Figure skating: Zagitova leads, Sakamoto 2nd after short program at worlds

Pyeongchang Olympic gold medalist Alina Zagitova started her bid for a maiden World Figure Skating Championship crown in strong fashion Wednesday by placing first in the women's individual short program.The 16-year-old former junior world champion from Russia skated a flawless routine for a score of 82.08 points on the competition's opening day at Saitama Super Arena near Tokyo.Skating to "The Phantom of the Opera," she nailed a triple Lutz-triple loop combination, a double axel and a late triple flip to finish the stage 5.22 ahead of Japan's Kaori Sakamoto in second place.Although she is t…READ FULL ARTICLE