By Canadian Press

Japan’s Sakamoto leads women at Skate Canada after short program; Canadians struggle

Oct 27, 2023 | 5:32 PM

VANCOUVER — Japan’s Kaori Sakamoto set the tone for the women’s short program at the Skate Canada International on Friday.

The reigning world champion had a total score of 75.13 in her short program, nearly five points clear of second place Chaeyeon Kim, of South Korea, who made her Grand Prix debut.

Sakamoto was pleased with her performance, but she doesn’t see it as a momentum builder. Instead, she says she’ll use it as a reminder to stay focused to ensure a similar score in Saturday’s free program.

Canada’s Madeline Schizas finished eighth in the short program with a score of 57.44.

The skater from Oakville, Ont., says she was frustrated with technical faults in her program.

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Fellow Canadian Sara-Maude Dupuis, of Montreal, finished 10th out of 12 in short program.

Sakamoto spoke to media on Thursday about her desire to win the 2023 Grand Prix final set to be held in Beijing, China, in December.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 27, 2023.

The Canadian Press