The Grand Showdown Set to Begin

The NHK Trophy, the final event of the Grand Prix of Figure Skating series, concluded today in Tokyo, Japan.

Japan’s Nobunari Oda claimed the men’s title with a resounding win over American Johnny Weir. It was a major step back into the international skating game for Oda who scored 236.18 points to Weir’s 224.42. Yannick Ponsero won the bronze with Canada’s Kevin Reynolds placing fourth.

It was not a clean win for Oda who stumbled on his opening quadruple toe loop, stepped out of the triple Axel and fell on the back end of his triple flip-triple toe-double loop combination. “I am delighted to have won,” Oda said. “There was one thing I wanted to challenge myself with, and that was to do a clean quad. I didn’t do it today, but I hope to be able to do it in my next competition.”

Weir, the 2008 World bronze medalist scored a season high for his free skate (146.27 points). “I am very happy with the way today went. I’ve been so sick all week and I was so nervous to go on the ice and not know if I would able to breathe from the beginning to the end of the program,” he said. “But I did somehow find the strength to get through it and I’m very happy that I ended up on the podium. I’m disappointed of course with the mistakes I made at the end of the program.”

Ponsero, 22, earned his first medal on the senior Grand Prix circuit. “I am very happy, because this is my first medal on the Grand Prix. I want to continue like this and I want to become better and better,” Ponsero said.

It was an all-Japanese podium in the ladies event, with Mao Asada skating to gold with 23-year-old Akiko Suzuki claiming silver and Yukari Nakano earning the bronze. Asada left no doubt as to who is the strongest ladies skater in the land of the rising sun. Her overall score of 191.13 points was 23.49 points ahead of Suzuki and 24.26 points over Nakano. Ashley Wagner from the U.S. placed fourth.

Asada, the reigning World champion, attempted two triple Axels in her free skate, one in combination with a double toe. The second Axel was under-rotated and subsequently downgraded. “I am very happy to be in first place today,” she said. “Now the Grand Prix Final is my next goal. This is the first time I did my program without falling and this gives me great confidence.”

Asada and Nakano both earned a trip to the Grand Prix Final.

China’s Qing Pang and Jian Tong (186.06) won the pairs event by an almost 25 point margin over Rena Inoue and John Baldwin (161.49) from the U.S. Jessica Dubé and Bryce Davison from Canada won the bronze with 156.76 points.

Italian ice dancers Federica Faiella and Massimo Scali claimed their first Grand Prix title with 176.67 points over French rivals Nathalie Péchalat and Fabian Bourzat (175.42). The young American team of Emily Samuelson and Evan Bates scored 161.45 points and claimed the bronze, their first senior Grand Prix medal.

“We are so happy that I can’t really describe it,” Scali later said. “It has been years that we have been trying to get something else than a bronze medal (on the Grand Prix). This is our first gold medal and our first NHK Trophy, and we are really proud.” Faiella and Scali will make their first trip to the Grand Prix Final.

One week earlier, Carolina Kostner of Italy claimed victory in the at the Cup of Russia. Rachael Flatt (USA) earned the silver medal and Japan’s Fumie Suguri captured the bronze.

After a less-than-inspiring showing at Skate Canada, Kostner returned to last year’s free program, “Dumsky Trio” by Anton Dvorak. Admitting she didn’t feel comfortable with her new “Swan Lake” program Kostner said: “I was quite nervous as I remembered Skate Canada. I was nervous there too and I was thinking too much and didn’t go well. But when I got into my starting position I felt calmer and after the first two jumps, I gained confidence.”

Kostner, who stood in second place after the short program, opened her long program with a solid triple flip-triple toe loop combination. The Italian star two-footed the triple Lutz-double toe double loop combination, landed two more triple jumps but fell on an under-rotated triple toe loop (in combination with double Axel).

The reigning World silver medalist and two-time European champion performed a lovely combination spin (level four) and flying sit spin (both level fours). Kostner received a season's-best score of 113.70 points (56.22 element score/58.48 program component score) and scored a total of 170.72 points.

Flatt, 16, scored 110.14 points (60.86/49.28), which was a season’s-best and moved up from third to second at 166.06 points total and claim her first medal on the Grand Prix senior circuit. “I thought that I skated very well but it wasn’t my best program,” Flatt said. “I think I still need to improve upon some things, but I had a lot of fun and it was very exciting to have the honor of skating in this wonderful facility. This arena is absolutely incredible. It was great to have such a good program in my second senior Grand Prix.”

Suguri, a five-time Japanese champion, scored 103.74 points (47.26/56.48) and slipped to third with 162.04 points.“I made a lot of mistakes in my jumps,” she said. “I was in a good condition this week and so I am disappointed. I didn’t feel so much pressure today and I wasn’t nervous, but the mistakes happened and I want to work hard for my next competitions.”

Kostner earned a spot in the Grand Prix Final.

France’s Brian Joubert captured the gold at the Cup of Russia with Tomas Verner of the Czech Republic and Alban Préaubert of France finishing second and third, respectively.

Joubert overcome a shaky start into his routine set to “Last of the Mohicans” when he under-rotated his quadruple toe loop and stumbled. He recovered to nail an array of triples and earn 144.68 points (69.48 element score/75.20 program component score), which was a season’s best.

Joubert, 24, was ranked fourth in the free skating, but won the overall title with 230.78 points. “After the boot problems I had in October, I wasn’t yet ready for my free program today. I was very nervous at the beginning, but now I feel more confident,” the said. “I know that I still have to work. I was tense, but I also enjoyed skating. It was a hard competition for me, but I found myself again step by step, although I didn’t win the free skating.”

Joubert will be going to the Grand Prix Final.

In the pairs event in Russia, Dan Zhang and Hao Zhang of China claimed victory. Russia’s Yuko Kawaguchi and Alexander Smirnov took the silver medal while Tatiana Volosozhar and Stanislav Morozov (UKR) earned the bronze.

In ice dance, Jana Khokhlova and Sergei Novitski of Russia scored 187.62 overall points to defeat teammates Oksana Domnina and Maxim Shabalin (184.66 points). Americans Meryl David and Charlie White claimed bronze with 171.61 points.

The Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final will be held Dec. 10-14 in Goyang City, Republic of Korea.

Who is going to the Grand Prix Final:

THE MEN:

Patrick Chan CAN
Takahiko Kozuka JPN
Johnny Weir USA
Brian Joubert FRA
Jeremy Abbott USA
Tomas Verner CZE

THE LADIES:

Yu-Na Kim KOR
Joannie Rochette CAN
Mao Asada JPN
Carolina Kostner ITA
Yukari Nakano JPN
Miki Ando JPN

THE PAIRS:

Aliona Savchenko and Robin Szolkowy GER
Dan Zhang and Hao Zhang CHN
Yuko Kawaguchi and Alexander Smirnov RUS
Qing Pang and Jian Tong CHN
Tatiana Volosozhar and Stanislav Morozov UKR
Maria Mukhortova and Maxim Trankov RUS

ICE DANCE:

Isabelle Delobel and Olivier Schoenfelder FRA
Oksana Domnina and Maxim Shabalin RUS
Federica Faiella and Massimo Scali ITA
Jana Khokhlova and Sergei Novitski RUS
Meryl Davis and Charlie White USA
Tanith Belbin and Benjamin Agosto USA

By Susan D. Russell

It has been a whirlwind season thus far for Canada’s Patrick Chan.

