EVERETT, WASH. — Regal in red and gold, sure-footed as she skimmed over the ice at the Comcast Center, Yu-na Kim was a vivid example of the quietly powerful dominance Asian women are exerting in international figure skating.
Kim, an 18-year-old South Korean who trains in Toronto, added the Skate America title to a resume that includes bronze medals at the last two world championships and gold medals at the last two Grand Prix Finals.
Performing Sunday to Sheherazade, she skated a dazzling routine marred only slightly when she turned a planned triple loop to a single. She received a warm ovation from banner-waving members of nearby Korean communities and from everyone who recognized brilliance when they saw it.
Otherwise formidable -- she pulled off a difficult triple flip-triple toe loop combination jump with ease -- Kim turned a 12-point lead after the short program into a rout and finished with 193.45 points. Two Japanese women, Yuri Nakano and 2007 world champion Miki Ando, each skated well to "Giselle" but lost by 20.92 and 25.03 points, respectively.
"I didn't think too much about the score," said Kim, a student of two-time Olympic silver medalist Brian Orser. "I tried my best to do my program strong. I think I did that, and the score came with it."
Asian women have won the last Olympic title (Shizuka Arakawa of Japan), the last two world championships (Japan's Mao Asada this year, and Ando) and the last three Grand Prix Finals (Kim twice after Asada in 2006).
"This is an individual competition," said Kim, whose 2006 world junior title touched off a figure-skating frenzy in her homeland. "There are so many top skaters from the world, including Japanese skaters and Americans.
"I would like to see Korean skaters skating at this level so we can all compete in the world."
The top three Sunday left the Americans in the dust, if there can be dust in a skating rink. The best was Rachael Flatt of Del Mar, who finished fourth with 155.73 points -- though she skipped an intended triple-triple.
U.S. champion Mirai Nagasu of Arcadia, competing on a sore right ankle she said is in the stage before a stress fracture, fell on a jump and footwork and had six jumps downgraded. She placed fifth with 142.90 points but said she didn't regret competing here.
"I learned so much and I now know how much more work I have to do," she said. "I'm going to keep on going and hope that it heals as I go along."
