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Kaori Sakamoto Wins Gold by Big Margin at Grand Prix Final

Showing why she is the best in the world, Kaori Sakamoto displayed beautiful line and edge during her free skate routine in the Chinese capital.

Published

11 months ago

December 9, 2023

Jack Gallagher

Kaori Sakamoto performs her free skate routine en route to the women's gold medal at the Grand Prix Final on December 9, 2023, in Beijing. (KYODO)

Read the full story on SportsLook - Kaori Sakamoto Wins Gold by Big Margin at Grand Prix Final

Two-time world champion Kaori Sakamoto added another notable achievement to her growing resume by winning the Grand Prix Final for the first time on Saturday night, December 9 in Beijing.

The 23-year-old star, who earned the bronze medal at the 2022 Beijing Olympics, scored a dominating victory by more than 22 points with a solid free skate.

Sakamoto's winning total tally was 225.70 points, easily outscoring Belgium's Loena Hendrickx, who took the silver with 203.36. A fabulous free skate from Hana Yoshida brought her the bronze, and nearly the silver, as she moved up from fourth place after the short program with a score of 203.16.

Belgium's Nina Pinzarrone, who was third after the short program, slid to fourth to finish on 194.91. Isabeau Levito of the United States was fifth with 191.86, while Rion Sumiyoshi came in sixth at 180.39.

The 23-year-old Sakamoto skated to "Wild Is The Wing" and "Feeling Good" and landed six clean triples while earning level fours on all of her spins and step sequence.

Sakamoto's quality of skating this night showed why she is the best in the world as she displayed beautiful line and edge during her routine.

Third Time's a Charm for Kaori Sakamoto

The triumph brought Sakamoto her first medal at the senior GPF on the third attempt. She was fifth last year in Turin, Italy, and also fifth in Vancouver, British Columbia, in 2018.

"I am really happy that I won the France GP and Finland GP and now the Final," Sakamoto stated. "This is very exciting. I have reached my goals."

Continue reading the full story on SportsLook.

Title Quest at Grand Prix Final: Kaori Sakamoto Seizes the Lead in the Short Program

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.