Kaori Sakamoto closes career with 4th women's skating world title

Japan's Kaori Sakamoto closed out her competitive career with her fourth world title in the women's singles competition at the Figure Skating World Championships in Prague, Czechia on Friday.

The 25-year old wrapped up a historic skating career which included four Olympic medals, including two silvers at this year's Milan Cortina Games, with a personal-best 238.28 after an emotional free skate performance at O2 Arena. She's the first women's single skater to win four world championships since Michelle Kwan, who won her fifth in 2003.

Sakamoto was well clear of countrymate Mone Chiba, who finished in second at 228.47 after finishing fourth at the Olympics. Belgium's Nina Pinzarrone was a surprise bronze medalist (215.20) after finishing 13th in Milan.

American Isabeau Levito, the 2024 world silver medalist, finished in fourth a month removed from a 12th-place finish in her Olympic debut. Fellow American Amber Glenn entered the free skate in third place but fell to sixth after a pair of jumping errors.

Alysa Liu of the U.S. withdrew from the competition after winning the gold medal in Milan last month.

The rhythm dance of the ice dance competition was also held on Friday. French Olympic champions Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron are comfortably in the lead entering the free dance after posting a personal-best score of 92.74. Olympic bronze medalists Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier of Canada are in second at 86.45 and the British team of Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson (85.09) are in third.

American silver medalists Madison Chock and Evan Bates elected not to pursue a fourth straight world championship after coming up just short in Milan.

--Field Level Media