International Olympic Committee : News

Figure skating: World Team Trophy results

4/12/2013 1:25:23 PM

Results from the second day of the World Team Trophy in Tokyo on Friday:

Provisional team standings after the second day

1. United States 55 pts, 2. Canada 50, 3. Japan 48, 4. Russia 42, 5. France 35, 6. China 32

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

Ice dance

Final results

1. Madison Chock/Evan Bates (USA) 164.91, 2. Kaitlyn Weaver/Andrew Poje (CAN) 160.08, 3. Ksenia Monko/Kirill Khaliavin (RUS) 149.27, 4. Cathy Reed/Chris Reed (JPN) 141.75, 5. Pernelle Carron/Lloyd Jones (FRA) 138.97, 6. Yu Xiaoyang/Wang Chen (CHN) 113.76

Free dance

1. Madison Chock/Evan Bates (USA) 98.37, 2. Kaitlyn Weaver/Andrew Poje (CAN) 97.66, 3. Ksenia Monko/Kirill Khaliavin (RUS) 89.80, 4. Cathy Reed/Chris Reed (JPN) 85.40, 5. Pernelle Carron/Lloyd Jones (FRA) 84.24, 6. Yu Xiaoyang/Wang Chen (CHN) 68.61

Men

Final results

1. Daisuke Takahashi (JPN) 249.52, 2. Patrick Chan (CAN) 240.21, 3. Kevin Reynolds (CAN) 237.65, 4. Max Aaron (USA) 236.62, 5. Takahito Mura (JPN) 233.68, 6. Jeremy Abbott (USA) 231.84, 7. Brian Joubert (FRA) 227.95, 8. Maxim Kovtun (RUS) 221.79, 9. Yan Han (CHN) 207.81, 10. Wang Yi (CHN) 183.57, 11. Romain Ponsart (FRA) 165.59. Konstantin Menshov (RUS) Withdrawn after scoring 80.60 in the short programme.

Free skating

1. Daisuke Takahashi (JPN) 168.65, 2. Kevin Reynolds (CAN) 164.13, 3. Max Aaron (USA) 159.24, 4. Takahito Mura (JPN) 156.03, 5. Patrick Chan (CAN) 153.54, 6. Jeremy Abbott (USA) 151.60, 7. Brian Joubert (FRA) 151.40, 8. Maxim Kovtun (RUS) 145.12, 9. Yan Han (CHN) 143.27, 10. Wang Yi (CHN) 125.27, 11. Romain Ponsart (FRA) 108.20. Konstantin Menshov (RUS) Withdrawn due to injury.

Pairs

Short programme

1. Tatiana Volosozhar/Maxim Trankov (RUS) 74.41, 2. Meagan Duhamel/Eric Radford (CAN) 69.94, 3. Vanessa James/Morgan Cipres (FRA) 58.73, 4. Peng Cheng/Zhang Hao (CHN) 58.62, 5. Marissa Castelli/Simon Shnapir (USA) 57.18. Japan did not enter a pair.

The women's and pairs' free programmes will be held on Saturday, the final day of the competition.

afp

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”.