2024-03-23 11:10:00
The girls’ short program at the 2024 World Championships was truly surprising. After the first day of the tournament, the top three winners did not include the ironclad favorite of the competition, which, of course, no one expected. Japanese Kaori Sakamoto she made a mistake on the triple Lutz, she was just a little short of another small medal. However, the free program put everything in its place so much that it was impossible to predict the final top three.
Unlike the short program, in the free program two girls took risks with a triple axel. So far this is the maximum level of difficulty for the world figure. If for Hany Esidi the trixel (albeit with a quarter under-rotation) became a kind of rehabilitation for the fall on the loop, then the American Amber Glenn The element didn’t help at all. The current US champion traditionally fell apart in the second half of the box office and only worsened her position in the overall standings.
The strongest warm-up of the single skaters began with a confident skate Chae Young Kim. The 17-year-old Korean nailed all her jumps, making a great bid for a high place. In fact, Kim did not show anything outstanding – out of the entire team, it is difficult for her to stand out among her compatriots. Its only advantage is its stability, with the exception of some starts, Chae Yong rarely makes mistakes on the elements. Due to the third position in the South Korean team, they did not forgive the skater even minor shortcomings and noted an under-rotation on the Salchow and a couple of unclear ribs on the flips – 136.68 points.
Taking into account Kim’s sixth position after a short and relatively low result in the free program, she was unlikely to get a World Championship medal. However, the girls began to fall apart one after another during the rental. Yong Yu started with plus or minus confident triple jumps, but failed the second half of the performance, allowing several butterflies and a fall. Vice-champion of last year’s championship Hae In Lee She also produced a frankly weak free program with many errors.
The American performed unexpectedly well Isabeau Levito. According to the season, she often experienced difficulties precisely on the second day of the competition – this was probably due to the girl’s excessive nervousness. In Montreal, she managed to control her nerves, but the breakdown did not happen. Throughout the program, Levito controlled every movement and was careful before the elements. Isabeau has a very unaesthetic jumping technique, which cannot even compare with competitors from other countries, so visually her performance looks difficult. Despite several blemishes in the ribs and under-rotation, Levito showed one of the best performances of the season – 138.43 points. This was enough for silver. A great success for the student of Russian specialist Yulia Kuznetsova.
Kaori Sakamoto came out to rehabilitate herself for a blot in the short. Yes, this production cannot be called the best in the Japanese career, but she made the most of her material. Almost standard flying jumps, with amazing high-speed exits – all she needed to achieve a perfect skate was the correct edge on the lutz. However, this mistake with Sakamoto was long enough ago, and it’s even fair that they didn’t forgive her for it. At the end of the performance, Kaori reacted emotionally to the performance: it seems that the Japanese woman really did not expect such a powerful performance from herself. 149.67 points – a confident victory at the third world championship in a row.
Theoretically, Sakamoto could only oppose at least something Luna Hendrix. After the short, the Belgian was in the lead by three points, which could compensate for the gap on the technical side. Nevertheless, Hendrix did not cope with the box office at all. Already in the starting position, it was clear from her face that failure was coming. Luna skated a bright performance under Beyoncé absolutely faceless and mechanically. During the free program, the Belgian changed content due to mistakes and suffered cascades in order to somehow gain points. Even the components, which were high by the standards of the Montreal tournament, did not save Hendrix a third World Cup medal. 123.27 points is one of Luna’s worst performances in the last two years. Of course, the figure skater did not make it to the podium.
Sakamoto’s achievement breaks the streak Evgenia Medvedeva of two World Championship victories in a row. And three titles without a break have not been won since Peggy Fleming, which was spectacular from 1966 to 1968. However, there is room for improvement in terms of the quality of Kaori’s performances. Alina Zagitova won the world championship with a score of 237.50 points. The Japanese woman was as close as possible in 2022 immediately after her suspension – then two clean skates brought the skater 236.09 points. In Montreal, she also failed to improve her career achievement.
World Championship. Women. Free program
1. Kaori Sakamoto (Japan) — 149.67
2. Isabeau Levito (USA) – 138.43
3. Chae Yong Kim (South Korea) – 136.68
4. Kimmy Repond (Switzerland) – 133.38
5. Monet Tiba (Japan) – 132.82.
World Championship. Women. Results
1. Kaori Sakamoto (Japan) — 222.96
2. Isabeau Levito (USA) – 212.16
3. Chae Yong Kim (South Korea) – 203.59
4. Luna Hendrix (Belgium) – 200.25
5. Kimmy Repond (Switzerland) – 196.02.
World Figure Skating Championships. March 20–24
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