ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final:
Day Two
The ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final continued Saturday
in Torino, Italy with the Free Dance, the Men’s, Pairs
and Ladies Free Skating. The top six skaters/couples from
the six events of the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating series
have qualified for the Final from December 14 to 16. 24 skaters/couples
from 11 ISU members competed at the Olympic Palavela ice rink
in Torino.
Ice Dancing, Free Dance
Today’s competition opened with the Free Dance. In what
was a close competition, Oksana Domnina/Maxim Shabalin of
Russia came out on top to win their first gold medal in the
Grand Prix Final. Tanith Belbin/Benjamin Agosto settled for
the silver, and Isabelle Delobel/Olivier Schoenfelder earned
the bronze, their first medal in this event. The top three
couples were separated by only 2.17 points.
Domnina/Shabalin, who stood in third place following the
Original Dance, gave an emotional and technically strong performance
to “Waltz Masquerade” by Aram Khatchaturian, telling
the story of a girl that is forced to marry a rich man that
she doesn’t love. The Russian Champions completed well
synchronized twizzles, intricate footwork, a straight line
lift in a low position, a curve lift and a reverse rotational
lift. All their eight elements were graded a level four by
the Technical Panel, and the European silver medalists posted
a new personal best score of 103.26 points (53.50 element
score/49.76 program component score). They racked up a total
of 165.57 points to overtake Belbin/Agosto and Delobel/Schoenfelder.
“I am very happy that we were able to really do our
best technically and emotionally. So we felt really pleased
and happy, because if you feel that you did your best it gives
you an inner satisfaction. The result is still important,
but it is also very important to feel that happiness inside.
Yesterday we weren’t as pleased with what we did because
we felt ourselves that it wasn’t the best we can do”,
Domnina said. “Today wasn’t the most important
victory of our career – hopefully that one is still
to come – but it was the first competition where all
the top couples met and we wanted to position ourselves well”,
she continued. The couple also revealed that Shabalin is suffering
from an inflammation in his left knee that started to bother
him at their last practice at home before coming to Italy.
“We weren’t even sure if we can compete”,
Domnina said.
Belbin/Agosto’s classical medley of pieces by Frédéric
Chopin featured smooth step sequences, and effortless looking
yet difficult lifts including a curve-rotational lift with
changes of position and a serpentine lift. Seven out of the
eight elements were awarded a level four and only the serpentine
lift was a level three. The Americans scored 100.50 points
(51.50/49.00) and slipped from first to second place at 164.14
points. Belbin/Agosto won a second silver medal in the Final
after 2005 in the same ice rink where they took the Olympic
silver in 2006. They had not competed in the Final the past
two seasons.
Delobel/Schoenfelder had chosen music from “The Piano”
soundtrack, telling the love story of a deaf woman and a hearing
man. The European Champions executed strong footwork, earning
a level four for the side by side midline steps and a level
three for the circular steps and showed beautiful lifts like
a rotational lift and a serpentine lift with changes of position.
The French picked up 100.11 points (51.40/48.71), which was
a new seasons best for them. They overall accumulated 163.40
points.
Men, Free Skating
Next up were the Men. Switzerland’s Stéphane
Lambiel overtook overnight leader Daisuke Takahashi of Japan.
The bronze medal went to Evan Lysacek (USA).
Lambiel had to overcome a shaky start into his expressive
Flamenco routine when he stumbled on both his opening triple
Axel and the quadruple toeloop. The two-time World Champion
then pulled himself together to produce a triple loop, double
Axel, triple flip-triple toe-double toe combination, a triple
Salchow-double toe, another triple flip and strong spins and
footwork, picking up level threes and fours for them. The
22-year-old doubled his Lutz, but added a triple toe to it
for a combination, fighting for every point. Lambiel received
a new seasonal best of 155.30 points (76.20 element score/79.10
program component score), which added up to 239.10 points
overall. The Swiss edged out Takahashi by just 0.16 points
to take his second gold medal in the Grand Prix Final. Lambiel
had won in 2005 but didn’t qualify in 2006 after competing
in only one Grand Prix event. “This comes as a big surprise
to me. The competition was wide open, and it’s a competition
with the level of a World Championship. I won the silver medal
here at the Olympic Winter Games and now I win the Final here.
My program is very strategic, very complicated and difficult
with the triple Axel and the quad”, the reigning World
bronze medalist explained. “I think what made the difference
today was the spirit of the Flamenco program that I had.”
Performing to “Romeo and Juliet” by Peter Tchaikovski,
Takahashi tripled his first planned quad toe but hit the quad
seconds later. He went on to reel off a triple Axel, a triple
Axel-double toe-double loop, a triple flip and triple loop
as well as a triple Lutz-double toe combination, but he doubled
the Salchow. The current World silver medalist was awarded
a level four for his combination spin, but the remaining spins
and steps were graded a level three. The Japanese took 154.74
points (77.34/77.40) for this performance and collected a
total of 238.94 to win his second consecutive silver medal
in the Grand Prix Final.
