Jack Gallagher 
Kaori Sakamoto practices in Boston on March 25, a day before the women's short program at the 2025 ISU World Figure Skating Championships. (©KYODO)
Read the full story on SportsLook - [ICE TIME] Kaori Sakamoto Going for 4th Straight World Title in Boston
Kaori Sakamoto will look to join a very select club when she takes the ice at the ISU World Figure Skating Championships in Boston for the short program on Wednesday, March 26. The three-time defending world titlist will be trying to become the first woman to win four straight crowns in 65 years.
American Carol Heiss, a month after capturing the Olympic gold medal at the Squaw Valley Games, won the last of her five consecutive world titles in 1960 in Vancouver, British Columbia, to join Hungary's Lily Kronberger, Austria's Herma Szabo and Norway's Sonja Henie as the only women to achieve the feat.
The 24-year-old Sakamoto will need to muster all of her power and skill to climb the mountain again, as South Korea's Chaeyeon Kim and Amber Glenn have emerged this season as prime challengers to the Kobe native.
Kaori Sakamoto Expresses Confidence Heading into the World Championships
"I am feeling great and looking to win a fourth consecutive title," Sakamoto was quoted as saying on Tuesday after practice. "There is no pressure. I am able to take on the challenge stress-free."
The 18-year-old Kim beat Sakamoto to win the Asian Winter Games gold in Harbin, China, in early February, and also topped the podium at the Four Continents Championships in Seoul later in the same month. Kim was the bronze medalist at last year's worlds.
"It's a great honor to be considered a medal contender here, and I really want to prove that these expectations are right. I want to live up to them," Kim stated on Tuesday.
Glenn, a 25-year-old from Plano, Texas, has enjoyed a fine season, winning every competition she has entered. She has emerged as a significant force with her ability to land the triple axel and will have the benefit of skating on home ice in Massachusetts this week.
Mone Chiba and Wakaba Higuchi will join Sakamoto in the women's field, with Chiba being the only legitimate medal contender. The moment has arrived for the 19-year-old Chiba to step up on the big stage. She has the talent to become a world medalist, but will have to display fortitude under pressure to do it.
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.
