Il Nuovo Postiglione - Japan's Kagiyama, Chiba lead competition at Four Continents

In the women's event, his compatriot Mone Chiba came first in the short programme as defending champion Lee Hae-in placed 11th after an error-ridden performance.

Kagiyama was the clear favourite going into the event, with his two main rivals -- America's Ilia Malinin and Japan's Shoma Uno -- opting not to compete.

The 20-year-old did not disappoint with a powerful, lyrical skate to Imagine Dragons' "Believer", awarded 106.82 by the judges.

Dressed in black cut through with silver scales, Kagiyama looked in complete control as he soared across the ice, landing two quadruple jumps with ease.

He missed most of last season with an ankle injury but has come roaring back since -- including beating Uno to the NHK Trophy in November, and placing third at the Grand Prix Final in Beijing in December.

It was a good night for Japan, as Shun Sato picked up second place with a personal best of 99.20 points. South Korean Cha Jun-hwan was third with 95.30.

The biggest cheers from the enthusiastic audience were reserved for Chinese skater Jin Boyang, who finished fifth after a joyous skate to Ultravox's "Vienna".

The crowd erupted as he finished, raining down hundreds of soft toys onto the rink and prompting a mass mobilisation of "sweepers" -- the child skaters who clear up objects thrown onto the ice by adoring fans.

- Chiba overcomes nerves -

In the women's, Chiba earned a personal best of 71.10 for her striking "Les Yeux Noirs" short programme, spinning across the rink in a sparkling rose-patterned outfit.

South Korea's Kim Chae-yeon was second with 69.77, while America's Ava Marie Ziegler stormed through "Jazz Man" to take third place.

Chiba, who came third at Four Continents last year, told reporters she had been nervous going into the event after a fall in a recent competition shook her confidence.

"But since coming here, I was in a good condition, so I thought I just had to believe in that," the 18-year-old said.

"I was caught between worrying about what might happen if I fell, and fought between those two moods."

There was no such luck for world silver medallist Lee.

She started her jazzy short programme with flair, but fell attempting a triple flip jump among other costly mistakes.

Lee had been the favourite going into the event, but her score of 56.07 puts her outside the top ten going into Friday's free skate.

The South Korean told media afterwards that before the competition, she had had "a huge shock" which made her "very sad and stressed", without elaborating.

"It was hard to skate. I considered withdrawing but I decided to fight and compete," she said.

F.M.Buffo--INP