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Japanese favorite Asada to make another try on 3A

Updated: 2014-02-19 09:33:55

( Xinhua)

Japanese favorite Asada to make another try on 3A

Mao Asada of Japan practices her routine during a figure skating training session at the Iceberg Skating Palace during the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, Feb 18, 2014. [Photo/Agencies]

Japanese favorite Asada to make another try on 3A
SOCHI - Twice-world champion Mao Asada will take the ice for the women's singles figure skating on Wednesday with her trademark triple axel despite the failure she's committed on the element in team event at the Sochi 2014 Winter Games.

"I will attempt the triple axel once in the short and once in the free," Asada said.

The 23-year-old, a silver medalist from last Olympics in Vancouver 2010, is the only active female skater capable of doing the 3A, an quite difficult element even for a male skater.

"There is some risk involved with the axel but I want to do it. I did it twice in Vancouver (in the free) but I'm only doing it once in Sochi. I just don't feel like I need to do it twice," she added.

First landed in 1988 by Japan's Midori Ito, the women's singles silver medalist in the 1992 Winter Games, the triple axel has only been completed by four other female skaters in international competition, namingly Tonya Harding of the United States, Russia's Ludmila Nelidina, and another Japanese Yukari Nakano in 1990s besides Asada.

Four years ago, Asada, who's the first girl in history to complete a 3A at the junior level in 2004, earned an entry in the Guinness world records after becoming the first woman to land that element three times at one event.

Japanese favorite Asada to make another try on 3A

Mao Asada of Japan falls as she competes during the figure skating team ladies short program at the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics, Feb 8, 2014. [Photo/Agencies]

However, the Grand Prix Finals runner-up of this season fell after attempting it in the short program of the Olympic team event night days ago. She thus received dongrades and negative grades of execution across the board.

"I don't consider the triple axel to be a burden at all. It actually gives me something to shoot for and it defines me," said Asada, a hot hit here for the women's title to compete against Olympic defending champion Kim Yuna of South Korea as well as home favorite Julia Lipnitskaia of Russia.

"But the axel isn't everything; even with one I can still have a decent programme with the other jumps I've got," she admitted.

The Japanese won the 2013-2014 Grand Prix Final without Kim as the latter, also 23, has missed the grand prix series after being handicapped by a foot injury and has only competed in one small international event this season. Lipnitskaia,who's the youngest skater in the event of 15 years old, won the season Finale's silver medal in December.

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