Japanese star Mao Asada floated her way around the ice in Saturday's women's free program to capture the Skate Canada crown in front of an appreciative crowd in Quebec City.
Asada, 17, third after Friday's short program, skated a technically clean and precise routine to win her first Grand Prix event of the season with a combined score of 177.66.
Japan's Mao Asada performs her free program Saturday to win the gold medal at the Skate Canada International figure skating competition.
(Paul Chiasson/Canadian Press)
Asada's teammate Yukari Nakano landed a rare triple axel and moved from fourth after the short to second, while Canada's Joannie Rochette performed a beautiful free program to place third.
Nakano finished with 169.43 points and Rochette, a 21-year-old native of Ile Dupas, Que., had a total score of 168.18.
American Emily Hughes, second after the short program, was sloppy in some of her jumps — downgrading a triple lutz to a double, for example — but her performance helped her finish fourth.
The surprise leader after the short program, 19-year-old Laura Lepisto of Finland, fell on her first two triple attempts and finished seventh overall.
Skating a complex routine choreographed by Canadian Lori Nichol, Asada showed why she was the class of the field with difficult jumps, complex footwork sequences and graceful spins.
Though she turned one of her signature triple-triple combinations into a triple-double and did not attempt her triple Axel, her elements and overall performance were enough to secure first place.
"I was able to perform the program I was hoping for so I feel relieved," she said through an interpreter.
Asada has now won four of her last six senior international competitions.
Rochette started strong, landing her triple-double jump combination and four more triple jumps, but she told CBC's Brenda Irving that she "ran out of gas" near the end of her program, which caused her to single a scheduled triple-double combination and single a double Axel.
In all, she left six potential points on the ice, mostly from her jumps and a few spins that were judged as too slow. Still, Rochette was pleased with the outcome.
"I felt really, really nervous … but I'm proud of what I did," she said. "I trained hard and did everything I could.
"I don't want to say 'I should have' because I'm looking to the future. It's a great start to my season."
In other Canadian results, 26-year-old Lesley Hawker of Barrie, Ont., finished ninth and former national champion Cynthia Phaneuf, a 19-year-old native of Contrecoeur, Que., was 10th.
Phaneuf, who captured the 2004 Canadian figure skating title and finished second in 2005 to Rochette, was competing in her first Grand Prix event since injuries and a growth spurt derailed her career.
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