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2009-10 ISU Grand Prix Final of Figure SkatingJunior Pairs and Men's Short Programs; Senior Pairs Short Program and Original DanceDecember 3, 2009
The 2009-10 ISU Grand Prix Final of Figure Skating was held Dec. 3 - 6 at the Yoyogi National Stadium in Tokyo, Japan. Approximately 84 skaters from 11 countries competed in the Junior and Senior divisions of the event. The first day of the event kicked off on Dec. 3 with the Junior Pairs and Men's Short Programs, the Senior Pairs Short Program, and the Original Dance. Junior Pairs (Short Program)China's Wenjing Sui and Cong Han took the lead, followed closely by Japan's Narumi Takahashi and Mervin Tran. Ksenia Stolbova and Fedor Klimov of Russia placed third. Skating to Barynia - a Russian Folk piece, Sui (14) and Han (17) delivered a sound program which included good side-by-side double Axels, a throw triple Salchow, and level 4 lift. The couple was awarded 56.80 points, just slightly below their personal best score. "I think our performance was lacking in expression today," said Han. "Our elements were rather solid." Takahashi (17) and Tran (19) also gave a good routine to a flamenco despite Takahashi's struggle with the landing of a double Axel. The Japanese Champions otherwise earned a level 4 on both their spins and executed a solid throw triple Salchow. "We were a little slow at first going into the double Axel," noted Takahashi, "but we didn't give up. At NHK, we were quite nervous because of the large audience, but we tried to relax here and felt very confident going into the competition." "It felt good skating here," added Tran. "We've skated here before, so we were familiar with the rink. It was good to skate in front of the home audience and see all the Japanese flags in the stands because we knew they were cheering just for us. Going into the Free, we just want to do what we usually do." Stolbova (17) and Klimov (19) produced a solid program which featured good side-by-side double Axels and a throw triple Salchow, but struggled a bit on the double Lutz twist. They score 48.90 points for their routine to Russian Fantasy. "We are quite happy with that we did today," said Stolbova, "especially after my injury. I injured ligaments in my right ankle in the off-ice practice in October, and I couldn't skate for about 3 and half weeks. So considering that we only had two weeks to prepare for this event, it went well." "There are always thing that you can improve," added Klimov. "We compete for the first time in front of such an audience. It is really nice, but also makes us a little nervous." Canada's Kaleigh Hole and Adam Johnson earned 47.00 points fourth place with their routine to Roxie's Suite by Danny Elfman. "It was good overall even though we missed a jump-throw triple Salchow," said 16-year-old Hole. "It was a great experience for me to skate at the Finals. I did not feel any pressure, but a bit rushed for the Salchow. We will just do what we do in the long program." "It was a very strong program and we enjoyed skating," added Johnson, 21. "We just started skating together from March this year, so this competition was a good experience. We are ready for the long program." Yue Zhang and Lei Wang of China placed fifth (46.04 points). The team performed a solid throw triple Salchow, however, Zhang fell on her jump in the side-by-side double Axels. "I was tired," said Zhang, 16, of the missed jump. "We just arrived yesterday and also did not have too much time to practice." "It didn't work out too well," added Wang, 21. "We were able to increase the level of difficulty in the short program and will introduce a new free program. We want to give our best and don't have any expectations, but we would be glad if we could beat our seasons best." Russians Tatiana Novik and Mikhail Kuznetsov and Alexandra Vasilieva and Yuri Shevchuk placed sixth and eighth respectively, while USA's Britney Simpson and Nathan Miller were seventh. "Compared to what we can do, we only showed about 40 percent of our ability today," shared Kuznetsov, 21. "We were nervous, this is a big competition. Tania is competing in her first GPF. We are well prepared, we have been training at the sports basis in Novogorsk (near Moscow) and we've trained really well. We did really good run-throughs of our programs there, and so I'm even shocked a little about how we skated today." "It is a great opportunity to compete in this Final," added 15-year-old Novik. "We'll stay to watch the senior couples, because we can learn from them. They have a lot of experience and we're just striving to get there where they are." Junior Men (Short Program)Nan Song of China took the lead with a new personal best of 71.70 points with his performance to The Way Old Friends Do. The skater from Qiqihar landed four triple jumps including a strong triple Lutz-triple toe combo and triple Axel, however, his flip was called on using the wrong take-off edge. "Today's program was better than at previous competitions," said the 19-year-old. "There were a few mistakes, and I usually don't make mistakes, so I was surprised. I make some changes after every competition, and I try to keep improving with each competition." USA's Ross Miner followed by less than one point with his Carmen routine. The 18-year-old executed a strong triple Lutz-triple toe and triple flip, however, he put his hand down on the landing of his triple Axel. The skater also produced solid spins and footwork, and earned a new personal best score of 70.85 points. "I'm pretty happy with it," said Miner of his performance. "I did most of what I could do. I felt like I stayed focused till the end. I'm happy with the (seasonal best). I got three pretty solid elements done, so the job is done." The U.S. Junior Champion is also enjoying Tokyo. "This is the coolest city I've ever been to. The people have even so nice and what