'I was crying even before I went on the ice' - Japan's Mai Mihara wins second gold at Four Continents

Japanese skating star Mai Mihara claimed the second Four Continents gold of her career in Tallinn and put Olympic selection disappointment behind her in the process. Mihara won't be at the Games in Beijing next month after her fourth-placed finish at the Japanese nationals in December denied her a spot on the team. But she was back to her imperious best in the Estonian capital, leading throughout the competition and producing a career-best 218.03 points to finish top of the podium.

Korean duo Lee Hae-in with a score of 213.52, and Kim Ye-lim who finished on 209.91, claimed silver and bronze respectively. For Mihara, it was her fourth Four Continents medal in total after winning gold in 2017, silver in 2018 and bronze in 2019. «I was so nervous today as the nationals were in the back of my mind, like a flashback,» she said.

«I was crying even before I went on the ice, but I was able to overcome that bitterness from nationals and bring home a gold medal to Japan.» Ad/> Meanwhile, the men's title went to previous Grand Prix Final bronze medallist Cha Jun-hwan. Figure SkatingGreen and Parsons top the podium with ice dance victory in Tallinn21/01/2022 AT 20:50 The 20-year-old overcame a fall at the start of his free skate to become the first South Korean skater to win Four Continents gold. Cha took a tumble on his opening quadruple toe-loop but managed to recover and land a number of flawless spins.

He scored 174.26 in his free skate, extending his short-programme lead, which he had won with a personal best of 98.96 points, ending with a total of 273.22. Japan's Kazuki Tomono produced a career high-score to claim the silver, while his fellow countryman Kao Miura rounded-off the podium. For Cha, it was the perfect confidence