Women skaters intrigue with triple Axel potential at World Championships

Will anyone land the triple Axel cleanly in women's competition at the World Figure Skating Championships this week?

A lot of intrigue in Montpellier, France, surrounds the topic, with five women attempting the difficult, high-scoring jump during the second day of practice at the Sud de France Arena on Tuesday (22 March).

While Beijing 2022 Olympic bronze medallist Sakamoto Kaori of Japan – the favourite to win in the absence of the Olympic gold and silver medallists Anna Shcherbakova and Alexandra Trusova – does not have the jump in her repertoire, any of the five who tried the three-and-a-half rotation jump could propel themselves into podium contention should they land it cleanly during their programs.

Three of them – South Korea's You Young and Sakamoto's Japanese compatriots Kawabe Mana and Higuchi Wakaba – tried the triple Axel in Beijing, with only Higuchi producing a clean attempt. American Alysa Liu, who didn't try the jump in the Chinese capital, has attempted multiple during her practice sessions in Montpellier.

You's South Korean teammate Lee Haein, who is only in Montpellier as a replacement for Kim Yelim, became the fifth woman to attempt the triple Axel in practice this week on Tuesday, having not done so on Monday.

Of course, attempting the triple Axel in practice does not mean the skaters will opt for the jump during their actual competition routines. However, the time could be ripe for Lee to join the fray of potential triple Axel jumpers.

The Korean has been practising the jump in training, but has yet to attempt it internationally, opting for the double Axel en route to winning Four Continents silver in January.

She tried the jump three times during her practice session on Tuesday afternoon, albeit