Asada lands two triple axels to claim Four Continents title
Source: Agencies |
January 30, 2010, Saturday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
MAO Asada nailed two triple axels yesterday to win the Four Continents title in a breakthrough victory just weeks before the Vancouver Olympics.
The feat pushed Japan's four-time national champion ahead of compatriot Akiko Suzuki, who was first after the short program but settled for silver after faltering on her combination jump.
Caroline Zhang of the United States, the 2007 world junior champion, came in third with her best performance of the season. She edged out fellow American Amanda Dobbs and Japan's Haruka Imai, who finished fourth and fifth, respectively.
For Asada, the win was a boost as she gears up to take on world champion Kim Yu-na of South Korea for the Olympic gold next month.
The triple axel, a jump few women attempt, is her not-so-secret weapon. Asada made skating history in 2008 when she landed it cleanly twice to beat Kim on her home turf for the Grand Prix title. Landing it twice again in Jeonju, South Korea, yesterday showed she's still in the fight after a lackluster 2009.
"I landed both triple axels at the Grand Prix finals and again today, so I am very happy with my competitions here in South Korea," she told reporters. "What I need to do now for the Olympics is to just do my best with every element in my program."
Yesterday's win ratchets up the competition between the two 19-year-olds, who have been fierce rivals since their days as juniors.
Asada claimed the world championship and the Grand Prix title in 2008, but Kim was crowned the world champion in 2009 and has won the gold in every competition since her second-place finish to Asada.
Asada performed poorly at her past two international events, placing third and sixth. However, she rebounded at the Japanese nationals, winning a fourth straight title.
With Kim choosing to stay in Canada where she lives and trains to prepare for the Olympics, Asada was expected to run away with the Four Continents title.
However, an under-rotated triple axel, a botched triple flip and a deduction for skating one second too long left her in third place after the short program.
Suzuki missed a triple as well, but displayed spectacular footwork that earned her high praise from the judges. When the scores came up, it was Suzuki at the top of the list, not Asada.
In ice dance, Kaitlyn Weaver and Andrew Pole claimed the title after dominating throughout the competition. Fellow Canadians Allie Hann-McCurdy and Michael Coreno finished second overall, and Madison Hubbell and Keiffer Hubbell of the United States were third.
The Four Continents concludes today with the men's free skate.
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