Figure skating star Kim Yu-na, 17, of South Korea has come nearer to her second consecutive victory at the Senior Grand Prix finals of the 2007-08 International Skating Union (ISU) as she finished top in the woman singles short program in Italy early Saturday (Korea Standard Time).
Kim scored 64.62 points _ 34.90 in technological or total element score (TES) and 29.72 in program components score (PCS) _, her seasonal highest mark.
Rookie Caroline Zhang, 14, of the United States, who turned up on the rink first among the six finalists, came second with 61.82. Zhang captured the 2007 junior title.
Kim’s Japanese rival Mao Asada, 17, was placed lowest with 59.04 as she failed in first mandatory attempt of triple flip-triple loop (three consecutive rotations in the air) and jump combination and skipped the second lutz jump due to loss of balance.
Kim performed nearly perfect, except the failure of her starting jump, a flaw in a gem.
Kim, who appeared on the rink as the sixth and final performer in blue dress in Turin, started her performance to the light waltz, the overture of opera “the Bat” of Johann Strauss, the background music of the season.
She lost her balance, making her two hands touch the ground briefly during the starting try of the triple flip-triple toe loop (three consecutive rotations in the air) and jump combinations. As a result, Kim was obliged to perform singles in the ensuing series of jumps due to the imbalance.
But Kim did not lose her composure and successfully performed her favorite skill triple jump, attracting a great applause from the spectators in the Palavela ice rink.
From thereafter, her water-flowing clean performance continued. She boasted elegance with her superb spiral (rotations with one leg in the air) sequences and flying sit spin ( rotating seated after a take-off) combinations.
Kim also showed her best in combinations of layback spin ( spinning with her waist backward) and Biellmann spin as well as InaBauer (spinning with the waist backward) and double axel (two and a half rotations in the air) without flaws and then finished the program with a strong spin combination (switching feet during spinning).
Kim will also compete in free skating Sunday at 5 a.m. in her bid to capture the Senior Grand Prix. The event will also be telecast live by SBS.