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<\/a><\/p>\nAlmost one month after not making the Olympic team, Japan\u2019s Mai Mihara won the women\u2019s event at the Four Continents Figure Skating Championships in Tallinn, Estonia on Saturday, reclaiming the title she won five years ago. South Korea\u2019s Haein Lee and compatriot Yelim Kim finished in second and third, respectively.<\/span><\/p>\n Leading by 2.65 points over Lee after the short program, Mihara skated a near-perfect free skate, opening her \u201cFairy of the Forest” and \u201cGalaxy\u201d program with a triple Lutz-triple toe combination and landing five more triple jumps. The gold medalist\u2019s only mistake came when she stumbled on her flying camel combination spin \u2013 the last element of her program.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI was so nervous today, maybe because I was skating last,\u201d Mihara said. \u201cI was crying even before I went on to the ice.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cAt the end of the year, I was very disappointed not making it to the Olympics, but I wanted to participate in the Four Continents,\u201d Mihara told the media after her short program on Jan. 20. \u201cI am very happy to be selected and therefore, want to perform a perfect program.<\/span><\/p>\n Since winning her first Four Continents title, Mihara, 22, has similarly overcome other major setbacks: After failing to make the 2018 Olympic team, Mihara became the 2019 Winter Universiade champion. And on top of missing out on the 2022 Olympics prior to earning this second title, she was forced to sit out the 2019-2020 competitive season due to <\/span>health issues<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI am very happy that I can skate,\u201d Mihara continued. \u201cI got a lot of messages and letters and I was well supported, surrounded by very warm people and it showed me how lucky I am. I was happy to come back.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cFirst of all, last time I made a mistake in the short program, but did good in the free program, but this time I did both programs good, so I\u2019m satisfied and happy about it and I want to continue as it is,\u201d Lee told the media after her free skate. On her next goals for this season, the 16-year-old said, \u201cI want to complete the season the best I can and to prepare more perfectly for the next season.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Lee\u2019s next and final competition of the season will be the World Junior Figure Skating Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria, which is scheduled for early March.<\/span><\/p>\n Bronze medalist Yelim Kim entered the free skate in third after the short program, 1.04 behind Lee with 68.93. Opening her \u201cViolin Fantasy on Puccini’s Turandot\u201d program with a triple Lutz-triple toe followed by a double Axel-triple toe, Kim earned 140.98 for her performance, with a combined score of 209.91.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI got confidence from this competition,\u201d Kim, 19, said about heading into the Olympics. \u201cI got a clean program today, so it\u2019s confidence. \u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Kim placed fourth in the free skate competition behind Japan\u2019s Rino Matsuike, who finished fifth overall with 202.21. In the short program, Matsuike sat in eighth place after falling on an under-rotated triple flip and stepping out of a triple Lutz-triple toe. But she rebounded to third place in the free skate, landing all three of her jump combinations in the second half of her program.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIt’s the first time I reached 140 in the FS and got a total over 200, that is great!\u201d she exclaimed. \u201cI learned in these international competitions that the tension is different and I was able to see different skaters and their unique Team USA\u2019s Audrey Shin<\/a> placed fifth in both the short program and the free skate but finished fourth overall with a season\u2019s best of 203.86. It was more than twenty points higher than any of her finishes since the beginning of the season \u2013 which was impacted by treatment for a <\/span>stress fracture<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cLeading up to next season, I\u2019m going to try to stay healthy and \u2026 not overwork myself too much, and hopefully that will help me prevent any injuries,\u201d Shin said.<\/span><\/p>\n South Korea\u2019s Young You rounded out the top six after popping her planned triple axel in the short program and falling twice in her free skate. She earned a combined total of 198.56.<\/span><\/p>\n Lu and Mitrofanov opened their \u201cAncient Lands\u201d free skate with a level-four triple twist and side-by-side triple Salchow-Euler-double Salchows. Their major mistake came when Lu fell on the side-by-side triple toes.