2013 WORLD JUNIOR FIGURE SKATING CHAMPIONSHIPS
Haven Denney and Brandon Frazier continued their outstanding season
by winning the pairs title in Milan.
L
ast month, 18 American skaters concluded their season at the World Junior Champi- onships in Milan, Italy,
where Team USA brought home five medals, including a men’s podium sweep for the first time in the event’s history.
Leading the way was Joshua Far- ris, who placed fourth in the senior event at the U.S. Championships in January. In his second trip to the World Junior Championships, Farris entered the free skate with a five-point lead. Despite placing second in the free skate to teammate Jason Brown, Farris enjoyed a large enough lead to become the first U.S. men’s World Junior champion since Adam Rippon won back-to-back titles in 2008 and 2009.
“I went out there to have fun,”
Farris said. “I knew it was my last ju- nior competition and I decided that I was going to enjoy it and skate my heart out. Tat’s what I tried to do.”
Farris finished with a per- sonal-best 228.32 points, beating the field by more than four points. Te silver medal went to Brown,
who delivered two flawless perfor- mances and conquered the triple Axel. “It’s been such a journey adding
a jump that I’ve been working on for so long day in and day out,” Brown said. “To be able to come here and do three of them and to land them, for me that was like winning. I feel so honored and proud to have gotten to the podium with my teammates.” After placing third in the short
program, Brown earned a person- al-best 154.09 points for his free skate. He finished with 224.15 points, a score that tops his previous best score by nearly 10 points.
Completing the podium was
newly minted U.S. junior silver med- alist Shotaro Omori, who competed at his first World Junior Champion- ships.
“I was really nervous before my
free skate, but my coach (Tammy Gambill) kept telling me to stay calm and focused,” Omori said. “To be able to get a medal in my first time here and to be part of this historic moment with Josh and Jason is such an honor.” Team USA swept the ladies po- dium in 2007 and 2008 but has not seen a podium sweep in any discipline since.
Earning a second gold for the
U.S. were Haven Denney and Bran- don Frazier, who left Milan with their first international medal of any color and the first World Junior pairs title
for the United States since Keauna McLaughlin and Rockne Brubaker in 2007.
“It felt like we fought through all our elements and I think that made us appreciate it even more,” Denney said. “I had a lot of fun and was re- lieved when it was over. I don’t think it has sunk in yet, but I’m really happy and proud of Brandon and myself.” After placing third in the short
program, Denney and Frazier turned in a solid free skate that earned a per- sonal-best 103.22 points. Set to La Strada by Nino Rota, their perfor- mance featured an array of difficult elements, including a throw triple loop, side-by-side triple Salchows and an overhead lift that earned a pro- gram-high 7.85 points. Besting their previous best score by more than five points, Denney and Frazier finished with 155.83 points. Te silver medal went to Mar-
garet Purdy and Michael Marinaro of Canada, while Russia’s Lina Fedorova and Maxim Miroshkin earned
the
bronze. Denney and Frazier’s team- mates Jessica Calalang and Zach Sid- hu and reigning U.S. junior champi- ons Britney Simpson and Matthew Blackmer finished ninth and 10th with 133.01 and 121.51 points, re- spectively.
SKATING 11
PHOTO BY MELANIE HOYT
PHOTO BY CLAUDIO VILLA/GETTY IMAGES
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