Winter Sports

The 2024 US Figure Skating Championships continued on Saturday at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio, with the Championship Ice Dance: Free Dance and Championship Pairs: Free Skate competitions.

The team of Madison Chock and Evan Bates opened Saturday's action with a victory in the Championship Ice Dance: Free Dance event, scoring a 123.75 for a total score of 215.92 when combined with the Championship Ice Dance: Rhythm Dance event.

Ellie Kam and Danny O'Shea followed that up with a win in the Championship Pairs: Free Skate competition, scoring a 123.19 for a total score of 187.76 when coupled with the score from short program.

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Championship Ice Dance: Free Dance

1. Madison Chock/Evan Bates: 123.75 points for a total of 215.92 points.
2. Christina Carreira/Anthony Ponomarenko: 126.85 points for a total of 210.04 points. 
3. Emily Bratti/Ian Somerville: 118.80 points for a total of 196.94 points. 
   
4. Caroline Green/Michael Parsons: 112.92 points for a total of 193.83 points. 
   
5. Eva Pate/Logan Bye: 110.94 points for a total of 184.75 points. 
   

Full results available at usfigureskating.org.

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Championship Pairs: Free Skate

1. Ellie Kam/Danny OShea: 123.19 points for a total of 187.76 points. 
2. Alisa Efimova/Misha Mitrofanov: 126.43 points for a total of 186.91 points.
3. Valentina Plazas/Maximiliano Fernandez: 117.85 points for a total of 181.03 points.
   
4. Chelsea Liu/Balazs Nagy: 118.70 points for a total of 178.83 points. 
   
5. Katie McBeath/Daniil Parkman: 108.60 points for a total of 172.81 points. 
   

Full results available at usfigureskating.org.

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Remaining Schedule

Sunday, Jan. 28:

Championship Men / Free Skate: 2:45 p.m. ET

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Highlights

Chock and Bates were the highlight of Saturday's opening event as they won their fifth U.S. ice dance title while battling flu-like symptoms.

The pair was unsure they would compete in the free dance competition after Chock felt ill on Friday and Bates developed the same symptoms on Saturday. After taking part in warmups, they decided to continue in the competition.

The reigning world champions, who are undefeated dating back to 2023, totaled 215.92 points between the rhythm dance and free dance to secure the gold medal.

"It was really thanks to Madi," Bates said on NBC Sports. "I was really on the fence about whether I wanted to do it today, to be honest, but she's so tough and so strong. She wasn't feeling well, either. We just put our willpower together and gutted through it and thought, you know what, if this is our last nationals, we definitely want to go out there and perform."

A round of applause for 5-time U.S. CHAMPIONS, Madison Chock and Evan Bates. 👏🥇@USFigureSkating x #PrevagenUSChamps pic.twitter.com/BMXScDwW5W

— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) January 27, 2024

While Chock and Bates won the gold medal, they finished Saturday with the second-best score in the free dance competition behind Christina Carreira and Anthony Ponomarenko. They were able to claim the victory thanks to their rhythm dance-record 92.17 points on Thursday.

Bates lost his balance on the pair's first two twizzles, which ultimately hurt their free dance score.

Carreira and Ponomarenko totaled 210.04 points between the rhythm dance and free dance to secure the silver medal.

Chock, 31, and Bates, 34, have not yet committed to competing in the 2026 Olympics. However, they are expected to lead the U.S. ice dance team in the World Figure Skating Championships in March.

Kam and O'Shea were equally as impressive in the Championship Pairs: Free Skate competition.

After coming in second place in the short program with a score of 64.57, Kam and O'Shea did just enough in the free skate competition to secure the gold medal. They beat out the pair of Alisa Efimova and Misha Mitrofanov by less than one point.

Introducing Ellie Kam and Danny O'Shea, the 2024 U.S. pairs CHAMPIONS. 🥇@USFigureSkating x #PrevagenUSChamps pic.twitter.com/P6Y4gmfJex

— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) January 28, 2024

"Did I just dream that?"

Ellie Kam cannot believe that she and her pairs partner Danny O'Shea won the U.S. pairs title. #PrevagenUSChamps pic.twitter.com/JiwvS10giT

— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) January 28, 2024

Kam and O'Shea teamed up in 2022 and were the 2023 U.S. bronze medalists. Saturday's win is one of the biggest of their careers.

