BC-FIG--Four Continents,153

North Korean skaters 4th in pairs event at Four Continents

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North Korean skaters Ryom Tae Ok and Kim Ju Sik were fourth in the pairs short program at the Four Continents Figure Skating Championships on Wednesday. Ryom and Kim received 65.25 points at Taipei Arena, to finish just 1.51 points behind leaders Ashley Cain and Timothy Leduc of the United States.

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — North Korean skaters Ryom Tae Ok and Kim Ju Sik were fourth in the pairs short program at the Four Continents Figure Skating Championships on Wednesday.

Ryom and Kim received 65.25 points at Taipei Arena to finish just 1.51 points behind leaders Ashley Cain and Timothy Leduc of the United States.

Ekaterina Alexandrovskaya and Harley Windsor of Australia were second while Americans Tarah Kayne and Danny O'Shea were third.

The North Korean pair of Ryom and Kim took the bronze medal in pairs at the 2017 Asian Winter Games in Sapporo, Japan.

They are among 22 North Korean athletes invited to compete at the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea next month.

Ryom and Kim qualified for the Olympics, but the North failed to register them in time and they initially lost their slot in the pairs competition before a Korean unity deal reached earlier this week put them back in the games.