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Figure skating: World Team Trophy results

4/13/2013 10:29:17 AM

Results from the third and final day of competition at the World Team Trophy in Tokyo on Saturday:

Final team standings

1. United States 57, 2. Canada 51, 3. Japan 49, 4. Russia 39, 5. China 35, 6. France 31

(First place in each category is awarded 12 points with fewer points given to lower finishes.)

Pairs

Final results

1. Tatiana Volosozhar/Maxim Trankov (RUS) 210.47 pts, 2. Meagan Duhamel/Eric Radford (CAN) 191.15, 3. Peng Cheng/Zhang Hao (CHN) 174.40, 4. Vanessa James/Morgan Cipres (FRA) 174.31, 5. Marissa Castelli/Simon Shnapir (USA) 172.30. Japan did not enter a pair.

Free skating

1. Tatiana Volosozhar/Maxim Trankov (RUS) 136.06, 2. Meagan Duhamel/Eric Radford (CAN) 121.21, 3. Peng Cheng/Zhang Hao (CHN) 115.78, 4. Vanessa James/Morgan Cipres (FRA) 115.58, 5. Marissa Castelli/Simon Shnapir (USA) 115.12. Japan did not enter a pair.

Women

Final results

1. Akiko Suzuki (JPN) 199.58, 2. Ashley Wagner (USA) 188.60, 3. Gracie Gold (USA) 188.03, 4. Adelina Sotnikova (RUS) 183.10, 5. Mao Asada (JPN) 177.36, 6. Li Zijun (CHN) 171.50, 7. Kaetlyn Osmond (CAN) 164.85, 8. Mae Berenice Meite (FRA) 159.71, 9. Zhang Kexin (CHN) 155.49, 10. Elizaveta Tuktamysheva (RUS) 152.16, 11. Gabrielle Daleman (CAN) 140.82, 12. Lenaelle Gilleron-Gorry (FRA) 121.80

Free skating

1. Akiko Suzuki (JPN) 133.02, 2. Ashley Wagner (USA) 128.83, 3. Gracie Gold (USA) 127.05, 4. Li Zijun (CHN) 118.34, 5. Mao Asada (JPN) 117.97, 6. Adelina Sotnikova (RUS) 115.97, 7. Kaetlyn Osmond (CAN) 109.67, 8. Elizaveta Tuktamysheva (RUS) 102.22, 9. Mae Berenice Meite (FRA) 101.20, 10. Zhang Kexin (CHN) 100.52, 11. Gabrielle Daleman (CAN) 92.00, 12. Lenaelle Gilleron-Gorry (FRA) 72.39

sps

Figure skating: World Championship results - collated

3/17/2013 3:07:54 AM

Results on Saturday from the World Figure Skating Championships:

Women

Final Standings

1. Kim Yu-na (KOR) 218.31 pts

2. Carolina Kostner (ITA) 197.89

3. Mao Asada (JPN) 196.47

4. Kanako Murakami (JPN) 189.73

5. Ashley Wagner (USA) 187.34

6. Gracie Gold (USA) 184.25

7. Li Zijun (CHN) 183.85

8. Kaetlyn Osmond (CAN) 176.82

9. Adelina Sotnikova (RUS) 175.98

10. Elizaveta Tuktamysheva (RUS) 174.24

Free Skate

1. Kim Yu-na (KOR) 148.34

2. Mao Asada (JPN) 134.37

3. Carolina Kostner (ITA) 131.03

4. Li Zijun (CHN) 127.54

5. Gracie Gold (USA) 125.40

6. Ashley Wagner (USA) 123.36

7. Kanako Murakami (JPN) 123.09

8. Elizaveta Tuktamysheva (RUS) 119.52

9. Adelina Sotnikova (RUS) 116.36

10. Kaetlyn Osmond (CAN) 112.09

Dance

Final standings

1. Meryl Davis/Charlie White (USA) 189.56

2. Tessa Virtue/Scott Moir (CAN) 185.04

3. Ekaterina Bobrova/Dmitri Soloviev (RUS) 169.19

4. Anna Cappellini/Luca Lanotte (ITA) 168.04

5. Kaitlyn Weaver/Andrew Poje (CAN) 166.20

6. Nathalie Pechalat/Fabian Bourzat (FRA) 165.60

7. Madison Chock/Evan Bates (USA) 163.93

8. Maia Shibutani/Alex Shibutani (USA) 157.71

9. Elena Ilinykh/Nikita Katsalapov (RUS) 157.52

10. Nelli Zhiganshina/Alexander Gazsi (GER) 154.27

Free Dance

1. Meryl Davis/Charlie White (USA) 112.44

2. Tessa Virtue/Scott Moir (CAN) 111.17

3. Anna Cappellini/Luca Lanotte (ITA) 100.11

4. Ekaterina Bobrova/Dmitri Soloviev (RUS) 99.14

5. Kaitlyn Weaver/Andrew Poje (CAN) 98.66

6. Madison Chock/Evan Bates (USA) 97.19

7. Nathalie Pechalat/Fabian Bourzat (FRA) 95.95

8. Nelli Zhiganshina/Alexander Gazsi (GER) 93.68

9. Maia Shibutani/Alex Shibutani (USA) 91.57

10. Elena Ilinykh/Nikita Katsalapov (RUS) 91.45

afp

Figure skaters feel at home in Sochi

12/14/2012 9:57:00 AM

"It's a beautiful arena and the atmosphere here is just fantastic," said Meryl Davis, of the USA, who won the ice dance event with her partner Charlie White. "We've been to Moscow several times but this is our first visit to Sochi. Everything feels great."

