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L-R: Lee Hae-in, Kaori Sakamoto, and Loena Hendrickx pose with their medals at the World Figure Skating Championships in Saitama, Japan, March 24, 2023. /CFP
Japan's Kaori Sakamoto defended her title at the World Figure Skating Championships in Saitama, Japan on Friday with an overall score of 224.61.
South Korea's Lee Hae-in finished second with 220.94, followed by Belgium's Loena Hendrickx with 210.42.
Sakamoto survived a scare in the free skate that put her through an emotional roller-coaster ride after popping a triple flip attempt late in the program. She buried her face in her palms after the music stopped, looking dejected for the costly default, and again in tears when the error was proved costly but not deadly, as she became the first Japanese female skater to defend the singles title at the event.
She is also the first woman to repeat as champion since Evgenia Medvedeva of Russia in 2016-17.
"I was very disappointed in 2019," Sakamoto said of her underperformance from four years ago, when the world championships took place in the exact same venue. "I told myself that I would come back to win."
Meanwhile, 17-year-old Lee became the second South Korean skater to win a medal at the World Championships after six-time medalist and Olympic champion Yuna Kim.
(With input from Xinhua)
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Copyright © 2023 CGTN. 京ICP备16065310号
Disinformation report hotline: 010-85061466