The pair of Emily Chan and Spencer Howe, who led after the short program with 65.86 points, withdrew from the free skate event so Howe could continue his recovery from a torn labrum in his shoulder.

Howe underwent shoulder surgery in May and the pair had been sidelined all season leading up to nationals.

It was a historic Friday for competitors at the 2024 U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Columbus, Ohio.

Ilia Malinin, 19, broke a record set by 2022 Olympic champion Nathan Chen, while 15-year-old Mia Kalin became the first woman to land a clean quad at nationals.

The night finished with Amber Glenn being crowned the 2024 U.S. women's figure skating champion.

These performances weren't the only ones to watch Friday. Here's a look at the results, remaining schedule and highlights from the day's competition.

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Championship Men: Short Program (Top 5; Free Skate to come)

1. Ilia Malinin, Washington FSC: 108.57
2. Maxim Naumov, SC of Boston: 89.72
   
3. Jason Brown, Skokie Valley SC: 89.02
   
4. Andrew Torgashev, Panthers FSC: 88.02
   
5. Camden Pulkinen, SC of New York: 87.90

Full results available at usfigureskating.org.

Championship Women: Free Skate (Top 5)

1.  Amber Glenn, Dallas FSC: 210.46
   
2. Josephine Lee, All Year FSC: 204.13
3. Isabeau Levito, SC Of Southern New Jersey: 200.68
   
4. Sarah Everhardt, Washington FSC: 193.37
   
5. Clare Seo, Broadmoor SC: 187.56

Full results available at usfigureskating.org.

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Remaining Schedule

Saturday, Jan. 27

Championship Ice Dance / Free Dance: 1:50 p.m. ET

Championship Pairs / Free Skate: 7:35 p.m. ET

Sunday, Jan. 28

Championship Men / Free Skate: 2:45 p.m. ET

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Highlights

Malinin took a commanding lead of 18.85 points after the men's short program after landing two quadruple jumps, per NBC Sports.

That broke a record set by Chen as the largest lead ever held by a skater following a U.S. Figure Skating Championships short program, according to NBC Sports.

The quad god has SPOKEN.

Defending national champion 19-year-old Ilia Malinin scored a 108.57 to take the lead after the men's short program. #PrevagenUSChamps pic.twitter.com/wEyvqYN385

— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) January 26, 2024

108.57‼️

Ilia Malinin takes first place after the men's short program. #PrevagenUSChamps pic.twitter.com/HHifIG6Bad

— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) January 26, 2024

A familiar name will also be heading into this weekend looking for a podium spot after the free skate.

Jason Brown, the 2015 U.S. national champion, will go into Sunday with a third-place 89.02 after the short program.

Brown said on the NBC Sports broadcast he is hoping to compete in the 2026 Winter Games in Italy.

Jason. Brown. 👏

The crowd is loving 7-time U.S. medalist after his short program.

📺 @USANetwork & @peacock | #PrevagenUSChamps pic.twitter.com/mYbZOXhHXa

— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) January 26, 2024

In the women's competition, Kalin made history with her landing on a quad jump.

OH MY QUAD 🫢

15-year-old Mia Kalin is the first woman EVER to land a clean quad at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships. #PrevagenUSChamps pic.twitter.com/UlFwzSX7DN

— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) January 27, 2024

As the women's competition finished Friday night, Isabeau Levito, who held a narrow lead after the short program, attempted to unseat Glenn's place atop the podium and repeat as champion.

Levito fell three times during her free skate, however, and Glenn was able to claim her first title. Her previous highest finish at nationals was a silver medal in 2021.

Glenn wins GOLD 🥇

Amber Glenn is the 2024 U.S. women's figure skating champion. #PrevagenUSChamps pic.twitter.com/xLXPkVbb77

— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) January 27, 2024

The second-to-last day of the national competition begins Saturday at 1:50 p.m. ET.

Reigning national champions Madison Chock and Evan Bates made history with their rhythm dance score during the third day of the 2024 U.S. Figure Skating Championships.

