Figure skating: Japan’s Shoma Uno tops Cup of China men’s short program

CHONGQING,China (Kyodo) — Japan’s two-time defending men’s figure skating world champion Shoma Uno received the highest short program score of the season Friday at the Cup of China.

Uno topped the men’s short program with 105.25 points, 4.38 shy of his 109.63 personal best he scored en route to his first world championship in 2022.

The Cup of China is the fourth of six meets in the International Skating Union’s Grand Prix series before December’s final in Beijing.

France’s Adam Siao Him Fa, who won the previous meet, the Grand Prix de France, was second with 91.21, while Kazakhstan’s Mikhail Shaidorov was third with 89.94.

Belgium’s Loena Hendrickx, the women’s champion at the series-opening meet, Skate America, won her short program with 70.65 points, while Japan’s Rinka Watanabe, with 65.09, and Hana Yoshida, 64.65, were second and third, respectively.