The ISU World Team Trophy in Figure Skating 2013 continued Saturday in Tokyo, Japan with the Pairs Short Program, the Free Dance and Men's Free Skating. The Yoyogi National Stadium was sold out every day with 8 500 spectators per day.

Team USA claims gold
Team USA claimed the gold as the competition at the ISU World Team Trophy concluded Saturday. Team Canada held on to second place and Team Japan took the bronze medals. The USA accumulated 57 points overall. Canada scored 51 points and Japan had 49 points.

I couldn't be more proud of the U.S. team. I think that every single person on the team had a huge role in this win. I'm so proud of everything that we accomplished and I think that we finished very strong today, but every single performance in this competition is about letting us win, U.S. team captain Ashley Wagner said.

I see the silver medal today as a silver lining. We've improved since last year. Last year we were in third place and now in second. I think we're just preparing ourselves. This is a rookie team. We had Kaetlyn Osmond and technically it's her first year on the senior level. The silver medal is really great for the team and I look forward to the Sochi Olympics. I think our team is going to be more experienced and prepared, Canadian captain Patrick Chan commented.

For the Japanese team, we did not have a pair. Given that fact, placing third is something we're very happy with. After the World Championships it's been very difficult physically and mentally to come to this World Team Trophy, but I think all our skaters did their best and put more than 100 percent out on the ice. We all together won this third place, Japan's captain Daisuke Takahashi told the press.

Team USA built on their overnight lead with strong performances by Ashley Wagner and Gracie Gold who came in second and third in the Ladies event. Wagner's program to Samson and Dalilah was highlighted by six triple jumps and two level-four spins. She totaled 188.60 points. I'm ecstatic. I'm tired. It's been a long season. But season's best at the last competition of the year, I can't be happier, Wagner noted. Skating to Life is Beautiful, Gold nailed a triple Lutz-triple toe, a double Axel-triple toe combination and three more triples to rack up 188.03 points overall. Pair skaters Marissa Castelli/Simon Shnapir ranked fifth in the Pairs event with 172.30 points. They went for a throw quadruple Salchow but she fell.

Canada could rely on World Pairs bronze medalists Meagan Duhamel/Eric Radford, who finished second with 191.15 points. Their routine to the Angel soundtrack included triple throws and six level-four elements, but Duhamel struggled with the solo jumps.There was some mistakes, but the way that we skated, the way we felt in the middle of the program, we were both very aware and relaxed at the same time. I think we both had a lot of energy at the end and combine that feeling with a clean skate and I think that would be what we're aiming for next year, Radford explained. Kaetlyn Osmond and Gabrielle Daleman ranked 7th and 11th in the Ladies event.

Akiko Suzuki came from second place to win the Ladies competition and landed seven triple jumps. Some landings were tight, but she held on and also picked up a level four for all three spins and the footwork to score 199.58 points overall. I was happy I was able to skate like this at the end of the season. This performance really came from my heart only. Because I was skating this program for the last time, I didn't care if I would faint in the choreostep or not, but I just put all my energy into the program, Suzuki said. Mao Asada finished fifth after popping her triple Axel into a double and underrotating three triple jumps. Japan had no Pairs team entered.

Russia remained in fourth place with 39 points. Tatiana Volosozhar/Maxim Trankov won the Pairs event with 210.47 points. The World Champions produced excellent triple throws and a triple toe-double toe combination, but Volosozhar fell on the side by side triple Salchow. It was hard for us, especially after our teammate Konstantin Menshov got injured yesterday and we knew that we had lost our chance to be on the podium, Trankov admitted. Adelina Sotnikova slipped from first to fourth in the Ladies event as she missed a triple flip and underrotated two combinations. Elizaveta Tuktamyheva was unable to pull up from 10th place.

Team China moved up from sixth to fifth at 35 points after Pair skaters Cheng Peng/Hao Zhang pulled up to third with 174.40 points. The highlight of their performance was a quadruple twist. Zijun Li rose from 9th to 6th with a strong Free Skating and Kexin Zhang finished 9th.

Team France dropped to sixth at 31 points. Vanessa James/Morgan Cipres finished fourth in the Pairs competition. Mae Berenice Meite and Lenaelle Gilleron-Gorry placed 8th and 12th.

The ISU World Team Trophy in Figure Skating 2013 concludes Sunday with the Exhibition Gala. For full results, please refer to Results