Team USA Earns Three Medals at NHK Trophy

Above: Madison Chock and Evan Bates won gold, their 20th Grand Prix medal, at NHK Trophy. Photo credit Getty Images
By Kristen Henneman

Team USA secured a medal of each color at NHK Trophy – the fourth of six stops in the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Series – in Tokyo, Japan.

Reigning and two-time World champions Madison Chock and Evan Bates returned to the top of the podium with gold while Christina Carreira and Anthony Ponomarenko earned their best result at a Grand Prix with silver, marking the first time that the United States has brought home gold and silver in ice dance at a Grand Prix other than Skate America. Team USA also stood on the podium in pairs as Ellie Kam and Danny O’Shea claimed their second Grand Prix medal this season.

With the gold, Chock and Bates clinched their 20th Grand Prix medal and a spot in the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final 2024 in Grenoble, France, next month. Their total score of 215.95 and free dance score of 129.63 are both the highest in ice dance worldwide this season.

The Olympic team event gold medalists ran away with the competition, winning the free dance by more than 10 points to separate themselves from the rest of the field in the final standings by nearly 17 points. Performing to "Take Five" by Dave Brubeck and "Take Five" by Juju, Chock and Bates thrived with their strong grades of execution, recording GOEs of 1.85 or higher on every element. They were the only team to be awarded a GOE of three points or higher on any element – and they did so on four elements, including a choreographic spinning movement that was awarded a GOE of 4.03.

Bringing home their third Grand Prix medal and first at a fully international Grand Prix since 2018 in their first senior season, Carriera and Ponomarenko achieved a total score of 198.97, including 119.33 in the free dance. Their skate to music from Carmen Suite by Schedrin was highlighted by five Level 4 elements as well as their serpentine step sequence, which earned more than 10 points.

The 2024 U.S. silver medalists and two-time Four Continents bronze medalists have now medaled at each of their three international events this season.

Finishing just off the podium in fourth was Caroline Green and Michael Parsons. In their free dance to "Spiegel im Spiegel" by Arvo Pärt performed by Angele Dubeau and La Pietà and "Dance Me to the End of Love" by Douglas Dare, the 2022 Four Continents champions generated more than 10 points on two elements – their diagonal step sequence and their combination lift, which scored 13.64 points, the highest-scoring element in the entire event.

They ended the segment with 114.38 points for a two-day total of 188.76.

In just their third season together, Kam and O’Shea, the 2024 U.S. champions and Four Continents bronze medalists, have now podiumed at both their Grand Prix events and all four of their international events this season.

They produced a total score of 197.44 with their skate to "Stand by Me" by Florence & the Machine garnering 128.29 points. Although they counted two falls, highlights included their side-by-side triple Salchow-double Axel sequence as well as their Level 4 lifts – both of which received 9.00 points.

Isabelle Martins and Ryan Bedard concluded their first international event of the season and second Grand Prix of their careers with a free skate mark of 91.68 for a total score of 140.63, good for eighth place.

Competing in the Grand Prix Series for the second straight weekend after taking bronze at Grand Prix de France last weekend, Andrew Torgashev led Team USA with a fourth-place result in the men’s event.

Three straight jump combinations in the second half of his program – all of which scored more than 10 points – propelled Torgashev to new international personal bests in both the free skate and total score with 162.22 and 246.58 points, respectively. He bested his previous best total score from the ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships 2024 by more than nine points.

A 2014 Olympic team event bronze medalist, Jason Brown finished seventh overall, including sixth in the free skate after entering the day in 10th place. Skating to "Spiegel im Spiegel" by Arvo Pärt, Brown claimed the second-highest component score in the free skate of 86.24, producing a free skate worth 152.01 points for a final score of 229.09.

Tomoki Hiwatashi, who trains in Uji, Japan, also made a leap up in the standings, going from 11th after the short to eighth in the final standings with 226.38 points. Highlighted by a triple Axel-double Axel sequence and a triple Lutz-Euler-triple flip in the second half of the program – both of which tallied 13 or more points – Hiwatashi gained ground with a 151.79 point free skate.

In the women’s event, Team USA earned two top-five finishes with Alysa Liu placing fourth and Bradie Tennell taking fifth.

Liu, who returned to the sport this season after announcing her retirement at the end of the 2021-22 season, tied her best result at a Grand Prix, ending the competition with final marks of 190.75, including 125.72 in the free skate.

During her performance to "MacArthur Park" by Donna Summer, the 2022 Olympian and World bronze medalist’s highest scoring element was a triple Lutz-Euler-triple Salchow combination in the second half of the program.

Tennell, the 2018 Olympic team bronze medalist who missed the Grand Prix Series last season due to an ankle injury, jumped up to a third-place finish in the free skate with 128.20 points.

Skating to "Nessun Dorma" performed by Pavaroti and Sarah Brightman, Tennell started with a strong triple Lutz followed by a triple loop-double Axel sequence. She tallied a final score of 190.25.

Lindsay Thorngren, who won silver at this event last season, also skated for the red, white and blue, finishing ninth. Her first Grand Prix of the season, Thorngren scored 114.24 points for her free skate and 169.03 points overall.

For full results from NHK Trophy, as well as results, news and more from the entire Grand Prix Series, visit the 2024 Grand Prix Series Competition Central.