The Nebelhorn Trophy wrapped up Saturday in Oberstdorf, Germany, and the Olympic field is set -- sort of.
Earning the remaining spots were:
Men: Switzerland, Austria, Germany, North Korea, Romania, Finland
Ladies: China, Hungary, Slovenia, Austria, Spain, Belgium
Pairs: Switzerland, Poland, Estonia, Italy
Ice Dance: China, Czech Republic, Estonia, Georgia, Hungary
Although it is still unknown as to which skaters will be representing these countries (along with the countries who qualified spots at the World Championships in March), the Olympic picture is slowly developing. One skater who will most likely be there is 2006 Olympic silver medalist Stephane Lambiel of Switzerland. Lambiel buried the competition here in Oberstdorf, and now only has to pass the requirements of the Swiss Olympic Committee (which he will surely do) in order to skate in Vancouver.
On the ladies' side, American Alissa Czisny won her second straight Nebelhorn title, but only on the strength of her short program. She was only credited with two clean triples in her free skate in what was a messy and error-prone event overall. China's Yan Liu won the free skate and placed third overall to qualify a spot for her country in Vancouver, while Hungary's Julia Sebestyen placed fourth but still earned a berth to her fourth consecutive Olympic Games.
In ice dancing, United States champions Meryl Davis and Charlie White performed their "Phantom of the Opera" free dance for the first time internationally this season, and accumulated over 100 points for it. Their total competition score of 200.46 points was more than 30 points higher than the second place finishers, Alexandra Zaretski and Roman Zaretski of Israel. Davis and White's total score at Nebelhorn was .10 points higher than what they received at the World Championshps last March, but would have been enough to earn them the bronze medal at that event. Clearly, they are already on the right track this season.
Over in Minsk, Belarus, the fourth Junior Grand Prix event of the season wrapped up. Russia's Polina Shelepen delivered another solid free skate to win her second JGP event of the season. Japan's Yuki Nishino was second, and Ksenia Makarova of Russia was third. Kristiene Gong was the top U.S. lady, finishing 4th.
In the men's event, Minnesota-native Eliot Halverson was the top American finisher, placing 5th. Russia's Artur Gachinski and China's Nan Song were in a class of their own, each finishing with over 178 points and winning gold and silver, respectively.
China went 1-2 in the pairs event, with Canadians Hole/Johnson winning the bronze medal after taking gold in Lake Placid last earlier this season. Rachel Tibbetts and Collin Brubaker won the silver medal in ice dancing - their first-ever JGP medal - behind Russians Ksenia Monko and Kirill Khaliavin.
Shelepen has mathematically qualified for the Junior Grand Prix Final, and it appears as though Makarova will qualify as well. Hole/Johnson have also qualified in the pairs event.
The Junior Grand Prix series continues this week in Dresden, Germany. Angela Maxwell (United States) and Isabelle Olsson (Sweden) are both medal winners already this season, and both will be in contention in Germany. Minnesota-native Kiri Baga makes her international debut, and with her strong spins, spirals and jumps, could definitely factor in for a medal.
Showing posts with label Ksenia Makarova. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ksenia Makarova. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Sunday, September 6, 2009
U.S. golden in singles, ice dance in second JGP event
After a slow opening to the series last week in Budapest, Hungary, a stronger American team rebounded at the Junior Grand Prix - Lake Placid this weekend.
Reigning U.S. junior champion Ross Miner won gold in his first Junior Grand Prix event by executing flawless triple Axels in his short and long programs. Though he made minor mistakes in both programs, his total competition score of 179.95 was more than enough to secure first place for him. He finished over 11 points higher than silver medalist Kento Nakamura of Japan. A relative unknown going in, Nakamura surprised many with effortless triple Axels and fantastic style and presentation. His overall score of 168.03 crushed his previous personal best by more than 40 points, and both Miner and Nakamura appear to be among the favorites to make the Junior Grand Prix Final in December.
There were no surprises in the ice dance event, as the brother/sister duo of Maia Shibutani and Alex Shibutani easily skated off with the gold medal. Their margin of victory? An astonishing 21.53 points over Canadian silver medalists Kharis Ralph and Asher Hill. The Shibutani's recorded personal best scores in all three phases of the competition in Lake Placid, and their Japanese folk dance (original dance) and tango free dance are the perfect vehicles to show off their maturity and technical prowess. Their total score of 175.95 would have placed them 10th at the senior World Championships last season.
The other two American teams in the event, Lauri Bonacorsi and Travis Mager, and Rachel Tibbetts and Collin Brubaker finished 3rd and 7th, respectively. For Bonacorsi and Mager, a bronze medal in their first JGP event sets them up as legitimate contenders for a Junior Grand Prix Final berth, as well as a junior National medal come January.
