Men's world figure skating champion Daisuke Takahashi of Japan has captured the season-opening NHK Trophy in Nagoya, Japan. Takahashi relied on a quadruple toeloop during his free skate program Sunday to finish comfortably ahead of American Jeremy Abbott.

The Japanese skater led after the short program, and so impressed the judges with his early quad toeloop during the free skate, that he accumulated almost 235 points despite a fall on his triple lutz, double toeloop.

Abbott skated a clean program but did not attempt a quad jump. He also singled a triple axel and triple lutz, double toeloop combination to finish second with just over 218 points. France's Florent Amodio took third place.

Takahashi's win was a boost for Japan after women's world champion Mao Asada finished a disappointing eighth in the women's event.

Some information in this story was provided by AP and AFP.

NAGOYA, Japan, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- Japan's world champion Daisuke Takahashi triumphed at Grand Prix season-opening NHK Trophy here on Sunday.

Takahashi appeared last on the ice after finishing top in Saturday's short program. The 24-year-old delivered a passionate latin-flavored free skate to earn a total 234.79 points and finish way ahead of American Jeremy Abbott and Florent Amodio of France.

Abbot scored 218.19 and Amodio had 213.77, while Japanese junior world champion Yuzuru Hanyu and compatriot Takahito Mura placed fourth and sixth, respectively.

"The first half of the program was going well but in the second half I missed two jumps and there were some steps that didn't have enough speed," said Takahashi.

"There are still things that I need to improve. But for the first competition of the Grand Prix season I think I did relatively well," he said.

Takahashi is the only Vancouver Olympic medalist to skate in the Grand Prix event. His chief rival Evan Lysacek has decided to skip GP events.

By Mark Zeigler

Thursday, October 21, 2010 at 7:19 p.m.

Del Mar figure skater Rachael Flatt opens her competitive season today in Japan, and she's not exactly avoiding anyone.

Flatt is skating at the NHK Trophy in Nagoya, the first of six events in the Grand Prix series and almost certainly the one most loaded with talent. The reigning world and junior champions, Mao Asada and Kanako Murakami of Japan, are entered. So are fellow Americans Caroline Zhang and Ashley Wagner, making this a preview of the 2011 U.S. Championships.

Flatt, who trains in Colorado Springs but whose family is in the process of moving back to the San Diego area, was accepted to Stanford and deferred until the 2011 fall quarter. Instead, she'll remain in Colorado Springs and focus on competitive skating.

She has spent the offseason performing in exhibition tours and working on her artistry, the most criticized aspect of her skating. She also has renewed efforts to strengthen the back injury that has plagued her for much of her career.

Skaters can enter two Grand Prix events, and the top six in each discipline advance to the Grand Prix Final in December in Beijing, China. Flatt also is scheduled to compete at Skate America next month in Portland, Ore.

Universal Sports will show a delayed telecast of the ladies short program from Nagoya's Nihon Gaishi Arena tonight at 10:30 p.m. NBC will air the ladies free programs, also on a delayed basis, Sunday from 4-6 p.m.