TALLINN, Jan. 20 (Xinhua) -- The International Skating Union (ISU) Four Continents Figure Skating Championships kicked off here on Thursday with the rhythm dance and the short programs competed here on Thursday.
Mai Mihara of Japan, pair skaters Audrey Lu/Misha Mitrofanov of the United States and ice dancer teammates Caroline Green/Michael Parsons came first in the respective programs.
In the rhythm dance, Caroline Green/Nucgaek Parsons from the United States stood first with a personal best of 80.62 points, followed by Japan's Kana Muramoto/Daisuke Takahashi with 72.43 points and Christina Carreira/Anthony Ponomarenko of the United States with 69.35 points.
In the pairs short program, Audrey Lu/Misha Mitrofanov of the United States led with 68.35 points, followed by Evelyn Walsh/Trennt Michaud of Canada and Emily Chan/Spencer Akira Howe of the United States with 65.42 and 64.47 points respectively. Each pair achieved a new personal best score.
In the women's short program, Mai Mihara of Japan, the 2017 Four Continents champion, topped the standings with her personal best of 72.62 points, followed by South Korea's Haein Lee and Yelim Kim with 69.97 and 69.93 points respectively.
The Four Continents Figure Skating Championships continue on Friday with the men's short program and the ice dance free dance, followed by Saturday's women's and pairs free programs and Sunday's men's free program and the exhibition gala.
69 skaters from 12 ISU members are competing at the 22nd Four Continents Championships, including 17 men, 20 ladies, six pairs and 10 ice dancing duos.
The ISU Four Continents Championships 2021 were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. ■
