Jack Gallagher 
Gold medalist Alysa Liu (center), silver medalist Kaori Sakamoto (left) and third-place finisher Mone Chiba are seen after the competition at the 2025 ISU World Figure Skating Championships at TD Garden in Boston on March 28. (©Brian Snyder/REUTERS)
Read the full story on SportsLook - Alysa Liu Denies Kaori Sakamoto a 4th World Title
Kaori Sakamoto put up a valiant fight in her bid for a fourth consecutive world crown but came up just short at the ISU World Figure Skating Championships in Boston on Friday, March 28.
The 24-year-old was three points behind Alysa Liu of the United States after the short program, and in a good position to have a shot at winning again, but was unable to pull off the feat in the free skate.
Liu won the gold medal with a personal best total score of 222.97 points, with Sakamoto claiming the silver at 217.98 and Mone Chiba taking the bronze on 215.24.
Isabeau Levito (209.84) and Amber Glenn (205.65), American compatriots of Liu, finished fourth and fifth, respectively. Wakaba Higuchi, who was fourth after the short program, wound up sixth with 204.58.
A Long American Title Drought Ends
Liu's triumph, the first by an American woman at the worlds since Kimmie Meissner in 2006, completed a storybook comeback that saw her ascend to her maiden world title in her first season back from a shocking two-year retirement.
The 19-year-old, from Richmond, California, quit the sport in frustration after capturing the bronze at the 2022 world championships in what looked like the end to a career that had seen her win two US crowns.
She did not make the podium at either of her Grand Prix assignments this season, nor at February's Four Continents Championships, so her victory at the biggest competition of the season was as stunning as when she decided to give up skating.
"I'm not going to lie, this is an insane story," Liu remarked. "Don't know how I came back to be world champion."
Kaori Sakamoto Impacted by Jump Miscues
In truth, Sakamoto's bid for a fourth title suffered a real blow when she was unable to put up a higher score in the short program. As the saying in skating goes: "You can't win it in the short program, but you sure can lose it."
Sakamoto skated to "Chicago" and landed five clean triple jumps, but under-rotated a triple salchow on her first combination jump and was judged a quarter rotation short on the back end of a triple flip/triple toe loop combo later.
The Kobe native earned level fours on all of her spins and step sequence, but the two miscues on the jumps proved costly in the end. Nevertheless, she received a rousing standing ovation from the appreciative crowd after finishing her program.
"I am so emotional right now," Sakamoto stated. "I was actually already emotional all day. At the end, when Alysa hugged me, there were also so many mixed emotions inside me."
Continue reading the full story on SportsLook.
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Author: Jack Gallagher
The author is a veteran sports journalist and one of the world's foremost figure skating experts. Find articles and podcasts by Jack on his author page, and find him on X (formerly Twitter) @sportsjapan.
