It?s been a whirlwind year for Harford County teenager Kimmie Meissner.
Last February, after qualifying for the Olympics, the Bel Air resident held her own with a sixth-place finish as a 16-year old in Torino, Italy.
In March, she won the World Championships, and on Saturday night, she solidified her place as the best figure skater in the United States.
Meissner won the State Farm U.S. Figure Skating championship Saturday night in Spokane, Wash., despite a second-place finish in the free skate.
“Of course I would have liked to have won the free skate,” Meissner told The Associated Press. “I was just getting used to the world champion thing. This is a new one.”
Meissner won the short program Thursday night with a score of 65.69. On Saturday, she was bested by both Emily Hughes and Alissa Czisny, but her score of 119.59 was enough to win the title with 181.68 points. Hughes took silver with 180.86.
“It was really close so, next year,” Hughes said.
It wasn?t a story-book ending, as Meissner sat through the final two performances ? by Emily Hughes and Beatrisa Liang ? before learning her championship fate.
And it may not have been Meissner?s best performance. She had a slip on what would have been a triple lutz ? triple-toe combination, when, after the lutz, she braced a slip by putting her hand on the ice.
“I forgot about it and just kept going,” Meissner said. “I knew I had the whole program I could make up the points I missed on that.”
Meissner, Hughes and bronze medalist Alissa Czisny earned places on the world team. Meissner, who won the World title in 2006, will look to defend her title March 19-25 in Tokyo. With the likes of Miki Ando and Mao Asada skating in their homeland, Meissner will be back in her more familiar role ? underdog.
“Considering it?s in Japan, I don?t think I?m going to be the favorite there,” Meissner said. “That?s why I?m going to train really hard and get the program to the best it can be so when I go there, I can really surprise people.”
MEISSNER?S TITLES
» 2007 State Farm U.S. Champion
» 2006 World Champion
» 2004 State Farm U.S. Junior Champion
» 2003 State Farm U.S Novice Champion
? The Associated Press contributed to this story
Find out more about Kimmie Meissner and see photos from the event.
