Asada Update: Mao Takes Silver

From Left to Right: Mao Asada (JAP) at 2nd, Ashley Wagner (USA) at 1st and Caroline Zhang (USA) at 3rd. 

Okay. I'm not going to rant as I intended to because that wouldn't be a good colour on me. Mao wouldn't have liked it if I did also, so.

I can't. I have to say something!
I read the news at 6am and found myself wide awake. I had a nagging feeling that something was going to happen and I wasn't sure what, so before I went to bed I was a bit unsettled by how the ladies' free skate will turn out. As expected, something did happen. Ashley Wagner (USA) claimed her first international title at the Four Continents Championships with a career high of 192.41, beating our two-time World Champion Mao Asada, who ended with 188.62. 

As far as her overall performance was concerned, a clean Ashley deserved the title for this competition. She has been performing well this season, winning her first National title two weeks prior, and it came as no surprise that with such a slim lead, Mao's downgraded triple axel gave Wagner the title. She landed six clean triples against Mao-chan's five so it wasn't shocking. Earlier on in the short programme, Mao clinched the lead with 64.25 but the gap was relatively grey between that and Wagner's 64.07. Whether or not it was the altitude or the fact that it was home turf for the Americans that ultimately downplayed Asada's game, we'll never know, but the fact remains that my favourite darling had to settle for second best. 

This does not, however, discredit Mao's performance. She landed a triple axel! Underrotated, but she landed it. She's tried to put it out this season at Colorado and chances are, it will give her the confidence to try at Nice this March for the World Championships. She made a couple of errors; doubling a triple salchow and having a hand down on a triple lutz- but on a positive note, her lutz did not get an edge call! No more flutzes for Mao! Liebestraum has been a superior programme for her for the last couple of seasons and though she has yet to nail it to perfection, it is still one of the strongest free programmes in the ladies' field. Plus, she has a new Grecian-inspired costume which is just the most beautiful thing ever! However, with her track record, Mao also wore another new costume, though slightly more hideous for her Scheherazade SP. As it turned out, she did like the trousers from the first outfit but it did not allow for maximum movement. They said it would have put a dent on any triple axel attempt, so instead of risking it, out came a cyan number with a fluffy bra. Oh, Mao! ^^

To comment on the whole thing, in my head I kept screaming "AN AMERICAN BEAT MAO ASADA. WHAT!?'. With Mirai Nagasu out of the running and Kim Yu Na on the verge of retirement, it seemed as though Mao was clear of any immediate threat. Her biggest competition this season has always been Carolina Kostner (with her hefty European marks) and her fellow compatriots, not the American ladies. Alissa Czisny has been quite a mess this season despite winning the Grand Prix in 2011, and until now Wagner has never been a strong contender but I guess with two strong programmes with a promise of a triple-triple combination, the game was on. 

The main issue that sent Twitter-fans to go amuck was the fact that Mao Asada was beaten by Ashley in the PCS scores. I'm happy to say that because she skates cleanly, Ashley deserved that medal, but to get a +2 GOE on a spiral that featured a 'swan' breaking wings is ridiculous. I have seen that spiral so many times this season and it is not +GOE worthy, at least not by that much. It is Kim Yu Na all over again! All season, Mao's PCS scores has been one of the best because she's just that good. A messed up Mao can still beat a clean Carolina if it meant getting back points on the basis of presentation. Also, Asada got a LOT of -GOEs, but for what?! Almost everything. One judge gave her as much as a -3 for an underrotated triple axel. Now, I am not a skating expert so I'm leaving the protocol sheet as it is, but if somebody like the much debated Patrick Chan (CAN) can break the 300 point mark with a season peppered (and I mean, PEPPERED) with falls and near mishaps, how does an underrotation earn that much negativity? We're talking about presentation here, and I will go for Mao's beautiful Biellman finish over Ashley's iffy take on being a demented ballerina. Wagner was good- her free programme has grown on me but she does not have Mao's pedigree when it comes to classical skating. It's just weird! That's not even saying that I am just a bit too biased towards my favourites, as anybody would be blind not to know who's superior when it comes to presentation and interpretation. 

Here's Ashley's Free Skate,

Nevertheless, I am happy that Mao has finally put her triple axel back in the game. Strategically, if she wanted to claim a third World title, all she needs to do is to change the salchow to a triple toe, and execute a double instead of a triple axel. The extent of her on-going jump rebuilding has yet to produce world record setting 3As, and she's always been unsteady with the salchow so to play it safe would mean earning more +GOEs and taking home the gold. However, knowing what she's like in the field, Mao is gutsy. I never know now when to expect a triple axel, let alone a triple flip-triple loop combo she's been practicing lately. Luckily for us fans, she does listen to her coach Nobuo Sato and his very 'centered' and zen-like teaching has been a good pat on Asada's back ever since. She's not peaked yet, and I have a feeling that Ashley has, so we'll see how it goes in Nice this March. France loves Mao and her skating so it'll always be like skating on home turf for her. I remember, they gave her an encore despite not making the podium at the French Grand Prix. How much more love can they give eh? I WILL NOT be watching the US commentaries though, that's for sure. Scott Hamilton annoys me with his logic. Euro commentators all the way baby! They know. 

[image: Examiner]