So fawnlike and little is Mao Asada of Japan. But she possesses great power over anybody who watches her.
The 16-year-old figure skater entranced a row of international judges last night, winning the Skate America women's short program ahead of an impressive group of competitors at the Hartford Civic Center.
Asada skated to Nocturne, lilting and soft music chosen for her by Canadian choreographer Lori Nichol, and it suited her perfectly. As the 5-foot-3 skater practised the routine yesterday, coaches from other countries looked in wonder at her lightness and her perfect triple jumps, all done with ease.
Asada, who could not skate at the Olympics or world championships last year because she was too young, ended the night ahead of world champion Kimmie Meissner of the United States, who is still only 17 herself. And such is the strength of the field of Japanese women that Miki Ando, 18, finished second. Meissner -- who landed her triple flip, a jump that she had struggled with all week -- was third.
The women's free-skate final program is scheduled for today.
In the men's final last night, 19-year-old Nobunari Oda of Japan lost the long program to a determined Evan Lysacek, but won the gold medal, having built up a lead the American could not surpass. Alban Préaubert of France won the bronze medal with a powerful performance.
Oda finished with the best scores of his career, earning a 144.90 for the long program and 231.39 points overall. Lysacek outpointed him in the long program with 150.74, but finished with an overall score of 221.09. Préaubert had 212.67.
Christopher Mabee of Tillsonburg, Ont., finished 10th in the long program and ninth overall (163.16). Nicholas Young of Saint-Hubert, Que., withdrew after the warm-up, feeling shaky and dizzy after a serious viral infection he picked up about a week ago.
In the women's event, Canadian silver medalist Mira Leung of Vancouver finished seventh of 11 skaters and was unhappy about her component marks, thinking she had made strides last year to improve her artistry.
But she skated slowly last night and seemed to brush a foot down on the first part of a triple Lutz combination and then eked out only a single loop after it. While judges gave her the highest level of difficulty for her spiral sequence, her other elements were found lacking.
Asada, meanwhile, was on another planet.
She scored 68.84 points, her best result for a short program, and slightly beyond reach of Ando at 66.74. Meissner has work to do with a 58.52, but she put a hand down on a triple Lutz and then added only a double instead of a triple toe loop to it.
Both Asada and Ando beat the scores for the top Olympic women's short program recorded at the Turin Games, where Sasha Cohen of the United States scored 66.73. (The highest short program score is also Cohen's, 71.12, set in 2003.)
And both completed triple-triple combinations, after which Asada came off the ice, her face shining.
"This is my first time skating the short program at a [senior]competition," she said through a translator. "So I was nervous. But I'm glad that I skated well."
Asada said she felt no pressure -- even though hordes of Japanese cameramen had followed her all week -- but she did admit she was relieved it was over.
Ando has seemingly made a stunning revival of her career. She tumbled to 15th at the 2006 Olympics -- and she was lucky to even be there because she had finished only sixth in her own country.
Last night, she landed a difficult triple Lutz-triple loop combination with ease. Asada's combination was the easier triple flip-triple loop.
Asada was magical, but coach Rafael Arutunian, who has been working with Asada since mid-August, said the performance was standard for her.
"That's the key," he said. "That is normal for her."
Arutunian said Asada's body movement has been improving. "She works hard," he said. "She skates five or six sessions a day. She does not waste time."
Leung said she has been working on some new jumps herself. One of Leung's new additions is a triple Lutz-triple loop jump, and she plans to try it in the long program today.