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n But the pair instantly rebounded, executing a throw triple Lutz and throw triple loop as well as two level-four lifts. They received 120.75 for their performance and a combined total of 189.10, winning the competition by almost ten points.<\/span><\/p>\n This victory represents redemption for the pair, who suffered setbacks leading up to their bronze medal at nationals and had not performed the way they had hoped at that competition.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cAfter Golden Spin, we unfortunately encountered some problems, especially with Audrey\u2019s cheek \u2013 my blade accidentally caught her cheek on a death spiral and that sent her to the emergency room for 7 hours,\u201d Mitrofanov said following the short program. \u201cAnd then we had a week before nationals, so we didn\u2019t have as much time to prepare.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cDefinitely after nationals, we kind of understood that we kind of went back to our roots and just started to grind again, and just do what we normally do everyday\u201d Mitrofanov continued.<\/span><\/p>\n Sitting in third after the short program, Chan and Howe opened their \u201cElegy For The Arctic\u201d and \u201cThey are always consistent, maybe a little bit we could have worked a bit better,\u201d Chan said about the throw jumps after their performance.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI was proud of Emily for going into the sal (Salchow) and fighting for it,\u201d Howe added. \u201cEven though it wasn\u2019t a perfect take off – she was a little tilted, but she managed to stay on her feet so I\u2019m proud of her for that.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Despite these errors, the pair executed a level-four triple twist and level-four lifts, receiving positive GOEs on all of them. Their free skate score of 116.47 placed them in second for the segment and gave them a combined total of 180.94, edging them ahead of Canada\u2019s Walsh and Michaud by 1.24.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201c\u200b\u200bIt was an exhilarating experience to be able to go out and perform well, we\u2019ve never been in that kind of situation before so it was a new experience that we had and I felt happy that we came down to what we could go out there and give our best,\u201d Howe said.<\/span><\/p>\n But mistakes began to creep in when Walsh doubled the first jump in her side-by-side triple toe-double toe and landed her side-by-side triple Salchow on the quarter \u2013 Michaud also turned out of his. Walsh then put a hand down on the throw triple loop, and Michaud put down the pair\u2019s final lift too early, receiving a level one for it.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cHonestly, there were some good things, but we just did some costly mistakes and the lift at the end was a huge cost for us unfortunately,\u201d Michaud said after their free skate. \u201cWe\u2019ve been skating so well and training so well, just disappointed that we couldn\u2019t fully show all of that today.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cRushing off nationals we made some mistakes that cost a lot of points, we are disappointed with the skate,\u201d Walsh said. \u201cWe have a lot of things to go back and fix in this program, and we have to keep moving forward.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Walsh and Michaud received 114.28 for their performance, dropping to third in the free skate and earning the bronze with 179.70.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cEvery time we are learning new stuff, to make us grow, so it will just be beneficial for the next season,\u201d Deschamps said.<\/span><\/p>\n When asked what keeps them going and the trend of \u201colder\u201d skaters, the 30-year-old responded, \u201cWe still believe we are super young, we feel young.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Team USA\u2019s Katie McBeath and Nathan Bartholomay placed fifth with 168.18, and Lori-Ann Matte and Thierry Ferland of Canada rounded out the top six with 163.60.<\/span><\/p>\n In the men\u2019s event, South Korea\u2019s Junhwan Cha won his first Four Continents title on Sunday, making history by becoming the first South Korean man to do so. After falling on an under-rotated quad toe loop in the beginning of his \u201cTurandot\u201d free skate, Cha recovered with a quad Salchow. He then went on to land seven other triples, including two triple Axels \u2013 one of which was called under-rotated.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThere were little mistakes, but I am still pleased,\u201d Cha said. \u201cI was happy to perform here for the audience and give my energy.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Cha received 174.26 for the program and a combined total of 273.22, winning the competition by less than five points ahead of Kazuki Tomono of Japan. With only two weeks until the start of the men\u2019s event at the Beijing Games, Cha plans to use this experience as an opportunity for further preparation.