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2013 WOR LD F IGU RE S K AT I N G CHA MPION S H IPS For Davis and White, their sec-


Madison Chock and Evan Bates perform a fun and entertaining short dance


to waltz and polka strains from Cirque du Soleil’s


“Quidam.” They finished seventh overall.


ond World title is one of the many highlights in a career that dates back to 1997.


“Tis has to be close to the


top,” White said. “Obviously, the first time we won Worlds, being the first-ever American World cham- pionship, that has a special place. We’ve talked about this a lot, but our growth this season and how far we’ve come to win this gold med- al, that’s what makes this one really special.” Davis and White’s teammates


showed their strength as well. Fin- ishing seventh was the team of Madison Chock and Evan Bates, which made its Worlds debut as a couple. Bates, who competed in the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games with former partner Emily Samuelson, teamed up with Chock in the spring of 2011. Maia and Alex Shibutani, making their third appearance at Worlds, placed eighth.


All three U.S. teams train in the Maia Shibutani and


Alex Shibutani turn in a season-best performance in their short dance to a South American polka, waltz and march. They placed eighth overall.


Detroit area. Davis and White and the Shibutanis work with coach Marina Zoueva in Canton, Mich., while Chock and Bates work with Igor Shpilband in Novi, Mich. Te three teams earned the


United States three spots for So- chi, marking the third consecutive Winter Games three American ice dancing teams will compete at the Olympics. Tere will be plenty of work to be done for all three teams between now and February when the Games begin, and there is little doubt that the already-hot rivalry between Davis and White and Virtue and Moir will be even hotter in Sochi. Davis and White won every event they entered this season, including three in which they skated against Virtue and Moir. But the couples, who train alongside each other with Zoueva, will be reminded daily that they cannot let up an inch. “It’s certainly special for us to


be a part of being able to go back and forth like we have since the last Olympics,” White said. “Without them, I definitely wouldn’t be to the point I’m at. Having such talented rivals as them at the rink every day and seeing how great they are has pushed us, and I’d like to think in return we’ve pushed them back. “It’s a lot of fun, and a great


story line for next year.” 24 MAY 2013


Wagner and Gold earn U.S. a third Olympic berth By Lynn Rutherford


By the time Ashley Wagner


arrived in London, the message was so persistent and clear, she heard it over the most raucous of cheers and loudest of practice music. “No matter where you went it


was, ‘Tree spots, three spots, three spots,’” Wagner, 21, said. “So I kind of accepted people expected that from the U.S. ladies team. Tat was my own goal — I wanted to get the three spots back.” When Wagner competed in


her first World Championships in 2008, her 16th-place finish — com- bined with that of Kimmie Meiss- ner (7th) and Beatrisa Liang (10th) — didn’t qualify the U.S. to enter three ladies at the World Champi- onships the following season. It’s been a personal mission of Wagner’s to help recapture three spots ever since.


After all, back in 2010, it was she who felt the loss most dearly. Her third-place finish at the 2010 U.S. Championships kept her off the 2010 U.S. Olympic Team. “I know how it feels to just miss out, and I didn’t want that to happen to anyone again, not on my watch,” said the two-time U.S. champion, who trains in Alisa Vie- jo, Calif., under John Nicks. Now it’s mission accom-


plished. Wagner’s fifth-place finish in London, combined with Gracie Gold’s sixth place, did the trick just in time for the 2014 Sochi Olym- pics.


“I am ecstatic; I was on that team that lost that spot and now I’m on the team that gained it back,” Wagner said. “Gracie did a phenomenal job and I went out there and did what I had to do, and I think for a pre-Olympic year, I’m really satisfied with what I put out.” Te outstanding field in Lon-


don didn’t make the U.S. ladies’ job easy. After a competitive hiatus of 20 months, Olympic champion Yu-Na Kim of Korea returned with her elegance and big triple Lutz-tri- ple toe combination intact, and won her second World title by more than 20 points. Italy’s defending World champion Carolina Kostner, who skipped last fall’s Grand Prix season, rode her sophistication and maturity to the silver medal, while


PHOTOS COURTESY OF MICHAEL KASS


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