The men began their competition today at NHK Trophy, the first stop in this season’s Grand Prix series. It was a case for the seasoned veterans in the men’s short. World champion Daisuke Takahashi did not disappoint the home crowd, dazzling with a win in the short program over U.S. champion Jeremy Abbott, who is sitting solidly in second place.
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Fewer than two points separate the next four skaters, with three-time Canadian silver medalist Shawn Sawyer leading the pack in a somewhat surprise third, scoring 70.15. The youngsters follow – French champion Florent Amodio is in fourth with a 70.01, World junior champion Yuzuru Hanyu is in fifth, and Kazakhstan’s Denis Ten is in sixth.
Related: Short dance and pairs' short program at NHK
2009 U.S. junior champion Ross Miner is currently in seventh after the short in his debut in the senior Grand Prix, but only about five points away from the podium. As with the ladies’ event, the short program marks were close and the free skate should see some shakeup in the standings.
The men’s free skate concludes NHK Trophy tomorrow.
MEN (after the short program)
1. Daisuke Takahashi JPN – 78.04
2. Jeremy Abbott USA – 74.62
3. Shawn Sawyer CAN – 70.15
4. Florent Amodio FRA – 70.01
5. Yuzuru Hanyu JPN – 69.31
6. Denis Ten KAZ – 68.74
7. Ross Miner USA – 64.85
8. Jialiang Wu CHN – 64.06
9. Takahito Mura JPN – 63.20
10. Adrian Schultheiss SWE – 62.24
11. Kevin Van Der Perren BEL 55.31
12. Jeremy Ten CAN – 54.48
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