Winning his first Skate Canada International title in the city of his birth was exciting enough but claiming his second Trophée Eric Bompard title in Paris was the icing on the cake.

“I was not very pleased with my performance at Skate Canada,” Chan said. “I did not feel like I deserved it but a lot of officials and judges came up to me and said that even though I made some technical mistakes I was the best. They kind of made me feel better.”

Chan led a North American sweep of the Skate Canada podium ahead of America’s silver medalist Ryan Bradley and Evan Lysacek who took the bronze.

Asked for the reaction of his coach Don Laws following his win in Ottawa, Chan laughed. “He was happy. He said, ‘Don’t do that to me again,’ meaning don’t scare him,” Chan said. “He was worried that I would not win because I did not skate my best.”

Chan gives credit to Laws and choreographer Lori Nichol. “Lori and I put in a lot of work and that has paid off,” Chan said. “The judges are seeing better skating skills and artistry from me.”

He admitted to being tentative heading into the competition in Paris. “I was pretty nervous, I went in not expecting to win with Brian (Joubert) there,” Chan said. “I won with luck last year because Brian was not skating.

“I thought to myself, ‘Just do better than you did at Skate Canada. As long as I skate a better program than I did at Skate Canada I will be satisfied.”

Chan won the event with a seven-point plus margin over 2008 Skate America champion, Takahiko Kozuka of Japan. Frenchman Alban Préaubert claimed the bronze medal while Joubert ended up a distant fourth. “I won that event twice in a row but I was doubting myself a bit beforehand,” Chan admitted. “I thought it would be a really interesting competition. I am very proud of myself.”

But beating Joubert does not really count in Chan’s opinion. “I think it is a matter of getting that first program out of the way, which Brian did in Paris,” Chan said. “I am sure he felt the pressure. It was crazy every time he went out to practice or he skated. The French fans just love him. It was so loud!”

Skate Canada High Performance Director Mike Slipchuk said Chan’s strength is in his grade of execution (GOE) scores. “They are very high. Patrick tends to capitalize on a lot of things other skaters don’t,” Slipchuk said. “The packaged program proves that is what you need to win. It is kind of the direction that skaters have to move in.”

Chan flew from Paris directly to Florida where Laws resides. “I wanted to keep training with Don and I am really focused on training when I am here – there are no distractions,” he said.

Attending regular high school in Toronto has been put on the back burner temporarily for the 17-year-old student. Chan is currently taking two online courses in economics and politics for which he will receive credits at the end of the school year.

Chan was the first man to qualify for the 2009 Grand Prix Final. He said he and his coach are not planning on making any adjustments to his programs before the competition in Korea. “I am working on the quad toe and just getting consistency with the jumps and becoming more and more comfortable with the programs,” he said.

“I think Korea will be interesting. Hopefully I will land both of the triple Axels in my long program this time,” he said with humor. “I made a bit of a progression with the second Axel in my two competitions so far. I fell on the second Axel at Skate Canada and in Paris I stayed vertical but fell out of it.”

Chan said his only goal at the final this year is to place higher than his fifth place last season.

Another part of skating Chan truly appreciates are the fans. “I want to thank them because no matter what, my fans are always happy and they always tell me that they really love my skating,” he said. “It really makes me feel good.”

When asked what he does with the gifts thrown onto the ice after his performances, Chan said he tries to keep as many as possible. “Sometimes I run out of suitcase space, and I donate what I cannot carry home to charities,” he said.

Reflecting on his two performances this season, Chan was positive. “I am very happy because it (the results) shows anything can happen. You never know.”

The Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final will be held in Goyang City, Republic of Korea Dec. 10-14.

IFS will be in Korea to cover this exciting competition.

The December 2008 digital edition of International Figure Skating magazine is available today! For a sneak peek CLICK HERE. The IFS digital edition is only $25 (U.S.) for a one-year subscription and is delivered right to your computer. To subscribe to the digital edition click HERE or email customerservice@madavor.com.

No one expected it. It was an overwhelming moment for Canadian teenage ice dancers Vanessa Crone and Paul Poirier. They could barely believe they were standing on the second step of the Skate Canada International podium, their first senior international event. On home soil. All too much to digest in the moment.

Heading into the competition the dancing duo had high personal expectations but winning the silver medal was never part of the plan.

“Really, we weren’t sure what would happen at this competition with it being our first competition on the senior Grand Prix circuit,” Crone admitted. “We new that we were well trained and well prepared and everything that we did in practice was on, bang, bang, bang – so we were hoping we could pull off three good performances and hope for the best.”

It has been an exciting year. After placing fourth at the 2008 Canadian Championships the team earned a berth on the senior national team. Skate Canada officials assigned the duo to the World Junior Figure Skating Championships. Crone and Poirier claimed the silver medal.

Moving to the big leagues full-time was a big step for the team Poirier admitted. “We were definitely very excited when we learned we had been assigned to Skate Canada,” he said. “Over the summer we decided that we wanted to make a really good impression in Ottawa.

“Especially – not with it just being our first senior Grand Prix event but being in our home country, with the home crowd to support us, it was an amazing feeling,” he added. “A lot of the other skaters who have done the senior Grand Prix’s before told us how exciting it is to skate at Skate Canada.”

Crone donned her first pair of skates at age 3. “My mother was a skater when she was younger and then she went into synchro,” Crone said. “I always loved ballet when I was younger and all the movements and I did gymnastics. For some reason, my mom put me on skates, I am not really sure why, but I just fell in love with the sport.”

Poirier said his father, a hockey player, got him into skating at age 6. “He originally put me into hockey but instead of playing hockey I would stand on the dot and start spinning,” he said. “My parents thought I might enjoy figure skating more so they enrolled me in lessons.”

Crone and Poirier teamed up in the spring of 2001. Like their teammates Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir, Crone and Poirier said their early partnership was one of virtual silence. “We were shy,” Poirier said. “At that age girls are scared of guys and guys are scared of girls, but as we got to know each other things got better.

“We were just doing the same dance tests by ourselves. Vanessa and I were skating at the same club under the same dance coach,” Poirier continued. “She had the idea to put us together just to try out dance for fun and then she brought us to Scarborough FSC to work with Jon and Carol Lane and choreographer Juris Razgulajeva. From there we just continued on and on.”

The duo made the ice dance world take notice during the 2007 season when they were victorious at both their junior Grand Prix events and placed fourth at the Junior Grand Prix Final.

