Kihira captures Four Continents skating gold

ANAHEIM, California: Japan’s rising star Rika Kihira nailed a triple Axel in a scintillating free skate Friday to seize ladies’ gold at the Four Continents Figure Skating Championship.

The 16-year-old continued her stellar first season in the senior ranks as she rose from fifth after the short programme with a free skate that garnered 153.14 points.

Her total score of 221.99 put her comfortably in front of Elizabet Tursynbaeva of Kazakhstan, who moved up from sixth place after the short programme to take silver with a total of 207.46 points.

Japan’s Mai Mihara was third with 207.12 points. Kihira’s victory continued a breakthrough season in 2018.

She won two grand prix events — the Internationaux de France in Grenoble and the NHK Trophy in Hiroshima before upsetting reigning Olympic champion Alina Zagitova at the ISU Grand Prix Final in Vancouver in December.

American Bradie Tennell, who was first in the short programme, fell to fifth after a free skate that included some under-rotated jumps and earned 128.16 points.

Mariah Bell of the United States was third after the short programme but fell to sixth after a lackluster free skate.

Reigning Canadian champions Kirsten Moore-Towers and Michael Marinaro edged China’s Sui Wenjing and Han Cong for the lead after the pairs short programme.

The Canadian duo, who took second at the 2013 Osaka Four Continents and as part of the team runners-up at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, scored 74.66 points.