Sawt Falasteen - Comeback queen Liu leads US to World Team Trophy win

Liu, who walked away from the sport in 2022 at the age of 16 before returning to the ice last year, topped the women's free skate with a season-best score of 150.97 ahead of American team-mate Amber Glenn.

The result sealed victory for the US in the six-team season-ending competition, with Japan finishing second and Italy third.

Liu won her first world title in Boston last month and the 19-year-old was satisfied with her latest success.

"I'm really grateful and I'm honoured that people like my skating this much," she said.

"It really just makes me want to work so much harder because I feel like I can put out much better."

Glenn finished second with 148.93 points, ahead of third-placed Kaori Sakamoto of Japan with 145.00.

Liu also won the women's short programme this week in Tokyo, where men's world champion Ilia Malinin was in imperious form for the US.

The win was a fitting finale to a successful season for American skaters, with ice dance duo Madison Chock and Evan Bates also winning world championship gold in Boston.

But it was marked by the tragedy of a deadly January plane crash in Washington, in which 28 of the 67 people who died were members of the skating community.

"For us, the motto of this week, and it has become the motto of the season, is: 'stronger together'," said US team captain Jason Brown.

"Through good and bad we are able to lean on each other and this event gives us that opportunity to come together as a team and support one another."

World champions Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara of Japan won the pairs free skate with a score of 145.06.

Italy's Sara Conti and Niccolo Macii were second with 142.26, ahead of Georgia's Anastasiia Metelkina and Luka Berulava with 139.96.

L.Hussein--SF-PST