The story of the ladies event was without a doubt Kristine Musademba. In her third season of JGP competition, Musademba has acquired a newfound grace and maturity. Her "Claire de Lune" short program was a 54.48 point personal best for her, and put her nearly six points ahead of the rest of the field. A solid free skate to Saint-Saen's "Africa: Fantasy for Piano and Orchestra" was marred only by a fall on her second triple Salchow attempt. However, five completed triple jumps and level 3 and 4 footwork and spins contributed to her 92.91 point free skate (Technical Elements: 49.15, Program Components: 44.76). Musademba's overall score of 147.39 points was more than 10 points higher than silver medalist Ksenia Makarova of Russia, and marks her as a favorite for the JGP Final title and a top 6 finish at the U.S. Championships in Spokane in January.
The other American women in the event didn't fare as well. Taylor Firth finished third in the short program but dropped to eighth in the free skate en route to a 5th place finish overall. Junior National champion DeeDee Leng ended the event in 7th place, and a second Junior Grand Prix assignment for both girls now seems unlikely.
The Lake Placid JGP was home to the first pairs competition of the series. Canadians Kaleigh Hole and Adam Johnson took first in both the short and long programs by displaying secure throw triple and side-by-side triple jumps. Russia's Ksenia Stolbova and Fedor Klimov hung on to the silver medal despite a fifth-place free skate, while Japan's Narumi Takahashi and Mervin Tran fought back after a fifth-place short program to capture the bronze medal overall. Britney Simpson and Nathan Miller of the U.S. recorded the third best free skate but had to settle for 4th place overall. Still, they received some of the top Program Component Scores in both programs and could still make the JGP Final if they medal in their second event.
The Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating series moves to Torun, Poland next week. American Christina Gao is among the top ladies competing there, but she will face tough competition from Japan's Kanako Murakami and Russia's Polina Agafonova. Minnesota-native Kate Charbonneau, the 2009 Canadian junior champion, will represent that country in her Junior Grand Prix debut.
Reigning U.S. junior champion Ross Miner won gold in his first Junior Grand Prix event by executing flawless triple Axels in his short and long programs. Though he made minor mistakes in both programs, his total competition score of 179.95 was more than enough to secure first place for him. He finished over 11 points higher than silver medalist Kento Nakamura of Japan. A relative unknown going in, Nakamura surprised many with effortless triple Axels and fantastic style and presentation. His overall score of 168.03 crushed his previous personal best by more than 40 points, and both Miner and Nakamura appear to be among the favorites to make the Junior Grand Prix Final in December.
There were no surprises in the ice dance event, as the brother/sister duo of Maia Shibutani and Alex Shibutani easily skated off with the gold medal. Their margin of victory? An astonishing 21.53 points over Canadian silver medalists Kharis Ralph and Asher Hill. The Shibutani's recorded personal best scores in all three phases of the competition in Lake Placid, and their Japanese folk dance (original dance) and tango free dance are the perfect vehicles to show off their maturity and technical prowess. Their total score of 175.95 would have placed them 10th at the senior World Championships last season.
The other two American teams in the event, Lauri Bonacorsi and Travis Mager, and Rachel Tibbetts and Collin Brubaker finished 3rd and 7th, respectively. For Bonacorsi and Mager, a bronze medal in their first JGP event sets them up as legitimate contenders for a Junior Grand Prix Final berth, as well as a junior National medal come January.
The story of the ladies event was without a doubt Kristine Musademba. In her third season of JGP competition, Musademba has acquired a newfound grace and maturity. Her "Claire de Lune" short program was a 54.48 point personal best for her, and put her nearly six points ahead of the rest of the field. A solid free skate to Saint-Saen's "Africa: Fantasy for Piano and Orchestra" was marred only by a fall on her second triple Salchow attempt. However, five completed triple jumps and level 3 and 4 footwork and spins contributed to her 92.91 point free skate (Technical Elements: 49.15, Program Components: 44.76). Musademba's overall score of 147.39 points was more than 10 points higher than silver medalist Ksenia Makarova of Russia, and marks her as a favorite for the JGP Final title and a top 6 finish at the U.S. Championships in Spokane in January.
The other American women in the event didn't fare as well. Taylor Firth finished third in the short program but dropped to eighth in the free skate en route to a 5th place finish overall. Junior National champion DeeDee Leng ended the event in 7th place, and a second Junior Grand Prix assignment for both girls now seems unlikely.
The Lake Placid JGP was home to the first pairs competition of the series. Canadians Kaleigh Hole and Adam Johnson took first in both the short and long programs by displaying secure throw triple and side-by-side triple jumps. Russia's Ksenia Stolbova and Fedor Klimov hung on to the silver medal despite a fifth-place free skate, while Japan's Narumi Takahashi and Mervin Tran fought back after a fifth-place short program to capture the bronze medal overall. Britney Simpson and Nathan Miller of the U.S. recorded the third best free skate but had to settle for 4th place overall. Still, they received some of the top Program Component Scores in both programs and could still make the JGP Final if they medal in their second event.
The Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating series moves to Torun, Poland next week. American Christina Gao is among the top ladies competing there, but she will face tough competition from Japan's Kanako Murakami and Russia's Polina Agafonova. Minnesota-native Kate Charbonneau, the 2009 Canadian junior champion, will represent that country in her Junior Grand Prix debut.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)