GOTHENBURG, Sweden (AFP) - Two-time European champion Carolina Kostner grabbed pole position ahead of two Japanese rivals after the short programme at the world figure skating championships here on Wednesday.
Kostner, 21, bidding to become the first Italian woman to win the world title after finishing third three years ago, leads Japanese duo Mao Asada, last year's runner-up, and Yukari Nakano going into Thursday's free skating final.
Wearing a black one-piece combination the Italian looked confident and at ease as, despite a wobble on her triple lutz, she hit all her required elements during her programme to the music Riders on the Storm by The Doors.
She scored a total of 64.28 points for the highly original programme, to put her 0.18 ahead of Asada with Nakano 3.18pts behind the leader.
"I'm not really surprised. I skated to a beautiful choreography which required a lot of work and thought," explained Kostner. "I'm a bit sad to be performing this programme for the last time. It's very, very beautiful and very unique.
"My little error on the lutz was due to the fact that I was in too much of a hurry, but the level of the pirouettes and sequences are good."
Asada, 17, gave a flawless presentation to Fantasia for Violin and Orchestra by Jean-Claude Petit, and warned she could do better on Thursday.
"I'm satisfied with my jumps but not with the level of my pirouettes," she said. "There isn't much difference with Kostner. I'm a bit disappointed not to be leading but I'll do my best tomorrow."
Nakano, 22, achieved a new personal best for her routine to Chopin's Fantaisie Impromptu which was also error free. "I did everything I could. This is the best I can give," said Nakano.
"There was a long period in between Nationals and Worlds. I didn't have any competitions for three months. I used this time to review every element and to work hard on my programs. That gave me a good result today.
"But the most important is still to come, the free skating tomorrow."
Defending champion Miki Ando of Japan is in eighth position with South Korea's star Kim Yu-na fifth behind Finland's Kiira Korpi after falling on a triple lutz.
"I know I have to do a clean programme and I will just try to enjoy and do my best," said Ando, who has been far from the form which saw her win gold last year.
She reverted to an old short programme, and looked less than confident as she wobbled on her flying sit spin.
"I love both programmes very much but, I'm more confident with this one and its feels better," explained Ando. "My jumps were good but my spins and spirals were not of high level so I want to improve on that for tomorrow."
Kim, meanwhile, was hindered by recent hip and back problems. "I felt pain from my earlier injury (hip/back) when I did the triple-triple combination and then tried to do the Lutz. That's why I fell," she explained.
"But I have fallen in previous competitions so I did not think it was that hard to recover and I was not so nervous. I am not so happy about the scores, and I am unsatisfied because of the fall." Former US world champion Kimmie Meissner is in ninth place.
