Sakamoto three-peats at figure worlds, Kim Chae-yeon wins first career medal
MONTREAL (AP) — Kaori Sakamoto of Japan is the first women’s figure skater to three-peat as world champion since American Peggy Fleming from 1966 to 1968.
Sakamoto captured gold again Friday at the Bell Centre, climbing from fourth place after the short program to the top of the podium with a near-flawless performance.
The 23-year-old led the pack by more than 10 points in the free program to finish with 222.96 points and earn a standing ovation from the 6,000 fans on hand.
Isabeau Levito of the United States — a 2022 world junior champion — claimed silver (212.16) for her first medal at a senior worlds.
Korean figure skater Kim Chaeyeon has captured the bronze medal for her first career medal in the annual competition.
Kim scored 203.59 points overall to finish third at the International Skating Union World Figure Skating Championships in Montreal, Friday (local time).
Kim ranked sixth after the short program with 66.91 points Wednesday but posted the third-best free skating score with 136.68 points.
Kim is the second Korean woman to reach the world championships podium, after Lee Hae-in grabbed silver in Japan.
Lee was third after the short program in Montreal with 73.55 points but only ranked 12th in the free skate with 121.93 points. She finished sixth overall with 195.48 points.
With Kim and Lee finishing third and sixth, South Korea will be able to send three skaters to the women’s singles event at next year’s world championships — as it did this year.
Kim opened her free skate with a clean double axel and executed a flawless triple lutz-triple toe loop combination.
However, Kim received the exclamation mark for “attention” for not having a clear edge on a pair of triple flip jumps later in the program.