TURIN — While Olympic champion Kim Yu-na crumbled, American Mirai Nagasu soared.
Nagasu was in first place with 70.4 points after a nearly flawless short program at the world figure skating championships Friday. Kim, who has lost only one competition over the last two seasons and was downright majestic in winning gold in Vancouver, was in seventh place (60.3) after three major errors in an uncharacteristically sloppy performance.
Rachael Flatt, the U.S. champion from Colorado Springs, missed her landing on a triple- triple combination and was sixth at 60.88.
“It wasn’t a great landing,” said Flatt, a senior at Cheyenne Mountain High School. “I’ve never trained triple-double in my short, so it was a little disappointing. Obviously, landing it would have helped my score significantly.
“It was a little disappointing not to get the triple-triple in, but, with the components, I actually think I sold the program very well. I was pleased with that. I’m going to get that triple-triple in the free skate for sure.”
Olympic silver medalist Mao Asada of Japan was second at 68.08, while Finland’s Laura Lepisto was third at 64.30. The free skate is today.
Later Friday, Olympic champions Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir of Canada added a world title to their gold medal, edging training partners Meryl Davis and Charlie White of the United States. Virtue and Moir finished second to Davis and White, the Vancouver silver medalists, in the free dance but had built up a large enough lead in the compulsory and original dances to win.
