ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships 2024: Chiba Mone soars to title with personal best score, Kim Chae-yeon second
Japan's Chiba led after the short program and captured the title by some 10 points. Watanabe Rinka rounded out the top three as pre-event favourites Mihara Mai (7th) and Lee Hae-in (11th) struggled.
Figure Skating
Leader after the short program, 18-year-old Chiba Mone soared to the 2024 ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships title in women's singles on Friday (2 February) in Shanghai, scoring a career-best 214.98.
She outpaced silver medallist Kim Chae-yeon of the Republic of Korea at 204.68, while Chiba's Japanese teammate Watanabe Rinka claimed bronze with a 202.17.
It's the biggest title of Chiba's young career, and comes just six weeks after she finished second at the Japanese Championships in late December behind two-time and reigning world champion Sakamoto Kaori. Chiba had been third at this event a year ago, but led after the short program on Thursday (1 February) and skated last in the free skate.
She was near perfect there, landing seven triple jumps, including four in combination. On her final triple, a Lutz, she burst into a wide smile as she landed, the title safely hers. She won the long program with a 143.88 to outdo her best by six points.
"It's a great excitement and happiness to win here," Chiba said via an interpreter. She'll make her debut at the World Championships next month.
Ava Marie Ziegler (USA) and Wi Seo-yeong (KOR) rounded out the top five with a 201.19 and 193.57, respectively.
In ice dance, two-time world medallists Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier lead after the rhythm dance, scoring a 85.49. The three-time Four Continents medallists are looking for a first title at this event.
Chiba Mone wins biggest title of career
It's a performance that will turn heads ahead of Worlds, with Chiba nine points clear of her personal best 205.82 overall score that is actually from her junior career, from a Grand Prix in 2022.
Her The Legend of 1900 free skate was sterling from start to finish: She opened with a triple flip-triple toe-loop in combination and never looked back, receiving Level 4 (the highest) across each of her spins and not only maintaining her lead after the short but growing it.
Kim, 17, matches her silver medal from Skate Canada in October.
Pre-event favourites Mihaha Mai (JPN) and Lee Hae-in (KOR), the reigning world silver medallist, struggled to seventh and 11th, respectively. Madeline Schizas of Canada was sixth.