BARCELONA: Russia's Ksenia Stolbova and Fedor Klimov won pairs gold as teen Evgenia Medvedeva led the women's short programme ahead of Japanese star Mao Asada at the ISU Grand Prix Final of figure skating on Friday (Dec 11).
Olympic silver medallists Stolbova and Klimov took their first major title with the second best score ever of 154.60 in the free programme for an overall total of 229.44 in Barcelona.
Meagan Duhamel and Eric Radford of Canada, the defending champions, had to settle for silver, despite a personal best 143.93 in the free skate and 216.67 overall. "We executed this programme much better than the short programme so we're proud to have this medal," said Duhamel.
Former three time-world champion Asada, 25, sits 5.45 points behind Medvedeva, who led a Russian 1-2 ahead of fellow 16-year-old Elena Radionova.
Medvedeva pulled out three triples and a double axel in a strong skate to "Melodies of the White Nights" for which she earned a personal best 74.58 points. "In the last year I've improved, I'm skating better and more grown up," said Medvedeva, who won the junior Grand Prix title in Barcelona last year.
ASADA COMBACK
Asada is returning to competition after taking last season off and won the Cup of China and finished third in the NHK Trophy, her two Grand Prix assignments.
She opened with her trademark triple axel jump followed by a triple-triple, only to single her triple lutz in her skate to "Bei mir bist du schoen".
"I made a major mistake today and I regret that," said the 2010 Olympic silver medallist, who scored 69.13, nearly 10 points off her world record personal best.
"But overall it wasn't bad so I'm hoping to do better tomorrow," she continued ahead of Saturday's bid to come back and take a record fifth GP Final title. "This is my comeback season. My triple axel is going well but my lutz is still not so consistent yet when I get nervous and that is my weak point."
Radionova, a former two-time world junior champion, scored 69.43 for her skate to Lara Fabian's "Je T'aime" with Japan's world silver medallist Satoko Miyahara (68.76) in fourth.
Americans Gracie Gold (66.52) and Ashley Wagner (60.04) both had error-strewn performances and occupy the final two places in the six-skater field.
In ice dancing, Canadians Kaitlyn Weaver and Andrew Poje got their title defence off to a strong start in the short dance.
The Skate Canada and Cup of Russia winners posted a season's best 72.75 points for their waltz and polka selection to the music of Johann Strauss.
World silver medallists Madison Chock and Evan Bates of the United States are close behind, 71.64, with 2014 world champions Anna Cappellini and Luca Lanotte of Italy third (70.14) going into Saturday's free skating final.
Japan's Yuzuru Hanyu will bid for a third consecutive men's title on Saturday as he leads Spain's Javier Fernandez going into the free programme on the final day of competition.
- AFP/ec