Beijing, Jan 25 (.) Japan’s Kao Miura clinched the men’s title with a total score of 273.73 points, after earning 175.14 points in the free skating at the ISU Figure Skating Four Continents Championships here on Sunday.
Miura, 20, failed to show his best in the free skating but still secured gold thanks to his haul of 98.59 points in Saturday’s short program.
“I made some mistakes in my skating but got my confidence back quickly. I gave my all and fought through the competition,” said Miura.
Silver medalist Cha Jun-hwan of South Korea dominated the free skating with 184.73 points, but his total fell just 0.11 points shy of Miura. Japan’s Sota Yamamoto finished third on 270.07 points.
“My experience in this tournament will be really helpful for the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics. This was really needed for me. So until Milan, I want to be more stable and focus more on my training, getting ready to enjoy the Olympics,” said Cha, 24.
China’s Jin Boyang, Chen Yudong and Peng Zhiming finished sixth, 11th and 13th respectively. “The Four Continents tournament was a test for me. My performance here boosted my confidence
to embrace my third journey in the Winter Olympics,” noted Jin, 28.
“I will try to improve my mindset and some details in my performance. I want to show the perseverance and fighting spirit of Chinese skaters on the international stage. “
As the last ISU figure skating event ahead of next month’s Winter Olympics, the four-day tournament concluded at the Beijing’s National Indoor Stadium on Sunday.
./XINHUA .
