Miki Ando back on top at world figure skating

MOSCOW (AFP) - Miki Ando credited new-found maturity on her success as she returned to the top of World Figure Skating Championships this weekend by capturing a second world title. The world championships had been billed as a battle between titleholder Mao Asada of Japan and Olympic champion Kim Yu-Na of South Korea. But the 23-year-old Ando, who created history nine years ago by becoming the first and only woman to land a quadruple jump in competition, showed that she is still a force to be reckoned with. She surged ahead of Kim who had lead after the short programme to take gold in the free skate final, with the South Korean settling for silver, and Asada finishing sixth. Ando said she feels comfortable competing in Moscow where she trains for part of the year with Russian coach Nikolai Morozov whom she credits with her revival in form. "We've worked for a long time together, now we don't even have to talk, we know each other so well," she explained. "Before a competition he just says, 'Believe in yourself, believe what we work in, just think each element one by one and the important thing is to just enjoy skating'. Of course we have had good and bad times on the ice together, we fight, we laugh and we cry together. This time it works so well and he helps me so much with my skating and my life. For me he's the best coach in the world and I just want to say thank you so much to Nikolai Morozov." Ando blames self-doubt and a tendency to over-analyse for her failure to live up to her potential in recent years. Despite slumping to fifth in last year's Olympics and fourth at the subsequent worlds Ando has been the form skater this season.

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