The four-time national champions weren't the only competitors who impressed with their performances Thursday in Columbus, Ohio.

Here's a look at the results, remaining schedule and highlights from Thursday's competitions.

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Junior Women: Free Skate (Top 5)

1. Logan Higase-Chen, Broadmoor SC: 119.70
2. Keira Hilbelink, Portland ISC: 116.85
   
3. Annika Chao, Glacier Falls FSC: 111.64
   
4. Cleo Park, Glacier Falls FSC: 111.60
   
5.  Emilia Nemirovsky, Detroit SC: 105.37

Full results available at usfigureskating.org.

Championship Pairs: Short Program (Top 5; Free Skate to come)

1. Emily Chan, SC of Boston/Spencer Howe, SC of Boston: 65.86
2. Ellie Kam, Thunderbirds FSC/Danny OShea, SC of New York: 64.57
   
3. Katie McBeath, Winterhurst FSC/Daniil Parkman, SC of New York: 64.21
   
4. Valentina Plazas, Panthers FSC/Maximiliano Fernandez, SC of New York: 63.18
   
5. Alisa Efimova, SC of Boston/Misha Mitrofanov, SC of Boston: 60.48
   

Full results available at usfigureskating.org.

Championship Ice Dance: Rhythm Dance (Top 5; Free Dance to come)

1. Madison Chock, All Year FSC/Evan Bates, U.S. Figure Skating: 92.17
2. Christina Carreira, SC of New York/Anthony Ponomarenko, SC of San Francisco: 83.19
   
3. Caroline Green, Pavilion SC of Cleveland Heights/Michael Parsons, Washington FSC: 80.91
   
4. Emily Bratti, Washington FSC/Ian Somerville, Washington FSC: 78.14
   
5. Emilea Zingas, St. Clair Shores FSC/Vadym Kolesnik, SC of New York: 77.59
   

Full results available at usfigureskating.org.

Championship Women: Short Program (Top 5; Free Skate to come)

1.  Isabeau Levito, SC Of Southern New Jersey: 75.38
   
2. Amber Glenn, Dallas FSC: 74.98
   
3. Clare Seo, Broadmoor SC: 67.41
   
4. Lindsay Thorngren, SC of New York: 65.33
   
5. Josephine Lee, All Year FSC: 65.28

Full results available at usfigureskating.org.

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Remaining Schedule

Friday, Jan. 26

Championship Men / Short Program: 3:15 p.m. ET

Championship Women / Free Skate: 7:45 p.m. ET

Saturday, Jan. 27

Championship Ice Dance / Free Dance: 1:50 p.m. ET

Championship Pairs / Free Skate: 7:35 p.m. ET

Sunday, Jan. 28

Championship Men / Free Skate: 2:45 p.m. ET

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Highlights

Chock and Bates set an all-time national championships record with their rhythm dance score of 92.17.

A round of applause for the reigning national champions, Madison Chock and Evan Bates, after their Queen-inspired rhythm dance. 👏@USFigureSkating x #PrevagenUSChamps pic.twitter.com/QSbv3qcgMF

— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) January 25, 2024

Record score! 🚨

Madison Chock and Evan Bates received the highest number EVER in the rhythm dance at the national championships with a score of 92.17.@USFigureSkating x #PrevagenUSChamps pic.twitter.com/sSTa8LOoGe

— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) January 26, 2024

At ages 31 and 34, Chock and Bates last year became the oldest ice dance world champions in history.

This year they're looking to make more. If Chock and Bates earn a top-three spot at the national championships, it will mark the pair's 12th consecutive podium and tie the sport's all-time record.

Later that day, Josephine Lee, 15, earned a 65.28 to take first place at the championship women short program.

Her reaction. 🥰

15-year-old Josephine Lee is filled with emotion after a stellar short program on the national stage.

📺 @USANetwork & @peacock | #PrevagenUSChamps pic.twitter.com/eemzNCsLDm

— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) January 26, 2024

Lee took fourth place heading into Friday's free skate in what will be a hotly contested podium.

Isabeau Levito, the defending champion, finished Thursday with a 0.4-point edge over Amber Glenn for first place after the short program. Levito beat out Glenn in part due to her more difficult jumps, per NBC Sports.

