Another disappointing performance by Mao Asada on Saturday night has reduced Japan's chances at a medal in the inaugural Olympic team event.
Mao skated in the short program to "Nocturne" and fell on her opening triple axel. She recovered to land a triple flip and a triple loop/double loop combination jump, but appeared lackluster after the spill and totaled only 64.07 points, which puts her in third place.
By finishing third in the short program, Mao earned Japan only eight points instead of the 10 it would have received had she won. Those two points could be enough to keep Japan off the podium when the competition concludes on Sunday night.