Reigning world figure skating champion Kaori Sakamoto clinched her fourth consecutive and fifth national title overall Sunday, holding off a challenge from 16-year-old Mao Shimada with a near-perfect free skate.The 24-year-old Sakamoto scored 149.76 points in the free program to win with a total of 228.68, qualifying for the world championships in March in Boston, where she will try to win for the fourth straight year.Sakamoto topped the field in both the short and free programs at Towa Pharmaceutical RACTAB Dome in Kadoma, Osaka Prefecture."I'm relieved, but I still have work to do," Sakam…READ FULL ARTICLE
