| Photo: REUTERS/Issei Kato |
The Japanese figure skater Uno Shoma won this Saturday (25) the men’s title at the World Figure Skating Championship, held in Saitama (JPN).
Uno, champion in 2022, defended his title with a total of 196.51 points in the free program, to take gold with a sum of 301.14 points. Thus, he becomes the first Japanese figure skating champion.
The upset was South Korea’s Jun-hwan cha, who scored 296.03 points and won silver, the first men’s skating medal in South Korea’s history. The podium was completed by American Ilia Malinin, with 288.44 points.
Ice dancing was the only sport in which Japan did not win. Gold went to Americans Madison Chock and Evan Bates, who added 226.01 points. Italians Charlene Guignard and Marco Fabbri are in second place with 219.85 points and Canadians Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier complete the podium with 217.88 points.
Japan dominates the medal table
‘Playing at home’ Japan were near perfect at the Worlds, winning three of the four gold medals at stake. Only ice dancing, won by the United States, eluded the Japanese.
Chock and Bates placed the United States in second place, with one medal of each color. South Korea finished third with two silver medals and Italy finished fourth with one silver and one bronze.
Belgium and Canada each won a bronze medal.
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