Rika Kihira

[Tsuki]

Rika was amazing! So effortless! If this wasn't her first senior competition, I've no doubt she would have gotten higher PCS!

 

[rikaquegira]

Rika Kihira is trending on Twitter.
And I actually recognized her name in Kanji because I'm that big of a fan! 紀平梨花

 

[Mawwerg]

Rika was brilliant today! I have some problems to find the words in English.:luv17:

 

[leoleo]

Rika Kihira is trending on Twitter.
And I actually recognized her name in Kanji because I'm that big of a fan! 紀平梨花

I memorized her name in Kanji too i was shocked when i saw it trending! She really made an impression.

By the way, she is saying hello to all of us https://twitter.com/goldenskate/status/1061207780990713856
:luv17:

 

[doublequad]

Queeeeeennnn

 

[gotoschool]

Amazing combination of marvelous artistry, technical excellence and emotional resonance from Rika! Brought tears to my eyes with the final triple salchow and rapid spin on the ice with her arms extended in a pose of graceful triumph in the air at the end. It was the culmination of fabulous jumps including triple axels with a triple toe combo, beautiful tanos, highly artistic and varied arm movements, intricate transitions, wonderful smooth and sharp edges with nice running edges in her jumps , fabulous spins, and the step sequence here was so full of quick rapid change of directions and expansive rink coverage.

 

[DenissVFan]

Russian Eurosport commentators urged the audience to give her a standing ovation

 

[DiamondDust]

Congratulations to Rika! That was amazingly wonderful.

 

[Logirl]

Rika was amazing. My apology for doubting Rika and being down on her coach after the short and statement her coach made. It is obvious that her coach would be happy for her if she Wins GPF. I am hoping this is Rika Yuna Kim moment in the start of a consistent Rika.

 

[Noxchild]

Breathtaking, really. What else is there to say about such a darling powerhouse of a skater? Apart from that I hope this is the harbinger of her era as the new can't-miss kid Her free program is absolutely gorgeous - now let's nail BOTH the short and free next time! Med is really her only challenge at IdF, but that doesn't mean she can take it easy... ganba, Rika!!

 

[lzxnl]

It's surprising that if she had skated in the men's free event at NHK and had her PCS scaled accordingly, she would have come second. That's pretty nuts.

 

[laiyamanika]

Congratulations Rika! I'm so proud of her.
She just needs to be consistent with her SP and she will become the lady to beat this season.

 

[Arriba627]

Didn't see the ladies live but just watched now. is all I can say. That was one heck of a skate! Talk about being totally in the zone. After 2 jumps, she had close to 26 points. That free program is to die for, and everything she did just looked so light and airy. Congratulations!

 

[leoleo]

I hope this is a sign that she is getting better at dealing with nerves. She really went on the ice today with the mentality of "i'm just gonna do what i have to do" and this is the mentality she should always have. I am so emotional, she was 8th at junior worlds this year, now she delivers such a program

 

[gossipcow]

I am ecstatic for Rika! She's one of the few ladies I am outright rooting for, she has so much tech potential, but also great steps, spins, and polish. I was worried for her after the SP, but figured she wasn't so far behind that she couldn't medal with a clean(ish) FS, but girl won the whole damn thing! From 5th to 1st, I am just loving these comebacks in the ladies FS in the GP field this year.

Loved her FS so much, especially now that she nailed the ending 3S. She did have quite the tilted axis on the opening -3T, but that following solo 3A was amazing! I think I'll have to rewatch the FS several times over the next day.

Also, FS for those who want to rewatch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZYC0RzEB3Y0 (B.ESP)

 

[Weetos]

Rika was wonderful today and I'm sure she will just continue to grow! Can't wait to see more of her.

 

[Amef]

I am going to start following this genius! She nailed the jumps and she was the total package today. The music fit her so well and she sold it 100%. Real champion! Well done! Well deserved score in every single aspect ! Amazing ! She has the potential to win both GPF and Worlds with that technical score if she goes clean like today. We have a new star. [emoji271]

 

[jenm]

What I like about Rika is she doesn't only have the technical goods, she's also very artistic. She has great SS, great posture, spins, musicality, charm. Total package!!
It almost became a Japanese podium sweep today. Awesome event!

 

[axon]

What a fantastic performance! Rika has some kind of intangible quality that I feel that many other successful skaters from seasons past lacked. Just watching her, I felt that the future had arrived. She can only go up from here in terms of PCS, so go Rika, go!

 

[leoleo]

I am so so happy to see more people paying attention to her. I hope you all will ride along with us on the very stressful but wonderful Rika train Rika when she delivers, she delivers beautifully, but you never know how she's gonna perform, which is the scary but somehow exciting thing about following her growth (i say as i didn't even have the courage to watch her free skate live because i was close to throwing up out of anxiety ).

I have no idea what kind of plushy i should buy to throw on the ice for her at IDF, can any of you guys help me with recommendations? That would be nice