NHK Trophy Ladies result

.

Mao Asada was visibly more nervous than yesterday and probably for that missed some jumps: she doubled a loop, a lutz and a flip and singled a salchow for a total of three triples (with a double axel-triple toe combo). She was very disappointed at the end of the program, she had ten points of lead on Suzuki after the short. As she competed today she didn't deserve a first place nor to score 117.32 just a point less than the cup of China free skate, where she skated a lot better. Anyway she is a delightful skater and I just hope she will get better in the jumping as the season goes on.

 

Akiko Suzuki has got one of the best free skate of the season choreographed by Pasquale Camerlengo. She skated super clean with seven triples all flawlessly executed. She did a couple of lutzes, a flip, a stunning double axel-triple toe and two triple loops. She is always very solid in the free skate but she has struggled in the short program so far in the season. She scored 126.62 that is a new personal best.

 

Mirai Nagasu despite the expectations, at least mine, she skated brilliantly with six triples (but some of them could be called under rotations or downgrades) but anyway, the program overall was very good. She scored 115.50.

 

Zijun Li was seeking her first senior podium today after being third in the short program. That was not easy for her, since Suzuki, who was fifth in the short, had a gorgeous free skate, but she performed very well nailing six triples including a stunning triple flip-triple toe. She is a packaged skater with amazing spins and good steps. Here she got 114.49 that is a new Chinese record for the ladies. She didn't medal today, but she could be a real contender in the future.

 

Zawadzky needed a silver medal for making it to the final and that was not an easy job after the seventh place finish of the short. She scored just a point less than the one she received at Cup of Russia. She started well with a tiple lutz and a triple toe-triple toe but later on fell on the second triple lutz and doubled her flip. 105.35