The skater, 22, remains the only female to perform a quadruple jump in competition (a Salchow at the junior Grand Prix Final in 2002). Despite missing this year's world championships because of an uncharacteristic fourth-place finish at nationals in Japan, the 2007 world champion, who came in 15th in Turin, is poised to be a contender in Vancouver. She won both of her Grand Prix events this season (the Rostelecom Cup in Moscow and the NHK Trophy in Nagano) to earn a trip to the GP Final in Tokyo, where she took silver.
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