Japan's Sakamoto on pace for fourth world title in Prague

Japan's Kaori Sakamoto has surged into the lead in the women's singles short programme at the world figure skating championships on Wednesday, putting her on course for a fourth world title in the final competitive event of her career.

The sentimental favourite, who won a silver medal at last month's Milano Cortina Olympics, delivered a polished performance to Time to Say Goodbye by Andrea Bocelli and Sarah Brightman that had fans dabbing at tears to score 79.31 points.

Mone Chiba of Japan, who was fourth at the Olympics, scored 78.45 for second, while American Amber Glenn heads into Friday's free skate in third with 72.65.

The women's field was missing Olympic and world champion Alysa Liu, with the American skipping the event due to a packed post-Games off-ice schedule.

It is common for skaters to withdraw from the world championships in an Olympic season after an intense, months-long, draining run.

Olympic bronze medallists Minerva Fabienne Hase and Nikita Volodin of Germany took a narrow lead following the pairs short programme, in a field missing Japan's Olympic champions Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara.

The 25-year-old Sakamoto, who plans to pursue a coaching career after the worlds, was a puddle of tears in Milan after missing Olympic gold to Liu by less than two points.

On Wednesday, she executed a clean triple Lutz, double Axel, and triple flip-triple toe loop combination, and waved her hands in delight when her season's best score was announced.

"Obviously, it was a special season, and I was given this special song to skate to for this last season," Sakamoto said.

"So, I am very happy that I was able to put in 22 years of skating career in this last, special season. I'm satisfied (with my performance)."

Sakamoto can become the first woman to capture four world singles titles since American Michelle Kwan won five between 1996 and 2003.

Glenn is looking for redemption after a fifth-place finish at the Olympics, where she climbed from 13th spot after a poor short programme that included a missed jump.

The 26-year-old and three-times US champion opened her programme to Madonna's Like a Prayer with a huge triple Axel, the only one in Wednesday's competition.

"It wasn't great, but it wasn't the worst," Glenn said. "I feel like I put my heart into it and I really stayed focused."

Fabienne Hase and Volodin scored 79.78 for their programme to El Abrazo, edging Olympic silver medallists Anastasiia Metelkina and Luka Berulava of Georgia, whose skate to Bolero earned them 79.45.

Canada's Lia Pereira and Trennt Michaud, who were eighth in their Olympic debut last month, scored 75.52 for third.

The pairs free programme is on Thursday.