Talented 17 year-olds fight at the finals

November 27, 2007: Asada Mao inconsistent jumps, Kim Yo-na surpasses last season

During the 5^th match of the Figure Skating Grand Prix Series (Russia), last season’s winner Kim Yo-na won the match with a score of 197.20, surpassing her personal best. Continuing her victory in China, she progresses to the finals (Torino, Dec 14 &15) after 2 consecutive wins. She will face the runner-up Asada Mao, who has also won 2 consecutive competitions, which also leads her to the finals.

“Mao hopes to have her best season, thus I will also do my best. In the finals, I hope that the both of us can perform to our satisfaction.” Both at age of 17, Kim has performed better this season, surpassing her past.

 During the free program in the Russian cup, Kim did a triple jump with sufficient speed, spin and step at the highest difficulty level of 4. In this season, despite the strict evaluation on the jumps, Kim managed to overwrite her personal best.

Asada Mao obtained a score of 177.66 at the second match in Canada, and 179.80 at the fourth match in France. Earning points in Canada for her triple jump in Canada, Mao slipped in her attempt in France. Her personal best was during the NHK cup in last season, with a score of 199.52, but her jumps still lack consistency.

Kim Yo-na was not at her best during last year’s finals, nor did she perform to her own satisfaction. This year, she says that she is facing the competition with confidence. She is facing threats from her opponent Asada Mao, who hopes to win it from Kim this season.

Comments:

I still remember the first time that I watched the skating competition when I came to Japan last year. It was so fascinating with all the jumps, and the performances were exhilarating. Since then, I have become a fan of figure skating, and I stick to almost every competition which is broadcasted on the television.

TEO Wee Boon

(Singapore)

APM 4

Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University