An Unprecedented U.S. Victory in Sofia, Bulgaria, Junior Skaters Win Nine of the 12 Medals Awarded Options

[IFS Photos]

American Juniors Own the Podium at the 2006-2007 ISU Grand Prix Final

Dec. 9. -- The U.S. team laid claim to every gold medal up for grabs at the 2006-2007 ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final in Sofia, Bulgaria this weekend. For the first time in the 10-year history of this competition, one nation claimed every title. In total, the U.S. claimed an astonishing nine of the 12 medals awarded. The U.S. ladies, led by the 13 year-old phenom Caroline Zhang, swept the podium.

The U.S. ladies took control in the short program claiming the top three spots. Zhang continued her winning ways with teammates Megan Oster and Ashley Wagner placing second and third, respectively.

The free program was a walk in the park for the U.S. ladies as they skated their way to four personal best performances. The Americans claimed not only the podium but also fourth place with Melissa Bulanhagui claiming the pewter. Zhang won the gold medal with a 20-point lead over Wagner who claimed silver. Megan Oster finished third. It was the first Grand Prix Final appearance for all three medalists.

Zhang opened her free skate program to “Meditations” with a strong triple Lutz-double toe-double loop, followed by a double Axel and a triple flip-double toe and never looked back. She earned 106.40 points (60.15/46.25), improving on her personal best by 1.36 points and accumulating an overall score of 162.68 points. “It was pretty good,” she said. “It was a clean program, one of the best ones I’ve done this year. I get nervous when they announce my name, and I then I don’t get nervous once they start my music,” she said.

Wagner had a shaky start to her routine set to “Summertime”, singling the loop in her triple Lutz combination, but she pulled herself together and, aside from a problem on her final triple toe-triple toe sequence (the second jump was downgraded), she nailed every element. Her score of 93.36 points (51.53/41.83) surpassed her previous best score of 89.00 and overall Wagner earned 142.01 points enough to claim the silver medal. “I was thinking a little too much on the (first) Lutz and once I got to the loop it turned into a fabulous single loop,” she said.

Oster, performing to “Baghdad” by Jesse Cook, skated a strong program but fell on her triple Lutz and under-rotated her last jump, a triple toe. She received a level four for her combination spin and earned 86.81 points (46.45/41.36) for a combined total of 135.73 points overall. “In the beginning of my program I was really just trying to concentrate on what I have been practicing at home,” she said. “I think that really helped me to come back after the fall on the triple Lutz.

Melissa Bulanhagui earned 126.87 points to finish fourth. Nana Takeda of Japan, ranked fourth in the free skate, pulled up from her eighth place after the short to finish in fifth place overall with 125.44 points.

The men’s competition was not a slam-dunk as many had thought it would be. Though the five U.S. entrants placed in the top five spots after the short program, the long program saw a completely different result.

U.S. skater Stephen Carriere won both the short and long programs and ultimately the gold medal. But the rest of the free skate results flip-flopped with Brandon Mroz from Colorado placing fifth in the short, claiming the silver medal and Canada’s Kevin Reynolds, seventh after the short, skated into third place.

Carriere had a strong start to his free skate to a Big Band medley, landing a triple Axel, triple toe-double toe-double toe combination and a triple flip-double toe. He had problems with the triple Lutz and stumbled out of the triple loop. The 17-year-old rallied back and earned 128.67 points (69.85 element score/58.82 program component score) claiming 188.13 points overall. “My program could have been better. I started well, in the middle it was kind of sketchy, kind of scary, but then I really pushed myself. I think I lost maybe a little bit of my focus (in the middle). That’s what I have learned.”

Mroz laid down a solid program to “Malaguena”, landing every jump except the triple Salchow. His flying sit spin and change foot sit spin were awarded a level four. The 15-year-old scored 112.44 points (60.56/52.88) and moved up to second with 168.06 points. “I think it was a great comeback. The skating was okay. I really had to fight through the program but overall I’m glad for this being my first Junior Grand Prix Final to end up second.”

Reynolds fell on his opening quadruple Salchow but recovered immediately and nailed a quadruple toe-loop seconds later. He landed a triple flip-triple toe-double loop but two-footed the second jumps in his combinations and fell on the triple loop. The lone Canadian entrant earned 108.22 points (61.22/49.00) and his overall score of 161.30 points moved him from seventh to third. “I was happy because it was the first time I attempted and landed the quad toe (in competition),” Reynolds said. “I kind of lost my focus on the triple loop but came back strong with the two triple-triples at the end.”

Takahito Mura from Japan, in fifth after the short, placed 4th at the end of the day with 159.84 points. Boston native Curran Oi, placed fourth after the short and sixth in the long, earning fifth place overall. Tommy Steenberg from Hawaii was second after the short but his disappointing free skate left him in sixth place overall. Californian Austin Kanallakan who was in third place after the short, ended up in last place after the long.

U.S. pairs skaters Keauna McLaughlin and Rockne Brubaker narrowly edged out the Russian team of Ksenia Krasilnikova and Konstantin Bezmaternykh by 03 of a point to take the gold medal. Jessica Rose Paetsch and Jon Nuss captured the bronze medal.

In ice dance two Michigan teams claimed first and second. Madison Hubbell and Keiffer Hubbell from Lansing held on to their lead after the first two segments of the event and won the gold medal. Emily Samuelson and Evan Bates from Southfield placed second. Ekaterina Bobrova and Dmitri Soloviev from Russia placed third and earned the bronze medal.