Surprise Victory Propels Teen Sensation Ava Marie Ziegler to Dominant American 1-2 Finish in Prestigious Global Figure Skating Championship
Teen sensation Ava Marie Ziegler claims surprise victory at NHK Trophy, securing her maiden ISU Grand Prix Figure Skating title with a dazzling free skate performance The American prodigy leads a historic 1-2 finish for Team USA in Osaka, Japan
Ava Marie Ziegler, a 17-year-old American teenager, secured her first ISU Grand Prix Figure Skating title by dominating the NHK Trophy in Osaka, Japan with an impressive performance in the free skate. She made a stunning comeback from fifth place after the short program to claim the gold medal, while her compatriot Lindsay Thorngren took second place and Belgium's Nina Pinzarrone finished third overall.
After the short program, Thorngren was in the lead, but Ziegler's routine, which featured a triple flip-double axel-double axel sequence and six additional triple jumps, was too impressive to surpass.
"I used my fifth-place finish yesterday as motivation because I knew I could perform better. It really pushed me to be the best I could be," said Ziegler, as reported by the International Skating Union.
"I stuck to my plan of executing everything just as I practice and showing everyone that I can be consistent and clean. This result has definitely boosted my confidence."
Ava Marie Ziegler of the United States reacts to her score.
Toru Hanai/International Skating Union/Getty Images
She achieved a personal best score of 138.46 points in her free skate routine, and her overall score of 200.50 points broke the 200-point mark for the first time in her career.
The NHK Trophy marked the conclusion of the six events that make up the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Series, leading up to the final on December 7-10 in Beijing, China where the top six skaters from each discipline will compete.
While Ziegler and Thorngren have not qualified for the final, their compatriots Isabeau Levito and Ilia Malinin will represent the USA in the womens and mens singles, respectively.