Born in Ottawa, Poirier now lives on the outskirts of Toronto. He attends the same high school as teammate Patrick Chan.

When asked what his peers think about him being an ice dancer, Poirier laughed. “I think it was harder when I was younger,” he said. “It helps that Patrick and I go to the same school so there are two figure skaters. I think it helps people understand it more.”

Winning the silver medal was an unexpected birthday gift for Crone and Poirier. Crone celebrated her 18th birthday on October 29 and Poirier turned 17 on November 6.

“It took a couple of minutes to get it through my head that we had won the silver medal,” Crone said. “It was the best feeling I have had in a long time. Just seeing the Canadian crowd and watching our flag go up, it was amazing.”

The duo skated into fourth place at their second Grand Prix event, Trophée Eric Bompard.

Impressive results for a debut season in the major ice dance leagues.

Japan’s Daisuke Takahashi will miss the entire season. IFS has confirmed that Takahashi’s injury is to the anterior cruciate ligament and medial meniscus (cartilage) in his right knee joint. While the injury is serious and requires surgery, it is not a complete tear of ligament. "It is a damaged ligament," said his agent Tak Ihara.

Takahashi, the three-time Japanese champion and the 2007 World silver medalist, commented on the news on the Kansai University Ice Skating Club website. “It will take time to return to my best condition,” he wrote. “It’s very disappointing. But just as an athlete needs courage to make progress, he also needs courage to know when to take time off.”

Takahashi had an MRI last week and the results indicated the seriousness of the damage to his knee. He sustained the injury in practice last month and then withdrew from the Cup of China.

Last season, Takahashi won gold medals at his two Grand Prix events — Skate America and NHK Trophy — and was second at the Grand Prix Final. He won Four Continents and placed fourth at the 2008 World Championships.

In 2006, he represented Japan at the Olympic Winter Games in Torino, Italy where he places eighth.

In the current International Skating Union World Standings, Takahashi is the No. 1 ranked man.

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The December 2008 digital edition of International Figure Skating magazine is available today! For a sneak peek CLICK HERE. The IFS digital edition is only $25 (U.S.) for a one-year subscription and is delivered right to your computer. To subscribe to the digital edition click HERE or email customerservice@madavor.com.

Canadians ruled the singles events at Trophée Eric Bompard, which concluded Saturday in Paris. Joannie Rochette and Patrick Chan each won their second titles in the series and guaranteed themselves spots in the Grand Prix Final.

Aliona Savchenko and Robin Szolkowy of Germany skated to the gold in the pairs competition while France’s Isabelle Delobel and Olivier Schoenfelder danced their way to the top of the ice dance podium

While Chan of Canada claimed victory in the men’s event, Takahiko Kozuka of Japan took the silver medal and France’s Alban Préaubert captured the bronze.

Brian Joubert finished off the podium in fourth place.

Chan earned 156.70 points (79.80 element score/76.90 program component score), surpassing his previous personal best of 145.86 points significantly. He won the title with a total score of 238.09 points, which was also a personal best total score for him (his previous personal best was 215.45 points).

The Canadian won Skate Canada two weeks ago. “I’m happy with how I skated even though I made two mistakes,” Chan said. “It’s a big jump from the long program I did at Skate Canada. It’s a big difference. I felt much better performance-wise and really good on the ice. I didn’t feel too loose or too tight. The personal best is just icing on the cake.”

Skating to a "Cello Sonata" and "Piano Concerto No. 2" by Sergei Rachmaninov, Chan hit a triple Axel, triple flip-triple toe loop combination, a triple Lutz, a triple Lutz-double toe-double loop combination and two double Axels.The 17-year-old stepped out of his second triple Axel and the triple Salchow.

Chan's spins and footwork were superb. The three spins and the circular steps were graded a level four, while the straight line steps earned a level three.

Kozuka gave a strong performance as well. His routine to “Romeo and Juliet” by Nino Rota featured a triple Axel-triple toe loop combination, a triple flip, triple Salchow-double toe loop, a triple Lutz-double toe-double loop, a triple loop as well as triple Axel and a triple Lutz in the last minute of the routine. However, he fell on a quad toe loop attempt.

His flying sit spin and flying combination spin were awarded a level four, while his combination spin and footwork earned a level three.

The 19-year-old scored 153.78 points (82.68/72.10) and improved his previous personal best score of 146.08 points. Overall he racked up 230.78 points. “I made a mistake on the quad toe loop. I fell and it was downgraded, so it was zero points, but after that I recovered very well, similar to Skate America,” said Kozuka who won the gold medal in Everett, Wash.

Préaubert turned in an entertaining performance to the popular Russian folk songs “Kalinka” and the “Volga Boatmen. “I’m proud to be back in top shape. I was sad that I couldn’t compete at Worlds. I couldn’t skate for one month, and I couldn’t do jumps for two months. I didn’t waste my time and I worked with the Lyon ice dancing team,” he said, referring to his back injury that forced him to withdraw from the World Championships in March.

Préaubert reeled off a slightly two-footed quadruple toe loop, a triple Axel-triple toe loop, triple flip-double toe loop, another triple Axel, triple Lutz, loop, triple flip-double toe-double loop as well as a triple Salchow.

The Frenchman earned a level four for his three spins and a level three for the step sequences to receive 149.20 points (81.30/67.90), setting a personal best. Overall he compiled a mark of 222.44 points, and Préaubert moved up from fourth after the short program to third place overall.

“I’m very happy with my performance, [and] like at the National Masters I did two clean programs,” Préaubert said.

Joubert (FRA) slipped from third to fourth and was edged out by Préaubert by just 1.31 points. Joubert landed two triple Axels and a quadruple toe loop but did a three turn out of it. The 2008 World silver medalist fell on a triple loop, and this error cost him the medal as he compiled an overall score of 221.13 points.

Brandon Mroz (USA) finished fifth (189.46 points) and Peter Liebers (GER) placed sixth (176.88).

Kozuka earned 13 points in Paris and also earned a spot in the final for the first time with 28 points. Préaubert has 11 points and will compete again next week in Moscow at the Cup of Russia.


Rochette of Canada won the ladies event ahead of Japan’s Mao Asada and Caroline Zhang (USA), who placed second and third, respectively. “I’m pleased, although it wasn’t perfect,” Rochette said. “My goal here was to be able to go on the ice and not feeling any nervousness. I was able to be relaxed.”

Rochette delivered a solid performance of her program to “Concierto de Aranjuez,” completing a triple Lutz-double toe-double loop combination, a triple flip, triple Lutz, triple toe-triple Salchow sequence and another triple Salchow at the end of the program. The only major error came when she popped a loop.

The four-time Canadian champion was awarded a level four for her flying sit spin and the change foot upright spin and a level three for the straight line step sequence.

