Figure skating-Japan's Uno dazzles at worlds, Miura and Kihara win gold

Figure Skating - World Figure Skating Championships - Saitama Super Arena, Saitama, Japan - March 23, 2023 Japan's Shoma Uno performs during the men short program REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon

SAITAMA, Japan (Reuters) -Japan's Shoma Uno took a big step towards defending his title after topping the men's short programme at the figure skating world championships while his compatriots Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara won their country's first pairs gold on Thursday.

Uno injured his ankle after falling on a quadruple Salchow during Wednesday's practice but showed no signs of discomfort in his routine set to "Gravity" by John Mayer and came away with a season's best score of 104.63 ahead of Saturday's free skate.