Dream of the Perfect Double Axel

Japanese figure skating prodigy Mao Asada is currently aiming for an error-free performance at the Junior World Championships in Slovenia this week, where the 15-year-old is defending her title--today she blew away the competition in the qualifying round. Already part of figure skating history for being the first (ahem) woman to land two triple axels in competition, Mao is currently mulling the possibility of doing a quad in her free program this year--even though Miki Ando has already made her mark on figure skating history by being the first woman to land a quad (a salchow) in competition last year. Mao, who has been having consistency problems with the quad salchow, and reportedly has faulty technique on her quad toe loop (cheating a half-turn on her take-off to make it a triple "toe-axel"), is working on a quadruple flip, lutz and loop; and if she perfects and lands any of those in the near future, she'll be the first person ever, man or woman, to land said jump(s) in competition, period. With Asada ready to rip through the ranks of the international senior level next year, ladies figure skating is about to take a turn toward the extreme. And because Mao has a fluid, graceful line and a feeling for music that rivals any more seasoned skater's, she'll truly be a force to contend with rather than a flash-in-the-pan jumping bean. I find it absolutely criminal of the ISU and US Figure Skating that the Junior World Championships are not broadcast on television--though perhaps there's some clause about that to protect young skaters from premature media scrutiny; could the sport be that humane? One hopes so.

Categories: Japan, skating