South Korea’s Kim, American Lysacek skate off with gold, look ahead during Olympic season

World champions are winners at Skate America

LAKE PLACID, N.Y. — Even when she’s not at her best, Kim Yu-na romps.

The world champion from South Korea was beaten Sunday in the free skate by American Rachael Flatt. Still, Kim had such a secure lead that she won her second consecutive Skate America title with ease.

“There are good days and bad days,” she said through a translator after outpointing Flatt overall by more than 13 points thanks to her world-record performance the previous day in the short program. Flatt won the free skate 116.11 points to 111.70.

“Not every skater can achieve what they want every time. I felt my stamina was not that good. I couldn’t move my body like what I thought.”

Americans Evan Lysacek, Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto had no such woes. Lysacek, who like Kim won his first world title in Los Angeles in March, got his initial Skate America crown on Saturday night. Ice dancers Belbin and Agosto, world silver medalists, swept all three segments of their discipline, finishing it off with an exhausting free dance for their fifth victory in this event.

Perhaps the happiest person in Lake Placid, though, was not one of the winners, but Flatt. The silver medalist at this year’s nationals, she has placed herself in strong position for one of two Olympics berths available to U.S. women.

“Competing this well at this point of the season is a fantastic feeling,” Flatt said. “I’m ready for nationals as well as the preparation leading up to it. I think this puts me in a good spot and I’m ready to push hard.”

No one really has pushed the 19-year-old Kim hard for nearly a year, but she proved infallible Sunday before a crowd dominated by her fans. With banners saluting Queen ‘na hanging from the balcony, she wasn’t all that regal, even if she was plenty good enough to win.

Kim made two major mistakes, including a fall on the triple flip — the one element on which she has struggled at times. And she admitted to being stressed.

“Personally, I used to not think about pressure too much, but this season, especially it being the Olympic season,” she admitted, “I feel pressure and many people anticipating high scores.

“To overcome the pressure, have to try in practice harder than usual to make my program like perfect.”

Flatt wasn’t spectacular, either, and received no points for one of her spin sequences, when she almost seemed to lose her way on the ice. But she hit seven triple jumps and broke out in a huge smile after nailing a triple flip-triple toe loop on her second element.

Kim, meanwhile, landed only three triples cleanly.

“She’s a wonderful competitor and it’s an honor to win the free skate,” Flatt said. “It shows that everyone makes mistakes … though we’re all perfectionists.”

Kim heads to the Grand Prix Final next month in Tokyo, where she again will be the favorite. The 17-year-old Flatt could be there, depending on what happens at Skate Canada next week; she is not competing there.

Julia Sebestyen of Hungary finished third.

Belbin and Agosto skated to “Ave Maria” and “Amen” and admitted it was not their very best. But the 2006 Olympic silver medalists staged a fast, energetic free skate that earned them 95.62 points Sunday. Their overall score of 195.85 was best by nearly 24 points over Italy’s Anna Cappellini and Luca Lanotte.

“Once again, we felt able to execute all three segments of the competition,” Agosto said of winning compulsories and original dance before taking the free dance. “Today was hard. We put a lot of energy into yesterday and this was not our very best.

“There’s a long way to go to the end of the season and a lot of room to grow.”

They are headed to next month’s Grand Prix Final, too, as are the Italians.

“We’re still processing it,” Cappellini said. “It’s a bit unexpected. It was not exactly our goal this season. It’s a good reward for everything we were doing this summer … it’s a big thing.”

The bronze medal for Alexandra and Roman Zaretski of Israel also was a big thing.

“This was definitely one of our best free dances we ever skated,” he said. “I have no words. This is my first medal.”

Lysacek savored his first Skate America gold in his fifth try as he won both the short program and free skate. He left Lake Placid filled with confidence.

“I had a few solid performances at the end of last season and (I’m) keeping that ball rolling this season,” he said. “I’m not where I want to be; you want to be at your competitive best at the end of the season when the Olympics comes. I have a lot to work on.

“That’s how I train at home, be very consistent and do full run-throughs no matter how I feel, what day of the week, no matter what country I just flew home from. I think that gives me confidence.”

And gold medals.