Elizaveta tops free skate, Americans win team title

TOKYO: Russia’s former world champion Elizaveta Tuktamysheva settled a personal score by winning the women’s free skate Saturday, while the United States did enough to capture a fourth world team title.

The 22-year-old, controversially omitted from last month’s world championships, produced a punchy performance in Fukuoka, nailing several soaring triple jumps, including a gorgeous triple lutz, triple toe-loop combo, to earn a personal best 153.89 points.

But the Americans finished top of the pile after Bradie Tennell took second spot on 150.3 points ahead of Japan’s Kaori Sakamoto and Rika Kihira.

“It was a perfect end to the season,” Tuktamysheva told reporters. “My triple axel has been solid all season and when I landed it tonight it gave me a lot of confidence. It was a nice feeling to finish cleanly, with no regrets. I skated with a lot of emotion.” The United States took gold, however, racking up a total of 117 points with defending champions Japan taking silver on 104 points, just two clear than Russia. “Today I think was the best I’ve ever skated my long programme,” said Tennell, who won Olympic team bronze in Pyeongchang last year.

“I had kind of a tough season so I’m really happy I was able to skate it so freely today. It’s a really big confident booster for next season.”

European champion Sofia Samodurova finished the women’s free programme fourth with 16-year-old schoolgirl Kihira, who set a world record in the short skate, fifth after crashing to the ice attempting a triple toe-loop.

“I was shattered by the end of that but it’s still a personal best,” said Sakamoto.

“I know that I can still get better though, so I’ll make sure I work hard and come back stronger next season.” Double world champion Nathan Chen led an American one-two in the men’s free skate on Friday as the United States underlined their recent dominance.

American skaters previously won the biennial World team Trophy in 2009, 2013 and 2015. The Japanese triumphed in 2012 and 2017. Russia and Canada have twice finished runners-up but no other team has won the six-team competition.