a cool building to skate in." Yuzuru Hanyu of Japan placed third after a bit of a wobble on the landing of his triple Axel as well as his final combination spin. The Japanese Junior Champion earned 69.85 point for his routine to music from the Mission Impossible 2 soundtrack. "I'm very happy that I could get points close to my personal best," said the 14-year-old. "At the same time, I'm upset that I couldn't beat other skaters. I really feel that the Final is a very special competition. I lost most of the points from my spins, so I'll work hard on getting better spins. I'm only a few points behind the top skater, so I'll try my best (in the Free skating). If I do my best, I know I can win tomorrow." USA's Grant Hochstein is currently in fourth with a new personal best of 66.45 points. His routine to Tchaikovsky's The Sleeping Beauty featured good spins and footwork, however, his first jump on the triple Lutz-triple toe was called for use of the wrong take-off edge. "I feel very good," said the 19-year-old. "I kept pushing. It's what I've been training for. I wanted to go all out. I'm learning a lot." In fifth place with 62.44 points is Artur Gachinski of Russia. The 16-year-old's routine to Albinoni's Adagio featured good footwork, however, he touched down on the triple Axel and was called for use of the wrong edge on his triple flip. "It wasn't so good today," noted Gachinski. "I don't know why I didn't skate my best today. I was feeling good and my preparation for this event went really well." USA's Richard Dornbush gave a clean performance (with the exception of a doubled flip) to Paint it Black by Rolling Stones. The 18-year-old scored 59.35 points. Stanislav Kovalev of Russia placed seventh (57.69 points), followed by Japan's Kento Nakamura (57.16 points). Nakamura, 18, had a rough skate after falling on both his triple Axel and triple flip. "The warm-up went well. I'm a little surprised that I made two errors. I felt my balance was slightly off on those jumps. I'll forget about my mistakes today and try not to make any tomorrow. This is my first time at the Final, so many people don't know me yet. I think I have big, fluid movements and I want to keep on improving so that people will say that they want to see my performance." Senior Pairs (Short Program)Xue Shen and Hongbo Zhao of China currently lead after setting a new record score of 75.36 points. The three-time World Champions delivered an emotional performance to Queen's Who Wants to Live Forever which featured solid side-by-side triple toeloops, a triple twist, and throw triple loop. "Today we felt very good out there on the ice," said a happy Zhao. "We almost felt like we were in Beijing! All our elements were beautiful today, and also our emotions were strong. So we feel this was a better performance than at our previous Grand Prix events in Beijing and in the USA." "We love just skating on the ice," he continued. "The crowd was amazing. The warm hearted support helped and cheered us." Shen (31) and Zhao (36) are looking forward to a third go around in Vancouver. "Coming back is so hard," said Zhao, "but we're so happy. We enjoy the training and competing again. Training again is very tough but we love this moment. We trained so long, and we practice a lot. Practice makes perfect." Germany's Aliona Savchenko and Robin Szolkowy are currently in second with 73.14 points. The two-time and reigning World Champions delivered a good performance to Send in the Clowns which featured a solid throw triple flip and triple twist, however, Szolkowy touched down with his hand on the side-by-side triple toes. "The elements felt better than in the other competitions, except for my triple toe obviously," said Szolkowy, 30. "Everything felt calm and smooth." "Today's performance was not 100%," admitted 25-year-old Savchenko. "As you know, my jumps are a bit shaky but I'll do my best for tomorrow." "It was a weird feeling today," Savchenko added. "It felt more like a practice than a competition because of the whole atmosphere. There were not so many spectators. I prefer it when the arena is full." The German Champions enjoy enjoy having Shen and Zhao back on the circuit. "They're great!" said Savchenko. "I appreciate a lot that we can skate together. It's good for me." Maria Mukhortova and Maxim Trankov of Russia finished third with a new personal best of 69.78 points with their performance to Secret Garden's Appassionata. Their routine featured solid side-by-side triple toeloops, a triple twist, and a throw triple loop. Though they delivered a clean skate with no errors, Trankov was not satisfied. "We did some small mistakes during our program," admitted Trankov. "Our spiral and spins are not perfect today." Mukhortova (24) and Trankov (26) stayed in North America after their Skate Canada event last month. "It was not easy because it's a very big time change," said Trankov. "We prepared for this competition in the United States and the ice rink there is smaller than this one and we didn't feel so comfortable. But we just tried to skate and make it work and are finally happy." Despite coming in fourth, China's Qing Pang (29) and Jian Tong (30) still scored a new personal best of 68.04 points with their routine to Bizet's Je Crois Entendre Encore. The defending Grand Prix Champions lost touch during their final pair spin which didn't receive credit, however, they delivered good side-by-side triple toeloops, a high triple twist, and triple throw loop. Teammates Dan Zhang (24) and Hao Zhang (25) are currently fourth with 66.24 points. The 2009 World silver medalists executed a high triple twist, side-by-side triple Salchows, and a throw triple loop. "I think we had a little mistake today," admitted Dan, "but basically we're quite happy. Before the Olympic Games we want work on the details." "The last couple of events we made some mistakes (in the short program) and practiced