With world junior champion Kanako Murakami moving up to the senior ranks this season, there may have been some trepidation in Japanese skating circles about who would represent the next wave of young talent among the ladies.
Those folks have to worry no more, as 14-year-old Risa Shoji burst onto the international scene with a victory in her debut at the SBC Cup Junior Grand Prix in Karuizawa, Nagano Prefecture, last weekend.
Shoji won both the short program and free skate on the way to racking up a total of 149.39 points in a comprehensive triumph. The Tokyo native beat American second-place finisher Kiri Baga (138.70) by more than 10 points. China's Kexin Zhang (134.08) came in third.