Earlier that day, in Spencer Howe and Emily Chan's first performance since Howe underwent surgery on a torn labrum in his right shoulder, the two took first place in the championship pairs short program.

Emily Chan and Spencer Howe take first place after the pairs' short program!

It is the first time the pair is competing since the world championships last year due to Howe's shoulder injury. #PrevagenUSChamps pic.twitter.com/IK6TmJnMNY

— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) January 25, 2024

Chan and Howe withdrew after the competition, ahead of Saturday's free skate, for health reasons, according to NBC Sports.

Howe, who described himself before the skate as being at "95 percent," is hoping to be fully ready for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy.

Chan and Howe will still be eligible for 2024 World Figure Skating Championships in Montreal, Canada, per NBC Sports. The pair finished fifth at the 2023 edition of the competition.

A U.S. Figure Skating committee will choose three pairs to travel to worlds in Montreal following the national championships.

The best figure skaters in the United States will descend on Columbus, Ohio, from Monday through Sunday for the 2024 U.S. Figure Skating Championships, with eyes on solidifying their place on the world's stage.

More than 180 competitors will showcase their abilities in singles, pairs and ice dance over the week-long event.

When can you check out the action, where, and which stars deserve your attention at this year's high-stakes extravaganza?

Let's take a look, beginning with the TV schedule.

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Thursday, January 25

Pairs Short Program (2:00 p.m., USA Network)

Rhythm Dance (5:00 p.m., USA Network)

Women's Short Program (8:00 p.m., USA Network)

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Friday, January 26

Men's Short Program (4:00 p.m., USA Network)

Women's Free Skate (8:00 p.m., NBC)

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Saturday, January 27

Free Dance (2:30 p.m., NBC)

Pairs Free Skate (8:00 p.m., USA Network)

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Sunday, January 28

Men's Free Skate (3:00 p.m., NBC)

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Stars to Watch

Madison Chock and Evan Bates enter the competition as the best pairs skaters in the country, having won gold in the last two years, as well as 2020 and 2015. They have medaled at the event 11 times and will look to continue their dominance in Columbus.

During last year's performance, they set the record for highest score in free dance and total score. It remains to be seen if they can eclipse that feat, a lofty expectation for sure, but they should be the preeminent favorite to take home to gold for the third consecutive year.

This is WILD. 🤯

Madison Chock and Evan Bates pulled off this epic lift right before winning their fourth #SkateAmerica ice dance title. pic.twitter.com/dWovu3f4Zw

— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) October 22, 2023

Ilia Malinin finally achieved the gold medal at the US Championships a year ago and will look to successfully defend his title in 2024.

A skater since the age of six, he wowed the ice skating world with a quad axel in the 2022 US Championships, becoming the first skater to ever successfully execute the maneuver. In 2023, he became just the fifth man in the history of the sport to eclipse 300 points during Skate America.

ILIA MALININ MAKES HISTORY!

The first to land a quad Axel EVER at #SkateAmerica! pic.twitter.com/K5xbYhxNIW

— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) October 23, 2022

The 19-year-old recently landed the quad axel for the second time at the 2023 Grand Prix this past December and should be considered one of the favorites, if not the favorite to win gold in the first major event of 2024.

Philadelphia native Isabeau Levito captured the US Championship in 2023 and arrives to Columbus looking to replicate her performance from a year ago.

The 16-year-old became the first American woman to win gold at the Grand Prix France in seven years, ending a drought for the United States at the event. She added that to a silver medal at last year's Skate America.

Isabeau Levito wins Grand Prix France, becoming the first U.S. women’s singles skater to win any Grand Prix event in seven years. 💜 pic.twitter.com/qlI8xG4XmW

— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) November 4, 2023

Motivated by the men and women she watched on the ice at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, she has been skating since the age of three, devoting her young life to the sport.

She, like Malinin in his, should be considered the favorite to repeat her golden performance.

French skier Alexis Pinturault was airlifted from the Lauberhorn course at Wengen on Friday following a crash in a World Cup super-G race, according to the Associated Press.

The 2021 World Cup champion crashed on landing the Silberhorn jump while approaching the final section of the course. His skis detached and he slid about 164 feet down the mountain before coming to a stop.

