Japan wins women's world figure skating championship for second consecutive time
After Mao Asada in Torino 2010, it was Miki Ando's turn to help Japanese women's figure skating shine with the world championship in Moscow. Korean "Queen of Figure Skating" Kim Yu-na shed tears after finishing second.
A well-coordinated combination of triple jumps and double somersaults gave Miki Ando a flying start to her freestyle yesterday. She had also made no mistakes in her compulsory routine, scoring 130.21 points. The Japanese athlete’s combined score of 195.79 points in both routines was the highest of any competitor.
Kim Yu-na also impressed in the start of the compulsory program on Friday. However, the Korean figure skating queen made some minor mistakes in the free program. She made a mistake in her second triple jump and therefore could only finish second, winning the silver medal with 194.50 points.
Miki Ando and Kim Yu-na at the moment of receiving the Medal.
The owner of the bronze medal was Italian athlete, Kostner Carolina, with 184.68 points.
The Moscow World Championships are Kim Yu-na's first competition since she failed to win the world title in Torino early last year, when she finished second behind Japanese rival Mao Asada, who finished seventh in 2011 (172.79 points).
Kim Yu-na cried at the awards ceremony after winning her silver medal, but not because she was sad. The 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics champion said she couldn't hold back tears of joy at being on the podium after a year away from the ice. "I have overcome the most difficult moment of my life and I am proud to have completed my competition in Moscow," Kim said.
For Ando, the victory in Moscow was her second world title, having first won it at home in Tokyo in 2007. The 23-year-old sees the win as a way to make amends for her country Japan after the devastating earthquake and tsunami in March - which forced them to cede the 2011 World Championships to Russia.
"Many Japanese people love figure skating. We really need this kind of joy in these difficult times," Kyodo news agency quoted the new world champion as saying.
According to VnExpress
