Russia’s Vera Bazarova
and Yuri Larionov rallied to win the free skate and the title with 180.70 points. Te Canadian team of Meagan Duhamel and Eric Radford finished second with 177.62 points. Japan’s Narumi Takahashi and Mervin Tran placed third, winning the short program en route to 177.56 points.
Abbott starts fast, finishes fifth;
Gracie Gold “Tat performance was just the way I wanted
to end my ‘Black Swan’ program,” Wagner said. “It’s one of my favorite programs by far and to skate it clean is quite extraordinary. For the end of the season and the last program, it’s a great way to wrap everything up.” Te program began with a triple flip-double toe-double loop combination and built from there to feature two level 4 spins, a level 4 footwork se- quence and a double Axel-triple toe combination. Te crowd was clapping enthusiastically through- out Wagner’s final spin and the entire U.S. contin- gent watching from the Team USA box jumped up and down after the last triple flip. Wagner acknowledged all the support she re-
ceived, saying, “Te overall atmosphere, watching with everyone, was fun. We are supportive of ev- eryone. It’s also a great way for the different coun- tries to unite. It’s a competition but at the same time we’re all in this together.” Wagner’s teammate Gracie Gold, who burst
onto the circuit last fall after winning gold at the Junior Grand Prix event in Estonia, made her se- nior debut in Tokyo. She recently won the U.S. junior title and World Junior silver medal. Gold, a Chicago-area native, got the call from
U.S. Figure Skating about 10 days prior to the event asking if she would be interested in going to the competition. She added a spiral sequence to her free skate in order to bring the program up to senior standards. She began the competition with a solid Nut-
cracker-themed short program and stood in fourth place behind the likes of World medalists Carolina Kostner of Italy, who placed second at this event, and Japan’s Akiko Suzuki, who won the competi- tion in front of a home crowd. Gold's short program featured a triple flip- triple toe, which was worth 10.30 points and was the highest-scoring element of the segment. She added a double Axel and three level four spins for a score of 50.07 points. Gold placed fifth overall with 169.65 points. Gold, who will take her senior tests this sum-
mer, plans to compete on the senior level going forward. “It was exciting and I was happy to compete with all of the skaters I look up to at the senior
18 JUNE/JULY 2012 Jeremy Abbott
level,” Gold said. “I’m excited to skate senior next year. I will keep my training the same because it was working out well for me. I might add in some new tricks but we will see how it goes.”
Denney and Coughlin ride wave of momentum into next campaign
Caydee Denney and John Coughlin capped an outstanding first year together by finishing fourth in pairs in Tokyo. Te Colorado Springs- based duo relished the opportunity to showcase their programs one more time in front of an en- thusiastic crowd. “People have told me that this is an event that was made for me,” Coughlin said. “I became a pairs skater because I love being on the ice with somebody. Getting on the ice with Caydee each day is my favorite thing about skating. “To be able to do that plus be in a team en-
vironment here, with other teammates who push so hard every day to represent Team USA, it’s a lot of fun to be part of. I have a little inner-baseball player, team-sport guy in me, so this format is a treat for me.” Denney and Coughlin entered the competi- tion as the U.S. champions, Four Continents sil- ver medalists and having recently placed eighth at the World Championships. Tey were once again solid and a crowd favorite. Te team performed its “East of Eden” short program that started strong with a triple twist and ended with a level four pair combination spin. Te couple finished the short program with 58.93 points and in fifth place. “It wasn’t perfect; we both made some bob-
bles that won’t necessarily show up on a protocol sheet,” Coughlin said. “We got a level three on our death spiral and it was level one at Worlds, so there were some positive things to take away.” Teir “Nessun Dorma” free skate was elec- tric. All 12 of the team’s elements received posi- tive GOEs. Tey racked up 117.05 points to fin- ish third in the free skate and fourth overall with 175.98 points. “We wanted to leave this season with a good taste in our mouths,” Coughlin said. “In front of such a big crowd, to skate like that and stay composed even as the crowd got excited, was a big wave of momentum we can ride into next year.”
Rippon ends up seventh
A standout short pro- gram put U.S. champion Jeremy Abbott in an ideal position to finish in the top three, but jump mis-
takes in his free skate dashed those prospects. Abbott, who finished a disappointing eighth
at the World Championships, made a statement with his swing dance short. Each of his seven elements received positive GOEs from the judg- ing panel. His first two moves — a triple flip- triple toe combination and triple Axel — gener- ated 19.77 points, and his footwork and spins gained level fours from the technical panel. His score of 86.98 points placed him
third behind Japan’s Daisuke Takahashi and Canadian Patrick Chan, who both includ- ed quadruple toe loops in their programs. “Tis was the performance I would have loved
to have had at the World Championships, but bet- ter late than never,” Abbott said. “I wanted to skate for me and my team. At Worlds, I put so much pressure on myself because I finally felt that I had a chance to medal or to win. I’ve always had the skill but it’s the first time I believe it in my heart. “Tis was for me and it was much better.
Tat’s the first time I’ve gotten all level fours [in the program] so I’m happy to see that.” In his free to music from Muse, Abbott fell on his opening quad attempt, and popped an in- tended triple flip into a single. He placed seventh in the free and fifth overall with 234.37 points. “I started with a bad mistake then followed up with my next jump (a triple Axel-double toe),” Abbott said. “I got my feet back under me and I thought, “Whatever happens for the rest of the program — land, fall, win or fail — enjoy the mo- ment. I have to say, I did. I didn’t enjoy the jump- ing part of it so much, I’ve had better days, but I’m happy the season is over and I’m ready to move on and be five times stronger next year.” Rippon, the U.S. silver medalist, had mixed
results in his skates and placed seventh with 222.73 points. His spins and footwork were well received by the judges, but a few of his jumps — fore- most his triple Axel — lost points on execution. “Tere were some really good things and there
were some things that were a little rough,” Rip- pon said. “I went out and fought for everything.” Takahashi gave Japan the win with 276.72 points. Chan placed second with 260.46 points, while France’s Brian Joubert took third with 239.64 points.
PHOTO BY TOSHIFUMI KITAMURA/GETTY IMAGES
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