Pinturault was airlifted to a hospital, and the race was delayed for 25 minutes following the crash. It's unclear what type of injuries he sustained.

The 32-year-old entered this season with a focus on competing in more speed events instead of slalom events. In Friday's race, the three-time Olympic medalist was chasing the time set by fellow Frenchman Cyprien Sarrazin.

Pinturault also competed on Thursday and finished ninth in the downhill at Wengen, a career-best at the course.

Pinturault competed in the 2014, 2018 and 2022 Olympics, earning a silver and two bronze medals, and he has also earned eight medals—three gold—in the World Championships.

(Warning: The following contains graphic descriptions that may be disturbing.)

Canadian Olympic figure skater Nikolaj Sørensen is being investigated for allegedly sexually assaulting an American figure skating coach in April 2012, according to Christine Brennan of USA Today.

The woman, a former figure skater herself who was 22 at the time of the alleged attack, said Sørensen held her down on a bed after a party in Hartford, Connecticut, before raping her.

"He pinned me down with his left arm over my collarbone," she told Canada's Office of the Sport Integrity Commissioner and the U.S. Center for SafeSport. "He pushed down hard on my collarbone, making me gasp for air the moment he inserted his penis into my vagina and covered his right hand over my mouth."

"All sound at that point became virtually inaudible and it felt like I would suffocate under the pressure of his arm on my collarbone and chest," she continued. "I pushed my arms against his hips to try to get his penis out of me and I was struggling to breathe. At this point, I feared for my life and let my body go limp as I lay there and he raped me."

She said she didn't come forward sooner to either police or sporting officials out of fear that she wouldn't be believed or would be blamed. The statute of limitations for filing a criminal complaint in Connecticut has since expired.

Title IX attorney and former Olympic gold medalist Nancy Hogshead, who is representing the woman, confirmed to Brennan that an investigation of the 34-year-old Sørensen is underway.

Sørensen competed at the 2022 Olympics with his ice dancing partner, Laurence Fournier Beaudry.

American downhill skier Breezy Johnson confirmed she's the subject of an ongoing investigation by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency.

"Out of respect for my fellow racers, I have decided not to compete until the matter is resolved," she said in a statement posted to X, formerly known as Twitter.

pic.twitter.com/EVpwYlUPvA

— Breezy Johnson (@_BreezyJohnson) December 9, 2023

Johnson added that "I am, and always have been, a clean athlete."

The 27-year-old cited USADA's "whereabouts" rules as the impetus for the investigation. The policy outlines an athlete's requirements for out-of-competition testing.

"Athletes are subject to testing 365 days a year and do not have "off-seasons" or cutoff periods in which testing does not occur," USADA says under its "whereabouts" section. "Whereabouts information (dates, times, locations, etc.) is information submitted to USADA by an athlete that allows the athlete to be located for out-of-competition testing."

The Associated Press noted past "whereabouts" violations have resulted in bans of up to 18 to 24 months.

Johnson finished 35th in the FIS World Cup overall standings including 11th in the downhill during the 2022-23 season. Her peak came in 2020-21, when she was 17th overall and fourth in the downhill standings.

The Wyoming native has seven career World Cup podium finishes, the most recent of which was in December 2021.

Johnson represented the United States in the 2018 Winter Oympics, competing in the super G and downhill. A knee injury prevented her from getting on the slopes four years later in Beijing.

Shoma Uno capped off an impressive showing for Japan at the 2023 World Figure Skating Championships with his second consecutive gold medal in men's singles competition.

The 25-year-old posted a score of 196.51 in the free skate on Saturday to record a combined score of 301.14.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Qe4pTv16W4

Despite an early stumble on his landing of the quadruple Salchow, Uno finished with the highest score of any competitor in the free skate.

Uno's combined total was more than five points better than silver medalist Cha Jun-hwan (296.03). Ilia Malinin took home the bronze with a combined score of 288.44.

