Japanese star Sakamoto signs off with fourth world skating gold / Photo: Michal Cizek - AFP
Japanese star Sakamoto signs off with fourth world skating gold
Retiring Japanese star Kaori Sakamoto signed off in style by claiming women's world figure skating championships gold for a fourth time with career best scores in Prague on Friday.
The 25-year-old Olympic silver medallist marked her farewell to the ice with an elegant, charismatic routine to Edith Piaf "Je ne regrette rien", earning personal bests of 158.97 in the free skate and a total score of 238.28.
"There are no regrets at all, I can say goodbye with this performance," said the 25-year-old.
"I gave it all I have, there were a few tricky moments, but I think I gave my best."
Her compatriot Mone Chiba took silver nearly 10 points behind, while Belgium's Nina Pinzarrone caused an upset by winning bronze as US champion Amber Glenn dropped from third overnight to sixth.
In the absence of reigning Olympic and world champion Alysa Liu, Sakamoto led all the way to reclaim the title she won three consecutive times between 2022 and 2024. She took silver last year as she was dethroned by Liu.
The ice rink in the Czech capital, packed to capacity for the occasion, seemed to be waiting for only one thing -- to see Sakamoto, one of the most beloved skaters on the circuit -- end her superb career with a smile after the tears of sadness that had accompanied her silver medal at the Milan-Cortina Olympics.
On Friday, she delivered a flawless programme, punctuated by seven triple jumps, impressively bouncing back just a month after the biggest disappointment of her career.
Sakamoto punched the air in delight after her performance.
"After that I had a feeling I've done everything that I could and this is a really good way to end a career," she said.
She wiped away tears as her scores came up, hugging 20-year-old Chiba who added silver to a bronze from last year.
"Today I tried not to cry, I was really trying hard not to cry but I heard so many people cheering for me and applauding me and when I saw that scene I couldn't help it," said Sakamoto.
Mone made up for the disappointment of finishing fourth at the Olympics, earning career best scores for her skate to the "Romeo and Juliet" soundtrack.
With four world titles, Sakamoto ranks fifth all time among women's figure skaters.
Far from Norwegian Sonja Henie's unattainable record of 10 titles between 1927 and 1936, she is tied with legends Lily Kronberger and Katarina Witt.
- French lead ice dance -
Earlier, Olympic ice dance champions Guillaume Cizeron and Laurence Fournier Beaudry dominated the rhythm dance to put themselves on track for gold.
Skating to a programme inspired by Madonna's hit "Vogue", the French pair broke their season record with 92.74 points and lead the way going into Saturday's free dance final.
They hold a comfortable lead of more than six points over Canadians Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier (86.45), the bronze medallists at the Milan-Cortina Olympics last month.
Britain's Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson got the crowd going with their Spice Girls routine to put them third with 85.89 points.
"It was quite magic," Cizeron said.
"We've delivered a beautiful performance, more relaxed than at the Olympic Games."
Crowned Olympic champions last month after a turbulent first season skating together Cizeron, 31, and 33-year-old Fournier Beaudry are bidding for their first world title together.
If he wins, Cizeron will clinch his sixth world title after five victories with his former partner Gabriella Papadakis between 2015 and 2022.
For Canadian-born Fournier Beaudry it would be a first world medal.
US skater Ilia Malinin will bid for a third consecutive men's title on Saturday a month after his Winter Olympics collapse as he leads going in the free skating final.
F.Braun--VZ
