Making your international senior Grand Prix debut is a daunting prospect.
Factor in the added pressure of incorporating a triple axel, the notorious ice skating move, external achieved only by a select few, and the sense of intimidation is undeniable.
On Friday, 16-year-old Rika Kihira failed to land the infamously tricky jump, a feat only eight women have managed to date.
But what a difference a day can make.
Fast-forward 24 hours, and the Japanese schoolgirl proved the doubters wrong, leapfrogging from fifth to first to clinch gold in her maiden Grand Prix figure skating performance at the NHK Trophy in Hiroshima, Japan.
The teenager shocked the favourites by showcasing a dazzling women’s free skate which earned her 154.72 points from the judges for a winning total of 224.31.
And if that score wasn’t impressive enough, Kihira managed not one, but two triple axels.
Despite entering the competition as a wildcard, Kihira wowed the crowd by opening with a breathtaking triple axel-triple toe combination, followed by an equally impressive triple axel.
“I still can’t believe it,” said Kihira, who was fifth after Friday’s short programme.
“I’ve literally never been so happy in my life. I want to hold onto this memory forever.”
Japan’s Satoko Miyahara took silver with a total of 219.47 points and former world champion Elizaveta Tuktamysheva of Russia clinched bronze with 219.02.
“I couldn’t land a triple axel yesterday,” added Kihira, who was showered with roses from the home crowd after becoming the first Japanese woman to lift the NHK Trophy since Miyahara in 2015.
“I went into practice this morning determined to get it right.”
And that’s exactly what she did.
What a way to make your mark on the international stage.