Figure skating: 3-time champ Sakamoto 5th in short program at worlds

Japanese figure skater Kaori Sakamoto placed fifth in the short program Wednesday at the world championships in Boston but stayed within striking distance of a fourth straight women's singles crown.Japan's Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara, meanwhile, are first after the pairs short program at TD Garden, where they are bidding to reclaim the title they won in 2023.The 24-year-old Sakamoto scored 71.03, well below her best, to finish 3.55 points behind surprise segment winner Alysa Liu of the United States.Japan's Mone Chiba earned 73.44 and Wakaba Higuchi 72.10 for second and fourth place, resp…READ FULL ARTICLE