Japan's Tatsuki Machida defends Skate America crown

Japan’s Tatsuki Machida got his post-Olympic figure skating season off to a rousing start Saturday, blitzing the competition to defend his Skate America title.

Machida, who led after Friday’s short programme, easily won the men’s free skate to finish with a total 269.09 points at the Sears Centre Arena.

American runner-up Jason Brown finished almost 35 points back with a total of 234.17 points. Canada’s Nam Nguyen, making his senior grand prix debut, was third at 232.24.

Skating to Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, Machida’s flawless routine included a quadruple toe loop-double toe loop combination, and a triple axel-triple toe loop combination.

Japanese men have won Skate America eight of the last 10 years.

Machida’s major contenders fell by the wayside as Denis Ten of Kazakhstan and Jeremy Abbott both completed error-filled routines.

Abbott skated well and had the home crowd on his side but the USA Olympian lost points when he botched several of his jumps.

Canada’s Nguyen, who is the reigning world junior champion, made the most of his senior grand prix debut by reaching the podium. The 16-year-old skated with an air of confidence and ease, finishing second in the free skate behind Machida (175.70) with 158.53 points.

Nguyen did not take part in the Sochi Games but he performed an exhibition skate at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics at age 11.

Madison Chock and Evan Bates easily won the ice dance with a score of 171.03, finishing ahead of fellow Americans Maia and Alex Shibutani (160.33).

Olympic champions Meryl Davis and Charlie White of the US and Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir of Canada are not competing this season.

Elizaveta Tuktamysheva skated a clean routine to lead after the ladies short programme with 67.41 points. Tuktamysheva, 17, didn’t make the Russian team that competed at the Sochi Olympics in February.

Two-time reigning world junior champion Elena Radionova, 15, who was too young to compete during the 2014 Winter Games, is second with 65.57 points. Radionova is hoping to improve on her third place finish at Skate America last year.

She skated to the music of Jennifer Lopez’s “Ain’t it Funny” and included the lyrics, a new twist in the ISU series this season.

American Gracie Gold is third with 60.81 points, while her USA compatriot Mirai Nagasu, who finished fourth at the Olympics, stumbled to a 10th place finish on Saturday.

– Women’s field wide open –

The women’s field is wide open this year after several stars from Sochi either retired or decided not to skate in 2014-15.

Sochi silver medalist Kim Yu-Na has retired while world champ Mao Asada and Carolina Kostner, who won bronze at the Winter Games, are skipping the season.

Olympic champion Adelina Sotnikova has not started her season yet but when she does she will be trying to validate her controversial gold medal victory in Sochi.

Meanwhile Russians Yuko Kavaguti and Alex Smirnov led the pairs short programme with 69.16 points. China’s Peng Cheng and Zhang Hao were second with 62.38 points.

Skate America continues Sunday with the women’s free skate and pairs free skate.

The six-leg ISU series moves on from Chicago to Skate Canada, with further stops in November at the Cup of China in Shanghai, the Cup of Russia, the Trophee Bompard in France and the NHK Trophy.

All skaters must compete in two events with the top six in each of the four disciplines — men’s, women’s, pairs and ice dance — qualifying for the Grand Prix final in Barcelona from December 11-14.

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