Japan swept the singles titles at Skate America behind a strong effort by Miki Ando, the surprise women's winner.
After the far more heralded Mao Asada had one of the worst performances of her young career, it appeared US world champion Kimmie Meissner might grab the gold after a sensational free skate on Saturday night.
Then Ando went her one better.
PHOTO: AP
Actually, quite a few better, landing 10 jumps in the first 2 1/2 minutes and posting a personal-best 125.85 points for the free skate and 192.59 overall. That outdistanced Meissner and the disappointed Asada in a three-way battle of teenage skaters.
For Ando, it was a sizzling start to the season after a distressing Olympics, where she could barely land a jump and finished 15th. Her nation, which owns the women's Olympic gold thanks to Shizuka Arakawa, completed a dominant showing at the first Grand Prix event when Nobunari Oda took the men's title on Friday night.
Ando fought through right foot injuries and some coaching issues a year ago that combined to ruin her season. Putting that behind her, the 18 year old was determined to start this season strongly.
"I couldn't concentrate that much [last year] even though it was a big season," she said through a translator. "It was not easy for me.
"I wanted to perform this way, that I did tonight, in the Olympics. Last year ... I didn't have the attitude of a member of the Japanese team. This year, the image and attitude is very strong and that's why I skated so well," she said.
Skating to a Mendelssohn concerto, Ando sizzled from the outset. Taking the ice directly after Meissner, Ando nailed seven triple jumps, four in combination. At the end, she struggled to catch her breath.
So did the crowd.
The bubbly Meissner, 17, vowed after a mediocre short program that she always does better in the free skate. That, after all, was how she won worlds in March, and how she almost won here.
Her flamenco routine was punctuated by six triple jumps and some enchanting footwork, not a strength in her previous two years as a senior. She threw kisses to the crowd as she left the ice and tended to a cut finger she got during a catch spin while awaiting her marks.
"In the Grand Prix, it's good to know I am getting better," she said, noting her best previous GP finish was fifth. "The program felt great and the crowd liked it, I think."
The crowd was behind Asada, last year's Grand Prix champion who was too young to compete at worlds and in the Turin Olympics. She mesmerized the audience in the short program, but everything went wrong in her long program.
Her opening triple axel, something few women even practice, turned into a single. She didn't complete a triple jump until 2:31 into the program. Her spins were very slow and other than her smooth and lengthy spirals, the 16-year-old Asada struggled and fell to third place.
Later on Saturday, two-time US champions Rena Inoue and John Baldwin won the pairs crown even though Poland's Dorota and Mariuz Siudek took the free skate.
Inoue and Baldwin failed to land their trademark throw triple axel -- she fell hard on it in the long program -- but had a big enough lead after the short program to capture their first Grand Prix trophy.
Earlier, world championship winners Maxim Staviski and Albena Denkova of Bulgaria overcame a crash, a cut and a bloodied costume to win the ice dancing gold medal.
The Bulgarians swept all three stages to finish ahead of US skaters Melissa Gregory and Denis Petukhov. The free dance wasn't easy, though, after they were involved in a morning practice collision with Britain's Sinead and John Kerr.
Staviski tweaked his hip and Denkova cut the back of her right leg, with the blood running onto her partner's white outfit.
"Ice skating is dangerous," Staviski joked after the veteran couple won the first event of the season.
"I took some special gel and ice, but I couldn't lift my leg after practice," he said. "But we actually skated the program without problems, although it was painful at the end."
The title helped to allay his pain, though, and it made their decision not to retire after winning worlds seem correct.
Bologna on Thursday advanced past Empoli to reach their first Coppa Italia final in more than half a century. Thijs Dallinga’s 87th-minute header earned Bologna a 2-1 win and his side advanced 5-1 on aggregate. Giovanni Fabbian opened the scoring for Bologna with a header seven minutes in. Then Viktor Kovalenko equalized for Empoli in the 30th minute by turning in a rebound to finish off a counterattack. Bologna won the first leg 3-0. In the May 14 final in Rome, Bologna are to face AC Milan, who eliminated city rivals Inter 4-1 on aggregate following a 3-0 win on Wednesday. Bologna last reached the
If the Wild finally break through and win their first playoff series in a decade, Minnesota’s top line likely will be the reason. They were all over the Golden Knights through the first two games of their NHL Western Conference quarter-finals series, which was 1-1 going back to Minnesota for Game 3 today. The Wild tied the series with a 5-2 win on Tuesday. Matt Boldy had three goals and an assist in the first two games, while Kirill Kaprizov produced two goals and three assists. Joel Eriksson Ek, who centers the line, has yet to get on the scoresheet. “I think the biggest
From a commemorative jersey to a stadium in his name, Argentine soccer organizers are planning a slew of tributes to their late “Captain” Pope Francis, eulogized as the ultimate team player. Tributes to the Argentine pontiff, a lifelong lover of the game, who died on Monday at the age of 88, have been peppered with soccer metaphors in his homeland. “Francisco. What a player,” the Argentine Football Federation (AFA) said, describing the first pope from Latin America and the southern hemisphere as a generational talent who “never hogged the ball” and who showed the world “the importance of having an Argentine captain,
Noelvi Marte on Sunday had seven RBIs and hit his first career grand slam with a drive off infielder Jorge Mateo, while Austin Wynn had a career-high six RBIs as the Cincinnati Reds scored their most runs in 26 years in a 24-2 rout of the Baltimore Orioles. Marte finished with five hits, including his eighth-inning homer off Mateo. Wynn hit a three-run homer in the ninth off catcher Gary Sanchez. Cincinnati scored its most runs since a 24-12 win against the Colorado Rockies on May 19, 1999, and finished with 25 hits. Baltimore allowed its most runs since a 30-3 loss to
RSS