Sakamoto (21), never before on a world podium and already in the lead after the short program, won with a total of 236.09 points.

She beat Belgian Loena Hendrickx (217.70) and young American Alysa Liu (211.19).

After the decision of the International Skating Federation (ISU) to follow the recommendation made by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and to exclude the Russian skaters, neither Anna Shcherbakova, Olympic and world champion in title, nor Kamila Valieva, the 2022 European champion swept away by a resounding doping affair in the middle of the 2022 Olympics, after having signed the first quadruple jumps in the Olympic history of women's skating, nor Alexandra Trusova, recent Olympic silver medalist and world bronze medalist a year ago, were welcome on French ice.

No question then of racing with quadruple jumps as the Russian spinning tops had become accustomed to.

Favorite for world gold in this context, Sakamoto, angry fist at the end of his excellent free program, and tears on his cheeks on the podium, held his rank perfectly.

She even improved her three personal bests over the course of the competition (short, free and total programs).

She is the first Japanese world champion since Mao Asada in 2014.

Hendrickx, she becomes the very first Belgian skater to invite herself to a world podium after a successful performance with oriental accents.

Belgium has only won three world medals in figure skating in history, and that was before the 1950s (1947 and 1948) and in pairs.

Belgian Loena Hendrickx already performing well in the short program on March 23, 2022 at the Montpellier Worlds Pascal GUYOT AFP / Archives

At 16, Liu also offers himself a first world medal from his first Worlds, a month after seventh place at the 2022 Olympics.

For Russian skating, it is necessarily an end of series.

Since 2015, and with the exception of 2018 (and the cancellation of the Worlds-2020 because of the Covid-19), it is each year one of its followers who had obtained world gold.

The Russian skaters had also monopolized the entire podium at the Worlds-2021 and at the European Championships in January.

© 2022 AFP