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2007 Trophée Eric Bompard - Figure Skating HighlightsFree Dance, Men's Long, Ladies' Long, and Pairs Long
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Trophée Eric Bompard concluded with the Free Dance, Men's Long Program, Ladies' Long Program, and the Pairs' Long Program.
Isabelle Delobel and Olivier Schoenfelder of France were the winners in the Ice Dance event despite placing second in the Free Dance (FD). Russia's Jana Khokhlova and Sergei Novitski captured the silver, while USA's Meryl Davis and Charlie White took the bronze.
Khokhlova and Novitski pulled out all stops in their expressive program to A Night on the Bald Mountain, with Khokhlova portraying a witch and Novitski a demon. Though their routine was filled with impressive lifts and complex connecting moves, the Russian silver medalists lacked what many believe to be an essential part of ice dance: traditional dance holds and positions.
"Our costumes were a collective idea of us, our coaches, choreographer and costume designer," explained Khokhlova. "To reflect the theme, we chose dark colors. His (Novitski) costume also contains red to symbolize fire. My costume was designed to be more revealing."
The couple got a costume deduction as Novitski wore tights, which is not allowed.
Despite some criticism on this aspect, they continued to capitalize on what they believe to be their best asset: extremely difficult acrobatic lifts. Nevertheless, the couple received a level four on all their elements except for the non-touching midline step sequence, earning a new personal best of 97.97 (52.80/46.17) points to win the FD. With a total score of 191.01 points, however, the maintained second place overall.
"We are very pleased with our performance and with our marks. We showed everything we can do," said Khokhlova said.
Delobel and Schoenfelder wove an intricate spell over the audience as they retold the story of The Piano, but the French champions only received a level three for their dance spin and reverse rotation lift. Though they were awarded a level four on their two step sequences, Schoenfelder stepped out of a twizzle and that sequence was downgraded to a level one.
"We are disappointed with our performance today," said Schoenfelder. "It wasn't perfect technically. I missed a twizzle and the program lacked flow."
Russia's Jana Khokhlova and Sergei Novitski placed first in the Free Dance ahead of Isabelle Delobel and Olivier Schoenfelder of France. |
The team placed second behind the Russians with 94.53 (46.90/47.63) points, but preserved their overall lead by scoring 194.14 total.
"This is our very first victory in the Grand Prix, and we've waited a long time for it," Schoenfelder said.
Davis and White maintained third place overall (176.21 points) after a flawless performance to Eleanor Rigby's Dream. The students of Igor Spilband and Marina Zueva received a level three for their curve lift and non-touching midline step sequence, but received a positive grade of execution on all their elements, scoring 89.22 (49.40/40.82) points and winning their first senior Grand Prix medal.
Their smooth and dramatic program was quite a departure from the upbeat Kalinka they performed yesterday, but the U.S. bronze medalists nicely carried their theme throughout, telling the story of a lonely Davis inventing a shadow companion for herself and being happy about finally not being alone.
"We are excited about our first Grand Prix medal," said Davis. "This is something we have been looking forward to. We can skate our Free Dance much better, but we're happy for now."
Italians Anna Cappellini and Luca Lanotte finished fourth in the free dance and overall (168.75 points) after an excellent performance to La Traviata. The 2007 Skate Canada silver medalists received a level 4 for all elements except for their non-touching midline step sequence, scoring a new personal best of 87.78 (48.50/40.28) points. Their dance was highlighted by an excellent expression of character by both partners, as well as elegant lifts which suited the style of the music perfectly.
Pernelle Carron and Mathieu Jost of France recovered some ground they lost due to the mistakes in the original dance, finishing fifth in the FD (81.71 points) and overall (159.26 points). The 2007 Skate Canada bronze medalists received a level three for the second part of their combination lift and circular step sequence, and only a level two for the non-touching midline step sequence. Despite those technical flaws, the French bronze medalists otherwise captivated their home crowd with their lifts which they created in collaboration with their former training mates Marie-France Dubreuil and Patrice Lauzon.
