Following last year’s ISU World Figure Skating Championships in Montreal, Kaori Sakamoto seemed invincible. This season, which culminated with the worlds in Boston last week, proved otherwise.
Sakamoto, whose gold in Montreal marked her third straight world title, already appeared to be vulnerable before her arrival in Boston, losing three out of her five previous international competitions coming into the event. There was also considerable expectation on her shoulders that she would capture her fourth title in a row, something last achieved in 1960 by American Carol Heiss.
In the short program, it looked like the pressure was proving to be too much for the five-time Japanese champion. In the second half of her routine, she popped a planned triple flip into a double. The experienced Sakamoto had the presence of mind to add a triple toe loop onto the end of the combination and although she was slightly off the leading pace, she was still within striking distance for a medal. Whether she could climb back to the top of the podium, however, was out of her hands going into the free skate, as a comeback would require mistakes from those ahead of her.
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