Domnina and Shabalin Make an Early Statement
By Susan Wessling * Photos by Susan D. Russell
Dogged by questions of their ability to perform at the highest level due to injury, reigning World ice dance champions Oksana Domnina and Maxim Shabalin proved tonight that they will be a force to be reckoned with at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver.
The compulsory dance (the Tango Romantica) segment of the ice dance competition was held tonight at the Pacific Coliseum. Domnina and Shabalin scored a season best 43.76 for their compulsory dance tonight and took the early lead. Shabalin has had chronic knee injuries for the past two seasons but tonight they showed they are ready for the Olympic challenge.
“Of course we hoped to get high marks. We did our best of the season, but this is only the beginning (of the competition),” Shabalin said. “We were working really hard in the past three weeks and we feel more confident after the European Championships.” The duo won the European title last month.
Meanwhile, with the home crowd squarely behind them, Canadians Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir placed second (they even had the audience clapping in unison during their dance, a rarity in this portion of a competition). They scored a season best 42.74 points.
"Tessa and I were really pleased with today’s performance," Moir said. "It feels really good to get on to the Olympic ice. We’re looking forward to Sunday and Monday.”
Behind them were the young American upstarts, Meryl Davis and Charlie White who also notched a personal nest (41.47 points). “We were very pleased with our performance. It was a great audience and we felt really confident," Davis said. "After being here for a number of days already, it was great to finally get out there.”
Americans Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto, the reigning Olympic silver medalists, placed fourth (40.83) and Italy’s Federica Faiella and Massimo Scali were fifth with a mark of 39.88.
Also notable was the returned to the competitive ice of 2008 World champions Isabelle Delobel and Olivier Schoenfelder who placed sixth tonight after being out action for over year. Delobel underwent shoulder surgery in January of 2009 and then had her first child this fall. Delobel and Schoenfelder scored 37.99 points.
For a complete list of the results, click here HERE.. Hit the plus sign beside each name (to the right) to see the scoring.
CHECK US OUT FACEBOOK. Become a Fan!
________________________________________________________________________________
The Jan./Feb 2010 issue of International Figure Skating (IFS) magazine, is available on newsstands and in digital form. It features Meryl Davis and Charlie White on the cover. To subscribe, click HERE, email customerservice@madavor.com or call 800-437-5828. The digital issue costs $20 (U.S.) for a one-year, is free with a print subscription, and provides access to BACK ISSUES posted online.