Armenians Anastasia Grebenkina and Vazgen Azrojan, who were fifth coming into the free dance, slipped to the sixth place overall (156.18 points) after placing seventh in the FD.
Kaitlyn Weaver and Andrew Poje of Canada placed sixth in the FD and finished seventh overall.
Delobel and Schoenfelder earned 15 points at this event and compete next at NHK alongside Khokhlova and Novitski, who picked up 13 points.
Cappellini and Lanotte now have a total of 22 points which includes the 13 they earned at Skate Canada.
Davis and White added 11 points to the nine they earned at Skate America for a total of 20 points.
Sergei Voronov (L), Patrick Chan (C), and Alban Preaubert (R) sport their medals after the Men's Free Skate. |
Patrick Chan of Canada was the winner in the Men's event, while Russia's Sergei Voronov rose to win the silver. Alban Preaubert of Franc slipped from first to third overall to settle for the bronze.
Chan opened his program to Vivaldi's Four Seasons with an excellent triple Axel and triple flip-triple toeloop combination which earned him 2.20 bonus points for the quality of the execution. The 2007 Skate America bronze medalist proceeded to land three more triple jumps, each getting a positive GOEs, but then doubled a planned triple Salchow.
The current Junior World silver medalist recovered to land a strong double Axel and triple flip, but then fell on his final combination spin, somewhat marring the impression of his smooth skating and intricate program. Nevertheless, the 16-year-old, who was fifth at this event last year, placed first in the long with a score of scored 144.05 (72.85/72.70) points and overall (214.94 points) to win the gold.
"I really can't explain what happened technically," said Chan of the fall. "I just know that going into it I was fighting to stay upright. I was hoping not to fall, but unfortunately it happened. I landed the last triple flip at the end of the program, so that maybe overjoyed me a little because it was the closest thing to a clean program this season."
"Coming to Trophée Bompard, I wasn't rally expecting to make the Final or even win the competition," added Chan. "I was really grateful to be second in the short. Coming into the long, I was pushing the envelope and trying to win. I just didn't want go any lower than second."
No one perhaps was more surprised by Voronov's second place finish in the long program and silver medal than the Russian skater himself. The student of Alexei Urmanov still hasn't completely recovered from the injury which forced him to withdraw from Skate Canada. He also had to remove triple Lutzes and triple flips from his routine as attempting this jumps are still too painful.
Voronov had seriously considered withdrawing from Trophée Eric Bompard as well, but decided to go on and compete and his decision has certainly paid off. His jump repertoire in his long program consisted of two triple Axels (one in combination with a double toeloop), two triple toeloops (one in combination with a double toeloop-double loop), a triple Salchow, a triple loop, and two double Axels (one in combination with a double toeloop).
Although the Lutzes and flips were missing, the current Russian junior champion gained points for excellent execution of those jumps, as well as good spins and footwork, to earn a new personal best of 140.21 (71.71/68.50) points. With a total score of 208.91, the 20-year-old moved up from fourth to second overall to capture his first senior Grand Prix medal.
"To get a new personal best is super," said a happy Voronov. "I have very positive feelings. This is my first (international) competition this season, and I didn't expect this result. Now I will continue to work very hard and to improve."
To the disappointment of the French fans, Preaubert slipped from first to third place overall (207.10 points) after placing third in the long.
Preaubert opened his "Dracula" routine with a solid quadruple toeloop, but then fell on triple flip and later singled a triple loop. The 2006 Trophée Eric Bompard silver medalist also received negative GOEs on some of his jumps as their landings were rather tight and lacked flow.
"I need a lot of energy in the beginning of my program," explained Preaubert, "and I was a little tired at the end and I singled the loop."
