COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Noriyuki Kanzaki finished seventh in the men’s singles at the Four Continents championships on Friday, while U.S. champion Evan Lysacek took the title, climbing from fourth with a superb free skate.
Kanzaki received a total of 181.58 points after earning an eighth-highest 119.24 in the free skate at World Arena. Kensuke Nakaniwa and Yasuharu Nanri were eighth with 177.03 and 12th with 153.11, respectively.
“It’s a shame I couldn’t do a triple lutz or a triple flip very well,” Kanzaki said after the last performance of his career.
The 24-year-old is retiring from competition to concentrate on his research of lifestyle-related diseases at Kyoto University graduate school. In the women’s short program Thursday, Aki Sawada placed third, while 2006 world championships silver medalist Fumie Suguri sustained a neck injury on a heavy fall and pulled out.
The women’s free skate will be held Saturday.