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWhen coming here, I did not think about medals and placements,\u201d the 20-year-old said after his free skate on Jan. 23. \u201c… for me it was another step towards the Olympic[s].\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Tomono put a hand down on his opening quad toe, which forced him to double his planned triple toe in the combination. He then fell on his second quad toe less than a minute later.<\/span><\/p>\n Nevertheless, the 23-year-old executed the rest of his program well, receiving positive GOEs on a quad Salchow, two triple Axels, and three more triples. He received 171.89 for the performance and a combined total of 268.99, earning the silver medal.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI have regrets that I haven’t felt before, but the fact that I have persevered on a new stage makes me very happy,\u201d Tomono said following his performance. Another Japanese skater, Kao Miura, 16, persevered after suffering an injury during practice the day before the free skate. Though he left points on the table by reducing some of his planned program content, he still rallied to deliver a solid free skate with three quads \u2013 one of which was in the second half \u2013 and two triple Axels.<\/span><\/p>\n Miura received 162.70 for the performance, earning the bronze with 251.07.<\/span><\/p>\n Making his return to the competition after last competing in the men\u2019s event nearly a decade ago, Japan’s Daisuke Takahashi and partner Kana Muramoto earned the silver with 181.91.<\/span><\/p>\n Team USA\u2019s Christina Carreira and Anthony Ponomarenko earned the bronze with 175.67.<\/span><\/p>\n For a recap of the dance event, visit <\/span>Ice-Dance.com<\/span><\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/a>Mihara earned 145.41 for her free-skate performance. Combined with her short program score of 72.62, she received a total of 218.03, all of which were new ISU personal best scores. But disappointment in her career made this competition even more meaningful for her. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/a>In her first trip to Four Continents, silver medalist Haein Lee finished second after the short program with 69.97, just 0.11 points shy of her personal best for the segment. She received a personal best of 143.55 for her \u201cHomage to Korea\u201d free skate, however, opening the program with a triple Lutz-triple toe and landing five more triples as well \u2013 her combined total of 213.52 was also a personal best.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<\/a>ness.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\nPairs<\/h3>\n
<\/a>In a battle of North American teams, Team USA went 1-2 in pairs on Saturday as Audrey Lu and Misha Mitrofanov<\/a> won their first Four Continents title, and teammates Emily Chan and Spencer Howe claimed the silver. Evelyn Walsh and Trennt Michaud of Canada received the bronze.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/a>\u201cIt means everything,\u201d Lu said on winning the gold here. \u201cThere were a few mistakes here and there, but we put up a good fight and I am happy.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/a> \u201cDivenire” free skate with side-by-side triple Salchow-Euler-double Salchows, which received 0.22 in positive GOE. The program started to go south when Chan under-rotated her side-by-side triple toe and made mistakes on both throw jumps, falling on the throw triple loop and stepping out of the throw triple Salchow.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/a>Walsh and Michaud opened their \u201cDreaming With a Broken Heart\u201d free skate with a well-executed level two back-inside death spiral and a level three triple twist. The pair also executed two level-four lifts and a throw triple toe \u2013 three of their highest scoring elements in the routine.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/a>Deanna Stellato-Dudek and Maxime Deschamps of Canada moved up from fifth after the short program to fourth in the free skate. The 2022 Canadian bronze medalists ultimately placed fourth overall with a combined total score of 172.71.<\/span><\/p>\nMen<\/h3>\n
<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<\/a>Trailing Cha by 1.86 after the short program, Japan\u2019s Kazuki Tomono was right on his heels. But in his \u201cLa La Land\u201d free skate, Tomono opened the door for Cha to secure his victory.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/a><\/span><\/p>\nDance<\/h3>\n
<\/a>In their first outing at Four Continents since pairing up in 2019, Team USA\u2019s Caroline Green and Michael Parsons won the dance event, becoming the third consecutive U.S. dance team to win this competition since 2018. They earned a combined total of 200.59 \u2013 the only team to break 200 points at this event.<\/span><\/p>\n