Despite getting rather higher levels on his spins, the 22-year-old scored only 67.90 points for technical elements. It was obvious that his interpretation of of the vampire theme impressed the judges less than his "Addams Family" routine yesterday as he gained only 67.50 points for the program components, finishing a distant third in long with 134.40 points.
"I am very happy with my performance," said the Frenchman. "I did the most difficult program with a quad and two triple Axels, and it was the first time for me to do two triple Axels (and the quad) in one program. This gives me confidence for the future."
Kevin van der Perren Belgium, who stood third after the short, placed fourth in the long and overall (204.75 points).
The 2007 European bronze medalist didn't attempt a quad in his "Lawrence of Arabia" routine, and also fell on a triple Lutz attempt. However, he landed two solid triple-triple combinations, a triple flip, a triple Axel, and a triple loop. What probably hurt him most, was the lack of bonus points for the quality of execution on most of his elements.
While 25-year-old still scored higher in the technical elements than Preaubert, he lacked the connecting elements which put him at a disadvantage as far as program components score went, and he narrowly missed the third place in the free skate with 134.15 (70.95/64.20) points.
USA's Ryan Bradley moved up from seventh to fifth place overall (191.32 points) after a strong performance to a Charlie Chaplin medley.
The U.S. silver medalist opened with a strong quadruple toeloop, but then faltered slightly on the landings of a triple Axel and a triple Axel-double toeloop combination. Bradley also stepped out of a double Salchow-triple toeloop combination, but recovered to land four more triple jumps, including a triple Lutz at the end of the program.
The 24-year-old also maintained the Chaplin character throughout the entire program, placing fifth in the long with 132.19 (70.69/61.50) points, beating his personal best by almost five points.
Tomas Verner of the Czech Republic rose from eighth to sixth place overall (189.37 points) despite making numerous mistakes in his Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon routine.
The European silver medalist experienced problems on most of his jumps, including stepping out of the opening quadruple toeloop, singling the toeloop in a planned triple flip-triple toeloop combination, and doubling a Lutz. However, the 21-year-old received high levels on his spins and a level three on a circular footwork sequence, scoring 132.14 (65.74/67.40) points for a sixth place finish in the long.
Japan's Kensuke Nakaniwa and Canada's Christopher Mabee placed seventh and eighth, respectively.
Chan, who earned 11 points at Skate America, now has a total of 26 points and has qualified for the Grand Prix Final (GPF).
This was a solo grand prix event for Voronov (13 points) who had to withdraw from Skate Canada due to injury.
Van der Perren added nine points to the 13 he picked up at Skate Canada for a total of 22 points.
While Preaubert picked up 11 points at this event, he only had seven from Skate America for a total of 18 points.
Verner will competes again in two weeks at NHK Trophy, but only earned five points at this event.
Japan's Mao Asada skater to Fantaisie Impromptu by Frederic Chopin for her long program. |
Mao Asada of Japan easily maintained her overnight lead to win the gold by over 21 points.
USA's Kimmie Meissner won the silver, while teammate Ashley Wagner won the bronze with only a 0.11 point difference.
Asada had a rough stat when she underrotated and fell on a triple Axel attempt, but the 2007 World silver medalist earned level fours on most of her spins and finally received a level four for her spiral sequence.
The Japanese champion also finally received credit for her "trademark" triple flip-triple loop combination after both her attempts at Skate Canada were downgraded by the technical panel. With her effortless manner of executing the jumps, including a triple loop out of a spiral sequence. In the end, the 17-year-old placed first in the free skate with 122.90 (63.94/60.96) points for her cleverly improvised routine to Chopin's Fantasie Impromtu.
"Today's performance was very good," said Asada. "I fell on the triple Axel, and I was nervous after that, but the next jump combination (triple flip-triple loop) was very strong."
Wagner, who was fifth after the short, now has a reason to remember her first season as a Senior with the warm feelings.
Though the U.S. junior bronze medalist received a deduction for a wrong edge take- off on both of her Lutzes and two-footing the landing of a triple flip (in combination with a double loop), she otherwise produced three more triples and received a level three for all her spins.
