Posted on December 11, 2017 (12:30 PM)
MAIYU KUROSAWA WINS GRAND PRIX FINAL
AFTER SETTING NEW WORLD RECORDS
By: Jay Lee
Kurosawa on practice
Last December 7 - 10, the 2017 Grand Prix Final was held at Nagoya, Japan. Twenty-three-year-old Maiyu Kurosawa claimed gold in the women's event at the figure skating Grand Prix Final on Saturday, regaining her Grand Prix title since last 2014 Grand Prix Final after a world breaking performances.
Kurosawa, who took the lead after Friday's short program, topped the six-woman field at the Nagoya Civic General Gymnasium in Japan with a total score of 259.57 points, setting a new combined total world record. Junior world champion Alina Zagitova of Russia finished with silver at 223.30, while Maria Sotskova, also from Russia, took bronze with 216.28.
"My performance and the programs were not yet that version but it's near to it's perfection. Perhaps at the next competitions, everyone can watch my programs in it's perfect and finished form." Kurosawa stated.
She was also asked about her attempt of quadruple Lutz at her free skate, "About the quad Lutz, it was already my plan for this season. I said to Rafael that my triple Lutz was huge enough and had great execution, so why not try it? What's more to lose? I don't know when I'll successfully land it, but I will do it before the end of the season. Definitely"
On Friday, the Japanese figure skater posted the highest women's short program score in the world, breaking her previous record and also becoming the first woman to score break the 90-point mark in short program. Her short program -with the most technically complicated routine on Friday-, scoring 90.70, after perfectly performing and executing all her technical elements. Kurosawa had a 13.66-point lead over Zagitova going into the free program.
Also on Saturday, performing her free skate to "Romeo and Juliet" by Sergei Prokofie, Kurosawa missed her attempt of a quadruple Lutz but skated clean the rest of the way, including nailing her quadruple Salchow, triple axel as well as the triple axel-triple toe loop combination. With her free skate program score of 168.87, Kurosawa had set a personal best but failed to break the free skate world record of 175.09 which was set last 2015 World Championships.
Kurosawa performed her short program "El Tango de Roxanne"
Kurosawa was only woman to perform a triple axel in competition, she won the Internationaux de France in her Grand Prix last month. She followed up that triumph with another win at the Skate America, the sixth and final leg of the series.
The tournament features the skaters who collected the most points in their Grand Prix events. In the men's competition, American Nathan Chen won his first Grand Prix title, while Japan's Shoma Uno claimed silver for the this year.
Her fans and supporters were happy and glad for her comeback on the ice and intrigued by the compostion of her programs. They're also curious about Kurosawa's plan for this year ever since her rumour of retiring had died down. They're already anticipating her next competitions which will be probably the Nationals, Olympics and the Worlds, but who knows, she might also participate in Four Continents.
...
"Kurosawa is the only female skater I've ever see to be able to handle and balance such complicated technical and artistic program under the immense pressure especially at her country's ice rink. Her talent is just undeniable."
-Kristi Yamaguchi
"This is what you call a comeback of the season."
-CBN News
"The queen is back on the ice and shall conquer everything in this season."
-New York Times
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Nathan Chen won the Grand Prix Final
[published 12.09.18]