Three-time reigning world champion Kaori Sakamoto grabbed the lead over American comeback queen Alysa Liu after Friday's women's short program at Skate Canada.
Sakamoto, the defending Skate Canada champion, won the short program with 74.97 points, with 19-year-old Liu, in her first ISU Grand Prix event since 2021, second on 67.68 and 18-year-old Swiss Kimmy Repond third on 66.94.
Sakamoto, a 24-year-old from Kobe, took women's bronze and team silver at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.
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