2004 World Figure Skating Championships: Ladies Highlights

Shizuka Arakawa of Japan was the surprise winner in the ladies event, winning her first world title, while USA’s Sasha Cohen and Michelle Kwan won silver and bronze respectively.

The ladies event begin with the Qualifying Rounds which account for 20 percent of the final score. The short program is worth 30 percent while the long is worth 50 percent. The top 15 skaters from each qualifying group advanced to the Short Program.

Cohen opened her routine with a triple Lutz-double toeloop followed by a triple flip, a triple toeloop, a double Axel and a nice split jump into a Charlotte. The 19-year-old then executed a triple Salchow-double toeloop combination, a triple Lutz, a triple Salchow, and a nice layback. The two-time and reigning US silver medalist produced fast footwork and spins to receive marks ranging from 5.4 to 5.9 for a first place finish in her group.

“We out…

2004 World Figure Skating Championships: Men’s Highlights

Evgeni Plushenko of Russia defended his World title in the Men’s event, winning his third gold medal. France’s Brian Joubert won silver while Stefan Lindemann of Germany won the bronze.

The men’s event began with the Qualifying Rounds which account for 20 percent of the final score. The short program is worth 30 percent while the long is worth 50 percent. The top 15 skaters from each qualifying group advanced to the Short Program.

Canada’s Emanuel Sandhu landed a quadruple toeloop-double toeloop combination, but fell on the next element, a triple Axel. The 2004 Four Continents silver medalist recovered to land a triple Axel-triple toeloop combination, a triple flip-triple toeloop combination, and two more triple jumps, earning marks from 5.5 to 5.8 for a first place finish in his group.

“I’m more than proud of this program,” said Sandhu. “After the fall on the triple Axel at the beginning, I pulled myself together. Now I am in first…

2004 World Figure Skating Championships: Ice Dance Highlights

Tatiana Navka and Roman Kostomarov of Russia won the gold in their second trip to Worlds together as a team. Bulgarians Albena Denkova and Maxim Staviski won silver while Germany’s Kati Winkler and Rene Lohse won bronze.

The Compulsory Dance drawn for the World Championships was the Midnight Blues, the newest of the Compulsory Dances. It was invented by Roy Bradshaw, Sue Bradshaw, Mark Bradshaw, and Julie MacDonald and first performed in 2001 in Vancouver, Canada. As there were more than 25 entries in the event, the couples were divided into two Qualifying Groups for the Compulsory Dance (CD). Group B was drawn to skate first.

This event marked the first time the Midnight Blues was ever used in an ISU Championship. Many of the couples are still learning the steps.

“Lena (Grushina) and Ruslan (Goncharov) showed us the steps during the exhibition practice at Europeans,” said Navka, who revealed she had only been practicing the dance with her partner for…

2004 World Figure Skating Championships: Pairs Highlights

The 2004 ISU World Figure Skating championships opened in Dortmund, Germany Monday with approximately 179 skaters participating from 43 countries. Held in Dortmund for the third time, the event took place in the Westfalenhalle arena beginning March 22 with the Men’s Qualifying Round and the Pairs Short Program.

In their sixth trip to worlds, Russia’s Tatiana Totmianina and Maxim Marinin won their first gold medal. China’s Xue Shen and Hongo Zhao fought for the silver while teammates Qing Pang and Jian Tong grabbed the bronze.

Performing to Rachmaninov’s Variations on a Theme of Paganini, Totmianina and Marinin opened with a throw triple loop followed by side-by-side triple toeloops, a double twist, and a one-armed lift. The two-time World silver medalists earned marks ranging from 5.7 to one 6.0, placing first after the short.

It was the first 6.0 the team had ever received. “It’s wonderful!” said a happy Totmianina. “I always dreamed about getting a 6.0 before the new judging system…

Canada’s Veteran to Stay Til 2006

Canada’s Jayson Dénommée has medalled at the three top levels at Canadian Nationals, but has yet to win the gold medal in seniors although he has placed in the top ten for seven of last eight years, missing only 2000 when he was felled by illness. He’s been in the top five on four of those occasions. Dénommée won the Canadian novice men’s title in 1994, finished second in junior men in 1996, and won the silver in senior men’s in 2001. This season, he finished 7th after errors in the short program left him out of contention.

The 26-year-old has been skating since he was seven. “I started like every good Canadian boy that wants to play…

Ageless Amber Corwin Continues to Improve

USA’s Amber Corwin has been competing for almost two decades, longer than many of her competitors have been alive. But Corwin is not only getting older, she’s getting better. This season she had her highest finish in over ten years of competing in senior ladies at the 2004 U. S. Nationals in Atlanta, finishing fourth.

She capped off her season by taking the bronze medal at the 2004 Four Continents Championships after winning the short program and finishing fifth in the long. It was her second medal at the event. She also won a silver medal at the inaugural Four Continents Figure Skating Championship in 1999. “Four Continents comes at a great time for me,” she said. “I came right after the peak of my…

Albena Denkova and Maxim Staviski: Interview

Albena Denkova and Maxim Staviski teamed up in 1996 after Albena’s former partner, Hristo Nikolov, retired. Denkova and Staviski, who won the bronze at the 2003 World Championships, are the first Bulgarian skaters to medal at this event.

The team relocated to Russia in the fall of 2000 to train near Moscow under coach Alexei Gorshkov and choreographer Sergei Petukhov.

The team recently won their second consecutive silver medal at the 2004 European Championships. Earlier this season, they placed second at Skate Canada, first at both Trophée Lalique and NHK Trophy, and second at the Grand Prix Final.

The team is now preparing for the upcoming 2004 World Figure Skating Championships in Dortmund, Germany later this month. It will be their seventh trip to this event.

Mary: Last season,…

Hamel Showcases Unique Talent

One of the best reasons to have qualifying rounds at Canadian Nationals is to see unusual skaters like Alexandre Hamel, a 20-year-old from Quebec whose choreography is in the offbeat mold of a Dan Hollander or a Gary Beacom. Hamel isn’t your average skater. He’s a full-time student who has no coach and virtually no ice time for training, yet managed to choreograph some of the best programs of the competition. Hamel finished 24th at the 2004 Canadians after finishing 20th in seniors last year and tenth in juniors the year before.

He started skating when he was eight. “I went to play hockey like most guys in Canada,” he remembered. “But then I learned a waltz jump and said this is so crazy. Then there was a show at our…