All-Japan Figure Skating Championships 2023: Sakamoto Kaori dominates women's short program in Nagano
The Beijing 2022 Olympic bronze medallist dazzled the crowd at the Big Hat by taking a nine-point lead over second-placed Yamashita Mako.
Figure Skating
Sakamoto Kaori was head and shoulders above the rest as the newly crowned Grand Prix Final winner emerged from the women’s short program with a comfortable lead at the All-Japan Figure Skating Championships on Friday (22 December).
Behind a triple flip-triple toeloop combo in a program dedicated to her niece and nephew, Sakamoto’s immaculate 78.78 gave her a nine-point advantage over Yamashita Mako (69.92) with Chiba Mone following (68.02) in Nagano.
Two-time Junior Grand Prix Final champion Shimada Mao landed a triple Axel but fell on a triple lutz that cost her points. She will head into Sunday’s free program in seventh place (65.23).
Sakamoto - eyeing her third successive title at the Japanese nationals, her fourth overall - was a happy camper following what she described as her best skate of the 2023-24 season.
While unofficial, Friday’s score was better than the 77.35 she produced at the Grand Prix Final in Beijing two weeks ago.
*“*I really worked on my lutz for today and I’m glad it paid off,” the 23-year-old said. “I think this was my best short program of the season so far. I can exhale - for now.”
Sakamoto fell ill after coming home from Beijing but now appears to be cruising.
“Physically, I feel a lot better than I did when I first got here. I feel great,” she said. “I went into the skate feeling like my usual self, and I was able to leave every ounce of me out there.
“I’m out for the three-peat. But I don’t want to just win; I want to win behind a performance that I can be happy about. I’m not going to let up until the very, very end.”