"It's a really fantastic atmosphere,” added White. “First of all the Russian fans, no matter where they are in the country, really appreciate figure skating and ice dance, which is tremendous for us. Looking out of my room I have the mountains on the left and the ocean on my right. It just gives you the sense of grandeur and I feel like you kind of take that to the ice."

Reigning Olympic ice dance champions Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir finished second behind Davis and White, but the Canadians were still impressed by the venue, which will host figure skating and short track speed skating during the 2014 Winter Games.

“The arena looks great, the ice is fantastic," said Virtue. "And the weather is great too, unlike Moscow or St Petersburg, especially this time of the year. Hopefully we will be here for the Olympic Games in a year and a half. So far we are quite happy with everything.”

"For us it's a great privilege to be here so early,” added Moir. “The venue definitely has an Olympic feeling to it. It reminds me a lot of the arena in Vancouver."

Russia’s Yuri Larionov, who finished second alongside partner Vera Bazarova in the pairs event, was also full of praise for the Iceberg Palace.

"It’s the first time we have competed at this arena, the conditions here are very good, and the ice is at the best level,” said the 26-year-old. “We’ve really liked the competition’s organisation. It’s very nice that many other competitions will take place there, including the Olympic Winter Games."

2011 and 2012 World Champian and Olympian Patrick Chan from Canada said: “I feel really good here […]. Every day Kathy (Johnson, his coach) and me, we are going to the water, just watch the waves crushing. I love it, it is so different. It is very calming. I have really good feeling about this place.”
"It was very nice, easy to skate,” said Olympic silver medallist Mao Asada, of Japan, who won the women’s figure skating event in Sochi. “It's beautiful, the arena was beautiful."

The Iceberg Skating Palace, which is located at the heart of the “Coastal Cluster” of venues in Sochi’s Olympic Park, is a moveable venue, making it possible to be dismantled and transported for use as a skating centre in another Russian city after the Games.

Skating in Vancouver: a mix of jumps, creativity and speed

2/5/2010 11:30:00 PM

Demonstrating creativity while executing precise jumps and movements, with a global audience and an eagle-eyed panel of nine judges watching, is the daunting task facing competitors in figure skating. But whether that prospect is more challenging than racing on an oval track on blade-thin, ankle-high skates in search of Olympic glory is a question to which speed skaters, both long and short track, could perhaps provide the answer.

Three events for figure skating

Olympic figure skating comprises three events: singles (men and women), pairs and ice dance. In singles, skaters must wow judges during both a short and free programme that are set to music, with a required sequence of steps, jumps, spins and combinations. A “free skate” section allows skaters to demonstrate their creativity. The pairs competition comprises a male and a female skater and follows the same format. Overhead lifts and jumps are not included in ice dance, where the focus is on combining rhythm and interpreting music while executing a number of precise steps and moves. The ice dance competition is made up of three parts: one compulsory dance, an original dance and a free dance.

Racing around the oval

Speed skating is staged on a 400m oval, with six events each for men and women, ranging from the 500m to the 10,000 m (men) and the team pursuit. Skaters start in pairs and must change lanes once per lap to level out the distance covered. The Netherlands’ Ireen Wust, already an Olympic speed skating champion and one of the top contenders for Vancouver, says: “My favourite distance would definitely be the 1,500m, but my ambitions for Vancouver are a lot greater. Winning gold medals in the 1,000m, 1,500m, 3,000m as well as the women’s team pursuit is the ultimate goal!” But the Vancouver Games will also see the rise of new stars, such as 15-year-old Miho Takagi, the youngest female speed skater from Japan ever to make an Olympic squad.

The short track version, which sees four to six athletes compete, is staged on a 111.12m oval and comprises four events each for men and women, including a relay.

Stunning sporting legacy for the Richmond Oval

Figure skating and the short track events will be held at the Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver which, post-Games, will serve as a venue for various events including ice shows, boxing, basketball, hockey, concerts, large assemblies, and trade and consumer shows.
The 8,000-capacity Richmond Olympic Oval is 14km south of downtown Vancouver and will host the speed skating events of longer distances. The town of Richmond will be a major beneficiary after the Games, when the Oval will be transformed into an international centre of excellence for sports, featuring two international sized ice rinks, eight gymnasiums, a 200m running track and 23,000 square foot fitness centre.

Learn more about skating
www.vancouver2010.com
www.isu.org

Mao Asada

6/19/2009 7:00:00 PM

This Japanese figure skater is one of the brightest young gold medal prospects for the 2010 Vancouver Winter Games.

Skating family

Mao Asada was born in Nagoya, Japan, and was named after the Japanese actress Mao Daichi. She originally practised ballet, but was inspired to switch to skating in 1995 when her elder sister – who would also become an elite figure skater ¬¬– made the same transition.

Teenage wonder

In the 2004–2005 season, Asada competed in the ISU Junior Grand Prix, winning the final ahead of South Korea’s Kim Yu-Na, who is now one of her main rivals on the senior circuit.

Senior success

Since joining the senior ranks, Asada has won the Japanese National title (2006, 2007 & 2008), and the World Figure Skating Championship (2008) amongst numerous other titles. She also pulled off the unique achievement of landing two triple axels in the same programme at an ISU competition.

Legendary coach

Since 2007, Asada has trained under Russian coach Tatiana Tarasova. This move should give her the greatest possible chance of success, as Tarasova has coached more world and Olympic champions than any other coach, earning her the nickname “The Champion Maker”.