Kaori Sakamoto defended her world figure skating title in Saitama, becoming the first woman to win back-to-back world crowns since Evgenia Medvedeva in 2017.
A commanding lead built in the short program
Sakamoto carried a 5.62-point advantage into the free skate, the largest lead after a women’s short program at worlds since 2015. Her score of 79.24 sat just off a career best, while Lee Hae-in of South Korea trailed with a personal-best 73.62.
A stumble and a roar in Saitama
Skating last before a home crowd at Saitama Super Arena, Sakamoto knew the title rested on her shoulders. Midway through the free skate she popped a triple flip, a clear break in an otherwise steady program.
The arena roared her onward and she recovered without further error. Her free skate score of 145.37 remained the second-best of the field, bringing her total to 224.61.
Lee Hae-in, who had skated just before her, delivered a career-best 147.32 free skate to finish at 220.94, only 3.67 points behind. Loena Hendrickx of Belgium took bronze with 210.42.
A first for Japan, a night like Asada’s
The victory made Sakamoto the first Japanese skater in history to win consecutive women’s singles world titles. She also became the first woman to claim the world crown on home soil since Mao Asada did so at the very same venue in 2014.
Two years after her maiden world title in Montpellier, Sakamoto had turned a home championship into something lasting.
