022, at the Capital Indoor Stadium. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

He claimed the maximum 10 team points for the segment after Wakaba Higuchi ensured Japan's berth in the five-team final by finishing second in the women's short program earlier in the day at the Capital Indoor Stadium.

The Russian Olympic Committee will go into the final day of the team competition on Monday in first place with 45 points, three ahead of the United States. Japan is a further three points back and holds a nine-point advantage over fourth-place Canada.

Kamila Valieva of the Russian Olympic Committee performs in the women's short program of the figure skating team event at the Beijing Winter Olympics on Feb. 6, 2022, at the Capital Indoor Stadium. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

Vincent Zhou of the United States performs in the men's free skate of the figure skating team event at the Beijing Winter Olympics on Feb. 6, 2022, at the Capital Indoor Stadium. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

Kagiyama, the 2020 Youth Olympics men's gold medalist, skated confidently throughout a clean routine including four quad jumps and two triple axels.

"That was my first time scoring in the 200s, so I'm really happy," said Kagiyama, who nevertheless only rated his own performance at "about 80 percent."

Russian skater Mark Kondratiuk placed second for the segment with 181.65, while Vincent Zhou of the United States was third with 171.44.

The runner-up to U.S. star Nathan Chen at last year's world championships, Kagiyama will look to carry his strong form into the men's individual competition starting Tuesday.

"I got a good feel for the new routine. I want to do my best, while holding onto this fun feeling," Kagiyama said.

The 21-year-old Higuchi scored 74.73 for a solid short program including a double axel and three triple jumps, earning Japan nine team points and taking its total to 29, the third-highest of the preliminary round.

Wakaba Higuchi of Japan performs in the women's short program of the figure skating team event at the Beijing Winter Olympics on Feb. 6, 2022. (Kyodo)

"I was really nervous because a lot of things didn't go well in practice, but I was able to skate calmly in competition, which was a relief," Higuchi said.

Fifteen-year-old Kamila Valieva received 90.18 for her outstanding short program, winning the segment and sending the ROC through to the five-team final in first place. She opened the routine with a triple axel, becoming one of only a small handful of women to nail the jump in Olympic competition.

The United States finished the qualifying round second after Karen Chen scored 65.20 to place fifth in the short program.

Canada's Madeline Schizas finished the segment third with 69.60, helping her country advance as the No. 4 qualifier, while host China qualified fifth.

Higuchi, who has previously landed the triple axel in competition, indicated she will attempt the difficult jump in the women's individual event starting Feb. 15.

"I think I was able to get into a smooth flow. I want to concentrate so I don't make any big mistakes on the triple axel or other jumps," she said.


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