Word: asada
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...that was just for the short program. The stakes are even higher on Thursday, with a gold medal and the title of new Olympic ice queen on the line. Kim leads Asada by 4.72 points, after both women executed near flawless performances to get the competition started on Tuesday. Asada skated first, landing a strong triple-Axel double-toe jump combination and making history as the first woman to land a triple-Axel combination jump at the Olympics (another Japanese skater, Midori Ito, landed a solo triple-Axel jump at the 1992 Games). (See a brief history of Olympic sore...
Almost two minutes into Asada's program, Kim, scheduled to skate next, brushed past the curtains and emerged into the arena just as the large flag-waving Japanese contingent roared its appreciation for her rival. "I was trying not to hear, but you can't help but hear the score," Kim said of Asada's season's best of 73.78. But Kim answered back quickly by dispatching a triple-Lutz triple-toe-loop combination that earned her 12 points, to Asada's 10.10 for her history-making triple-Axel double-toe-loop combination. Like the secret agent she was portraying...
...Asada rivalry isn't dramatic enough, the women's event also features one of the most courageous athletes of the Games: Canadian Joannie Rochette, who competed on Tuesday just two days after learning of her mother's unexpected death from a heart attack. Taking to the ice in front of an appreciative but apprehensive audience that seemed ready to mentally lift her through her program, Rochette put them at ease with a solid program that landed her in third place. It was only after she finished that she allowed herself to acknowledge the affection from the crowd, breaking down...
...Friday morning in Asia, millions of South Koreans and Japanese will be rooted in front of their screens for the women's final, as Kim and Asada battle for the gold. The entire nation of Canada will be rooting for Rochette as she tries to make it through this difficult week. Under the scoring system, the less than five points that separate Kim and Asada isn't a huge gap. Asada is planning on throwing in two more triple-Axels, an astounding feat if she can land them, but one that she will need in order to beat Kim, whose...
...keeps everybody on the edge of their seats, and that's exciting," Orser says of the competition between Kim and Asada. "It's exciting for Yu-na. She's a pretty fierce competitor, and this is no time to hold back...