Japan's Asada wins third world figure skating title

Japan's Mao Asada won her third women's world figure skating title Saturday, springing back from her disappointing result at last month's Sochi Olympics. Russia's 15-year-old European champion Julia Lipnitskaia finished second and Italian veteran and Olympic bronze medallist Carolina Kostner third at the world championships in Saitama near Tokyo. Asada, the 2008 and 2010 world champion, finished sixth at last month's Sochi Olympics, battling back from a disastrous 16th spot in the short programme. Asada, 23, who broke her South Korean rival Kim Yu-Na's world short programme record on Thursday, made a few minor jumping mistakes in the final free skate but excelled in other elements, hitting a maximum level-four in three spins and a step sequence to collect a table-topping 138.03 points. Her total of 216.69 points was her personal best, breaking the previous mark of 207.59 she set last November for Japan's NHK Trophy. Lipnitskaia, third in the short, scored 132.96 points, despite falling in a triple salchow attempt, to finish on 207.50 overall. Kostner, 27, the 2012 world champion, also fell on a triple flip and under-rotated a few jumps to 126.59 points, the sixth best free-skate score. She finished third on 203.83, slipping one spot from the short programme. Source: AFP