It’s Kim vs. Asada _ again. Only this time, winner likely to get Olympic gold medal

Gold medal latest prize in Kim-Asada rivalry

VANCOUVER, British Columbia — Back and forth they go, trading titles in a figure skating version of leapfrog.

Mao Asada wins the world title one year, Kim Yu-na the next. Kim wins the Grand Prix final, her rival is runner-up. Asada gets the highest marks ever, Kim tops her.

Is it any wonder the women’s Olympic gold medal finale is setting up to be blockbuster of a show, with Kim and Asada playing a game of “Can you top this?”

“Having these two women fairly close and skating well and creating this rivalry that’s been there in the past … it’s just good for the audience,” Brian Orser, Kim’s coach, said after Wednesday’s practice. “It will keep everybody on the edge of their seats. It’s exciting, and it’s exciting for Yu-na.”

Kim, the reigning world champion, has the inside track to the Olympic title after a sizzling performance in Tuesday night’s short program. The South Korean’s 78.5 points broke her own world record and, more importantly, put her almost five points in front of Asada.

All that means, however, is the game is officially on for Thursday night’s free skate.

Asada, the 2007 world champ, was as dismal at last year’s world championships as Kim was brilliant. The Japanese star finished fourth, starting a slide that continued into this season. She was second to Kim — who else? — at Trophee Eric Bompard, the season’s first Grand Prix event, but Kim was in a class all her own. She finished a jaw-dropping 36 points in front, the kind of gap usually separating first from 15th place.

Asada struggled so badly at her next event she didn’t even qualify for the Grand Prix final, an event she’s won twice and had yet to miss. Kim, naturally, won it.

But Asada bounced back with wins at Japanese nationals and last month’s Four Continents.

“We were ready for that,” Orser said. “She seems like a pretty feisty competitor and I was never underestimating she would show up in top form.”

Asada is one of the few women in the world who trains for the triple axel, and she’s the only one to do two of the 3½-revolution jumps in the free skate. If she lands a good one Thursday night, and she might leap right over Kim.

A triple axel has a base value of 8.2 points, but Asada plans to do one in combination. Throw in the style points, and those two jumping passes alone could be worth almost 20 points.

“Usually, I think there’s like a 10-point difference,” Asada said after the short program. “So I feel good there’s only this difference between myself and Yu-na.”

Canada’s Joannie Rochette is third, but she trails Asada by almost 2½ points, leaving little doubt one of the two most popular skaters in Asia will be wearing a gold medal when the time comes.

Miki Ando, the 2007 world champion, is fourth, followed by young Americans Rachael Flatt and Mirai Nagasu.

“I’m not surprised at all,” said Frank Carroll, who coaches Nagasu and Vancouver men’s gold medalist Evan Lysacek. “They’re both world champions and they’re both amazing.”

Kim and Asada’s rivalry has taken figure skating’s popularity to frenzied new heights in Asia. South Korea is still looking for its first Winter Olympics medal in a sport other than speedskating or short track, and fans there are expecting — demanding — Kim to deliver. They treat her like royalty, right down to her “Queen Yu-na” nickname. She’s a commercial gold mine, and is so popular she needs bodyguards anytime she returns home from Toronto, where she trains.

Asada is no less adored. Even with a baseball cap tugged low over her face, she can’t go to a mall without drawing a mob. Her program music — CDs of the music, not DVDs of the program — was a best-seller.

Kim skates right before Asada in the final, a reversal of their order in the short program.

Kim skates to Gershwin’s “Concerto in F,” a light, classical piece that highlights her artistry. Its gentle melody is the perfect fit for her whisper-soft edge quality, and she appears to float above the ice in her footwork sections. And unlike her James Bond short program, there is no character to portray.

“Yu-na has her own style, she’s not trying to emulate anyone else,” Orser said. “She just has a style that’s very generous and is open for everyone to appreciate.”

Asada, meanwhile, skates to Rachmaninoff’s “Bells of Moscow.” It’s bold and strong, demanding that everyone recognize the advantage she has athletically — not that it will be hard to miss with those two triple axels planned for center ice.

“I like it,” Orser said, referring to Kim and Asada skating back to back. “It’s a nice comparison of the two programs because they’re different, different styles. Mao’s program is a little darker, has more drama. Yu-na’s is a little lighter.”

And if they both deliver, look out.

Epic duels earn a special place in Olympic lore, as Orser knows all too well. His “Battle of the Brians” with American Brian Boitano remains the defining moment of the Calgary Games.

“It’s very familiar,” the two-time silver medalist said. “It’s great for the sport.”