Sawt Falasteen - Chiba leads Liu at skating's Grand Prix Final

Chiba, the only woman to qualify for the final with two grand prix wins, stamped her class on the competition with a score of 77.27 in Nagoya.

Liu, the US skater enjoying a triumphant comeback to the sport she retired from in 2022, was second on 75.79, with Japanese teenage rookie Ami Nakai in third on 73.91.

Chiba was back in action less than two weeks after winning at the Finlandia Trophy but she kept her poise in front of her home fans.

"I put so much focus physically and mentally into those two minutes and 40 seconds that I felt in a daze," said the 20-year-old, who is aiming to make her Olympic debut in Milan-Cortina in February.

"When I came back from Finland I only had 10 days, and before I knew it I had pushed myself too hard and I felt tired.

"I'm just relieved that I got through my short programme without making any big mistakes," she added.

Liu won a surprise world title in Boston in March, less than a year after returning to competition following her early retirement.

She again proved she will be among the favourites for the Olympic title with another assured skate.

The 20-year-old said it was "definitely my best short programme I've put out this season".

"Before I got on, I made a goal with my coaches, I really wanted to do a better triple lutz-triple loop than I had done in my other competitions, and this was definitely my best one," she said.

"Not the perfect one that I can do in practice but it was the closest so I'll take it."

- Miura, Kihara win pairs -

Japan's Sakamoto, a three-time world champion who will retire after the Milan-Cortina Games, was in fifth place on 69.40 after a disastrous start to her routine.

She popped her opening jump, drawing gasps from the crowd, and struggled to hold back the tears as she left the ice.

"I made a mistake that I never make in practice and I looked like I might fall apart, but somehow I managed to get over it and hold the whole thing together," said the 25-year-old.

"That's one small plus I can take from it."

In pairs, Japan's world champions Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara took the title with an overall score of 225.21.

Italy's Sara Conti and Niccolo Macii were second on 223.28, with Germany's Minerva Fabienne Hase and Nikita Volodin third on 221.25.

Hase and Volodin won the free skate but Miura and Kihara were too far ahead after the short programme.

The Japanese pair will attempt to win their country's first Olympics pairs skating medal at Milan-Cortina.

"I think it gives us a lot of confidence being on the podium in the last big international competition before the Olympics," said Kihara.

"It makes us feel that we went to be on the podium again."

J.Saleh--SF-PST