NHK


 

Japanese figure skater Sakamoto Kaori has won her career fourth women's singles world title in her final competition before she retires.

The Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games silver medalist performed her free skate at the world championships in the Czech Republic capital of Prague on Friday.

She successfully executed all her jumps, scoring a personal best of 158.97 points. Her overall score of 238.28 points was also a career best.

Sakamoto's fourth world championships title is a new record by a Japanese figure skater. The 2010 Vancouver Olympics silver medalist Asada Mao won the world championships title three times.

Sakamoto said in an interview after her victory that she is really glad she was able to skate in front of all the fans. She expressed her gratitude for the support they provided.

Japan's Chiba Mone placed second with an overall score of 228.47 points, a personal best.