Kaori Sakamoto Leads World Figure Skating; Americans Eye Medals

Kaori Sakamoto topped the short program at the World Figure Skating Championships in Prague. Her 79.31 points is the highest mark of the current Olympic cycle.

Short program standings and scores

Sakamoto leads by 0.86 points over teammate Mone Chiba. Americans Amber Glenn and Isabeau Levito sit third and fourth, 6.66 and 7.15 points behind respectively.

Levito earned 72.16 points in her short program. Glenn was the only skater to land a triple Axel during the short.

Elements and programs

Sakamoto skated to “Time to Say Goodbye.” She hit a triple Lutz, double Axel, and a triple flip–triple toe loop combination.

Levito performed a “Sophia Loren” medley. She landed a triple Lutz–triple loop, the highest base-value jump combo in the field.

Context and career milestones

Sakamoto is seeking a fourth world singles title in what she announced will be her final season. She won world titles in 2022, 2023 and 2024.

Alysa Liu ended Sakamoto’s streak by winning in 2025. Liu also beat Sakamoto for Olympic gold in Milan Cortina by 1.89 points.

American contenders and backstories

Amber Glenn is a three-time U.S. champion and finished fifth at the Olympics. She presented at the GLAAD Media Awards on March 5 and limited off-ice commitments to focus on worlds.

Glenn said she battled a post-Olympic illness resembling a sinus infection or bronchitis. Her best worlds finish remains fifth in 2025, and she won the 2024 Grand Prix Final.

Isabeau Levito is the 2024 world silver medalist. She was 12th at the Olympics and faced travel delays and a brief illness returning to New Jersey.

Sarah Everhardt made her worlds debut and placed ninth. She was called up as an alternate after Alysa Liu withdrew on March 8.

Pairs update and U.S. roster implications

Germans Minerva Fabienne Hase and Nikita Volodin led the pairs short by 0.33 points. They edged Olympic silver medalists Anastasiia Metelkina and Luka Berulava.

Canadians Lia Pereira and Trennt Michaud and Hungarians Maria Pavlova and Alexei Sviatchenko round out the top four, matching the Olympic short order.

Americans Emily Chan and Spencer Howe sit sixth after the short. National champions Alisa Efimova and Misha Mitrofanov are seventh.

Chan and Howe were alternates called up to replace Ellie Kam and Danny O’Shea, who withdrew on March 16. Efimova lacks U.S. citizenship and was ineligible for the Olympics.

U.S. pairs must keep their top-two overall finishes totaling 13 or fewer points to retain three spots for 2027. Chan/Howe and Efimova/Mitrofanov sit on that cutoff after the short.

Schedule and broadcast

Competition continues with the men’s short program and the pairs free skate. Both events stream live on Peacock.

Ilia Malinin pursues a three-peat in the men’s event, with coverage on NBC Sports and Peacock.

Kaori Sakamoto leads the short program at Worlds, while American skaters eye medals as the free skates approach. Filmogaz.com will provide continued coverage and results.