Figure Skating

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.

Kaori Sakamoto took a commanding lead on the field at the World Figure Skating Championships following Wednesday's short program.

The Japanese skater and defending champion put together a routine that included a double axel, triple lutz and a triple flip, triple toeloop combination, earning her a score of 79.24 in front of a home crowd at Japan's Saitama Super Arena.

"Hearing the crowd cheering reminded me of the last time the worlds were held here four years ago," Sakamoto told reporters. "I was pleased with today's short program and will just try to stay focused for the rest of the competition."

She holds a solid lead over South Korea's Lee Hae-in (73.62) and Japan's Mai Mihara (73.46) heading into Friday's free skate.

The rest of the field finished as follows:

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4. Isabeau Levito (USA) — 73.03

5. Loena Hendrickx (BEL) — 71.94

6. Niina Petrokina (EST) — 68.00

7. Nicole Schott (GER) — 67.29

8. Bradie Tennell (USA) — 66.45

9. Ekaterina Kurakova (POL) — 65.69

10. Amber Glenn (USA) — 65.52

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That group has its work cut out for it if it's going to catch up to Sakamoto.

"Usually, when I go into my short program, there's some uncertainties and anxiety," she told reporters. "But today I was doing very well in practice, and I wasn't making any mistakes. So I knew that I could just put everything out there, and that's exactly what I was able to do."

And now she's the clear front-runner to defend her title.

In the pairs short program, the Japanese duo of Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara skated out to an equally impressive lead over the field, posting a score of 80.72.

The rest of the finishers scored as follows:

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2. Alexa Knierim/Brandon Frazier (USA) — 74.64

3. Sara Conti/Niccolo Macii (ITA) — 73.24

4. Deanna Stellato-Dudek/Maxime Deschamps (CAN) — 72.81

5. Emily Chan/Spencer Howe (USA) — 70.23

6. Lia Pereira/Trennt Michaud (CAN) — 65.31

7. Alisa Efimova/Ruben Blommaert (GER) — 65.23

8. Maria Pavlova/Alexei Sviatchenko (HUN) — 64.43

9. Ellie Kam/Danny O'Shea (USA) — 63.40

10. Brooke McIntosh/Benjamin Mimar (CAN) — 63.33

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Defending world champions Knierim and Frazier face a tough task trying to catch up to their Japanese counterparts but were pleased with their efforts Wednesday.

"Today I thought we did a really great job of performing the program from beginning to end, skating strong and bringing the characters to life," Knierim said. "I'm really proud of us. I think we've endured a lot recently and we put out the best today."

The pair's main coaches, Jenni Meno and Todd Sand, didn't travel with them to Japan after Sand suffered a heart attack three weeks ago.

"Todd's condition is very serious, so it's difficult to train when you feel broken inside, when your person is not there," Knierim noted. "However, that person is the one that instilled fight in us, so we're able to work hard every day to make him proud, and I think we did a good job of that today."

The pairs' free skate will take place Wednesday night and early Thursday morning, followed by the men's short program.

The 2023 United States Figure Skating Championships at SAP Center in San Jose, California, are beginning to wind down, and Saturday's competition saw the championship ice dance free dance and championship pairs free skate take center ice.

Saturday's action kicked off with the championship ice dance free dance competition, and the pair of Madison Chock and Evan Bates dazzled with a score of 137.85 to claim the top spot.

With their score in the free dance plus their score of 91.90 in the rhythm dance, Chock and Bates captured their fourth U.S. ice dance title together with a final score of 229.75.

Chock and Bates 🥇🥇🥇🥇 @chockolate02 and @Evan_Bates win their fourth U.S. ice dance title together. #ToyotaUSChamps pic.twitter.com/ByMJJYp1Eh

— Team USA (@TeamUSA) January 28, 2023

The championship pairs free skate followed, and the pair of Alexa Knierim and Brandon Frazier squashed the competition, earning a score of 146.01 to capture their second U.S. pairs' title.

Knierim and Frazier also topped the pairs short program leaderboard with a score of 81.96 to bring their combined score to 227.97.

The Gold Standard 🥇@alexa_knierim and @Brandon_F1992 secure their second U.S. pairs' title. #ToyotaUSChamps pic.twitter.com/Ffcdyln9B9

— Team USA (@TeamUSA) January 29, 2023

Here's a look at Saturday's results, the remaining schedule and some highlights of the action.

