KADOMA, Osaka -- Kaori Sakamoto exploded with joy after her near-perfect free skate in the women's singles at the All-Japan figure skating championships on Sunday, topping short-program leader Satoko Miyahara to win her first national crown and end Miyahara's four-year reign in Japan.
The 18-year-old achieved a personal best in the free skate with 152.36 points -- although the scores at the All-Japan are not sanctioned by the International Skating Union -- to finish at 228.01 overall. Rika Kihira, who won the ISU Grand Prix Final earlier this month, rebounded from fifth in Friday's short program to finish second with 223.76.
Miyahara, who was seeking her fifth straight national title, ended up third with 223.34.
"For a moment, I thought it was a miscalculation," Sakamoto said of her free skate score. "I'm just, just surprised."
Sakamoto struggled after finishing fourth at the Grand Prix Final, finding it difficult to concentrate at practice sessions. But the existence of the All-Japan helped the teen rebound mentally -- last year's runner-up finish earned her a spot at the Pyeongchang Olympics.
Sakamoto said she told herself: "As long as I'm an Olympian, I must give a worthy performance at the All-Japan. If I can't do it here, when can I do it?"
In Sunday's short program, Sakamoto earned extra points for the grade of execution (GOE) on all her jumps. She also gained extra GOE points for her steps and other elements, demonstrating her improvement in artistic expression, which has been said to be her weakness.
With the win, Sakamoto effectively booked a spot at the world championships in March.
Kihira shows progress
Kihira rebounded from her error-ridden performance in Friday's short program to earn 155.01 points on Sunday, a personal best and the highest score of the day.
The 16-year-old, who had struggled with ill-fitting shoes during the competition, fell on her triple axel in the short. However, she nailed both her triple axels on Sunday, the first coming in a triple-triple combination.
"I managed to do my best through the end. I have no regrets," the teen said.
Faulty jumps in the latter half of her program cost Miyahara the national title. Her planned triple flip became a double, and she was deemed to have under-rotated on her triple combination.
Miyahara, who is working on her jumps this season, vowed a comeback, saying, "There's plenty of room for me to develop further."
Read more from The Japan News at https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/
