2008

World Figure Skating  Championships

Ladies Event

For places 25 through 53 see the Short Program standings below.

So many ladies, so little time.  Spent skating, that is.  Nine hours to slog through 53 competitors, half of whom could not earn as many points as a Novice skater at U.S. Nationals. Six of those hours spent sitting around, sitting around.  Due to the seeding process used, the serious skating did not begin until the ninth of ten warm-up groups.

Carolina Kostner currently holds first place with a slim 1.12 point lead.  She was one of two skaters to land a triple-triple combination in the Short Program, Mao Asada being the other.  Kostner's solid triple flip - triple toe loop led off the program, but on her subsequent triple Lutz she stepped out of the landing.  The athletic Italian led the group in TES and had the highest base value for elements, with her spins and sequences called at levels 3 and 4, except for simple layback spin at level 2.  In PCS, however, she was only scored third, behind the classical performances of Asada, and Yu-Na Kim.  Among the top skater, Kostner came up particularly short in Transitions.

Not far behind Kostner, Asada placed second in the short with a lovely elegant performance.  She landed the second triple-triple of the event, a solid triple flip - triple loop.  Like Kostner, Asada also had trouble with the triple Lutz.  In her case an edge call that cost her at least 1.57 points -- more than Kostner's margin of victory.  Asada also gave away points on her spiral sequence.  Her other elements were called level 2 and 3.  In components she was scored best of the 53 with marks in the low to mid sevens, except for Transitions in the high sixes.

At this point Kostner and Asada appear to have the best chance for the gold and silver medals, with the rest of the field three or more points back.  Six ladies are within two points of each other, in the quest for at least the bronze medal.  A seventh, Kimmie Meissner is also still the running for the bronze medal, four points back.  Of this group of skaters, Yukari Nakano is currently in third place.

Nakano, skated clean with all her GoEs, zero or greater.  She was scored third in TES, but only ninth in PCS, with component marks in the mid sixes.  She landed triple flip - double toe and triple Lutz.  Her elements were called level 3 and 4, except for a level 2 straight line step sequence.

Kiira Korpi placed an unexpected fourth in the short, coming off of a fifth place finish at Europeans.  The Finn also skated clean, with no negative GoEs.  She landed Triple Lutz - double toe and triple loop, and all her elements were called level 3 or 4.  Like Nakano, Korpi placed mainly on the strength of the element scores, being marked only eight in PCS.

In a sign of how the might have fallen, the reigning Ladies Champion, Miki Ando, placed eighth in the Short Program, with errors on two elements, and component marks only in the mid to upper sixes.  Her triple flip was marked negative dou to a sloppy landing.  Her flying sit spin was wobbly and traveled and also scored negative.  Three level two elements also did not held her cause.

And in a second sign of how the mighty have fallen, the 2006 Ladies Champion placed ninth in the short.  For Meissner, however, this was actually an improvement over her disastrous experience at U.S. Nationals.  Meissner had an edge call on triple flip which cost her at least 1.29 points.  The remainder of the program was clean, but two spins and her step sequence were called level 2 -- not competitive for a World medal.  Her component marks were in the mid to upper sixes -- also not competitive for a World medal.

The other two U.S. ladies here, Beatrisa Liang and Ashley Wagner follow Meissner in the standings in tenth and eleventh place.

Liang received and edge call on her triple Lutz - double toe loop combination, and three judges gave negative GoEs for her triple flip (for no reason I can discern).  In components she was scored in the mid to upper fives.  Liang is thrilled to even be here and it showed in her skating, radiating enthusiasm in her program

Wagner also received an edge call on her triple Lutz - double loop combination.  Her triple flip was also scored negative by the judges.  Like Liang she received component marks in the mid to upper fives for a program that was skated cautiously, but cleanly except for the two jumps.  In her first year in the Senior, it was a decent start, with potential for the future.

Carolina Kostner

Mao Asada

Though she won neither the Short Program, nor the Free Skate, Mao Asada fought her way to the top of the podium and won the Ladies event.

Asada was to lead off with a triple Axel, but as she skidded the takeoff (as many skaters do in the double and triple Axel) she leaned back, slipped of the edge and went sliding across the ice, tumbling towards the barrier.  Momentarily stunned, she pulled herself together, and did not let the spill disrupt the remained of the program.  In Program Components she was scored best, with marks in the mid to upper sevens in a confidently skater program with long extension and lovely spins.  The fall on the Axel, however, was hot her only error in the elements.  She had an edge call on triple Lutz and a downgrade on the loop in  triple flip - triple loop combination.  Another triple-triple combination (triple flip - triple toe loop) was clean and marked in GoEs with ones and twos  Asada was score second best in TES, by 0.01 point over Carolina Kostner.

The Free Skate was won by Yu-Na Kim, but she was too low in the Short Program to convert that to a victory overall.  Kim skated nearly clean, with only a poorly controlled landing on a triple Salchow that was scored minus one by nine judges.  She also single an intended triple Lutz.  She opened with an excellent triple flip - triple toe loop combination and landed a total of five triples.  She was scored best in TES by nearly three points, with all her elements called level 3 or 4.  Her component marks in the low to mid sevens in a fluid skate with lovely positions that was scored best in Presentation/Execution.

Carolina Koster placed third in the Free Skate and ended up second overall, missing the gold medal by only 0.88 points.  Any one of three errors (out of four) would have given her the title.  Following a nicely executed triple flip - triple toe loop - double loop combination, Kostner put a hand down on triple Lutz and has a step out of triple flip.  Then, at element 7 she had a near fall on a triple Salchow - double toe loop combination.  Kostner also had a hand down on the toe loop in double Axel - triple toe, and was also scored slightly negative on a double Axel with an awkward landing.  Even with all these errors she was only 0.01 point behind Asada in TES, and only three points behind Kim.

In components Kostner was scored fourth best, with Skating Skills her highest.  Her unusual music, with strong staccato accents was well presented and in the artistic components was scored second.

Kimmie Meissner put out a superior skate compared to U.S. Nationals, but three downgrades and an edge call cost her dearly.  Add to that falls on triple Lutz and triple Salchow.  Despite the errors she gave a relaxed performance.  Her components, however, were only in the low sixes, with just too many choreographic holes in the program.

Beatrisa Liang placed 13th in the Free Skate and 10th overall.  Her performance was a bit flat in the second half of the program, lacking the sparkle from the Short Program.  Nevertheless, she was scored eighth best in PCS with component marks in the upper fives.  Had she stayed on her fet she probably would have ended up eighth -- so call this performance the glass half full.

In elements, Liang was scored negative in five elements, all of them jumps.  Her spins and sequences were called level 3 and 4 and marked with GoEs of zero and one.  She fell on her second triple Lutz and triple flip, both of which were downgraded, and the Lutz also has an edge call.  The first attempts of these jumps were all the way around, but the first Lutz also had an edge call.

Ashley Wagoner was 15th in the Free Skate and ended up 16th overall.  Six of seven jump elements were scored negative.  The only clean jump was the double Axel.  Both Lutzes had edge calls and triple flip, triple loop and double loop were downgraded.  She also fell on the triple flip.  Wagoner looked nervous at the start of the program, which was skated slowly until most of the jump elements were attempted.  Midway through the routine, she started to fight back, and the second half was more relaxed and energetic.  Her spins and sequence were a mix of levels 1 through 4 making her TES a disaster, only 39.66 points compared to the 67.86 points she scored at U.S. Nationals.  In PCS she was only about eight points down compared to Nationals, scored here with marks in the upper fives to six.

2008 Worlds Ladies Medalists