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World champion Sakamoto captures Skate Canada crown / Photo: © AFP
World champion Sakamoto captures Skate Canada crown
Two-time reigning world champion Kaori Sakamoto of Japan captured the women's crown at Skate Canada after winning Saturday's free skate final.
The 23-year-old from Kobe scored 151.00 points from the judges panel to take the free skate by 18.53 points over Canada's Madeline Schizas.
Sakamoto, who also won Friday's short program, finished with a total of 226.13 points, cruising to the overall crown at Vancouver in the second event of the ISU Grand Prix season.
South Korea's 16-year-old Kim Chae-yeon scored 130.84 in the free skate to finish second overall on 201.15 while Japan's 19-year-old Rino Matsuike scored 132.33 in the free skate to finish third overall on 198.62.
Schizas, who finished eighth in the short program, was fourth overall on 189.91.
Sakamoto figures to compete again in Canada next March at Montreal in the 2024 World Championships, where she could become the first woman since American Peggy Fleming from 1966-68 to win three consecutive world titles.
Sakamoto, who took women's and team bronze medals at last year's Beijing Winter Olympics, won the women's free skate to help Team Japan claim the Japan Open team title earlier this month and in September captured an ISU Challenger Series event in Montreal.
N. Nilsson--BTZ