Wagner was stunned at the end of her program, shaking her head in disbelief. The 2007 Junior World bronze medalist improved her previous personal best by almost three points, scoring 108.15 (57.35/50.80) points for a second place finish in the long. It was the best result by an American lady in the current GP season.
"I was living the moment," explained Wagner, regarding her emotions at the end of her program. "I was so excited and happy."
"At Skate Canada, I got on to my first practice, and I saw Mao (Asada) was there, and was really excited," continued Wagner. "My coach told me, 'calm down'. I kind of learned that you really need to stay focused, worry about yourself, just go out there and do what you can do."
Teammate Meissner preserved her second place, winning the silver despite losing the long program to her compatriot.
The 2007 Skate America champion didn't receive credit for her second jump on a triple flip-triple toeloop combination, which was also penalized for use of the wrong take-off edge. She also underrotated a triple Salchow, singled a Lutz, and fell on a triple loop.
"It was not my best," admitted Meissner. "I started off pretty good, but I didn't finish that way. I learned that I can perform a lot better than I have in the past years. My second mark was a lot higher and I was really happy about that, because we've been working on it."
Despite the mistakes, the U.S. champion continued to present her program well, executing all the planned choreography with precision. While she earned high marks and levels for her spins, Meissner had to settle for a third place finish in the long with 102.76 (46.08/57.68) points for her efforts.
Meissner was happy about qualifying for the Grand Prix Final - a first for her.
"I am happy to go back to Torino (the site of the 2006 Olympic Winter Games)," said Meissner."
In contrast, Canada's Mira Leung executed five clean triples, which included two Lutzes and two flips, and was one of the few ladies that wasn't penalized for using the wrong take-off edge. However, the Canadian silver medalist lacked the style and elegance of the other leading skaters and scored 100.79 (56.07/44.72) for a fourth place finish in the long. With a total score of 144.57, the 18-year-old moved up from seventh to fifth place overall.
Sarah Meier of Switzerland placed fifth in the long with 93.17 points, but with a total score of 147.15, found herself fighting to maintain fourth overall.
The 2007 European silver medalists appeared to have some problems with her leg as she kept massaging it throughout the warm up.
The Swiss champion made numerous awkward mistakes on most of her jumps, including a fall on a triple flip and triple Lutz (which didn't leave the ice), suggesting that there may be a problem other than just a fit of nerves. The 23-year-old otherwise performed a beautiful and elegant program, but with no clean triples, she only earned 93.17 (39.85/54.32) points.
Elena Glebova of Estonia slipped from third to sixth place overall (141.71 points) after landing only two clean triple jumps.
Viktoria Pavuk of Hungary placed seventh overall, followed by Gwendoline Didier of France.
Asada picked up another 15 points for a total of 30, easily qualifying for the Grand Prix final.
Meissner, who now has a total of 28 points, will be joining Asada on Italian ice in next month.
Wagner earned 11 points at this event, and now has a total of 18 points.
Meier is slated to compete again in two weeks at NHK Trophy.
Dan Zhang and Hao Zhang of China perform their long program to music from The Myth soundtrack. |
China's Dan Zhang and Hao Zhang were the winners in the Pairs event, with teammates Qing Pang and Jian Tong capturing the silver.
Russia's Maria Mukhortova and Maxim Trankov captured the bronze, their first senior Grand Prix medal.
Performing to music from The Myth soundtrack, Zhang and Zhang opened their program with a rather rare element: a side-by-side double Axel-triple toeloop combination jump. The 2006 Olympic silver medalist awed the audience with a high triple twist, a big throw triple Salchow, and a solid throw triple loop, and executed their other elements equally well.
Their powerful performance earned the the 2006-07 Grand Prix Final bronze medalists a new personal best of 125.36 (68.00/57.36) points for a first place finish in the long. With a total score of 196.96, the team easily maintained first overall by over 10 points.
