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Kaori Sakamoto from Japan reacts at the end of her routine during the women free skating at the Figure Skating World Championships in Prague, Czech Republic, Friday, March 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved
In the final world championship skate of her career, Japan’s Kaori Sakamoto surged to her fourth world championship title. Sakamoto won gold on Friday in Prague over Japanese teammate Mone Chiba and Belgium’s Nina Pinzarrone.
Sakamoto didn’t just win her fourth championship: she delivered the best total program score of her career. In an emotional and evocative skate, Sakamoto brought the Czech crowd – and global audience – to its feet, celebrating the close of a record-breaking skating career.
Before the final note of “Non Je Ne Regrette Rien” played, all of O2 Arena was on its feet, with most spectators, skaters and coaches in tears.
“The best she has ever skated… in her final world championships,” commentator Mark Hanretty declared. With her win, Sakamoto became the first woman since Michelle Kwan (United States) to win four world titles. Like Sakamoto, Kwan never won Olympic gold, but is remembered as a skating icon.
Sakamoto’s teammate, Mone Chiba, also found immense success in Prague.
After a devastating fourth-place finish in Milan-Cortina, Chiba redeemed her efforts with clean, elegant skates across the two days of competition to secure her second individual medal, a silver.
Nina Pinzarrone was the surprise of the championship, climbing from 13th in Milan-Cortina to her first world championship medal.
Though Amber Glenn entered the free skate in bronze medal position with potential for gold, she struggled under the pressure once more, ‘popping’ multiple elements in her program and aborting her bid for her first world medal.
Another competition ended in heartbreak for the three-time U.S. National Champion. “She could so easily be a multiple-time world medalist,” commentator Mark Hanretty remarked, reflecting on Glenn’s raw talent.
Just a month after impressing fans and judges in Milan-Cortina, 2026 Olympic bronze medalist Ami Nakai (Japan) struggled in her world championship debut, balking both triple Axel attempts and falling to ninth place.
American Sarah Everhardt delivered in her world championship debut, posting a personal best total of 197.43 to finish eleventh. When Olympic champion Alysa Liu withdrew from competition, Everhardt was slotted in as the replacement athlete.
Short Program Results (Top 10)
- Kaori Sakamoto (Japan): 238.28
- Mone Chiba (Japan): 228.47
- Nina Pinzarrone (Belgium): 215.20
- Isabeau Levito (United States): 206.99
- Lara Naki Gutmann (Italy): 205.12
- Amber Glenn (United States): 203.12
- Niina Petrokina (Estonia): 202.27
- Jia Shin (South Korea): 201.89
- Ami Nakai (Japan): 200.00
- Anastasiia Gubanova (Georgia): 198.81
The Prague Play-by-Play
Heading into the final group and six skaters to go, Italy’s Lara Naki Gutmann maintained a lead over Niina Petrokina of Estonia, scoring a 205.12. First up, Anastasiia Gubanova of Georgia, the former European champion.
Gubanova qualified for the free skate in sixth place after finishing in ninth at the 2026 Olympics. Unfortunately, the skater made errors in her jumps on Friday, falling to fifth overall with five skaters left.
Nina Pinzarrone of Belgium impressed in Wednesday’s short program, powering to a personal best and a fifth-place qualification. In a “magnificent” performance, Pinzarrone delivered once more, shattering her personal best for the lead.
Next up, the Americans. Isabeau Levito won silver at the 2024 world championships – could she return to the podium after a disappointing finish in Milan-Cortina?
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After nailing her new triple lutz to triple loop combination in the short program, Levito visibly under-rotated her combination today, using the little momentum she retained to salvage a clean landing.
Skating with her trademark – and unrivaled – elegance, Levito fought for her jumps throughout the program. Levito felt she “played it a little bit too safe” in Milan-Cortina, and though her skate in Prague was imperfect, it was gutsy.
“The poise doesn’t get the points," commentator Mark Hanretty admitted. Levito received a total of 206.99, falling behind Pinzarrone. Though Levito wouldn’t medal in Prague, her American teammate Amber Glenn still had a shot.
Glenn opened her program with her trademark triple Axel, and the result was “glorious.” She flew through her combination jump – one of the cleanest seen from Glenn in Prague.
Unfortunately, Glenn struggled on her triple loop again, popping the jump entirely and missing the element. The program unraveled from there, with Glenn missing her double Axel attempt as well. With the crowd audibly willing Glenn through her program, she completed her final spin, dropping her head into her hands.
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Amber Glenn from the United States reacts at the end of her routine during the women free skating at the Figure Skating World Championships in Prague, Czech Republic, Friday, March 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved
She earned the ninth-best score of the day, dropping behind Italy’s Lara Naki Gutmann into fifth. Her devastation was evident – no medal for Amber Glenn or the U.S. women in Prague.
Mone Chiba skated next, looking to avenge her heartbreaking fourth-place finish in Milan-Cortina. Chiba won bronze behind Sakamoto and Liu in 2025, but entered Friday’s free skate just a fraction behind her teammate. Could she clinch gold?
Though Chiba was impeccably clean through much of her program, she stepped out of a double jump – a small but potentially costly error with Sakamoto still to skate. The 20-year-old earned a personal best, climbing Pinzarrone to take the lead.
Sakamoto skated last, going for her fourth and final world title. The skater flew across the ice in her opening double axel, finding her footing as she began her grueling long program.
Though Sakamoto landed tight on a mid-program combination, there was no denying: she would deliver in her final free skate. As the crowd rose to its feet, Sakamoto saluted and sobbed.
In her final free skate score, Sakamoto received a personal best 158.97, surging to her fourth and final world title and breaking into tears.
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