MONTREAL — Isabeau Levito’s first world championships medal couldn’t have come at a greater time for herself and for U.S. determine skating.
When she took the ice Friday evening, Levito wanted to win a medal to provide the U.S. ladies a 3rd spot on the 2025 World Championships in Boston.
And, after getting second in Wednesday’s brief program, a medal can be the proper approach to rebuild Levito’s lately shaken confidence.
“I had two objectives for this world championships, getting on the rostrum and securing the third spot for the American ladies,” she stated. “It was extraordinarily satisfying.”
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It made no distinction that she was a distant second to Japan’s Kaori Sakamoto, who turned the primary lady to win three consecutive world titles since Peggy Fleming of the U.S. in 1966 by way of 1968.
Sakamoto, 23, has taken command of ladies’s singles, her highly effective jumps and effusive character making a formidable mixture. She went unbeaten in worldwide competitors this season.
Regardless of how the free skate performances of the 2 skaters after Levito finally affected her end, the 2023 U.S. champion had ended the season with two straight glorious skates after stumbling badly in her earlier two competitions.
“I’m very content material to finish the season this fashion,” Levito stated. “I had a really tough season, and I used to be upset in myself. For lots of the season, I used to be confused by how I used to be skating. To deserve a medal like this on the world championships is every little thing to me proper now.”
Levito’s bug-eyed look of completely satisfied disbelief when the music stopped appeared to say she had shocked herself with the extent of her skating.
“I used to be in a state of shock that I did that,” she stated. “I used to be a bit of involved after my warm-up. I didn’t really feel like I did good in that, and I used to be a bit of scared I wouldn’t be capable of do what I wanted immediately. So, sure, I used to be in a bit of little bit of disbelief after, however I used to be actually completely satisfied.”
When brief program winner Loena Hendrickx of Belgium and third-placer Lee Hae-In of South Korea each got here aside, the 17-year-old Levito wound up in second by practically 9 factors over one other South Korean, Kim Chae-Yeon.
Sakamoto had 222.96 factors to 212.16 for Levito and 203.59 for Kim.
Skating with a tempered elan and a cautious effectiveness to the understated soundtrack from the movie, “White Crow,” Levito labored methodically by way of her 4 minutes on the ice.
Each her triple Lutz combos wound up with barely adverse grades of execution. However she landed all of the jumps, ticking them off unremarkably like objects on a grocery checklist.
As a result of reigning U.S. champion Amber Glenn, the opposite American competitor, struggled in a free skate she opened with a profitable triple Axel (like at nationals), Levito might end no decrease than third for the U.S. placements to remain inside the whole (13) wanted to get the third spot. Glenn wound up tenth.
“That wasn’t a stressor,” insisted Levito, who was fourth at worlds final 12 months.
Philip Hersh, who has coated determine skating on the final 12 Winter Olympics, is a particular contributor to NBCSports.com.
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