accordingly," added Hao. "Therefore out preparation was quite good and we performed well today." Russia's Yuko Kavaguti and Alexander Smirnov sit in sixth with 62.30 points. Kavaguti struggled a bit on the landing of her jump during the opening side-by-side triple toeloops as well as the landing of her throw triple loop. "I heard the crowd and I really thank them for their support," said Kavaguti. "However, I am very upset that I couldn't perform well in front of them. The injury that I got at NHK did not affect our performance today at all. The jump I missed (throw triple loop) was my mistake. Practice would not mean anything if I cannot perform well at the competition. Therefore, we will try to do our best in the free program and hope we can perform as well as in practice." Senior Ice Dance (Original Dance)USA's Meryl Davis and Charlie White took the lead with their enticing Indian Folk dance with a new personal best of 65.80 points. The 2009 Four Continents Champions received all positive Grades of Execution (GoEs) and earned a level 4 on all elements except for the opening midline step sequence (level 3). "We skated pretty good," said White. "Not our best, but we're pretty happy with it. To be awarded with a score like that is always a good thing. At this point in the season, we're trying to build and build and it's good to see our score building with us. Overall everything was very good, but we want to make it perfect. We are still striving for that. It's the key to success – never be content, keep striving." "You can't worry about the competition and what you are ranked," he answered when asked about coming in as the top ranked team. "You just have to get out there and perform the way you think you can and let your skating speak for itself." "We always can improve out performance," added Davis. "We felt like we performed pretty well today, but obviously we always have somewhere to go. We're working the model a little here and there. It feels great to get a season's best. Our problem has been always nerves, but I think that Charlie and I always have focused on ourselves, and we're not changing that." Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir earned a new seasonal best of 64.01 points for their Flamenco, and they too earned all positive GoEs. However, they had mostly lower levels than that of their main rivals. "We are actually pretty happy with today's performance," said Moir. "This is a program that we're really happy to bring this week. Not that we were unhappy with it in the (other GP events). It's just that we felt we could do a lot better, so we feel like this is a good step in the right direction." At Skate Canada, the team had a stumble in the same routine. "It was just flinky," recalled Virtue. "Just one of those things that are going to happen. You know, whether it was about focus or just one of those weird days, when I couldn't get my legs underneath me. I think we learned a lot from that and it's the same with this event. It's all a process and we're feeling like we can handle anything now." The team was late on their arrival to Tokyo, and went straight to the rink for fifteen minutes of practice. "Thank God it was in Japan as they are so organized," said Moir. "They (the Japanese Skating Federation) did so much for us." Nathalie Pechalat and Fabian Bourzat of France came in third with a buoyant American Country Dance with a seasonal best of 56.93 points. Their routine featured a good straight line lift and circular step sequence. "It was not a good performance and we should have done better," Bourzat admitted. "It was just the same as in the practice. I think we did a better performance in Skate Canada even though we got the season's best today." Great Britain's Sinead Kerr and John Kerr are currently in fourth with 56.47 points. The European bronze medalists also put out a delightful American Country Dance which featured a good midline step sequence and straight line lift. "It was not too bad," said John. "I mean, actually we're coming all this way to Japan and we had our Nationals just last week. I think we're pretty happy with it. There are always things you can improve on, but all in all it has been a great experience to be here. It's our first Final." "It's quite of tiring coming to Japan straight after the Nationals," added Sinead, "but actually it feels a little bit more relaxed. There only six competitors and there is also no compulsory dance." The team is currently focusing on their step sequences during practice. "We haven't had great calls," admitted John. "Not necessarily because there was something wrong. We have to try to make it look a lot clearer as to what we're trying to do with the step sequences." Italy's Anna Cappellini and Luca Lanotte are currently fifth (54.91 points). "It's strange to start the competition with the OD," said Lanotte. "We want to skate two great performances here, and we did one today." "We chose this music because we thought it's a waste not to use our country's music," noted Cappellini of their Italian Folk dance. "In this program we want to portray the spirit of the carnival in Napoli. In the beginning, I'm doing the laundry, in Napoli. Everyone has their laundry outside on ropes that run from house to house." Vanessa Crone and Paul Poirier of Canada earned 51.69 points for sixth place. "I felt comfortable skating and I had so much fun today," said Crone. "I was so excited that we got the call (for attending the Final). We just came back from NHK Trophy and I was excited to be coming back to Japan and skate again. We'll just do our best in the free dance." "I enjoyed the performance very much today," added Poirier. "We got a season's best in each competition, so I feel that we are improving with each competition. I hope we can keep improving our record. Attending the Final is a big step for us." |
2009-10 ISU Grand Prix Final of Figure Skating