ISU World Figure Skating Championships 2023: Steely Sakamoto Kaori seals back-to-back world titles in front of home crowd
The two-time Olympic medallist became the first woman to repeat at the worlds since Evgenia Medvedeva in 2016-17. Lee Hae-in won silver and Loena Hendrickx bronze.
Figure Skating
And then there was Sakamoto Kaori.
On a roller-coaster evening of performances at the ISU World Figure Skating Championships in Saitama, Japan, the reigning world champion kept her crown with a stirring free skate on Friday (24 March), becoming the first woman to defend her title since 2016-17 (Evgenia Medvedeva).
She did it as the final skater of the night and with a solid - if not perfect - performance, popping a triple flip attempt late in the program but recovering as the Saitama Super Arena roared her on.
Sakamoto is the first female to win the title in front of the home crowd since her compatriot Asada Mao did so in this same venue in 2014.
Her 145.37 free to total 224.61 points held off a surging Lee Hae-in of the Repulic of Korea, who had skated just prior to Sakamoto. Lee scored a career-best 147.32 in the free to hit 220.94, 10 points ahead of Loena Hendrickx of Belgium with 210.42.
Sakamoto covered her face in a rush of emotion as her scores confirmed her consecutive titles, the PA announcer informing the crowd of her back-to-back feat.
It was a bittersweet moment for the champion: "I’m full of frustration. I’m thankful for the lead I had after the short program. I really don’t know what happened [with the flip jump]. ... When I see the medal it makes me happy but when I take my eyes off it, the frustration comes back."
Isabeau Levito of the U.S. finished fourth (207.65), while Mihara Mai of Japan was fifth (205.70).
The golden performance for Team Japan continues at its home worlds, with Sakamoto joining the pairs team of Miura Riku and Kihara Ryuichi as champions. Miura/Kihara's win was a first in the pairs discipline for Japan.
Sakamoto: "I got the result"
Korean Kim Chae-yeon surprised with a sixth-place finish at 203.51. She was third in the free skate. Lee, meanwhile, becomes the first Korean woman to medal at Worlds since Yuna Kim won the title in 2013.
Sakamoto had led after the short program by a safe but not insurmountable six points. Earlier in the week she discussed avoiding a similar situation to when the event was last held at this venue, in 2019, when she slumped to fifth after placing second in the short program.
But no such slump arrived on this night, though she did make a similar mistake to that program.
"I thought 'Why did I make this same mistake after all the work I put in?'" an honest Sakamoto told the crowd. "[But] I was able to quickly recover and I got the result.
"I felt a lot of support. Initially it was a lot of anxiety and tension, but I was able to turn that into a strength, so thank you for that."
Skating to Sia's Elastic Heart, Sakamoto opened with an aggressive double Axel to settle in, then solo triple Lutz and triple Salchows before doing a triple flip-double toe-loop in combination. After earning a Level 4 on her step sequence, she'd pop her attempted triple flip, but quickly tacked a triple toe onto the back side of it.
She finished stronger: a double Axel-triple toe-double toe combo then a triple loop before she added one final spin. Sakamoto appeared to think she had lost the title with that error, but the scores confirmed minutes later that she was, indeed, now a two-time world champion.
While Asada (2008, '10, '14) and Ando Miki (2007, '11) won multiple titles, neither of them did so back-to-back, making Sakamoto the first Japanese woman to manage that feat.
Her mind continued to come back to 2019 and the similar error she made: "When I singled the flip, I didn’t panic and stuck the next jump.
"I want to be a tougher skater. The best ones skate well regardless of situation. I wasn’t thinking about the mistake from four years ago. I was freaking out, worried that the lead I had might be wiped out."
The field: Medals for Lee, Hendrickx; Mihara skates with injury
The Korean, Lee, was the free skate winner and - aside from a quarter call (a slightly under-rotated jump) on the back end of her triple Lutz-triple toe - she skated flawlessly.
"I didn't expect my silver medal," she told reporters before address her accomplishment following in the footsteps of the 2010 Olympic champion, Kim: "Achieving this after Yuna Kim is such a huge honour for me, so I think I will take this as a sign to only work harder after this season."
"I was able to bring a clean program today, so this was a huge happiness to me."
There was no such happiness for Mihara, who had been third after the short program. The Japanese skater had swept the Grand Prix with three golds, but she was skating on an injured leg, her coach told reporters after.
"I need to become physically stronger [to] withstand tougher practises," she said. "I was calm on the ice but I need to be more aggressive at the same time. No matter what awaits I want to have the will to keep skating. I don’t think I had the legs I wanted to in the second half of the program."
Hendrickx had falls in both her programs, but the 2022 silver medallist was looking at the bright side of her result, the 23-year-old detailing her struggles throughout the year.
"I struggled a lot going into Worlds," she shared. "The preparation was not perfect; mentally it was really hard. The main goal here was to enjoy it and that's what I did. I have the love again for the sport. ... I felt it again."
It was a best-ever result for Nicole Schott, who was seventh in her seventh appearance (197.76). Swiss teenager Kimmy Repond made her debut with an eighth-place result (194.09).
The American women struggled, however, with Levito leading the way. Amber Glenn finished 12th and Bradie Tennell 15th.