Kaori Sakamoto took home gold at the World Figure Skating Championships, becoming the first Japanese woman to win the competition in eight years.
Her victory at the World Figure Skating Championships follows up her bronze medal from the 2022 Tokyo Olympics in February.
Sakamoto posted personal best scores in the short program and free skate for a winning 236.09-point total.
📺 What a showdown in the Women‘s Free Skating! 🤩 Kaori Sakamoto shines bright as she claims the 🥇 medal and is crowned World Champion 2022! #FigureSkating #WorldFigure pic.twitter.com/BCVZmsvXlM— ISU Figure Skating (@ISU_Figure) March 25, 2022
📺 What a showdown in the Women‘s Free Skating! 🤩 Kaori Sakamoto shines bright as she claims the 🥇 medal and is crowned World Champion 2022! #FigureSkating #WorldFigure pic.twitter.com/BCVZmsvXlM
Loena Hendrickx clinched silver, finishing behind Sakamoto with a score of 217.70 points. She is the first Belgian women’s skater ever to medal at worlds.
Alysa Liu rounded out the podium, capturing the first U.S. women’s world medal in six years. A phenomenal free skate program lifted the American skater from fifth to a bronze medal, finishing with a total of 211.19 points.
16-year-old Alysa Liu gave a spectacular performance at #WorldFigure en route to winning BRONZE! 🥉 @USFigureSkating | @TeamUSA pic.twitter.com/6TyqHfbWpi— NBC Olympics (@NBCOlympics) March 25, 2022
16-year-old Alysa Liu gave a spectacular performance at #WorldFigure en route to winning BRONZE! 🥉 @USFigureSkating | @TeamUSA pic.twitter.com/6TyqHfbWpi
Liu’s U.S. teammate, Mariah Bell, finished fourth, while Team USA Olympian Karen Chen came in eighth.
Russian skaters were barred from the World Figure Skating Championships due to the country’s invasion of Ukraine.