Ranked second after Friday’s two opening events, Uchida edged ahead of first-day leader Carmen Whelan of Aurora, Ont., with a total score of 60.450 points. Whelan placed second with 60.250 points and Cindy Huh of Vancouver was third at 57.750.
Uchida moved into first with the best score of the day in the clubs event, topping a field of 37 competitors with a score of 15.450 points.
“Katherine’s clubs routine was one of the best I’ve seen from her,” said Canadian national team director Teresa Orr of Toronto. “She got a very high score on difficulty and it was a clean routine.”
In Saturday’s other event, Uchida placed second in the ribbon event with a score of 14.650 points.
Orr said she has noticed a general improvement among many of the top competitors this year in the quality of their turns.
“Better turns definitely increases the value of their routines so it’s a focus for sure.”
In the junior competition, Alexandra Chtrevenskii of Montreal topped the field of 56 gymnasts with a total score of 52.250 points.
Natalie Garcia of Mississauga, Ont., placed second with 51.200 points and Jaedyn Andreotti of Vernon, B.C., placed third at 47.050.
In the finals on Sunday, the top 15 juniors and seniors will compete on all four apparatus with all-around and individual titles up for grabs and a chance to compete at the Pacific Rim Championships in April.
For full results, please visit: http://www.score2u.com/default.aspx