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| Solid position: Miki Ando is in contention for the national title, trailing Mao Asada by 1.46 points after the short program. KYODO PHOTO |
Suzuki struggles in short program, faces a tough comeback
NAGANO (Kyodo) Struggling Mao Asada got a huge confidence boost on Saturday when she secured the lead with a clean skate in the women's short program at the National Figure Skating Championships.
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| Back on track: Reigning world champion Mao Asada skates during the women's short program on Saturday in Nagano. Mao leads the field with 66.22 points. KYODO PHOTO |
Mao, who is hoping to bounce back from a string of lackluster performances in a bid to win a spot to defend the world title in Tokyo next March, nailed her signature triple axel jump with fanfare en route to a score of 66.22 points.
"I finally was able to have a good performance," said Mao, who must make a podium finish here for any hope at one of the three world berths up for grabs.
"I am really happy. I was in good form, so I was able to jump with confidence. There is still the free skate and it isn't over yet. I want to end up smiling with a good performance," she continued.
Miki Ando was 1.46 behind in second while third place belonged to 16-year-old sensation Kanako Murakami, who collected 61.50 points after under-rotating one of her jumps.
Risa Shoji, a 14-year-old schoolgirl, was in fourth with 58.22.
"I was able to skate in a relaxed way (after deciding to skip the triple-triple jump)," Ando said.
She added: "This is a qualifier for the worlds, so I have to make sure I skate solidly. I don't want to make the same mistakes I did at the Grand Prix final."
Akiko Suzuki, one of three women along with Murakami and Ando who outperformed Mao during the Grand Prix season, trailed in seventh after a sub-par effort.
On Saturday evening, meanwhile, Takahiko Kozuka completed a strong two-day effort by closing out his free program as the overall leader and held on to the top spot with 251.93 points.
Nobunari Oda, who was second after the short program, finished second with 237.48 points, followed by reigning world champion Daisuke Takahashi, who was fourth after Friday's routine, with 236.79.
Mao will be vying for her fifth consecutive national title on Sunday.
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