🏆 Final results for the Men's event at the ISU World Figure Skating Championships 2023 in Saitama, 🇯🇵

🥇 Shoma Uno
🥈 Junhwan Cha
🥉 Ilia Malinin#FigureSkating #WorldFigure pic.twitter.com/wgnsujV0D9

— ISU Figure Skating (@ISU_Figure) March 25, 2023

#WorldFigure 2023 Men final results:
🥇Shoma UNO 🇯🇵 301.14
🥈Junhwan CHA 🇰🇷 296.03
🥉Ilia MALININ 🇺🇸 288.44 pic.twitter.com/MTylMjoSmG

— AbsoluteSkating (@absoluteskating) March 25, 2023

Saturday's triumph capped off an eventful week for Uno that started with him injuring his ankle during practice on Tuesday.

"I feel like it's not going to get better unless something big changes," Uno told reporters about the injury. "I don't know what kind of result I can aim for in my present state."

On Wednesday, 24 hours before the men's short program, Uno said his jumps in practice leading up to the World Championships were "terrible."

"I was fine until about two weeks ago but last week it became terrible," he told reporters via an interpreter. "[This season] I've been competing like I've been practicing which is good, but now since I'm not practicing well I don't feel great about my chances here."

You would never have been able to tell there were any issues once the real competition began.

Uno entered the free skate with a lead of more than four points over Malinin after the short program (104.63 to 100.38). They were the only skaters to earn more than 100 points in the first event, though Jun-hwan was close at 99.64.

Jun-hwan, who moved into second place in the final standings with a 196.39 score in the free skate, became the first South Korean men's skater to medal at the world championships. Malinin is the second consecutive American to win bronze after Vincent Zhou did it in 2022.

This marks the fourth time Uno has medaled at the World Championships. He won his first gold in 2022 and won back-to-back silver medals in 2017 and 2018. The Nagoya-born star also has three Olympic medals on his resume.

Japan took home gold in three of the four events at this year's World Championships. Kaori Sakamoto won her second consecutive women's singles title on Friday. Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara won the pairs competition.

Ice dance duo Madison Chock and Evan Bates from the United States won their first World Championships gold medal.

Japan's Kaori Sakamoto remains the gold standard in women's free skating at the World Figure Skating Championships.

The 22-year-old won her second successive gold medal in this event at the World Championships on Friday with a total score of 224.61. She entered the day as a heavy favorite to win after opening up a big lead in the short program on Tuesday.

#WorldFigure Women FS and final results.
🥇Kaori Sakamoto 🇯🇵 145.37, 224.61
🥈Haein Lee 🇰🇷 147.32, 220.94
🥉Loena Hendrickx 🇧🇪 138.48, 220.42

Protocols: https://t.co/SoSJpzf0xC pic.twitter.com/92mc4Dc3wA

— AbsoluteSkating (@absoluteskating) March 24, 2023

Sakamoto's season-best score of 79.24 in the short program was 5.63 points ahead of Korea's Lee Hae-in in second place. The difference between those two was almost identical to the difference between Lee and Estonia's Niina Petrõkina in sixth place (5.62 points).

📺 The 👑 is back! ⛸🔥 With her outstanding performance Kaori SAKAMOTO (JPN) earns a new SB and takes the lead after the Short Program at #WorldFigure #FigureSkating pic.twitter.com/x7dn3S65bg

— ISU Figure Skating (@ISU_Figure) March 22, 2023

Making that performance even more impressive is the fact that Sakamoto admitted afterward that she wasn't fully confident in her short program coming into the event.

"I haven't been confident with my short program all season, so there was some concern coming in, but I thought I was thorough today," Sakamoto said in Japanese (h/t Nick McCarvel of Olympics.com). "I had fun out there. Performance-wise though, I feel like it was the best of the season. I was more nervous today than I've been all season."

Hae-in did put pressure on Sakamoto with her free-skate routine that was nearly flawless. The 17-year-old earned a score of 147.32, best in the field, for a total of 220.94 and comfortably in the lead before Sakamoto took the ice.

Sakamoto did leave the door open with some flaws in the execution. She didn't quite get her takeoff right and was only able to manage a single flip triple toe loop. Her routine was choreographed for a triple flip, but she salvaged it enough to avoid a significant loss in points.

The judges didn't take away too much from Sakamoto's routine. Her score of 145.37 in the free skate was still the second-best in the field.

