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Skating Champ Scores Stunning Victory
The sports world has drama... on ice! Mao Asada captured the women's title at the World Figure Skating Championships last week but her path to victory was the biggest surprise of all. She started her freestyle routine by skating around the rink and getting ready for a big and difficult jump called a triple axel. That's a move that was named after Axel Paulson. He was the first person to perform the spinning jump in 1882.
When Mao tried the jump, she slipped and fell. She slid all the way across the rink. It was a disaster for her performance, and the crowd groaned in sympathy. Mao must have been very nervous. Last year she took the silver medal, and the 17 year old from Japan was probably hoping she'd take the gold this year.
Even though things were looking bad, she didn't give up. She got up and kept skating. She jumped and spun and did some other spins called triple flips and triple loops. She impressed the crowd and the judges with the best skating of the day, and wound up winning the gold medal after all. If she had given up after that horrible start, she never would have taken home the gold. Great skating, Mao Asada!
Second place went to Carolina Kostner from Italy. South Korea's Kim Yu-na took third place.
I'm Lucy and that's what happened in Sports this week!
Photo: AP
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