The smile was back on Rika Kihira’s face as she took one small step on the journey back into the mix on the international competitive scene.
For the 20-year-old from Japan, just dipping her toes into the Grand Prix waters at Skate Canada International once again was worthy of a celebration, given that her 2021-2022 season was completely wiped out by a stress fracture to her right foot.
Kihira had been scheduled to compete at the same Grand Prix one year earlier, but the injury forced her to withdraw from both her Series events as well as the All Japan Championships.
It was surely an exercise in massive frustration for a skater whose résumé includes a Grand Prix Final title in 2018, a pair of victories at the Four Continents Championships and