Sakamoto is the first woman to win back-to-back gold medals at the World Championships since Russia's Evgenia Medvedeva in 2016 and 2017. This is also the first time Japan has won two straight golds at this event since 2010 (Mao Asada) and 2011 (Miki Ando).

Since 1991, when figures were no longer part of the #WorldFigure, there have been 4 back-to-back champions in the women's event:
+ Kristi Yamaguchi 1991, 1992
+ Michelle Kwan 2000, 2001
+ Evgenia Medvedeva 2016, 2017
+ Kaori Sakamoto 2022, 2023 https://t.co/nTwwluk62x

— Jackie Wong (@rockerskating) March 24, 2023

Hae-in is the first Korean woman to medal at the World Championships since Yuna Kim won gold in 2013.

Loena Hendrickx of Belgium won her second successive medal at the World Figure Skating Championships. She took bronze this year after winning silver in 2022. The 23-year-old came in fourth in the free skate with a score of 138.48 after a strong 71.94 score in the short program.

Korea's Kim Chae-yeon made the biggest jump in the free skate with a score of 139.45. She entered the day in 13th place after the short program, but moved all the way up to finish fourth overall after Friday's result.

Reigning men's world figure skating champion Shoma Uno took first in the short program with 104.63 points to take the lead at the World Figure Skating Championships in Saitama, Japan on Thursday.

Meanwhile, Japan's Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kiahara won the pairs competition for their first gold medal on the world stage.

They took second in the free skate on Thursday, but their first-place short program performance the day before helped catapult them to the top of the podium.

Here's a look at how the men's short and pairs free skate programs went down Thursday.

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Men's Short Program Results

1. Shoma Uno (Japan): 104.63

2. Ilia Malinin (United States): 100.38

3. Junhwan Cha (South Korea): 99.64

4. Keegan Messing (Canada): 98.75

5. Kevin Aymoz (France): 95.56

6. Jason Brown (United States): 94.17

7. Kazuki Tomono (Japan): 92.68

8. Daniel Grassl (Italy): 86.50

9. Lukas Britschgi (Switzerland): 86.18

10. Vladimir Litvintsev (Azerbaijan): 82.71

Full results here via isuresults.com.

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Pairs Results

1. Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara (Japan): 222.16 (80.72 Short) + (141.44 Free Skate)

2. Alexa Knierim and Brandon Frazier (United States): 217.48 (74.64 Short) + (142.84 Free Skate)

3. Sara Conti and Niccolo Macii (Italy): 208.08 (73.24 Short + (134.84 Free Skate)

4. Deanna Stellato-Dudek and Maxime Deschamps (Canada): 199.97 (72.81 Short) + (127.16 Free Skate)

5. Emily Chan and Spencer Akira Howe (United States): 194.73 (70.23 Short) + (124.50 Free Skate)

6. Lia Pereira and Trennt Michaud (Canada): 193.00 (65.31 Short) + (127.69 Free Skate)

7. Maria Pavlova and Alexei Sviatchenko (Hungary): 190.67 (64.43 Short) + (126.24 Free Skate)

8. Anastasia Golubeva and Hektor Giotopoulos Moore (Australia): 189.47 (61.95 Short) + (127.52 Free Skate)

9. Annika Hocke and Robert Kunkel (Germany): 184.60 (60.89 Short) + (123.71 Free Skate)

10. Alisa Efimova and Ruben Blommaert (Germany): 184.46 (65.23 Short) + (119.23 Free Skate)

Full results here via isuresults.com.

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Men's Short Program

Uno holds the edge over a trio of skaters in the United States' Ilia Malinin, South Korea's Junhwan Cha and Canada's Keegan Messing, who are all within two points of each other for second.

Uno took center stage Thursday, however, as he finds himself in the driver's seat for back-to-back World Championship titles.