Lysacek nailed a quad-triple toeloop combination in the first
second of his dramatic “Tosca” routine, but then
cheated the next jump, a triple Axel, which was downgraded.
A triple loop followed, but he crashed on the triple Salchow.
Lysacek landed another triple Axel-double toe, a triple flip-triple
toe, a triple Lutz and was awarded a rare level four for his
straight line step sequence. The U.S. Champion also got a
level four for his flying sit spin and the combination spin
to score 150.08 points (75.08/76.00). He remained in third
place at 229.78 points and took home his first medal from
the first Grand Prix Final he competed in.
Pairs, Free Skating
Aliona Savchenko/Robin Szolkowy of Germany skated off with
the gold medal in the Pairs event. China’s Dan Zhang/Hao
Zhang and Qing Pang/Jian Tong took the silver and bronze medals.
It was the first gold at the Final for the Germans, who had
won the bronze and the silver in the two past years.
Savchenko/Szolkowy opened their performance to “L’Oiseau”
with a high throw triple flip followed by a triple toe-triple
toe sequence, however, he doubled the second jump. A triple
twist and a toe lasso lift followed, and the program ended
with a throw triple Salchow on the last seconds of the music.
Savchenko only doubled the side by side Salchow while he stumbled
on a triple. The couple was awarded a level four for their
spins and the spiral sequence and a level three for their
step sequence to earn a new seasons best score of 127.09 points
(62.17 element score/65.92 program component score) which
added up to a total of 199.23 points. “It’s a
great feeling (to win), and right now I don’t think
about the mistakes”, Szolkowy commented. “I felt
some pressure, because we skated last and I knew that our
competitors had made mistakes and that the door was wide open.”
Zhang/Zhang’s program to “The Myth” included
a side by side triple Salchow, a triple twist, a throw triple
Salchow and loop as well as two level-four Lasso lifts and
a level-four pair combination spin. However, the 2006 World
and Olympic silver medalists struggled with their opening
combination, when he singled the Axel and both put down their
hands on the triple toeloop. They also aborted their final
lift prematurely, and it was graded only a level two. The
Chinese scored 119.80 points (59.32/60.48) and remained in
second place at 191.20.
Pang/Tong hit a double Axel-double Axel sequence, a triple
twist, a triple throw Salchow and difficult lifts. However,
she doubled the throw loop and he put his hand down on the
side by side triple toe. The reigning World silver medalists
picked up 118.45 points (58.85/59.60) and claimed the bronze
with 185.13 points.
Keauna McLaughlin/Rockne Brubaker (USA) withdrew before the
Free Skating. He is suffering from cellulitis in his left
foot.
Ladies, Free Skating
Yu-Na Kim of Korea defended her Grand Prix title. Japan’s
Mao Asada soared from fifth to second to take the silver like
she had last year. To the delight of the home crowd in the
Palavela ice rink, Italy’s Carolina Kostner captured
the bronze in what was her first Grand Prix Final.
Kim nailed an impressive triple flip-triple toeloop combination
in the first seconds of her “Miss Saigon” routine
but then fell on her triple loop. The World bronze medalist
didn’t let the mistake affect the rest of her performance
and landed a triple Lutz-double toe, a double Axel-triple
toe combination, another triple Lutz, a triple Salchow and
a double Axel. She earned a level four for all her four spins
and a level three for the step sequence. Kim got 132.21 points
(72.25 element score/60.96 program component score) and was
ranked second in the Free Skating, but remained in first at
196.83 points overall. “I was the last skater and I
was nervous. My score was close to my personal best, so I’m
pleased with that”, the 17-year-old commented. “Last
year (at the Final), I didn’t do a perfect performance
and I wasn’t too happy with it, and I had an injury.
But this year my body is healthy. I can do a clean program
and I’ll try my best for the next competition”,
she continued.
Asada rallied back from a faulty Short Program that had left
her in fifth and last place. The World silver medalist hit
a triple Axel, a triple flip-triple toeloop combination, a
triple Lutz (but got a deduction for the wrong edge take-off),
a triple loop, a triple flip-triple loop combination and two
double Axels (one in combination with two double loops) in
her lyrical performance to “Fantaisie Impromptu”
by Frédéric Chopin. The 17-year-old was awarded
a level four for three of her spins and a level three for
the step sequence. Her jumps looked effortless today. Asada
scored a seasons best of 132.55 points (73.35/59.20) and won
the Free Skating. Overall she pulled up to second at 191.59
points.
Kostner gave her best performance of the season so far as
well, hitting a triple flip-triple toeloop combination, a
triple Lutz-double loop, a triple loop, a double Axel-triple
toe and a triple Salchow. She produced two level-four spins.
The only mistakes came when she singled her second flip and
stepped out of the final jump, a double Axel. The crowd of
almost 6, 000 at Palavela cheered when they heard the score:
The European Champion picked up a new personal best score
of 119.07 points (60.35/58.72) for this performance and remained
in third with 178.93 points total.
|