Rochette earned 121.19 points (60.87/60.32) and racked up a total score of 180.73 to upset Asada, the 2008 World champion, and to take her second gold medal on the Grand Prix circuit this season. “There were a couple of things, like landing ... I couldn’t do all my exits and entries (from and into jumps), but overall I thought I gave a good fight and I stayed in the program,” Rochette said. “I didn’t take my time, and I didn’t have the rhythm."

Skating to “Waltz Masquerade” by Aram Khatchaturian, Asada went for a rare triple Axel, but two-footed the jump and she doubled the following loop jump.

“Today’s performance was far from my 100 percent and for the next competition I’d like to do better,” Asada said. “The triple Axel is my weapon. To do a triple Axel in competition, I need concentration and energy. I [will] keep training and later in the season I hope I can do better.”

The Japanese star went on to hit a triple flip-double loop-double loop and a triple toe, but missed a Salchow and did a triple flip-single loop combination instead of the planned triple-triple. Asada’s three spins were graded a level four and her footwork a level three. The World and Four Continents champion scored 109.47 points (51.59/58.88) and had 167.59 points overall.

Zhang opened her program to “Sleeping Beauty” by Peter Tchaikovski with a triple flip-triple toe loop combination, but both jumps were cheated and downgraded.

Zhang rallied to land a triple Lutz-double toeloop combination, but the judges gave her minus degree of execution for the take-off from the wrong edge. After that, Zhang had no further problems with her jumps and hit four clean triples. She also performed excellent spins that were all graded a level four.

“I was happy with how I skated,” she said. “I think it was a lot better than the short program. I could do all my jumps. I think that the flip-toe could have been better, but other than that I think I got most of the levels I wanted and I just want to improve on the program component score.”

Candice Didier (FRA) finished fourth with 135.25 points. She landed four triple jumps. Beatrisa Liang was ranked fifth (134.29 points).

Asada has 13 points and is scheduled to compete again in her home event NHK Trophy. Zhang earned 11 points in Paris and now has 18 overall.


Savchenko and Szolkowy of Germany won their second Grand Prix title of the season. They also won gold at Skate America. “There is a lot of room left for improvement and luckily this isn’t yet the end of the season, ” Szolkowy commented as the duo had several mistakes in their free skate.

Russia’s Maria Mukhortova and Maxim Trankov captured the silver medal and Canadians Meagan Duhamel and Craig Buntin earned the bronze.

Overnight leaders Savchenko and Szolkowy skated last and opened their lyrical routine to “Schindler’s List” and “Adagio” with a side-by-side triple toe loop-triple toe loop sequence, followed by a triple twist and an excellent triple Salchow.

Their difficult lifts were graded a level four as was their pair combination spin. Their side-by-side spins, death spiral and circular footwork were graded a level three.

The 2008 World champions struggled with their throws. Savchenko fell on the throw triple flip and the throw Salchow turned into a single.

Despite their problems, the Germans picked up a season-best score of 120.32 points (60.20 element score/61.12 program component score) and accumulated a total of 188.50 points to win their second Grand Prix event of the season.

“A couple of people came to us and told us that it wasn’t so bad as we felt it was. Indeed, it wasn’t so bad; otherwise we wouldn’t have had more points than at Skate America. But again we missed the throw Salchow and we made a mistake on the throw flip.”

Skating to “The Lady and the Hooligan” by Dmitri Shostakovitch, Mukhortova and Trankov landed a triple twist, a side-by-side triple toe-double toe combination, a throw triple Salchow and strong lifts, but she went down on the triple Salchow attempt and touched down with both hands on the throw triple loop.

The Russians earned a level four for their spins and lifts and a level three for their footwork and death spiral. They scored 106.03 points (53.03/54.00). They were ranked third in the free skating but remained in second place overall with 170.87 points.

“We are not very satisfied with the performance, but this program is getting better with each competition and it was a lot better here than it was at Skate America,” Mukhortova said. “It’s difficult to skate this program, but we still have time before the European and World Championships. The program has difficult elements and difficult choreography, which we have to show to the judges and the audience.”

Dumahel and Buntin opened their powerful program to “Tosca” with a side-by-side triple toe-triple toe sequence and an Axel Lasso, but Duhamel doubled the side-by-side Salchow while he did a triple but stepped out of it.

Then, while skating side by side, Duhamel kicked her partner in the right hand with her blade and Buntin suffered a laceration. The wound started to bleed heavily and the couple had to interrupt the performance at 1.28 minutes into it.

Buntin used a medical break to have his hand bandaged, and then the Canadians continued their program, encouraged by the crowd in the Palais Omnisports, as if nothing had happened.

Dumahel and Buntin nailed the double twist, which was awarded a rare level four, a throw triple loop and Lutz. The couple also got a level four for their spins and the death spiral. They got a deduction of two points for the interruption and earned 107.97 points (58.37/51.60).

They were ranked second in the free skating and third overall with a total score of 166.63 points. “Craig and I just went off pattern after the Salchow. We both made different mistakes, so we took a different turn on the exit, and unfortunately I just happened to kick him with my heel or toepick. It was a pretty scary moment, but at that time we knew we’re going to keep going and Craig just told me ‘I’m not in pain,'” Duhamel said.

Buntin later received stitches on his hand.

Reigning World junior bronze medalists Huibo Dong and Yiming Wu (CHN) finished fourth at 140.58 points. The produced a side by side triple toe loop-double toe loop combination and two triple throws, but he fell on the side-by-side triple Salchow. Tiffany Vise and Derek Trent (USA) were fifth (140.00 points) and Adeline Canac and Maximin Coia (FRA) came in sixth (135.64 points).

Savchenko and Szolkowy have now qualified with the maximum of 30 points for the Grand Prix Final. Mukhortova andTrankov have 24 points and will have to wait and see if that is enough to get them to Korea. Duhamel and Buntin have 20 points from their two events.


France’s Isabelle Delobel/Olivier Schoenfelder danced to the gold medal in the last event of the day with Federica Faiella and Massimo Scali of Italy and Sinead Kerr and John Kerr (GBR) coming in second and third, respectively.

Delobel and Schoenfelder skated to “The Great Gig in the Sky” by Pink Floyd and completed innovative lifts such as a rotational lift in which he first held his partner high and then lowered her almost to ice level and a curve-rotational lift with changes of position.

However, both their circular and midline step sequences were graded only a level two. The 2008 World champions received 91.60 points (43.50 element score/48.10 program component score), which is a season-best for them. Overall they accumulated 184.81 points and won their second gold medal on the Grand Prix circuit this year.

“It was hard to skate today after yesterday. We wanted to save the competition and wanted to show that we are ready to fight again for the World title,” Schoenfelder told the press. “The step sequences are not ready yet, maybe we have to change something and we have to skate cleaner. The way we built is it OK, and we just have to work and it will be good for the Grand Prix Final.”

Faiella and Scali’s romantic dance to “Moonlight Sonata” by Beethoven included intricate footwork sequences that were both graded a level four as well as well synchronized twizzles and a level-four combination spin. The Italian champions also were awarded a level four for three of their lifts.