📺 Shoma UNO (JPN) enchants the home crowd with a flawless performance and takes the lead after the Short Program at #WorldFigure #FigureSkating pic.twitter.com/JjrT7UojZp

— ISU Figure Skating (@ISU_Figure) March 23, 2023

Jackie Wong of Rocker Skating provided more details of his program:

Shoma Uno JPN
4F, 4T2T, 3A
TES 57.70, PCS 46.93, SP 104.63 into 1sthttps://t.co/p0qfhMRsSJ #WorldFigure

— Jackie Wong (@rockerskating) March 23, 2023

Uno spoke afterward, per Golden Skate:

Shoma Uno 宇野 昌磨 🇯🇵 104.63
“It wasn’t that bad. The triple toe turned into a double (laughs) and there were some mistakes on the steps. But I worked on this SP the whole year and I have no regrets. I was in a pretty bad shape the last ten days also because of the fall. With a… pic.twitter.com/4ggl7OihQO

— Golden Skate (@goldenskate) March 23, 2023

Uno has won silver (2018) and bronze (2022) Olympic medals in individual competitions as well as silver medals in the 2017 and 2018 World Championships.

The 18-year-old Malinin holds the edge for silver right now. He performed quite well on Thursday and was pleased with how his practice led to positive results.

Ilia Malinin 🇺🇸 struggled this season with his Short Program but not today in Saitama 🤩

The 2022 World Junior Champion set a new personal best with 100.38 points ✨#WorldFigure #FigureSkating pic.twitter.com/zWYlaNPAeM

— ISU Figure Skating (@ISU_Figure) March 23, 2023

Ilia Malinin 🇺🇸 100.38

“It means a lot to mean. I am very happy to be here and deliver. I am looking forward to the Free.
I am happy to be here performing to the Japanese audience. I hope I will have many more performances in Japan and can also go sightseeing here more!”… pic.twitter.com/gRcS7dsBTd

— Golden Skate (@goldenskate) March 23, 2023

Malinin, who is the only skater to ever land a quadruple axel in competition, is coming off a gold medal in the 2022 World Junior Championships.

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Pairs Results

Miura and Kiahara enjoyed a great 2022 season with bronze in the Olympics and silver at the World Championships. They're on top of the pairs skating world now after earning a gold medal with a sensational performance in Saitama.

📝 Miura/Kihara claim first World Pairs title for Japan in Saitama

Read more 👉 https://t.co/9grRTxIqnZ#WorldFigure #FigureSkating pic.twitter.com/QEezCLHHMF

— ISU Figure Skating (@ISU_Figure) March 23, 2023

This marked the first-ever world pairs title for Japan.

It wasn't a guarantee that the pair would win the gold after some tense moments in the free skate. Wong explained more.

Riku Miura/Ryuichi Kihara JPN
3Tw3?, sbs3T2T2A, sbs3S(M 2S), thr3Lz, thr3Lo(fall) - 6pt lead going into the free skate, the doubled solo sal and then the fall on the throw loop, this might be real close - I'm frankly not sure where it'll gohttps://t.co/rjFu5jIjM3 #WorldFigure

— Jackie Wong (@rockerskating) March 23, 2023

However, they did well enough to win and make history. Their coach, Bruno Marcotte, spoke afterward.

So many happy tears were shed 😍 Happy skaters, happy coach 👉 it’s all been a work in progress, that ended in an historical moment! 🇯🇵🔥 #WorldFigure #FigureSkating pic.twitter.com/sDKKT7dCXQ

— ISU Figure Skating (@ISU_Figure) March 23, 2023

That was good enough to overcome a strong performance from Brandon Frazier and Alexa Knierim of the United States, who won silver at the 2022 Olympics and gold in last year's World Championships.

The duo was very happy with its performance.

Alexa Knierim / Brandon Frazier 🇺🇸 142.48/ 217.48

“We see it today like that we won the silver medal not as any loss at all. We are proud of the way we skated tonight. The Japanese team is incredible and we are happy they could win the title on home ice.
We skated today to make… pic.twitter.com/TXJIARtawP

— Golden Skate (@goldenskate) March 23, 2023

They also did something no U.S. pairs team had done since 1996:

🇺🇲The silver medalists Alexa Knierim and Brandon Frazier are the first U.S. pairs team to win consecutive medals at Worlds since their coaches, Jenni Meno and Todd Sand, did it in 1995-96. #worldfigure2023

— FigureSkatersOnline (@fsonline) March 23, 2023

The World Championships continue Friday with the ice dance (rhythm dance) and the women's free skating program.