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Asada leads at Four Continents figure skating event
Two-time world champion Mao Asada of Japan seized the lead at figure skating's Four Continents Championship with the top performance of the women's short programme.
Asada, the 2010 Olympic silver medalist, garnered 64.25 points for her short routine, with US national champion Ashley Wagner second on 64.07.
Japan's Kanako Murakami, the 2010 junior world champion, was third with 63.45 points after the first phase of competition, with the title to be decided by Saturday's free skate.
Asada's only error came on her first jump, her trademark triple axel. She didn't quite land it cleanly.
"My performance was good, except the triple axel in the beginning," said Asada, who won the Four Continents in 2008 and 2010. "I want to take this as a learning experience and skate well tomorrow.
"My biggest goal of this competition is including the triple axel, and at least I tried it. It wasn't perfect, but I'm pretty happy to land the triple axel," she said.
Asada endured a tough December as she coped with the death of her mother. She pulled out of the Grand Prix Final in Quebec City in December to get home to her ailing mother, who died while her daughter was flying home.
Later that month Asada won the women's title at the Japanese championships, her fifth national title but her first in two years.
The men's Four Continents crown was to be decided later Friday, with Canadian Patrick Chan taking the lead into the free skate after Thursday's short programme.
