Japan’s Miki Ando outscored South Korea’s Olympic champion Kim Yuna, winning the ladies skating gold medal Saturday in the 2011 Figure Skating World Championships here.
With a perfect combination of triple lutz and double loop, Ando Miki started her performance in the free skating segment. She made no obvious mistakes and got 130.21 points in the program. Her overall score was 195.79.
Kim Yuna, who has taken the lead in Friday’s short program, made a few minor mistakes in free skating, finishing second with a total score of 194.50 points.
Kostner Carolina from Italy won the bronze medal, scoring 184.68 points.
In the awarding ceremony, the 20-year-old Kim cried when holding the silver medal. She told reporters that she just couldn’t hold back her tears recalling her long break since last year’s worlds.
“I overcame the hardest time in my life. I am so glad that I finished the competition,” she said.
As for Ando, the 2007 figure skating worlds champion, winning the gold medal again four years later in Moscow was meaning.
She said the success is needed not only by herself but also by her country Japan, which suffers deadly earthquake and tsunami in March and gave up the host of this championship to Russia.
“Many Japanese are figure skating fans. We need this kind of joyful moment,” Ando said.
Russia’s Leonova Alena finished fourth with 183.92 points. China’s Geng Bingwa, 17-year-old, ranked 18th scoring 140.78 points.
MOSCOW, April 30 (Xinhua) —