SAITAMA, Japan, March 16 (Xinhua) -- The 2019 ISU Figure Skating World Championships lady's competition, which starts on Wednesday, will be a battle between Russia and Japan.
Japan's 16-year-old Rika Kihira is the gold hope for the home team, as she won gold in both the Grand Prix Final and the Four Continents Championships. Kihira has managed to jump the triple axel in the competition.
Kihira's biggest rivals will be reigning Olympic champion Alina Zagitova of Russia. Zagitova, also 16, seeking to atone for the 2018 worlds when she fell three times in her free skate and finished fifth overall, the Russian's only loss of the 2017-2018 season.
But Zagitova has been bothered by a growth spurt and is not steady. She lost to Kihira in the Grand Prix Final.
Zagitova's teammate, two-time world champion Evgenia Medvedeva, is also quite competitive. Medvedeva missed the worlds last year due to a foot injury. The 19-year-old, who lost to Zagitova at the Pyeongchang Games and settled for a silver, topped the podium at the Russian Cup in February, winning a berth for the worlds.
China send 16-year-old Chen Hongyi to take part in the lady's event. Chen, 14th in the Four Continents and 19th at the World Junior Championships, is looking forward to her senior World Championships debut.
"My aim is to take part in the 2022 Beijing Games," She said. "I will learn from the top skaters at the worlds."
The World Championships, to be held in Japan's Saitama, runs from March 18 to 24.
