Japan's two-time reigning world champion, Kaori Sakamoto, topped the women's short program at the figure skating Grand Prix Final on Friday when Mao Shimada became the first back-to-back junior winner
Japan's Kaori Sakamoto won her second straight figure skating Grand Prix series event Saturday, finishing ahead of compatriot Rion Sumiyoshi at the Grand Prix Espoo in Finland.
Two-time defending women's world champion Kaori Sakamoto leads a Japanese wave in the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating short programs despite dealing with a foot injury.
fire storm. officials confirming one of rushds s top stars tested positive for a banned substance in the weeks before the olympics. will she still be allowed to compete? steve patterson is in beijing. reporter: with three days until figure skating women s event gets under way, still no answer on whether the 15-year-old russian kamila valiyeva will skate. the international testing agency confirming a doping test taken in december came back positive this week for a banned substance. she was provisionally suspended by the russian anti-doping agency, the skater later challenged that decision, and the agency lifted the ban a day later, meaning she s currently eligible to compete in beijing. the ioc is appealing, seeking to reinstate her suspension. we want to expedite it as quickly as possible. it is a legal issues and unfortunately they can be complicated. reporter: russian olympic committee said