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Championship Ice Dance: Free Dance (Top 5; Overall)

1. Madison Chock, All Year FSC/Evan Bates, Ann Arbor FSC: 229.75
2. Caroline Green, Pavilion SC of Cleveland Heights/Michael Parsons, Washington FSC: 207.46
   
3. Christina Carreira, SC of New York/Anthony Ponomarenko, SC of San Francisco: 198.45
   
4. Emilea Zingas, St. Clair Shores FSC/Vadym Kolesnik, SC of New York: 198.13
5. Emily Bratti, Washington FSC/Ian Somerville, Washington FSC: 189.84
   

Full scores available at usfigureskating.org

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Championship Pairs: Free Skate (Top 5; Overall)

1. Alexa Knierim, DuPage FSC/Brandon Frazier, All Year FSC: 227.97
2. Emily Chan, SC of Boston/Spencer Howe, SC of Boston: 196.86
   
3. Ellie Kam, Thunderbirds FSC/Danny OShea, SC of New York: 184.01
   
4. Sonia Baram, Los Angeles FSC/Daniel Tioumentsev, Dallas FSC: 179.08
   
5. Valentina Plazas, Panthers FSC/Maximiliano Fernandez, Arctic FSC: 176.34
   

Full scores available at usfigureskating.org

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Remaining Schedule

Sunday, Jan. 29

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

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Highlights

The duo of Chock and Bates was dominant throughout the ice dance competition in San Jose. Their 229.75-point total was 22.29 points higher than the second-place duo of Caroline Green and Michael Parsons, which is the largest margin of victory in a U.S. ice dance competition since 2011, per OlympicTalk.

https://twitter.com/NBCOlympics/status/1619448352369770496

https://twitter.com/NBCOlympics/status/1619453142147514368

Chock and Bates are the first couple in their 30s to win a U.S. title in the last 50 years, per OlympicTalk. Chock is 30 and Bates is 33. The duo's win also marks their 11th consecutive podium finish at nationals.

"This is probably the best we've ever skated in our careers," Bates said on NBC, per OlympicTalk. "I think that's the statement that we wanted to make."

Chock and Bates now have their sights set on winning gold at the world championships in Saitama, Japan, from March 20-26. They won bronze in the competition last year, finishing behind French duo Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron and American pair Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donohue.

Meanwhile, Knierim and Frazier topped their Stranger Things-themed performance in Thursday's pairs short program with a brilliant showing in Saturday's pairs free skate to secure the national title.

"The current gold standard in the U.S. and the world." -@terrygannon83

The crowd is on their feet after @alexa_knierim and @Brandon_F1992's incredible free skate. #ToyotaUSChamps pic.twitter.com/3BE3Wv1n5T

— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) January 29, 2023

Knierim, 31, and Frazier, 30, became the first U.S. pair in their 30s to win a national title in 50-plus years. The victory also marks Knierim's fifth U.S. title and second with Frazier as her partner. She won her first three titles with her husband, Chris Knierim, who retired in 2020.

Knierim and Frazier, who won the title in 2021, would have been three-time winners, but the pair was unable to defend their title in 2022 after Frazier tested positive for COVID-19.

Frazier said before nationals earlier this month that this could be the final season he and Knierim compete together, though they haven't officially made a decision.

"I don't like to just put it out there and say it is the last or not going to be the last because life just has that way of throwing curveballs, and you just never know," he said, per OlympicTalk. "But I would say that this is the first nationals where I'm going to go in really trying to soak up every second as if it is my last because you just don't know."

The final day of the 2023 United States Figure Skating Championships will take place Sunday afternoon with the championship men free skate.

The 2023 United States Figure Skating Championships continued Friday at SAP Center in San Jose, California, with the short program for championship men and the free skate for championship women.

Ilia Malinin of Washington FSC claimed the No. 1 spot in the championship men's short program with a score of 110.36. Jason Brown of Skokie Valley SC finished second with a score of 100.25, and Tomoki Hiwatashi of DuPage FSC finished third with a score of 85.43.

Isabeau Levito of SC of Southern New Jersey earned her first United States women's championship.

The 15-year-old, who took gold in the World Junior Championships last April, finished first in the short program and free skate to hold off two-time national champion Bradie Tennell of Skokie Valley SC.

