Caroline Green and Michael Parsons led the U.S. delegation on the first day of competition at NHK Trophy in Osaka, Japan, clinching third in the rhythm dance.
The five-time U.S. Championships medalists are in position to win their third Grand Prix medal and first since 2023. Green and Parsons earned their first-ever Grand Prix podium finish at NHK Trophy in 2022.
Giving a strong performance two weeks after a fall in their rhythm dance at 2025 Cup of China, where they withdrew right before their free dance due to injury, Green and Parsons maximized their score with impressive grades of execution.
In their performance to "Groove is in the Heart" by Dee-lite, "I'm Too Sexy" by Right Said Fred and "Groove Is in the Heart (Scotty 2025 Remix)" by Dee-lite, they tallied GOEs of 2.69 or better on three of their five elements and scored more than 10 points on two elements – their midline step sequence and pattern dance type step sequence.
The 2022 Four Continents champions finished the segment with 75.14 points, good for third place.
Green and Parsons' training mates in Canton, Michigan,
Katarina Wolfkostin and Dimitry Tsarevski, set a new international personal best rhythm dance score in their Grand Prix debut, totaling 72.12 points for fifth place.
Skating to "Everybody (Backstreets Back)" by the Backstreet Boys; "Quit Playing Games (With My Heart)" by Bodybangers, Stephen Oaks and Just Mike; and "Larger Than Life" by the Backstreet Boys, the reigning World Junior silver medalists secured Level 4 marks on their opening sequential twizzles and their closing rotational lift.
One of the most anticipated skates in the competition,
Maia Shibutani and Alex Shibutani returned to competitive ice for the first time since the 2018 Olympic Winter Games, where they won two Olympic medals.
They performed to a medley of seven different songs from the 90s, and used a strong components score to place sixth with 71.74 points.
In the pairs event,
Alisa Efimova and Misha Mitrofanov and
Emily Chan and Spencer Howe both competed in their first Grand Prix of the season, finishing fifth and sixth in the short program, respectively.
The reigning U.S. champions, Efimova and Mitrofanov recorded a new personal best with a mark of 69.21.
Their skate to "Cloak and Dagger" by Eternal Eclipse opened with a solid triple twist, but the duo suffered a fall on their side-by-side triple Salchows. Rallying in the second half of the program, Efimova and Mitrofanov came back with three Level 4 elements, including an Axel lasso lift that tallied a program-high 8.70 points.
Right behind Efimova and Mitrofanov in the standings, Chan and Howe also started strong. The two-time Four Continents silver medalists who claimed silver at NHK Trophy in 2022 performed a Level 4 triple twist that garnered 7.54 points. They also received 8.30 points for their Level 4 reverse lasso lift during their performance to "Nyah"Â by CH2.
Chan and Howe finished the short program with 63.82 points.
Competing for the second straight weekend,
Sarah Everhardt skated her short program to "Reel Around the Sun" by Bill Whelan. The 2025 U.S. bronze medalist came out with her top-scoring element – a triple Lutz-triple toe loop combination that was awarded 11.45 points.
Everhardt later fell on her triple loop, but finished with 61.41 points for sixth place.
2025 World Junior bronze medalist
Elyce Lin-Gracey ended the day in eighth for her skate to "Broken Vow" by Lara Fabian. She earned 60.62 points.
The men's event saw reigning U.S. silver medalist
Andrew Torgashev place eighth after performing to "Maybe I Maybe You" by the Scorpions, generating 75.75 points.
In his first Grand Prix appearance this season,
Jimmy Ma claimed a 10th-place result with 69.44 points on day one.
For full results from 2025 NHK Trophy, visit the
Grand Prix Series Competition Central on the U.S. Figure Skating Fan Zone.
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