"We are quite pleased with this performance," said Hao Zhang, "but we didn't have enough time for our spin and the death spiral, so we didn't achieve a high level on these elements. But it was better than last year."
Teammates Pang and Tong opted for a romantic theme, choosing Nino Rota's Romeo and Juliet for their long program music. Pang doubled her jump on the opening side-by-side triple toeloops, but the pair landed a double Axel-double Axel sequence - a result they weren't able to achieve on their two previous Grand Prix events.
"We had a big problem at Skate America with our pair spin (level zero)," explained Tong. "We changed five elements before the Cup of China. Now after the Cup of China, we changed again four elements. So it was better here. We improved our score since Skate America by about 15 points. "
Combined with traditionally strong throws, which the 2007 World silver medalists "saved" for the second half of the program, and a strong triple twist, it was enough to earn them 122.61 (63.17/59.44) points for a second place finish in the long and overall (186.93 points).
"We still have to change our footwork and our death spiral to increase the level," added Tong. "We hope to improve our program for the Grand Prix Final. Overall we are satisfied with today's performance."
USA's Tiffany Vise and Derek Trent finished third in the long program with a new personal best of 109.70 (58.42/51.28) points, and with a total score of 165.76 points, missed the podium by just over four points.
The team only produced side-by-side double Lutz-double toeloops as their combination jump (which received a deduction for using the wrong take-off edge), and only did side-by-side double toeloops for their solo jump.
The secret of their success, however, was misleadingly simple: a clean and fully rotated throw quadruple salchow. They are one of three teams known to attempt this difficult and rare element, but are the only ones to execute it cleanly. They also landed a solid throw triple loop in the second half of the program and received high levels for their non-jumping elements.
Competing in their first Grand Prix event of the season Mukhortova and Maxim Trankov landed a side-by-side triple toeloop-double toeloops, but then they once again experienced problems with the catch on the triple twist, and Mukhortova fell on her jump on the side-by-side triple Salchows.
Nonetheless the Russian champions skated with more power and confidence than they ever exhibited before, highlighted by their decision to keep their long program to Rachmaninov's Elegy from last season. The students of Oleg Vasiliev earned a personal best of 108.06 (56.58/52.48) points for a fourth place finish in the long. With a total score of 169.82 points, however, they were able to maintain third place overall.
"We are happy to have won our first medal on the Grand Prix, but we can't say that our performance was really good," said trankov. "We made some mistakes and we lost some levels on our elements. The competition was late today, and there was a long break in between practice and competition. Maybe because we were lacking experience, we burnt out a little."
Ukrainians Tatiana Volosozhar and Stanislav Morozov hung onto fifth place overall (152.59 points) on the strength of their program component scores in their free skate.
The 2007 Winter Universiade silver medalists opened with clean side-by-side triple toeloop-double toeloops, but the program went downhill from there. Morozov doubled his jump on the side-by-side triple Salchows, while Volosozhar put her hand down on both throws.
The team also had problems on their first lift, which only received a level two, and the team made mistakes on the pairs combination spin and death spiral. They placed sixth in the long with 98.41 (50.37/49.04) points.
Canada's Jessica Miller and Ian Moram also received a credit for their quadruple salchow throw, but with the two-footed landing, it earned them only 6.88 points. The 2007 Cup of China bronze medalists also made mistakes on their side-by-side triple toeloops and the throw triple loop, earning 98.66 (54.18/44.48) points for a fifth place finish in the long and sixth overall (142.92 points).
Adeline Canac and Maximin Coia of France were seventh, followed by Great Britain's Stacey Kemp and David King.
Zhang and Zhang earned 15 points for their win at this event, and will compete again next week at Cup of Russia alongside Mukhortova and Trankov (11 points).
This was a non-scoring event for Pang and Tong who have already qualified with 28 points from Skate America and Cup of China.
