Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donohue perform in their short dance at the NHK Trophy on Nov. 11, 2017 in Osaka, Japan.
Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donohue reached the podium for the second time at an ISU Grand Prix this season, this time taking a silver medal at the NHK Trophy in Osaka, Japan on Saturday night.
Hubbell and Donohue, who recorded a personal best in the free dance to win the bronze medal at Skate Canada two weeks ago, finished second in Osaka to 2010 Olympic gold medalists and reigning world champions Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir of Canada.
Hubbell and Donohue have been on the rise this season, winning the 2017 U.S. International Classic and now making two straight grand prix podiums.
The U.S. duo was second after the short dance in Osaka with 73.61 points. Virtue and Moir led after the short dance with 80.92.
Hubbell and Donohue, sixth in the world last year, were last up in the free skate. They performed to a medley of an instrumental from “Across the Sky” by Rag N'Bone Man and “Caught Out in the Rain” by Beth Hart. The routine earned them 112.04 points, second in the free skate again to Virtue and Moir, who amassed 117.72.
The performance for Hubbell and Donohue earned them their fifth career grand prix podium, including a pair of silver medals last season. They tallied a score of 188.35 behind the 198.64 for Virtue and Moir.
Italy’s Anna Cappellini and Luca Lanotte were third in both the short program and the free dance to take the bronze medal with a combined 186.56.
Gary R. Blockus is a journalist from Allentown, Pennsylvania who has covered multiple Olympic Games. He is a freelance contributor to TeamUSA.org on behalf of Red Line Editorial, Inc.
