The world bronze medalist got off to a strong start to his program, but struggled in the second half with a fall on the quadruple toe loop and minor stumbles that marred his skate. Kagiyama still earned 182.29 points for the effort, which placed him first in the free skating segment and overall, with 270.45 points.
“Honestly, mentality-wise, I couldn’t fully recover from the short program and I didn’t feel like I could just give it my all in the free skate,” Kagiyama told Japanese reporters afterward. “But on the other hand, I decided to use the frustration from the short program as motivation for today.
“In the first half I think my jump approach, speed and overall execution were very good. In the second half I planned to go for the quadruple toe loop, but the timing didn’t quite work so I had to change my plan, which messed up my rhythm.
“I think my body reacted that way because of the pressure of the competition, so I look at it as a good experience. Things that I couldn’t do yesterday came through today and there were parts where my scores improved, so I want to continue that and keep working hard.”
His two wins mean he will compete in a home Grand Prix final this season, with Nagoya, Japan, set to host that event from December 4 to 7, 2025.
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