Two-time defending champion Shoma Uno of Japan won the men’s short programme on Thursday at the World Figure Skating Championships with compatriot Yuma Kagiyama second and American Ilia Malinin third.
Uno landed a quad flip, a quad toe loop and triple toe loop combination plus a triple Axel to produce a season-best 107.72 points, making him the man to beat for the title in Saturday’s free skate final.
The 26-year-old from Nagoya could become the first to win three consecutive men’s world titles since American Nathan Chen completed a “Three-peat” in 2021.
Kagiyama, a two-time world runner-up who also took silver at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, was just behind on 106.35 with US teen Malinin next on 105.97.
Uno was unable to match his unbeaten 2022-23 campaign’s domination this season, settling for runner-up Grand Prix finishes in China and Japan and a Grand Prix Final loss to Malinin.
But he stole the show from Kagiyama, who won the Four Continents crown last month in Shanghai and wowed the crowd at Centre Bell, home of the NHL’s Montreal Canadiens.
Malinin, a 19-year-old two-time US champion, is the only skater to land a quadruple Axel in competition.
He was edged on artistic scores after landing a quad toe loop and a quad lutz-triple toe combination.
“It wasn’t a programme I was really happy about but I was glad I was able to get through it,” Malinin said, citing injuries and mental issues over the past two weeks.
“It was very mentally hard for me,” he said. “I’m glad I just kept going and trusted and believed in myself.”
South Korea’s Cha Jun-hwan, last year’s world runner-up, landed a quad salchow but fell moments later on a triple toe loop and was ninth on 88.21.
Japan’s 18-year-old Kao Miura, last year’s world junior champion, fell on a quadruple toe-loop attempt and settled for 10th on 85.00.
Two-time European champion Adam Siao Him Fa of France stumbled on landings of a quad Lutz and a triple Axel and fell on a quadruple toe loop attempt to finish 19th on 77.49.
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