HIROSHIMA ¨C Olympic and world silver medalist Shoma Uno holds a slim lead following the short program at the NHK Trophy on Friday night.

The 20-year-old, who is looking to lock up a spot in the Grand Prix Final, posted a total score of 92.49 points. Russia¡¯s Sergei Voronov is in second place with 91.37, with his compatriot Dmitri Aliev in third on 81.16.

Uno fell on the front end of his planned quadruple toe loop/triple toe loop combination jump to ¡°Stairway to Heaven,¡± but so refined are his skills that he was still able to take first place despite the miscue.

Russia¡¯s Elizaveta Tuktamysheva leads after the women¡¯s short program due to her big jumps and sassy performance.

Tuktamysheva, who won Skate Canada two weeks ago, earned a total score of 76.17 and holds a narrow advantage over four-time Japan champion Satoko Miyahara who has 76.08. Mai Mihara is in third place with 70.38.

Uno, who won at Skate Canada, began with a fine quad flip before falling on the quad toe loop and not completing the combination. He came back to land a beautiful triple axel and received high marks for his program components.

¡°My performance was not that great. There were some major mistakes,¡± stated Uno. ¡°All of my jumps tonight were with my upper body. I will try to do better in the free skate.¡±

Voronov, the defending champion in the NHK Trophy, landed a quad toe loop/triple toe loop combo, a triple lutz and a triple axel, but could not match Uno in program components.

¡°I¡¯m pretty satisfied. It¡¯s difficult to skate last,¡± commented Voronov. ¡°But I have skated after Shoma and Yuzuru (Hanyu) before, so based on those experiences I was able to skate well.¡±

Tuktamysheva, the 2015 world champion, was rewarded for her fine effort to ¡°Assassin¡¯s Tango¡± with a standing ovation from the audience. She opened with a big triple axel, then landed a triple toe loop/triple toe loop combination, and went on to hit a triple lutz.

The 21-year-old has not qualified for the world championships since her triumph long ago, but is enjoying a resurgence largely due to her triple axel.

¡°I¡¯m happy to skate well today because I was more nervous than at Skate Canada,¡± Tuktamysheva stated. ¡°I could not sleep well, so I hope I will have more energy for the free skate. I hope to recover better than I did at Skate Canada.¡±

The St. Petersburg native was asked about her return to prominence.

¡°I think with the new rules I can compete better this season,¡± Tuktamysheva commented. ¡°There is no secret to my triple axel. It is thanks to my coach (Alexei Mishin).¡±

Miyahara was sublime in her performance to ¡°Song for the Little Sparrow.¡± She began with a lovely triple lutz/triple toe loop combo and went on to land a double axel and triple loop.

The Kyoto native, who was fourth at the Pyeongchang Olympics, received level fours on all three spins. Her final layback spin earned a top score of five from eight of the nine judges.

¡°I was quite nervous but I did my jumps better than I thought,¡± Miyahara said. ¡°I was able to achieve my objectives. But I did not get the desired level on my step sequence (she received a level three). Tomorrow I hope to do better.¡±

Mihara under-rotated the back end of her opening triple lutz/triple toe loop combo to ¡°Romance on the High Seas,¡± but went on to hit a nice double axel and triple loop. She earned level fours for all of her jumps and step sequence in an elegant outing.

¡°I under-rotated by triple lutz on the combination, so tomorrow I want to land my jumps cleanly,¡± Mihara remarked. ¡°I am receiving a lot of encouragement from my coaches, friends and family, which gives my confidence.¡±

Fifteen-year-old Lim Eun-soo of South Korea is fourth on 69.78, while Rika Kihira is fifth at 69.59.

Kihira, making her senior Grand Prix debut, fell on her opening triple axel to ¡°Clair de Lune¡± but recovered to keep herself in contention for the podium with a strong triple flip/triple toe loop combo and a triple lutz. She got level fours on two of her spins, while getting a level three on the other and her step sequence.

¡°I was focused on the triple axel, and could imagine it in my mind, but it was a little mislanded,¡± Kihira stated. ¡°I hope to land my jumps tomorrow.¡±

Russia¡¯s Natalia Zabiiako and Alexander Enbert lead the pairs after the short program with 73.48. China¡¯s Peng Cheng and Jin Yang are second (70.66), while Canada¡¯s Kirsten Moore-Towers and Michael Marinaro stand in third (67.70).

The men¡¯s and women¡¯s free skates are set for Saturday when the ice dance competition will also begin.