Sota Yamamoto upstaged reigning world champion Shoma Uno at the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating's NHK Trophy as Japanese athletes claimed the top two spots in the men's short program on Friday.
Skating last in the opening half of the men's field at Makomanai Sekisuiheim Ice Arena, the 22-year-old Yamamoto opened with a quadruple toe loop-triple toe loop combination and also hit a quad salchow and triple axel on his way to a personal-best 96.49.
Uno, who won last year's NHK Trophy in Tokyo, finished second on 91.66 after blemishing an otherwise clean routine with a fall on a planned quad toe loop combination. The three-time Olympic medalist opened with a quad flip and also jumped a triple axel.
France's Adam Siao Him Fa scored 87.44 for third place, while Japan's Kazuki Tomono was fourth on 85.07.
"The (quad) salchow didn't go well in official practice, but I definitely felt like I could jump it," Yamamoto said.
Reigning women's world champion Kaori Sakamoto earlier finished second in the short program won by South Korea's Kim Ye Lim.
Sakamoto struggled with a triple flip-triple toe loop combination to finish with 68.07 points. Kim, who was runner-up earlier this month at Grand Prix de France, scored 72.22 in a nearly flawless performance.
Japan's Rion Sumiyoshi was third with 68.01 points.
Compatriots Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara, the winners at Skate Canada, the Grand Prix circuit's second event this year, won the pairs short program with a score of 78.25, taking a sizeable lead over Emily Chan and Spencer Akira Howe of the United States, who were second with 64.62.
The NHK Trophy is the penultimate stop on the Grand Prix circuit, which wraps up next weekend in Finland before the six top singles and couples in each discipline will compete in the Final in Turin, Italy.
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