They collected 89.33 points (44.30/45.03) for this performance and earned a total score of 179.58 points.

“We are very happy about our performance tonight. The hard thing about our free dance is to get into it and to skate it with feelings and strong emotions. The free dance we are doing is about Pierrot, who is in love with the moon. That’s the reason why we chose Moonlight Sonata for that program,” Scali said. “This is our first silver medal on the Grand Prix. Our next competition is in Japan and we won to win there, of course.”

The Kerrs gave a strong performance with their intense dance to “Ruled by Secrecy” by Muse that featured a straight line-curve lift with her in a handstand, a straight line lift and a rotational lift that were awarded a level four. The brother-and-sister team also produced smooth step sequences, both of which earned a level three. The couple earned 89.12 points (44.60/44.52) and took their second Grand Prix medal with 176.96 points overall.

“I think we felt like we performed our routine better than at Skate America or Finlandia (Trophy). It has developed and grown and just become better and better. I think one of the important things for us today was just to feel a connection between each other and coach told us not just to think about the elements, but just to go out and skate the routine and feel the music and show how much our skating has developed this season,” Sinead Kerr said.

World junior silver medalists Vanessa Crone and Paul Poirier (CAN) came in fourth with a charming routine the named “The Perfect Day.” The couple achieved the highest technical score with 45.20 points and accumulated a total score of 171.49 points.

Pernelle Carron and Matthieu Jost (FRA) finished fifth (166.84 points). They skated to “Butterflies and Hurricanes” by Muse. Kristin Fraser and Igor Lukanin (AZE) were ranked sixth with a new arrangement of “Spartacus” with lyrics (158.53 points).

Delobel and Schoenfelder earned 15 points and have qualified for the Grand Prix Final in Korea with the maximum of 30 points. Faiella and Scali picked up 13 points and will compete again in two weeks at the NHK Trophy. The Kerrs collected 22 points from the two Grand Prix events.

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The CBS "Sunday Morning" news will feature Johnny Weir and Evan Lysacek in one of its upcoming broadcasts. The segment will include footage of both skaters and will discuss their rivalry.

No word yet on which Sunday the segment is set to hit the airwaves. The Nov. 16 schedule listd "ice skaters" as one of the last segment but breaking news of the California wildfires bumped the piece. No new broadcast date has been confirmed yet.

Last season, in a result that was debated for some time afterward, Lysacek inched past Weir to win his second straight U.S. men’s title.

The two tied numerically overall at the 2008 U.S. Championships at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minn., but Lysacek, who won the free skating portion, the deciding factor in the event of a tie, claimed gold.

The two skaters each compiled 244.77 overall points. Lysacek was deemed the winner because he took the free skate by a 162.72-161.37 margin.

"If you were scripting this whole deal, you probably couldn't have done any better job than this," said Lysacek after the competition concluded.

Lysacek missed the 2008 World Championships due to an injury. He is a two-time (2005-06) World bronze medalist.

Weir, who won three U.S. titles from 2004-06, won his first World medal, the bronze, at that 2008 global competition.

In their only head-to-head meeting this season, at Skate America, Weir took silver and Lysacek bronze. A relative unknown skater, Japan's 19-year-old Takahiko Kozuka walked away golden.

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Jeremy Abbott of the United States and Yu-Na Kim of South Korea cruised to first-place finishes in the singles events Saturday at Cup of China, being held at Beijing’s Capital Gymnasium.

In the men’s event Abbott handily won the title. He scored 233.44 points, to teammate Stephen Carriere’s 217.25. Tomas Verner of the Czech Republic pulled up from fourth to capture the bronze medal.

Overnight leader Abbott looked nervous in the warm-up, but when he stepped on to the ice he delivered one of his best performances of his career so far. “I really have to thank my coaches a lot for that. My coaches Becky Calvin and Tom Zakrajsek have trained my very hard this year,” Abbott said. “We strategized my competitions a lot differently this year.”

Skating to modern the Tango “Eight Seasons,” the 23-year-old reeled off a triple Lutz, triple flip, triple Axel, Salchow, triple Axel-triple toeloop combination, a triple Lutz-double toe-double loop and a triple loop as well as excellent spins, two of which were graded a level four.

He also earned a level three for both step sequences. Abbott earned 156.39 points (79.39/77.00) and improved his previous personal best of 145.53 points significantly. His overall competition mark of 233.44 points, surpassed his previous personal best total score by a huge 27.40.

Skating to “Firebird” by Igor Stravinski, Carriere gave a solid program that included two triple Axels (one in combination with a double toe), two triple Lutzes (one in combination with a double toe as well) and three more triples as well as fast and well centered spins. The only glitch came when the 2007 World junior Champion stepped out of a triple flip. Carriere scored 145.25 points (76.05/69.20) which is a personal best, and moved up from third to second at 217.25 points total.

“Just like yesterday, the performance wasn’t perfect. I’m always striving for perfection,” Carriere explained. ”It was a good start to the season, a better start than last year at Skate America. I’m proud of myself for that, I’m proud of coming out to Beijing and getting my job done.”

Verner, who stood in fourth place after a disappointing performance in the short program, rallied with a passionate Tango routine. He landed an excellent quadruple toe loop – the only quad in the competition – and five triples including a triple Axel and a triple Lutz-triple toe loop combination.

The 2008 European champion fell on a triple flip attempt and doubled his second Lutz, but moved up to the podium with 139.93 points (65.13/75.80) in the Free Skating and 205.48 overall. "This was the first quad done in the program this season," Verner said. "It was not my best, but to skate my best in my first Grand Prix was not my goal. The goals lie somewhere else."

Artem Borodulin (RUS) came in fourth in what was his senior Grand Prix debut. The World junior silver medalist pulled off five triples, but didn’t go for a triple Axel (191.38 points). Vaughn Chipeur (CAN), who was ranked second after the short program, slipped to fifth after popping a few jumps (187.50 points). Jialiang Wu (CHN) finished sixth (177.75 points).

Abbott now has 15 points and will try to qualify for the Grand Prix Final at his next event Cup of Russia in Moscow. Carriere got 13 points and will compete again at the NHK Trophy. Verner moves on to Moscow with 11 points.

Ladies, Free Skating

While crowd favorite Kim of Korea skated to the gold in the ladies final, Japan’s Miki Ando claimed the silver medal and Laura Lepistö from Finland earned the bronze.

“I felt tense in the short program on Thursday, and I tried to be more relaxed today, and I felt good on the ice,” Kim said.

The 18-year-old sparkled in her routine to “Sheherazade.” The audience greeted the South Korean skater with thunderous applause. Skating with confidence and ease, the two-time World bronze medalist produced a triple flip-triple toe loop combination, a double Axel, a double Axel-triple toe loop combination, a triple Lutz-double toe as well as a triple Salchow and another triple Axel. Kim’s only error came when she stepped out of her first triple Lutz.

