Miki Ando of the Japan won the women's figure skating World Championship

Moscow - Miki Ando of the Japan won the Championships of skating after overcoming the World Gold medallist Olympic Kim Yu-na in a duel of outstanding elegance Saturday.

The victory by the Japanese skater, who also won at the 2007 World Championships, was appropriate in a competition which was initially scheduled to take place in his native country, before it was hit by an earthquake and tsunami in March.

"I've been skating for the Japan and I have never supported on the result." "I am really happy to have a gold medal," said Ando. "I worked hard and I became a bit of a skater stronger than last year."

Miki Ando of Alexander Nemenov/AFP/Getty ImagesJapan, who also won the world title in 2007, took gold with a superior free program.

Free programs two skaters contained languid moves alternate with moments of power and control steely. They were at least half a point on the other before the free program.

Ando, skating to "Piano Concerto in a minor of Grieg," in the last group of six, opened with a triple loop Birdseye Lutz - double. It is not fléchir fall to the middle of the program, when it intervened a double axel and reduced toe triple combination to a double.

But she regained composure, had three triples stronger and a double axel-double loop-double loop cascade therefore surprising that he drew exclamations from the crowd.

Kim starts season after coach Brian Orser of shooting and the displacement of its basic training from Toronto to Los Angeles in the last year. It began even more boldly with a triple toe lutz-triple. His program - "Tribute to Korea" - set to a haunting collection of traditional music Korean and choreographed by Canadian David Wilson, was a production Megasport Arena.

But she headed quickly trouble, two of its three next singling out breaks. It included also a cascade starting with a double axel, but a subsequent jumps was a toeloop instead of a loop, giving the element slightly less value.

"I am so happy that the competition is over," Kim said. "" "". After the Olympics, I thought: "am I will return to competition or not?".... Mentally I could not stop to think: "why should I do this?". I think that it was the most difficult thing. But then, I felt ready to go and I thought: "I can do." "

Carolina Kostner the Italy improved from sixth place to take the bronze medal, with a charming program in strains of dream of the "afternoon of a Faun by Debussy," not troubled that a triple popping.

"Last year it was a difficult moment for me, it's a big emotion just to finally even just enjoy," said. "To be able to obtain a medal... just makes it more special."

For the United States, Alissa Czisny finishes fifth in the free program and the general classification. American Rachael Flatt is 12 rank.