NHK Finalizes Ladies Grand Prix
Figure Skaters Compete for the NHK Trophy, Prize Money & Grand Prix
December 2, 2007 was the deciding date for who will compete in the finals of the International Figure Skating Union's premier annual competition series.
Ladies Singles Figure Skating Competition
Excitement buzzed around the rink in Sendai, Japan, this weekend. For starters, Japan’s Mai Asada withdrew from the competition before the free skate. Especially with Mai out of the competition, the ladies’ share of $180,000 event prize money was clearly up for grabs.
The skater placed 11th in the short program. Taking off on the wrong edge is not a good way to land a Lutz-combo, as she found out. Her double flip also suffered, and her double axel didn’t earn her enough points to overcome deductions on her spin either. Her 17.80 base value of executed elements should have been nearly double that.
Italy’s Carolina Kostner crushed Japan’s winning streak her at the NHK. She ended up taking home the gold -- even after a deduction on a triple flip, triple toe combo in the short. Her triple Lutz and double axel weren’t clean either, and both had some judges deducting points too. In the long program, she again lost points on a muffed up triple Lutz, double toe combo. Throwing in a singled Axel didn’t help the European Champion’s score much either.
With extra points earned for well-executed footwork and spins, she earned a total of 164.69 points for first place. Who says the high-jump quest rules the ice? Kostner qualifies for the Grand Prix Final for the first time and is especially excited that it will be held in her hometown of Torino.
Sarah Meier, representing Switzerland, came back from third to place first in the free skate after Carolina’s fall. Sarah barely pulled off two of her jumps in the free skate. Either probably would have made up the point and a half she needed to take the crown. But, hey, she and Kostner are used to going 1-2, right?
Japan’s Miki Ando let teammate Nana Takeda layback-spin through to the bronze after Miki’s disastrous seventh-place free skate. Nana fell on her triple flip but threw in an imperfect double axel, double toe, double toe combination jump. Highlighting a triple-double combo in sequence gave her the extra points she needed to take the medal.
Miki landed a nice triple Lutz, double loop combo in the short program, but that didn’t give her the points that a triple-triple attempt would have. She also lost a few points on her spiral sequence. Bonus points earned throughout the rest of her program proved her deserving of the crown, until the long program set the record straight.
Miki’s double axel was the only clean jump in her free skate. Her fourth place overall point total was only .23 ahead of the fifth place finisher, Finland’s Laura Lepisto. Laura had a fairly clean program and needs to work on increasing her base values. Hopefully competitors won't forget to practice artistry and presentation as they concentrate on perfecting their jumps for Nationals and Worlds.
Overall Ladies Grand Prix Standing Points Before Final
Yu-Na Kim, Korea, 30
Mao Asada, Japan, 30
Kimmie Meissner, USA, 28
Carolina Kostner, Italy, 26
Yukari Nakano, Japan, 26
Caroline Zhang, USA, 24
Sarah Meier, Switzerland, 22 (first alternate)