Amber Glenn of Dallas FSC, who finished second in the U.S. championship in 2021, won the bronze medal.

Here's a look at Friday's results, the remaining schedule and some highlights of the action.

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

1. Ilia Malinin, Washington FSC: 110.36
2. Jason Brown, Skokie Valley SC: 100.25
   
3. Tomoki Hiwatashi, DuPage FSC: 85.43
   
4. Liam Kapeikis, Wenatchee FSC: 82.27
   
5. Andrew Torgashev, Panthers FSC: 78.78
   

Full results available at usfigureskating.org.

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Championship Women: Final Results (Top 5)

1. Isabeau Levito, SC of Southern New Jersey: 223.33 Overall (73.78 Short and 149.55 Free Skate)
2. Bradie Tennell, Skokie Valley SC: 213.12 Overall (73.76 Short and 139.36 Free Skate)
   
3. Amber Glenn, Dallas FSC: 207.44 Overall (68.96 Short and 138.48 Free Skate)
   
4. Starr Andrews, Los Angeles FSC: 188.24 Overall (68.97 Short and 119.27 Free Skate)
   
5. Josephine Lee, All Year FSC: 187.68 Overall (55.60 Short and 132.08 Free Skate)
   

Full results available at usfigureskating.org.

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Remaining Schedule

Saturday, Jan. 28

Championship Ice Dance/Free Dance: 1:40 p.m. ET

Championship Pairs/Free Skate: 7:30 p.m. ET

Sunday, Jan. 29

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

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Highlights

Malinin, known as the "Quad God," was dominant in the men's short program Friday, landing two quadruple jumps to help him take more than a 10-point lead into Sunday's free skate. His score of 110.36 is the sixth-highest in men's short program history at the national championship.

110.36! 😮

Ilia Malinin tallies up the sixth highest men's short program score ever at the national championships. #ToyotaUSChamps pic.twitter.com/2kTqtNvIli

— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) January 27, 2023

Malinin, the favorite to claim gold at this year's event, landed both a quad Lutz and a quad toeloop to power his way to the top of the leaderboard. The 18-year-old is the world's second-ranked skater.

ILIA MALININ‼️#ToyotaUSChamps | 📺 @USA_Network https://t.co/r3LoIlRxAD

— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) January 27, 2023

Brown, who finished second, is competing for the first time since last February's Olympics in Beijing, where he placed sixth. The 2015 U.S. champion was excited to get back on the ice.

"Just getting back to that true love of why I love this sport and that is to perform."

It's not about the medals or titles for @jasonbskates. #ToyotaUSOpen pic.twitter.com/Zz6O9iwdQa

— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) January 27, 2023

Welcome back, Jason Brown!

The entire arena is on their feet for @jasonbskates after his spectacular short program. 👏 #ToyotaUSChamps pic.twitter.com/avJqTkjHjS

— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) January 27, 2023

What a way to come back to competition. ⚡️ @jasonbskates #ToyotaUSChamps | 📺 @USA_Network https://t.co/rlc4D0qqxu

— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) January 27, 2023

Both Malinin and Brown figure to be the top two competitors in Sunday's free skate.

Levito was simply sensational in the women's free skate, perhaps foreshadowing a wave of national and international success to come.

ISABEAU LEVITO = NATIONAL CHAMPION 🥇@USFigureSkating x #ToyotaUSChamps https://t.co/uL18GHcXIS

— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) January 28, 2023

The moment New Jersey's own Isabeau Levito won her first national title at the age of 15. 🥇@USFigureSkating x #ToyotaUSChamps pic.twitter.com/x2JSBtRsLZ

— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) January 28, 2023

Levito received a well-deserved standing ovation for her efforts.

Pure relief and elation across the face of Isabeau Levito as she receives a standing ovation after that free skate.

National title incoming #ToyotaUSChamps pic.twitter.com/EluCjMmbV1

— Nick McCarvel (@NickMcCarvel) January 28, 2023

Jackie Wong of Rocker Skating gave a breakdown of her performance:

Isabeau Levito
3Lz3Lo, 3T, 2A, 3F, 2A, 3Lz1Eu3S(q?), 3F2T - Isabeau Levito will be the new US champ! Her best skate of the seasonhttps://t.co/kFGWEUkSIZ #ToyotaUSChamps

— Jackie Wong (@rockerskating) January 28, 2023

Tennell's second-place finish shouldn't go unnoticed, especially given the adversity she pushed through just to make the podium. She missed went 19 month without competing because of foot and ankle injuries.

