SPOKANE — Ashley Wagner is one of the top four skaters at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, she is close to her dream of going to the Olympics.
Wagner really needs to jump from fourth place to first or second to earn a slot on the Olympic team. The United States is sending two skaters to the 2010 Olympic Games next month in Vancouver.
“My main goal here is to place in the top two,” Wagner said.
Wagner enters the final with 62.55 points, fewer than seven points from the leading group. Its three members are separated by less than a point: Mirai Nagasu, 16, has 70.06 points; comeback queen Sasha Cohen, 25, has 69.63 points; and Rachael Flatt, 17, has 69.35 points.
Christina Gao is fifth with 56.26 points.
Wagner is struggling with consistency. In December, as the lone American to qualify for the Grand Prix Final, she rallied from last (sixth) in the short program to finish fourth overall despite suffering from the flu. At last year’s nationals, Wagner’s winning free skate moved her from 12th to fourth.
Another intriguing topic buzzing around the arena — could Wagner be named to the Olympic team if she finishes third? The selection criteria, in order of priority, list this season’s national championship results, followed by the Grand Prix Final, where Wagner out-performed her U.S. counterparts, and other 2009 international events.
Wagner said she wants no favors. Finishing in the top two on Saturday, in her mind, is her ticket to the Games.
“I’d rather have people say I really did earn it instead of having it given to me,” she said.
