Ando grabs 2nd Grand Prix gold in Japan
Canadian Cynthia Phaneuf places 6th
Last Updated: Saturday, November 7, 2009 | 2:38 PM ET
The Associated Press
Japan's Miki Ando performs her free skating program during the women's competition in the NHK Trophy figure skating Grand Prix in Nagano, Japan on Saturday. (Toshifumi Kitamura/AFP/Getty Images)Japan's Miki Ando won the women's event at the NHK Trophy in Nagano, overtaking American Ashley Wagner in the free skate to win her second Grand Prix of the season.
Ando, who won the Rostelecom Cup in Russia, landed six triple jumps in her routine to Cleopatra to finish with 162.55 points. Russia's Alena Leonova was second with 160.85 while Wagner was third with 155.99 points.
Wagner, who was first after the short program, touched down on a triple salchow and singled a triple lutz late in her routine to fall into third place.
Cynthia Phaneuf of Contrecoeur, Que., completed her first Grand Prix event this season by landing five triple jumps and finishing sixth. She had the second highest technical marks for her long program.
"That's unusual for me, because I usually score lower on the technical side," said Phaneuf, who is skating the same short and long programs as last season. "I was quite pleased when I finished my skate but my component score was hard to take. I thought it should have been better."
with files from Louis Daignault, Canadian Sport News
