Kaori Sakamoto Clinches Fourth World Title in Final Competition
Japan's Kaori Sakamoto concluded her competitive figure skating career by securing her fourth women's individual title at the World Figure Skating Championships.
The 25-year-old athlete, who earned a silver medal at the Winter Olympics held last month, achieved victory with a personal best score of 238.38 in Prague.
Sakamoto is the first female skater to win four individual world titles since American Michelle Kwan, who won her fifth in 2003.
"There are no regrets at all. I can say goodbye with this performance. I gave it all I have," Sakamoto said.
Competition Results and Standings
Fellow Japanese skater Mone Chiba, who placed fourth at the Olympics, earned the world silver medal with a score of 228.47. Belgium's Nina Pinzarrone secured the bronze medal with a score of 215.20.
Olympic champion Alysa Liu chose not to participate in this championship, while American skater Amber Glenn dropped from third place to sixth during the free skate segment.
Ice Dance Event Update
In the ice dance competition, Britain's Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson currently hold third place after scoring 85.09 in the rhythm dance.
Olympic champions Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron lead the standings with 92.74 points, followed by Canada's Piper Gilles and Paul Poirie, who won Olympic bronze, with 86.45 points.
The final medals for ice dance will be determined in Saturday's free dance, which will be broadcast live on BBC starting at 17:30 GMT.
