2013 FOUR CONTINENTS CHAMPIONSHIPS
U.S. CLAIMS THREE MEDALS L
DAVIS AND WHITE SNAG THIRD FOUR CONTINENTS TITLE by MIMI WHETSTONE
ess than two weeks after the 2013 Pruden- tial U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Omaha, Neb., 18 members of Team USA headed to the 2013 Four Conti-
nents Championships, Feb. 6‒11 in Osaka, Japan, where five-time reigning U.S. ice dancing champi- ons Meryl Davis and Charlie White earned their third title (2009, 2011, 2013). “We haven’t had a lot of time since the na-
tional championships, but we gained a lot of con- fidence there,” Davis said. “We felt we really put it all on the ice. We are thrilled to be here and are proud of what we did today.” After a slight bobble on their twizzle sequence
left them in second place following the short dance, Davis and White rallied with a dramatic free dance, which earned a career-high 112.68 points. “It was a really emotional skate,” White said.
“We gave it everything we had and that’s all we can ask of ourselves. It’s difficult coming off the U.S. Championships, so to be able to go out and per- form the way we did is a testament to our prepara- tion and I’m really proud.” Set to selections from Notre Dame de Paris,
Davis and White’s free dance earned a Level 4 on seven of nine elements, en route to edging long- time rivals and training mates, 2010 Olympic champions Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir of Can- ada, by more than three points for the title. Tey finished with 187.36 points. Rounding out the podium were newly
crowned U.S. silver medalists Madison Chock and Evan Bates, who garnered their first ISU medal in their second season together. “Luckily, Madison and I both have experi-
ence from our past partnerships to draw on,” Bates said. “But we are new and it does feel new. It feels great to be up here with the two best ice dance teams in the world.” Performing to music from Cirque du Soleil,
Chock and Bates received positive grades of execu- tion on each of their five elements, on their way to a personal-best 65.44 points for their short dance. Despite a fifth-place finish in the free dance, Chock and Bates scored an international career-high 160.42 points and earned the bronze medal. U.S. bronze medalists Maia Shibutani and
Alex Shibutani finished just off the podium with 159.97 points. U.S. pairs champions Marissa Castelli and Si-
mon Shnapir added to Team USA’s medal count, winning bronze with 170.10 points. “Te long was a toss-up; it could be anyone’s
game,” Castelli said. “We are happy with how it came out. We worked hard and had a good long program. It was our season’s best.” Although mistakes plagued the pair’s perfor-
mances, Castelli and Shnapir powered through each element with tenacity and strength, holding on to a podium position with a free skate that fea- tured side-by-side triple toe loops, a throw triple Salchow and an overhead lift that earned a pro- gram-high 7.90 points. “We had less than a week between coming
home from the U.S. Championships and leaving for here,” Shnapir said. “It was tough. We have had quick turnarounds like that before so that helped us. For us, it’s about pushing through and riding the wave, staying together and working hard all the way through Worlds.” Finishing fourth were U.S. bronze medalists
Newly crowned U.S. silver medalists Madison Chock and Evan Bates earned a personal-best 65.44 points for their ‘Cirque du Soleil’ short dance, on their way to their first ISU medal.
Felicia Zhang and Nathan Bartholomay, who to- taled a personal-best 167.30 points. Teammates Al- exa Scimeca and Chris Knierim, reigning U.S. sil- ver medalists, withdrew prior to the short program after Scimeca injured her right foot in practice. Te top spots both went to Canadian
teams, with Meagan Duhamel and Eric Radford on top with 199.18 points, followed by Kirsten Moore-Towers and Dylan Moscovitch with 196.78. In the men’s competition, U.S. champion
Max Aaron rallied from a disappointing 10th- place finish in the short program to earn second in the free skate. Aaron’s West Side Story performance featured a pair of quad Salchows, one in combi- nation with a triple toe, and two triple Axels, one in combination with a double toe. Aaron earned 234.65 points and finished in fourth place. “Tis is my first time at an [ISU] champion-
ship event and I’m glad to be here,” Aaron said. “Tis is a good experience to get the chance to
SKATING 11
learn how championship events work at the se- nior level. It’s something special I can take toward Worlds.”
Richard Dornbush and U.S. silver medalist
Ross Miner finished in fifth and ninth place, with 234.04 and 214.36 points, respectively. Te gold medal went to Kevin Reynolds of Canada, who earned 250 points. Japan’s Yuzuru Hanyu cap- tured the silver with 246.38 points, and the bronze fell to China’s Han Yan with 235.22 points. Finishing behind an all-Japanese podium
in the ladies event, Christina Gao turned in two impressive performances to record a personal-best 176.28 points. Although she suffered a fall on a triple Lutz in her free skate, Gao’s “Close Without Touching” short program garnered a personal-best 62.34 points, giving her a high enough score to secure fourth place overall. “I’m disappointed that I missed the Lutz, be-
cause I almost never miss my Lutz,” Gao said. “I’m glad I pulled it together and still did everything afterward.” Gao’s teammates, U.S. silver and bronze
medalists Gracie Gold and Agnes Zawadzki, fin- ished with 166.66 and 158.99 points, in sixth and eighth place, respectively. “I don’t think I lost much steam, it’s just not
what I’m capable of doing,” Gold said. “I’m go- ing to go home and take it easy for about a week to recover mentally and physically before I start my training for Worlds. I want to be top-10, but mostly it will be great experience for me.” Mao Asada won the title with 205.45 points.
Akiko Suzuki collected the silver medal with 190.08 points, while Kanako Murakami generat- ed 181.03 points for the bronze.
Reigning U.S. pairs
champions Marissa Castelli and Simon Shnapir fought through their “Payadora” free skate to earn 170.10 points and the bronze medal.
PHOTOS BY ATSUSHI TOMURA/GETTY IMAGES
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