Kim was awarded a level four for all her spins and spirals and a level three for the straight line steps. She earned a season-best score of 128.11 points for her program (66.43 element score/61.68 program component score) and racked up a total of 191.75 to take her second gold medal on the Grand Prix circuit this season.

Ando, the 2007 World champion, scored 111.58 points (55.18/56.40), which is a new seasons best, and had 170.88 points overall.

Ando delivered a dynamic performance to “Giselle” and hit a triple Salchow, triple Lutz-double loop combination, a triple loop and a double Axel-double loop-double loop combination, but the second jump in her triple toe-triple loop combo and the triple flip were under-rotated and downgraded. Ando also stepped out of a triple Lutz.

Her change foot camel and her flying combination spins received a level four, while the spiral, the combination spin and the footwork were a level three.

“I missed some of my jumps a little, but I felt a lot better than at Skate America,” Ando said.

Lepistö’s elegant program to “Don Juan de Marco” featured a double Axel, a triple toeloop-double toeloop combination, a triple loop, and two triple Salchows in combination as well as strong spins.

However, the Finnish champion popped a Lutz and another loop jump. She scored 100.82 points (48.82/52.00) which added up to 159.42 points.

“I am not very satisfied,” admitted the reigning European bronze medalist. “I missed a few jumps, but the points were still pretty good. I hope to do better in the free skating in Japan (at NHK Trophy).”

Ashley Wagner (USA) came in fourth with a powerful interpretation of “Spartacus” by Aram Khatchaturian. She landed five triples, but one Lutz was under-rotated (155.59 points).

Susanna Pöykiö (FIN) was fifth at 148.03 while European silver medalist Sarah Meier (SUI) finished sixth (142.31 points).

Kim now heads the Grand Prix standings with the maximum of 30 points from her two wins and is qualified for the final in Korea in December. Ando got 13 points in Bejing and has 24 overall, which should be enough to make the final, although she will have to await to learn if she is one of the top six finishers in the series will compete at the Grand Prix Final. Lepistö pocketed 11 points and will compete in three weeks in Japan at NHK Trophy again.

Free Dance

In what was a very close competition, Oksana Domnina and Maxim Shabalin of Russia edged out Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto of the United States by just 0.36 points to claim victory in the ice dancing event. Russia’s Jana Khokhlova and Sergei Novitski took the bronze medal.

Domnina and Shabalin earned 91.19 points (44.20 element score/46.99 program component score) and accumulated a total of 186.77 points. Belbin and Agosto, the five-time U.S. champions, two-time World medalists and 2006 Olympic silver medalists, scored 91.18 points (44.30/46.88) for their free dance, losing by the thinnest of margins — 0.01 points — to Domnina and Shabalin, and remained in second place at 186.41 points.

“We are happy with our first place here,” Shabalin said. “We skated well for this period of time. We’ll try to improve our skating and do better and better each time.”

Domnina and Shabalin delivered a dramatic dance to “Spartacus”. They opened the performance with a set of twizzles with change of direction but no change of foot and a circular step sequence that was graded a level three.

The 2008 European champions also executed a level three diagonal step sequence. The routine was highlighted by interesting lifts such as a straight line-rotational and a curve lift.

“We picked Spartacus, because I always wanted to be a hero, at least on the ice,” Shabalin said with a smile.

Belbin and Agosto put out a passionate performance of their “Tosca” program, completing intricate footwork sequences that both were awarded a level three, innovative lifts and a level-four dance combination spin.

“We felt tonight it was a little bit rough, it was a little bit difficult to compete the program,” Belbin said. “We didn’t quite feel like we were into our knees enough throughout the program, so we’ll go home and continue to work on that, but we are proud that we were able to continue fighting through the program, continue to try to show the character of Tosca, and hopefully the next time will be much smoother and much cleaner.”

Skating to “Rhapsody on a Theme by Paganini,” Khokhlova and Novitski portrayed genius musician Niccolo Paganini and his muse in their lively dance. Their routine featured spectacular lifts such as a one-armed rotational lift, a straight line-rotational with several changes of position and a curve lift. The reigning European bronze medalists earned a level three for their diagonal step sequence while the circular footwork was graded a level two.

Khokhlova and Novitski complied up 88.70 points (44.30/44.40) and claimed the bronze with a total score of 179.50 points. “We are actually very pleased with today. A lot of things worked out that didn’t go so well in the past two days. It felt easy to skate and it was nice to receive so much support from the audience,” Novitski said.

Anna Cappellini and Luca Lanotte (ITA) were ranked fourth (173.11 points). They showed a romantic program to the “Love Story” soundtrack. Anna Zadarozhniuk and Sergei Verbillo (UKR) finished fifth with a “Carmen” program (158.90 points) and Kaitlyn Weaver and Andrej Poje (CAN) were sixth (157.20). They had chosen the “Dr. Zhivago” soundtrack.

Domnina and Shabalin received 15 points and will compete again at the Cup of Russia in two weeks. There, they will meet Khokhlova and Novitski again, who earned 11 points today. Belbin and Agosto collected another 13 points for of 26 points overall. It looks like their point total should hold up for a berth in the final, but they will have to await to hear their fate. The top six skaters in the series earn a spot in the final in each discipline.

The Cup of China was the third of six events in the series. The skaters compete for global prize money of $180,000 (U.S.) per individual event of the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating and receive points according to their placements.

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The December 2008 digital edition of International Figure Skating magazine is available today! For a sneak peek CLICK HERE. The IFS digital edition is only $25 (U.S.) for a one-year subscription and is delivered right to your computer. To subscribe to the digital edition click HERE or email customerservice@madavor.com.

Dan Zhang and Hao Zhang Win Pairs Crown;
Jeremy Abbott Takes Early Lead at Cup of China

China’s Dan Zhang and Hao Zhang struck gold in the pairs final at Cup of China Friday in Beijing's Capital Gymnasium. "We are very happy to have won today, it means a lot to us,” Hao Zhang said.

Tatiana Volosozhar and Stanislav Morozov of the Ukraine took the silver medal ahead of Qing Pang and Jian Tong (China).

Zhang and Zhang, the 2006 Olympic silver medalists, earned 115.10 points (56.30 element score/58.80 program component score) and accumulated a total competition mark of 182.22 points.

Performing to “The Yangtze River” Piano Concerto, Zhang and Zhang completed a throw triple Salchow, a big triple twist, a throw triple loop and spectacular lifts with Hao Zhang effortlessly lifting his partner with one hand.

The reigning World silver medalists earned a level four for their spins, the lifts and forward inside death spiral. However, Dan Zhang struggled with her solo jumps. Her first jump in a planned triple toe-triple toe sequence was not clean. The jump was downgraded and the sequence didn’t get credit. She also doubled her jump in what was planned as side-by-side triple Salchows.

