Ashley Wagner wins third U.S. figure skating title with record score

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U.S. figure skating champion Ashley Wagner

Ashley Wagner's third U.S. Figure Skating Championships title was also her most impressive.

Wagner blew past a field that included two fellow 2014 Olympians on Saturday night in Greensboro, N.C., to win with a score of 221.02. It was the highest score for a woman at a U.S. championships event.

Gracie Gold was a distant second at 205.54, with Karen Chen third (199.79) and Polina Edmunds fourth (192.62).

“This, of my three titles, this one tastes the sweetest,” Wagner said. “This is the one that means the most to me because this is the one that shows every single person that doubts me, every single person that says I’m too old, every single person that says I am not capable of being a leading lady.

“This shows them that they need to shut their mouths and watch me skate.”

At 23, Wagner is nearing over-the-hill by figure skating standards. She's the oldest U.S. women's champion since 24-year-old Michelle Kwan in 2005.

Wagner's score of 148.98 in Saturday's free skate — also a record — made the competition a runaway. She also had turned in the top score in the short program Thursday night with a personal best of 72.04.

It was redemption at its finest for Wagner, who finished fourth in the U.S. championships last year and seventh in Sochi. Next up is the world championships in Shanghai in March.

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Marc Lancaster is a senior editor at The Sporting News