NAGOYA — World champion Mao Asada had a calamitous start to her Grand Prix season Friday night, finishing eighth in the short program at the NHK Trophy.
Skating last before a raucous home crowd at Nippon Gaishi Arena, the Nagoya native two-footed the landing on her opening triple axel, botched both ends of a triple loop/triple loop combination jump, singled her planned triple flip and had a time violation.
Competing under coach Nobuo Sato for the first time in a GP event, Mao's showing was disappointing to say the least. She has struggled over the years with her short program, and any thought that those days were over was quickly dispelled.