“In 1998, we won the gold medal at the Junior Grand Prix here in this ice rink, and 10 years later we are still jumping,” Hao Zhang said. "We are 80 percent satisfied with our free skating today. The lacking 20 percent are ten percent for the errors on the jumps and ten percent for the performance itself.”

Volosozhar and Morozov scored 114.71 points (59.91/54.80) and compiled a competition total of 175.05 points, which is a personal best. The medal was the duo’s first on the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Series.

The couple delivered a dynamic performance to “Pearl Harbour” that included a side-by-side triple toe loop-triple toe loop sequence. They landed a throw triple Salchow and a triple twist and also performed difficult lifts. The Ukrainians received a level four for their pairs spin and their lifts, and they earned a level three for their side-by-side spins and the footwork.

There were two glitches in the performance. Morozov doubled the side-by-side Salchow, and Voloszhar almost slipped in the death spiral.

“We skated well today, like we did in the short program, but we had two errors, again on the throw and on the Salchow. These were technical mistakes. But we are very happy to have won our first medal on the Grand Prix,” Volosozhar said.

Pang and Tong earned 112.50 points (56.26/56.24) and collected a competition mark of 171.86 points. They planned to open their free program, set to Tango and Concierto de Aranjuez, with a double Axel-double Axel sequence, but he singled the second Axel. Pang then under-rotated the side-by-side triple toe loop.

The 2006 World champions rallied and completed a throw triple loop and Salchow as well as level-three footwork and level-four lifts. They also earned a level four for their pairs spin and the death spiral.

“We did better than in the short program. We competed with this program for the first time, it’s new and we hope everyone likes it. We still had a few problems with our free skating, and we hope improve on that in our next competition,” Pang said.

Amanda Evora and Mark Ladwig (USA) came in fourth with 143.88 points. They landed a throw loop and Lutz as well as triple twist. Both solo jumps were not clean and downgraded.

Yue Zhang and Lei Wang (CHN) were fifth with a good performance that included a side-by-side triple toe-double toe combination and a double Axel, but she missed the throw triple Salchow (142.10 points).

Zhang and Zhang pocketed 15 points and will compete in two weeks at the Cup of Russia. There they will meet Volosozhar and Morozov again, who picked up 13 points. Pang and Tong have 11 points and their next event is the NHK Trophy.

Men's Short Program

The North Americans ruled the men’s short program. Jeremy Abbott (USA) placed first in that portion of the event with Vaughn Chipeur of Canada and Stephen Carriere (USA) following in second and third, respectively.


Abbott earned 77.05 points (42.40/34.65), surpassing his previous personal best of 74.34 points. “I thought today was a bit of a fight. I was very excited about my result and my placement, it is much different this year than last,” Abbott said. “It went well, but it was a bit of a struggle and I had to fight through some things. But I got the job done and I’m looking forward to tomorrow.”

Abbott opened his performance to “Adagio” by Tomaso Albinoni with a shaky triple flip that was supposed to be in combination. He then landed a triple Axel and a triple Lutz, quickly adding a triple toe to the Lutz for a combination. The 2007 Four Continents bronze medalist was awarded a level four for the flying sit and change foot sit spin and a level three for the footwork and the combination spin.

Chipeur nailed a triple Axel, triple Lutz-triple toe combination, a triple flip. He earned a level four for all three spins and a level three for the step sequences in his routine to “Come On Baby” by Joe Satriani. The Canadian scored 72.70 points (43.80/28.90) and eclipsed his previous personal best of 70.83 points.

“I’m really pleased with the way today went. I thought the program had really good energy. The choreography that Kurt Browning did worked really well, and it’s been a really good change for me and really good vehicle for the year,” Chipeur said.

Skating to “Nothing Else Matters” by Metallica, Carriere nailed the opening triple Axel and a triple Lutz, but stepped out at the back end of his triple flip-triple toe combination. The technical panel graded his three spins a level four as well, and the 2007 World junior champion received 72.00 points (39.40/32.60).

“It was a little tentative, not my normal self. I definitely know that I can get a lot more energy than what happened today,” he said. “With that state, I’m happy that I went out there and did my job as best as I could. It was the best I could do today. I’m definitely going to push more. My body is here, everything is here now for the long tomorrow.”

Reigning European champion Tomas Verner (CZE) finished fourth with 65.55 points. He doubled his first jump, a planned quadruple toe loop and then received no credit for a triple Lutz-double toe loop combination as skaters are not allowed to repeat any jump in the short program.

Artem Borodulin (RUS) placed fifth. He landed a double Axel, triple Lutz-double to and a triple flip (65.05).

Original Dance

The original dance for the 2008-09 season is rhythms and dances of the 20s, 30s and 40s. The couples chose a variety of dances such as Blues, Swing, Lindy Hop, Foxtrot, Tap Dance and Waltz.

Oksana Domnina and Maxim Shabalin of Russia defended their overnight lead, but Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto (USA) were less than one point behind after the OD. Russia’s Jana Khokhlova and Sergei Novitski remained in third place.

Domnina and Shabalin chose a Waltz from Dmitri Shostakovitch’s Jazz Suite from 1934 and captured the mood of the dance very well with their playful interpretation. When asked out their choice of music, Domina answered, “First of all we wanted to set ourselves apart and I think we did that. We put the emphasis on the acting skills to project the 30s with our costumes and expression.”

The European champions completed the side-by-side footwork sequence as well as well synchronized twizzles and a straight line lift. They earned a level three for the lift and the side by side steps, a level four for the twizzles but only a level two for the circular steps and the spin. Domnina and Shabalin earned 57.24 points (27.50 element score/29.74 program component score) and were ranked second in the OD. Overall they held on to first place with a total of 95.58 points.

“We skated well, with the right mood. We like the dance and the audience liked it, too,”" said Shabalin. “Obviously we didn’t get the levels we would have liked — except for the twizzles.”

Belbin and Agosto’s upbeat tap dance featured a difficult dance spin and one-armed rotational lift that were graded a level four. They also earned a level three for their circular step sequence and twizzles.

However, the American couple’s their side-by-side footwork was graded level two. The 2006 Olympic silver medalists picked up 58.08 points (28.90/29.18) to win the OD with a season-best mark, and they stand currently in second place at this point in the ocmpteition at 95.23, just 0.35 points behind Domnina and Shabalin.

“I think our circle (footwork) was definitely a bit smoother (than at Skate America) and overall it just felt like we were performing a little bit better. We had more power and more confidence. It’s a good step forward. Next time will be even better, and each time we get a season’s best, hopefully,” Agosto said.

Khokhlova and Novitski delivered an energetic performance to “Sam’s Blues” and “Puttin’ On the Ritz,” but Khokhlova wobbled on the side-by-side twizzles. “When you make a mistake, you have to pull yourself together in any case,” she said. “There are a lot of elements ahead, the lift, the footwork and if you don’t get into it and don’t do them, you get nothing. I just didn’t pay attention (to the error) and tried to do the best for the remaining elements.”

