Sports

Kaori Sakamoto Takes Big Lead in Short Program at Japan Championships

Sakamoto executed all of her elements with excellent technique and flair at the Japan Championships on a night that saw errors by many of her competitors.

Published

4 months ago

December 23, 2023

Jack Gallagher

Kaori Sakamoto performs her short program at the Japan Championships in Nagano on December 22, 2023. (ⒸSANKEI)

Read the full story on SportsLook - Kaori Sakamoto Takes Big Lead in Short Program at Japan Championships

Two-time world champion Kaori Sakamoto took a commanding lead with a fine short program at the Japan Championships on Friday night, December 22 at Big Hat Ice Arena in Nagano.

The Beijing Olympic bronze medalist was in a class by herself and will take a nearly nine-point advantage into Sunday's free skate.

Sakamoto, who won the Grand Prix Final earlier this month, is in first place with 78.78 points, with Mako Yamashita a surprise in second at 69.82. Mone Chiba stands in third on 68.02.

Mai Mihara, the 2022-23 season's Grand Prix Final champion, is fourth with 67.70, while Beijing Olympian Mana Kawabe is fifth at 67.25.

World junior champion Mao Shimada fell on her combination jump and is seventh at 65.23. Looked upon as the most likely challenger to Sakamoto entering the competition, she will now just try to make the podium.

World team hopefuls Hana Yoshida and Rion Sumiyoshi are far back in the standings and in danger of missing out on the tickets for Montreal. Yoshida is in ninth with 62.73, while Sumiyoshi is way out of medal contention in 17thon 56.70.

Sakamoto Shines in Rendition of 'Baby, God Bless You' at Japan Championships

Sakamoto's elite level shone through in her skate to "Baby, God Bless You." The 23-year-old star executed all of her elements with excellent technique and flair on a night that saw errors by many of her competitors.

She opened with a double axel and followed it with a triple lutz. Then, the Kobe native went on to land a huge triple flip/triple toe loop combination jump. Sakamoto earned level fours on all of her spins and step sequence.

"Of course, I want to win three times in a row, but for me, it's not only about winning but to show a good performance until the end," Sakamoto stated. "The lutz worked especially well today. I'm glad it paid off and I had my best short program of the season here."

Added Sakamoto, "My physical condition was better than when I arrived, and I was able to return to my usual self and take on the short program."

Continue reading the full story on SportsLook.

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.