It was a splendid comeback for both Yuzuru Hanyu and Rika Kihira at the All-Japan Figure Skating Championships in Nagano last week where they delivered their season debuts, and for Kihira, her career-first quadruple jump to top the podium.

For both of them, the victory has set a confident tone for the coronavirus-disrupted season as the two top skaters have already had their next goal in sight.

Hanyu eyes third world crown

Figure skating fans globally have been waiting to see Hanyu set his blade on competitive ice for quite some time since February – when he won his first Four Continents title - but few would foresee his comeback in such a spectacular style as it turned out to be.

Delivering two vastly different new programs, the double Olympic champion skated with such confidence and calmness, landing all his quadruple jumps in both routines as he "felt at ease" for his emotional free skate to "Heaven and Earth."

He won by a comfortable 35 points over PyeongChang 2018 silver medalist Uno Shoma, taking the national title for the fifth time and boosting his confidence to go after his next goal.

"I have been training alone for a long time and still have some issues in my short program," he said. "[But] I felt confident about the way I have been training and that it wasn't wrong... I hope to brush up my training and take on harder jumps without any injuries as it has been helping me to improve and grow."

Hanyu will be heading to the World Championships scheduled for late March in Stockholm, where he will bid for a third title after victories in 2014 and 2017.

"If the World Championships take place, I should be closer to it because it will be more difficult later," Hanyu told reporters after his victory at nationals.

Kihira lands career-first quadruple jump

It was a weekend to remember for Kihira as the reigning Japanese champion landed a quadruple Salchow for the first time in competition, something she has been talking about since 2018.

Kihira opened her free skate with the jump, landing it beautifully as she moved into six more triple jumps, including her patented triple Axel in an emotional program set to "Baby, God Bless You" by Shinya Kiyozuka, which displays her artistic skills perfectly.

"I was calmer than I'd expected. I had to land this quad Salchow successfully in order to continue the program, so it was very crucial. I felt like I had no other choice. So when I landed it, I felt it was part of my plan," Kihira told reporters after her victory.

"I had been confident about a quad Salchow for quite some time. So I just had to do everything I had trained for. I didn't think about being nervous, but only about how well I could jump. So I'm really happy," she said.

Taking on highly-challenging quadruple jumps has been part of Kihira's plan for quite some time and it seems to have become a staple for female skaters to secure a place at the podium at any major competition.

Having been confirmed to compete for the upcoming World Championships in Stockholm, the two-time Four Continents and 2018 Grand Prix Final winner Kihira was candid about her long-term goal.

"In order to be able to compete at the Beijing Winter Olympics, I strongly felt I had to land a quad in this competition," Kihira said. "I've been training very hard for this goal during the off season. So I'm really happy it led to that moment."

(Cover: Yuzuru Hanyu and Rika Kihira during their free skate at the All Japan Figure Skating Championships in Nagano, Japan. /CFP)