The reigning European bronze medalists recovered to complete intricate steps, earning a level three for both footwork sequences. However, their twizzles and the straight line lift were graded a level two.

Khokhlova and Novitski received 55.12 points (27.00/28.12) and were ranked fourth in the OD. Overall, they were in third place with 90.80 points. “Jana turned out on the twizzle. I think this is easy to explain, after all this is our first competition and we see on what we have to work on further, although we didn’t make errors in practice,” Novitski said.

Anna Cappellini and Luca Lanotte (ITA) came in fourth with a technically strong performance to a Lindy Hop and Foxtrot. They were ranked third in the OD and have 87.74 points overall.

Anna Zadarozhniuk and Sergei Verbillo (UKR) moved up from seventh to fifth with an entertaining routine to a Charleston and Foxtrot from the “Chicago” soundtrack and used effectively a red scarf (79.66 points).

The Cup of China is the third of six events in the Grand Prix Series. The skaters are competing for a global prize money of $180, 000 (U.S.) per individual series event and receive points, according to their placements.

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The December 2008 digital edition of International Figure Skating magazine is available today! For a sneak peek CLICK HERE. The IFS digital edition is only $25 (U.S.) for a one-year subscription and is delivered right to your computer. To subscribe to the digital edition click HERE or email customerservice@madavor.com.

IFS is covering the 2008 Cup of China Grand Prix event live in Beijing.

Day 2: The Men - Fun images from the Kiss and Cry:


We bring you some images of your favorite skaters from the first day of competition.

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The December 2008 digital edition of International Figure Skating magazine is available today! For a sneak peek CLICK HERE. The IFS digital edition is only $25 (U.S.) for a one-year subscription and is delivered right to your computer. To subscribe to the digital edition click HERE or email customerservice@madavor.com.

Yu-Na Kim Continues to Shine;
Lands in First Place After Cup of China Short Program

Yu-Na Kim of South Korea continues to shine on the ISU Grand Prix circuit. The teenage phenom won the ladies short program at Cup of China in Beijing's Capital Gymnasium Thursday. Japan’s Miki Ando and Laura Lepistö from Finland came in second and third, respectively.

Kim, the two-time World bronze medalist, scored 63.64 points (34.48 element score/29.16 program component score). “I was more nervous than at Skate America, and I made an error on my triple Lutz,” Kim admitted. “I’m still in first place, and I want to give my best in the free skating.”

Performing to “Danse Macabre” by Camille Saint-Saens, Kim landed a superb triple flip-triple toe loop combination, a double Axel and showed exquisite spins, two of which were graded a level four. However, the 18-year-old two-footed and underrotated the triple Lutz.

Ando scored a season best of 59.30 points (32.26/27.04). “My score was higher than at Skate America, and I’m happy about this, " Ando said.

Ando opened her program to “The Chairman’s Waltz” from the “Memoirs of a Geisha” with a big triple Lutz-triple loop combination, but she stumbled on her triple flip and landed it forward. The 2007 World champion went on to complete a double Axel and a level-three step sequence. Her combination spin received a level four, while her layback and the flying sit spin were a level two.

"[Overall] I’m not so happy with my performance. I’m a little disappointed,” Ando said. “I changed my steps into the triple flip, because I got some minus (grade of execution) for it at Skate America, but I knew that there was not enough time for practicing it, so I missed it today.”

Lepistö, the 2008 European bronze medalist, earned 58.60 points (33.60/25.00). “My performance was pretty good today. A couple of levels could have been higher, but the jumps were good. Otherwise I felt comfortable on the ice,” the 20-year-old said.

Lepistö's routine set to “Imagined Oceans” by Karl Jenkins featured a triple toe loop-triple toe loop combination, a triple loop, a double Axel as well as a level-four flying sit spin. The combination spin and spiral sequence were graded a level three.

Ashley Wagner (USA) is currently standing in fourth place with 55.40 points. She missed her triple Lutz and had no combination, but she landed a triple flip and got high levels for her spins and steps. Katrina Hacker (USA) was fifth at 50.80 points. She executed a triple toe-double toe combination and a triple loop.

Pairs Short Program

China’s Dan Zhang and Hao Zhang captured the pairs short program. Tatiana Volosozhar and Stanislav Morozov of the Ukraine edged out China’s Qing Pang and Jian Tong for second place.

Zhang and Zhang delivered a strong performance to “Riding on the Wings of Songs” by Felix Mendelssohn.
The reigning World silver medalists earned 67.12 points (38.56 element score/28.56 program component score).

“We are happy with our performance today. It was quite challenging, but the elements were well done,” Dan Zhang said. "We don’t care much about the score; we just want to skate our best. We are training to receive the highest levels for our elements, but sometimes in competition a little thing might be lacking. We just have to execute each element cleanly so that the technical specialists give us the highest level.”

The Chinese duo completed a big triple twist, throw triple loop and side-by-side triple Salchows. Their difficult hand-to-hip lift with change of direction, tdeath spiral and pair combination spin were all graded a level four, but their spiral sequence only earned a level two.

Volosozhar and Morozovscored 60.34 points (35.94/24.40). “It was quite good, and we only had one small mistake on the throw," Morozov said. “This was more of a psychological than technical error as the throw works usually very well for us.”

The Ukrainians landedside-by-side triple toe loops and a high triple twist, but Volosozhar two-footed the throw triple loop. The Ukrainian champions were awarded a level four for the one-armed lift, the death spiral and pair spin as well as a level three for their side-by-side spins and the spiral sequence.

Pang and Tong scored 59.36 points (33.72/27.64). “We are not so happy. We were tense and we hope to skate better tomorrow,” Pang said. The pair reeled off a triple toe loop and a triple twist, but Pang fell on the throw triple loop. The couple recovered to execute a level-four death spiral, spiral sequence, lift and pair spin. The 2006 World champions received a deduction for the fall and for a timing violation.

“Since the World Championships, we were afraid of mistakes in our solo jumps and we’ve worked very hard to solve this problem," Tong said. "We need to gain more confidence and the free skating will be a challenge for us. We will try to do our best.”

Amanda Evora and Mark Ladwig (USA) came in fourth at 51.48 points. She stepped out of the side-by-side triple Salchow and the jump was downgraded, but they completed a triple twist and a nice throw triple loop.

Compulsory Dance

The Compulsory Dance at the Cup of China was the Viennese Waltz. Oksana Domnina and Maxim Shabalin of Russia took the lead with Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto (USA) and Jana Khokhlova and Sergei Novitski (RUS) following in second and third, respectively.

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The December 2008 digital edition of International Figure Skating magazine is available today! For a sneak peek CLICK HERE. The IFS digital edition is only $25 (U.S.) for a one-year subscription and is delivered right to your computer. To subscribe to the digital edition click HERE or email customerservice@madavor.com.