Japan's Kao Miura wins Four Continents figure skating championship in Olympic tuneup

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BEIJING (AP) — Kao Miura of Japan won the Four Continents Figure Skating Championships on Sunday in his final tuneup for the Milan Cortina Olympics.

Performing to “Umbrellas of Cherbourg,” a 1960s musical drama, Miura finished his free skate with a total of 273.73 points to edge Junhwan Cha by the slimmest of margins. The South Korean skater won the free skate to vault from sixth place after his short program into second place with a total score of 273.62 points.

Sota Yamamoto of Japan finished third with 270.07 points at the National Indoor Stadium in Beijing.

Miura and Cha are both headed to the Milan Cortina Games, where figure skating begins with the team event in less than two weeks. So are Mikhail Shaidorov of Kazakhstan, who finished fifth at Four Continents, and Boyang Jin of China, who finished sixth.

The top three American men's skaters skipped the competition in China, choosing instead to rest before the Winter Games. Tomoki Hiwatashi was the top U.S. finisher in seventh, with compatriots Jacob Sanchez in eighth and Liam Kapeikis in 10th.

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AP Winter Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics