Canadians Vanessa James and Eric Radford were on Wednesday the fifth in the pair short program in what could be their only world championship for figure skating together.
James, from Toronto, and Radford, from Balmertown, Ont., Who retired last April to compete together, opened with a perfect Triple Twist that set the tone for a score of 66.54 points.
WATCH l James and Eric Radford are top Canadians in the pair short program:
James and Radford are top Canadian couples at the World Skating Championships
Canadian pair Vanessa James and Eric Radford scored 66.54 points for 5th place for the pair’s short program at the ISU World Championships in Montpellier, France. 5:52
Alexa Knierim and Brandon Frazier are the leaders with 76.88, while American teammates Ashley Cain-Gribble and Timothy Leduc shot 75.85 for second.
Third is Japan’s Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara of Japan (71.58).
WATCH l American Knierim and Frazier Lead Pairs Short Program:
The Americans Knierim and Frazier lead the pairs short program on figure skating worlds
American pair Alexa Knierim and Brandon Frazier scored a personal best of 76.88 points to lead the pair’s short program at the ISU World Championships in Montpellier, France. 6:08
James, 34, and Radford, 37, were 12th at last month’s Olympics, where Radford was the oldest skater. The two are undecided whether to retire to the worlds.
The Pairs event is missing the top five finishers of the Beijing Games. That’s because along with the silver and bronze winners Russian teams, gold medals Sui Wenjing and Han Cong and Chinese teammates Peng Cheng and Jin Yang are also missing worlds.
The Olympic bronze medalist Kaori Sakamoto from Japan took a comfortable lead in the women’s short program over Loena Hendrickx from Belgium and the American skater Mariah Bell.
Sakamoto’s program, set to music from the movie “Gladiator”, showed a Triple Flip-Driple Toe Loop and earned huge component marks for a score of 80.32 points. That was more than a five-point lead over Hendrickx, who finished seventh at the Beijing Games last month, and nearly eight points ahead of Bell, who finished 11th at the Olympics.
Sakamoto broke a Russian podium in Beijing with her bronze medal. But none of their rivals – gold medalist Anna Shcherbakova, silver medalist Alexandra Trusova and fourth-place Kamila Valieva – are allowed in worlds, with Russian athletes locked out of international competition after the invasion of Ukraine.
Kuck | Sakamoto at the top after the short program:
Japanese Kaori Sakamoto leads after the World Cup in the short program
Olympic bronze medalist Kaori Sakamoto scored a personal best of 80.32 points to lead the women’s short program at the ISU World Championships in Montpellier, France. 6:42
Valieva is one of several Russian skaters who will be performing at an exhibition in Saransk this weekend.
You Young from South Korea was fourth after her short program. 5th place went to US skater Alysa Liu.
Madeline Schizas of Oakville, Ont., Was 10th with a score of 64.20.
The 19-year-old opened with a triple Lutz triple-toe loop combination, then landed a triple loop and a double shaft.
“I’m happy with my skate going up and down sort of week,” Schizas said. “It was a strong performance, and I showed a lot of resilience.”
Kuck | Canada Schizas sets 10.
Canada Madeline Schizas in 10. No World Figure Skating Championship Short Program
Madeline Schizas from Oakville, Ont., Sits in tenth place after the women’s short program at the ISU World Skating Championships in Montpellier, France. 6:13
The Schizas were 19th in their Olympic debut in Beijing, and helped Canada to a fourth place finish in the team event – and possibly a bronze medal in the Russian gold medal standings after a positive doping test by 15-year-old Kamila Valieva.
The competition continues on Thursday with the short program of men and couples free skating.
WATCH l That Figure Skating Show: Sakamoto Leads Figure Skating Worlds After Day 1:
Kaori Sakamoto leads the World Figure Skating Championships after the opening day
The Olympic bronze medalist was the favorite among the ladies and she cemented herself after the short in the gold medal position. Canadian Madeline Schizas sets 10. 6:59
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