"I've definitely had my share of bumps in the road on the way here," Tennell said Thursday, per Philip Hersh of NBC Sports. "This was a very long time in the making."

Glenn rounded out the podium after a stellar free skate that scored just .88 behind Tennell. She's endured her own obstacles along the way, as noted by OlympicTalk:

"Last year, Glenn entered nationals as the fourth-ranked U.S. woman and a hopeful for the three-woman Olympic team. She placed 14th in the short program, competing unknowingly with COVID-19, and then tested positive and withdrew before the free skate. In 2021, Glenn was the U.S. silver medalist, yet passed over for a spot on the two-woman world team in favor of the more experienced Karen Chen, who finished 35 hundredths behind Glenn at those nationals."

The 23-year-old was thrilled with her free-skate score, however, and NBC captured her reaction.

.@AmberGlenn_'s reaction after receiving her score is so pure. 🥹#ToyotaUSChamps | 📺 @nbc and @peacock pic.twitter.com/hAtkN5ajeq

— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) January 28, 2023

As OlympicTalk noted, the three podium finishers are expected to be the United States' representatives at the 2023 World Figure Skating Championships, which will be held from March 20-26 in Saitama, Japan. A U.S. Figure Skating committee will ultimately make the decision on the representatives.

The United States Figure Skating Championships continued Thursday at SAP Center in San Jose, California, with the junior women free skate, short programs for championship pairs and championship women and the rhythm dance for championship ice dance.

Soho Lee of Glacier Falls FSC captured gold in the junior women's event with a score of 114.80 in the free skate on Thursday coupled with her 66.34 score in the junior women short program on Wednesday for a final score of 181.14.

Keira Hilbelink of Portland ISC finished second with scores of 112.94 in the free skate and 55.05 in the junior women short program. Elyce Lin-Gracey of Pasadena FSC captured bronze with scores of 100.00 in the free skate and 65.57 in the junior women short program.

The short program for championship pairs followed the junior women short program, and the pair of Alexa Knierim of DuPage FSC and Brandon Frazier of All Year FSC finished first with a score of 81.96, which is the most ever in the U.S. pairs short.

The next pair of Emily Chan and Spencer Howe of SC of Boston didn't even come close to the top spot, finishing second with a score of 66.86.

The rhythm dance for the championship ice dance featured a number of impressive pairs, but Madison Chock of All Year FSC and Evan Bates of Ann Arbor FSC claimed first place with a score of 91.90.

Caroline Green of Pavilion SC of Cleveland Heights and Michael Parsons of Washington FSC finished second with a score of 81.40, while the pair of Emilea Zingas of St. Clair Shores FSC and Vadym Kolesnik of SC of New York finished third with a score of 78.18.

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

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Junior Women (Top 5; Overall)

1. Soho Lee, Glacier Falls FSC: 181.14
2. Keira Hilbelink, Portland ISC: 167.99
   
3. Elyce Lin-Gracey, Pasadena FSC: 165.57
   
4. Sherry Zhang, Glacier Falls FSC: 161.08
   
5. Katie Krafchik, SC of New York: 160.52
   

Full results available at usfigureskating.org

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

1. Alexa Knierim, DuPage FSC/Brandon Frazier, All Year FSC: 81.96
2. Emily Chan, SC of Boston/Spencer Howe, SC of Boston: 66.86
   
3. Ellie Kam, Thunderbirds FSC/Danny OShea, SC of New York: 66.75
   
4. Valentina Plazas, Panthers FSC/Maximiliano Fernandez, Arctic FSC: 63.45
   
5. Sonia Baram, Los Angeles FSC/Daniel Tioumentsev, Dallas FSC: 63.12

Full results available at usfigureskating.org

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

1. Madison Chock, All Year FSC/Evan Bates, Ann Arbor FSC: 91.90
2. Caroline Green, Pavilion SC of Cleveland Heights/Michael Parsons, Washington FSC: 81.40
3. Emilea Zingas, St. Clair Shores FSC/Vadym Kolesnik, SC of New York: 78.18
   
