(Shoma Uno of Japan)[ISU/Getty/Kyodo]
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Figure skating: Shoma Uno finishes 4th as Russian men sweep home GP meet
MOSCOW - Japan's Shoma Uno was fourth at the Rostelecom Cup in the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating after the men's short program on Friday.
Uno, looking for his third victory in a Grand Prix series event after winning both Skate Canada and the NHK Trophy last year, scored 87.29 points, just 0.25 shy of Makar Ignatov's third-place score of 87.54.
Alexander Samrin led the 12-man field with 92.81, followed by Dmitri Aliev. Japan's Kazuki Tomono was seventh.
(Alexander Samarin of Russia)[ISU/Getty/Kyodo]
Uno, the Pyeongchang Olympic silver medalist, opened his program by falling on the landing of his first quad flip.
He recovered, however, following up by landing a quad toe loop-double toe loop combination and nailing a triple axel in the latter portion of his program.
"The big issue for me this time was whether or not I could execute my jumps other than the flip," Uno said. "So I'm extremely relieved."
In the women's compeition, Pyeongchang Olympic silver medalist Evgenia Medvedeva claimed the lead after the short program, while Satoko Miyahara placed sixth for the best showing by a Japanese skater.
(Evgenia Medvedeva)[ISU/Getty/Kyodo]
Medvedeva, a two-time world champion from Russia, nailed a triple flip-triple toe loop combination to score 76.93 points.
Fifteen-year-old Russian Alexandra Trusova, who won last month's Skate Canada in her Grand Prix debut, was second with 74.21, while Mariah Bell of the United States was third.
Miyahara, who finished runner-up at the Cup of China last week, scored 63.09 after failing to open her routine with a triple lutz-triple toe loop combination.
(Satoko Miyahara)[ISU/Getty/Kyodo]
"There was something wrong with my triple lutz during the six-minute practice session (before my program), so I was nervous and my body was stiff," she said. "I need to do whatever I can (in Saturday's free program)."
Japan's Yuna Shiraiwa placed seventh with 60.57, while 19-year-old Yuhana Yokoi came 10th in her Grand Prix debut.
