Asada stops hearts, but not in a good way

Japan's Mao Asada performs her free program at the Scandinavium arena in Goteborg, Sweden, on Thursday during the World Figure Skating Championships. Asada won the gold medal, Italy's Carolina Kostner the silver and South Korea's Kim Yu-na the bronze. PHOTO: AFP

Mao Asada's opening move was heart-stopping -- and not in a good way.

As she went to take off for a triple axel, a jump so hard few women even try it, she slipped and slid across the ice.

"I was surprised myself," Asada said.

But the two-time Japanese champion rebounded with a huge triple flip-triple toe loop combination, righting her long-program fortunes and capturing the gold medal at the World Figure Skating Championships on Thursday. She finished with 185.56 points, winning by almost a point.

"I learned that I still can make up for the mistake if the other elements are good," Asada said. "Never give up. That's what I learned this year."

Two-time European champion Carolina Kostner of Italy won the silver (184.68 points) and South Korea's Kim Yu-na finished third (183.23).

Asada's by far the most spectacular fall of the evening, with the crowd of 9,431 groaning in unison. But it was not the only one.

All three Americans fell at least once -- and their stumbles mean the US will only be able to send two women to next year's all-important world championships in Los Angeles. Results at the next year's world championships determine how many spots countries get for the Vancouver Olympics.

The two best US skaters needed to have a combined placement of 13 -- fifth and eighth, say -- to keep three spots at the 2009 worlds. But former world champion Kimmie Meissner was seventh, Bebe Liang was 10th and Ashley Wagner was 16th. That leaves no leeway for next year, with both US skaters having to finish with the combined 13 to earn back a third spot for Vancouver.

It was hardly the result Meissner wanted after she shook up her training following a dismal showing at the US championships.

Meissner twice, once on a salchow and once on a lutz, and finished more than 33 points behind Kim.

Asian dominated this year in Goteborg, taking three of the top four positions. And, for the second year in a row, the bronze went to Kim.

The Grand Prix final winner had been shaken by a hip injury that kept her out of a competition last month, but she showed no signs of the lack of confidence she'd been confessing all week. Hers was the best long program of the bunch, with mesmerizing spins that defy both gravity and description as she appeared to lean both sideways and upwards at once.

Melinda Sherilyn Wang of Taiwan finished 23rd yesterday with 71.35 points, putting her in 23rd place overall at 116.12 in the final standings.