4. Christina Carreira, SC of New York/Anthony Ponomarenko, SC of San Francisco: 77.37
   
5. Lorraine McNamara, Peninsula SC/Anton Spiridonov, ION FSC: 76.23
   

Full result available at usfigureskating.org

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Championship Women: Short Program (Free Skate to Come)

1. Isabeau Levito, SC Of Southern New Jersey: 73.78 
2. Bradie Tennell, Skokie Valley SC: 73.76 
3. Starr Andrews, Los Angeles FSC: 68.97 
4. Amber Glenn, Dallas FSC: 68.96 
5. Gracie Gold, IceWorks SC: 67.44

Full result available at usfigureskating.org

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Remaining Schedule

Friday, Jan. 27

Championship Men/Short Program: 4:10 p.m. ET

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

Saturday, Jan. 28

Championship Ice Dance/Free Dance: 1:40 p.m. ET

Championship Pairs/Free Skate: 7:30 p.m. ET

Sunday, Jan. 29

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

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Highlights

The pair of Knierim and Frazier had one of the best performances of the day. It was themed to the Netflix hit series Stranger Things and highlighted by a one-handed lift that almost surely helped them capture the top spot in the short program for championship pairs.

ONE-HANDED LIFT 🤯

Alexa Knierim and Brandon Frazier's lifts are immaculate. #ToyotaUSChamps pic.twitter.com/BhHps18IfU

— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) January 26, 2023

This saved us from Vecna's curse. @alexa_knierim and @Brandon_F1992 set a U.S. national record score of 81.96 performing their Stranger Things-inspired short program.

cc: @strangerwriters pic.twitter.com/oR0KO5Ca4u

— Team USA (@TeamUSA) January 26, 2023

Knierim, 31, is aiming to win her fifth U.S. title and become the first female pairs skater in her 30s to win since 1993. She won her first three titles with her husband, Chris Knierim, who retired in 2020.

Knierim won her fourth title with Frazier in 2021. They were unable to defend their title in 2022 after Frazier contracted COVID-19. The pair could be competing together for the final time this season.

"I don't like to just put it out there and say it is the last or not going to be the last because life just has that way of throwing curveballs, and you just never know," Frazier said earlier this month, per OlympicTalk. "But I would say that this is the first nationals where I'm going to go in really trying to soak up every second as if it is my last because you just don't know."

The parents of former American figure skater Bridget Namiotka announced Friday she died in July at the age of 32.

Steve and Maureen Namiotka spoke with Christine Brennan of USA Today about their daughter, who accused her former pairs partner, John Coughlin, of sexual abuse following his 2019 death.

"Bridget succumbed to her long struggles with addiction after several very difficult years of dealing with the trauma of sexual abuse," the Namiotkas said. "She was a beautiful child and a wonderful athlete, and we are heartbroken. It is our hope that Bridget's death will bring new attention to the terrible effects of sexual abuse and addiction in our society."

Coughlin died by suicide in January 2019 at the age of 33 just weeks after he was suspended by the U.S. Center for SafeSport pending an investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct.

"I'm sorry but John hurt at least 10 people including me. He sexually abused me for 2 years," Namiotka wrote in a May 2019 Facebook post, per Brennan.

In August 2019, Olympic bronze medalist Ashley Wagner said Coughlin sexual assaulted her in June 2008, when she was 17 and he was 22.

Prior to his death, Coughlin said the allegations being made against him were "unfounded."

"While I wish I could speak freely about the unfounded allegations levied against me, the SafeSport rules prevent me from doing so since the case remains pending," Coughlin told Brennan in January 2019. "I note only that the SafeSport notice of allegation itself stated that an allegation in no way constitutes a finding by SafeSport or that there is any merit to the allegation."

SafeSport spokesperson Dan Hill said in March 2019, "The SafeSport Code and the interim measure process that was communicated to him directly, and which is on our website, makes it clear that he could provide information."

Namiotka and Coughlin were partners from 2004 through 2007. They won the junior pairs competition at the 2005 ISU Junior Grand Prix in Croatia. They also finished second in the junior pairs event at 2005 U.S. Figure Skating Championships.

Pennsylvania native Namiotka, who also skated with Alex Merritt during her junior career, stopped competing after her partnership with Coughlin ended in July 2007.