Japan\u2019s Kaori Sakamoto retained the figure skating world title with a stellar performance in Montreal on Friday and became the first woman to win three straight crowns since American Peggy Fleming in 1968.
\nSakamoto was in fourth place after the short program, but the 23-year-old\u2019s dazzling free skate to \u201cWild Is The Wind\/Feeling Good\u201d by Lauryn Hill helped her match 1968 Olympic champion Fleming, who won three world titles between 1966-68.
\nBeijing Olympics bronze medallist Sakamoto\u2019s run began with a double axel and a triple Lutz, before a series of intricate combination jumps brought thunderous applause from the crowd at the Bell Centre.
\n\u201cI was fourth in the short program, so I was a little anxious about that, but today I was in a really good place emotionally,\u201d said Sakamoto, who finished with 222.96 points. \u201cI was able to calm down today. I was able to keep focused and do my elements one after the other and I am happy with this result.\u201d
\nAmerican Isabeau Levito, a world junior champion in 2022, won silver with a score of 212.16 while Chaeyeon Kim of South Korea took bronze with 203.59.
\nBelgium\u2019s Loena Hendrickx, who led after the short program, finished fourth after falling while attempting a triple flip.
\nEarlier on Friday, veteran ice dance duo Madison Chock and Evan Bates scored a 90.08 for their rhythm dance routine at the world championships, putting the Americans on the cusp of a second consecutive world title.
\nItalians Charlene Guignard and Marco Fabbri were in second after notching a 87.52, and home favourites Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier of Canada held third with 86.51 ahead of Saturday\u2019s free dance.
\nPerforming to music by Queen, Chock and Bates drew roars from the crowd for their smooth twizzle sequence, closing rotational lift and sassy attitude.
\n\u201cWe went out there, and I know it sounds cheesy, but to have the time of our lives,\u201d said Bates. \u201cWe\u2019ve been looking to a Montreal worlds for a long time. Being here for an 11th world championship, healthy and still enjoying it all, it\u2019s the greatest victory of all.\u201d
\nChock, 31, and Bates, 35, relocated to Montreal after a disappointing finish at the 2018 Olympics in Pyeongchang.
\nThey won their first world championship in Japan last year and their first grand prix final in December.
\n(Reuters)figure skating. figure skating, world title, performance<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Japan’s Kaori Sakamoto retained the figure skating world title in Montreal, becoming the first woman to win three consecutive crowns since Peggy Fleming in 1968. Sakamoto, who was fourth after the short program, scored 222.96 points with her free skate to \u201cWild Is The Wind\/Feeling Good\u201d by Lauryn Hill. American Isabeau Levito won silver with 212.16 points, and Chaeyeon Kim of South Korea took bronze with 203.59 points. Madison Chock and Evan Bates led the ice dance competition at the world championships with a score of 90.08 for their rhythm dance routine.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":5247,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"Default","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[2508,913,426,2842,3136,2042,465,2446,699,423,3138,948,421,114,1944,18,3137],"class_list":["post-5246","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-other","tag-belgium","tag-canada","tag-competition","tag-dance","tag-figure-skating","tag-japan","tag-kim","tag-match","tag-music","tag-olympics","tag-performance","tag-south-korea","tag-sports","tag-top-news","tag-woman","tag-world","tag-world-title"],"acf":{"keyphrase":"","keywords":"","sourceimg":"","country-category":""},"yoast_head":"\n