Mao Asada headed for her second consecutive Grand Prix Final gold medal, skating to a soothing Chopin nocturne to lead Japanese countrywoman Miki Ando.
Asada earned 69.34 points in her free skate, with Ando at 67.52. Asada showed exceptional flexibility and her triple flip-triple loop combination was so lightfooted she appeared barely to touch the ice between jumps.
Ando's combination was a more difficult triple lutz-triple loop, which she landed cleanly, but her overall technical marks were about a point lower than Asada's.
Asada, who moved this year to the United States to train with Rafael Arutnian, credited her coach for her rise.
"He knows what I want,'' Asada said.
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安藤の方が難しいのに、スコアが低いのは何故だ。
Asada earned 69.34 points in her free skate, with Ando at 67.52. Asada showed exceptional flexibility and her triple flip-triple loop combination was so lightfooted she appeared barely to touch the ice between jumps.
Ando's combination was a more difficult triple lutz-triple loop, which she landed cleanly, but her overall technical marks were about a point lower than Asada's.
Asada, who moved this year to the United States to train with Rafael Arutnian, credited her coach for her rise.
"He knows what I want,'' Asada said.
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安藤の方が難しいのに、スコアが低いのは何故だ。