LOS ANGELES - Joannie Rochette has captured Canada's first women's singles medal in more than two decades, earning silver at the world figure skating championships Saturday.
The skater from Ile-Dupas, Que., scored 123.39 for her free skate performance to `Concierto de Aranjuez' for a total of 191.25. It is Canada's third medal of the week at the event.
South Korean sensation Kim Yu-na, who trains in Toronto with former Canadian star Brian Orser, scored 131.59 for 207.71 to win the gold.
Miki Ando of Japan won bronze with a score of 126.26 for 190.38.
The 23-year-old Rochette, a five-time Canadian champion who's making her seventh world championship appearance, trailed just Kim heading into Saturday's long program at the Staples Center.
But Kim had built a stunning 8.2-point lead over the Canadian with her world's best score in the short program.
The results cap a coming-of-age season for Rochette, who opened with a pair of Grand Prix titles, cruised to another Canadian title and then won silver at the ISU Four Continents in January in Vancouver.
Her improvement, she has said, comes from a newfound sense of confidence and ease on the ice.
