COLORADO SPRINGS —The last 14 days have been a whirlwind for Ashley Wagner.
Two weeks to the day after claiming her first U.S. championship, the 20-year-old from Alexandria, Va., had the best free skate of her career Saturday night to win the Four Continents Figure Skating Championships for her first international title.
Wagner skated an elegant, clean program to finish with a 128.34-point score that left her with a career-high total of 192.41.
That was enough to edge two-time world champion Mao Asada of Japan, who finished second at 188.62 after touching a hand to the ice while attempting to land a triple lutz and having a triple axel downgraded by judges.
It was the first time Wagner has beaten Asada, the 2010 Olympic silver medalist.
“This was a pretty darn good competition for me,” Wagner said. “For me to pull out these scores internationally is huge, not only for my career, but also for people’s understanding of my level of skating. This is a big confidence boost.”
Asada left the event knowing what cost her in the end.
“I’m very happy about succeeding on my triple axel tonight, but I made several other mistakes,” she said. “I understand my result. I showed my stronger performance at worlds.”
The Four Continents was the final major tuneup before the 2012 World Championships on March 26-April 1 in Nice, France. Two-time U.S. champion Alissa Czisny will join Wagner on Team USA.
“This gives everyone an idea of what I’m capable of going into worlds,” Wagner said.
