A Japanese male dancer grabbed the top prize and his female compatriot took third place in their respective senior divisions of an international ballet competition held Monday in Moscow, it was announced Tuesday.

At the XIII International Ballet Competition and Contest of Choreographers, Koya Okawa, a 25-year-old native of Aomori Prefecture in northeastern Japan, took first place in the men's duet category, and Midori Terada, 24, from Toyonaka, Osaka Prefecture, won third prize in the women's duet division.

The contest, which was held at the Bolshoi Theatre from June 10 through Tuesday, sees the performers "judged individually whether he/she performs solo or in a duet."

In the boys' solo category, 18-year-old Mark Chino, whose mother is a Japanese ballet dancer, won the top prize.

The final results were set to be released late Monday evening but organizers pushed back the announcement to Tuesday.

Okawa and Terada have been working at the Tatar Musa Jalil State Academic Theatre of Opera and Ballet in Kazan, Russia. The pair performed the pas de deux of Esmeralda in the final round of competition.

"Not just my own dance but the performance as a duet was given high marks. I appreciate Midori," said Okawa after sources revealed the results prior to the official announcement, adding, "We were able to perform a very good dialogue between ourselves."

Terada said she feels "extremely honored" to receive the award in such a big competition. "Our efforts for a long period of time have borne fruit," she said.

Dance commentator Fusako Ueno, also speaking ahead of the official results, said she believes the jury highly rated the "artistic excellence" of Okawa and Terada. Ueno praised Okawa's jump as "explosive" and "splendid" and noted Terada's "outstanding sense of balance."

Okawa began ballet at the age of 2 and entered the Moscow State Academy of Choreography, from which he graduated in 2011. He was a soloist at the Odessa National Academic Theater of Opera and Ballet in Ukraine between 2011 and 2013 before moving to the Tatar state academic theater.

Terada joined the Moscow state academy at the age of 16 and also belonged to the national theater in Ukraine before moving to Kazan in 2014.

Chino, whose father is Russian, is now enrolled at the Moscow state academy. He said before the official announcement, "I am so happy. I want to make a fresh start as a professional dancer, not as a student."

Their accomplishments were celebrated in Japan by their families and former instructors. Okawa's 54-year-old mother Yasuko said, "I want to say congratulations. I am thankful for his teachers who have guided him in the world of ballet."

The quadrennial competition that began in 1969 is known as one of the three prestigious ballet competitions in the world along with the Varna competition in Bulgaria and the Jackson contest in the United States.