Chiba is surprise leader after figure skating favorites falter at Grand Prix Final

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NAGOYA, Japan (AP) — Japan’s Mone Chiba emerged as the surprise leader in the women's short program at the figure skating Grand Prix Final after several favorites stumbled on Friday.

Three-time world champion Kaori Sakamoto and defending Grand Prix Final champion Amber Glenn made costly errors on their opening jumps and finished fifth and sixth respectively.

Skating last and realizing she had a golden opportunity to take the lead, Chiba appeared nervous at the start of her routine but settled down to land a triple flip-triple toe loop combination, a double axel and a triple lutz for 77.27 points.

World champion Alysa Liu of the United States was second with 75.79 followed by Ami Nakai of Japan on 73.91.

“I was very nervous at the start,” Chiba said. “But I was able to land all three jumps and do my spins and steps so I feel good about my skate.”

Liu landed a triple flip, a double axel and a triple lutz-triple loop combination and said she was pleased with her performance.

“I had a goal going into the short program,” Liu said, "to do a better triple loop than my other companions and to breathe throughout.”

Sakamoto could manage only a double lutz on her opening jump and finished in fifth place with 69.40 points.

“More than feeling the pressure, I feel like I defeated myself,” said an emotional Sakamoto, who will retire after this season. “I will go into the free program tomorrow with nothing to lose.”

Defending champion Glenn had a single axel on her opening jump instead of a triple and was sixth with 66.85 points. Glenn completed the triple cleanly in practice but couldn’t pull it off in competition.

Friday’s result further underscored that there was no clear favorite heading toward the Milan Cortina Olympics in February.

Further complicating prospects was the International Skating Union allowing Russian skaters to compete in Milan Cortina as neutrals but only in the men's and women's competitions.

They include 18-year-old Adeliia Petrosian and Petr Gumennik.

Petrosian has won two straight national titles and is unbeaten over the past two seasons, winning eight straight domestic events. Petrosian has been landing triple axels and quads in competition while no other woman has done so consistently this year.

In the pairs, world champions Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara of Japan held on to their slim lead from the short program to win the gold medal despite a couple of errors in the free skate.

The hometown favorites finished second in the free skate but first overall with 225.21 points.

“We tried not to think too much about winning the title,” Kihara said. “Our coach told us just try to stay true to our program.”

Italians Sara Conti and Niccolo Macii were second with 223.28 followed by Germany's Minerva Fabienne Hase and Nikita Volodin on 221.25 points. They moved to third from fifth place.

The competition ends with the free skate for men and women on Saturday.