The ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships 2009 went on in Vancouver, Canada, Friday with the Free Dance and the Ladies Free Skating. The Four Continents Championships come to Vancouver for the first time. Canada has hosted ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships before in 1999 in Halifax and in 2004 in Hamilton. The ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships have been established in 1999 and since then have been growing year by year.
Ice Dance, Free Dance
Today’s competition opened with the Free Dance. Meryl Davis/Charlie White (USA) upset defending champions Tessa Virtue/Scott Moir of Canada to take the gold and their first title at an ISU Championship. The Canadians settled for the silver while Emily Samuelson/Evan Bates (USA) earned the bronze medal in what was their debut at the Four Continents Championships.
Davis/White had drawn to skate last and delivered a powerful performance to “Samson and Delilah” by Camille Saint-Saens. The Americans maintained great speed throughout the whole program and completed intricate footwork as well as beautiful lifts including a curve and a curve rotational lift. The U.S. Champions were awarded a level four for seven out of the eight elements; only the circular step sequence was graded a level three. Davis/White got a new seasons best of 96.74 points (49.90 element score/46.86 program component score) for their Free Dance and eclipsed overnight leaders Virtue/Moir by less than one point with a total of 129.39 points. “It (the program) felt powerful and emotional – those are the two things that have been really key this season for us. It felt like we could go out there and give it everything had”, White said. “Things have been coming together for us this season. Last season and the year before we were working on different aspects of our skating, and I think that this season it all came together. We’ve been working pretty hard and we’re happy with our performance”, Davis added.
Virtue/Moir opened their program to “Great Gig in the Sky” and “Money” by Pink Floyd with a difficult combination spin, but Virtue wobbled during the change of foot. The reigning World silver medalists went on to produce innovative lift including a straight line lift with her standing unsupported on his leg and a serpentine lift with many changes of position. Their circular footwork was smooth, but they had another bobble in the diagonal steps at the end of the routine. The Canadians were awarded a level three for the spin and the two step sequences while the twizzles and all four lifts were a level four. They scored 94.51 points (47.20/47.31) and accumulated a total score of 191.81 points. They slipped to second place.
Samuelson/Bates turned in a technically demanding and smooth performance to “Amazonic” that was highlighted by excellent lifts and steps. The 2008 World Junior Champions showed off their unison throughout the dance and were awarded a level four for all elements but for the step sequences that were a level three. They earned a new personal best of 89.90 points (48.10/41.80) and racked up a total score of 180.79 points.
Ladies, Free Skating
Yu-Na Kim of Korea skated off with the gold medal in front of an enthusiastic crowd of 9873 spectators at the Pacific Coliseum. Canada’s Joannie Rochette claimed the silver medal like she had last year and World Champion Mao Asada of Japan won the Free Skating to surge from sixth to third.
Kim skated last in the final flight. She retied the laces of her left skating boot while the marks of the previous skater were still announced, then she skated to loud cheers of the crowd a circle on the ice before taking her opening position. Skating to “Sheherazade”, the two-time World bronze medalist nailed her rock-solid triple flip-triple toe combination but then crashed on the next jump, a loop. The triple Lutz-double toe-double loop combination was not fully rotated and downgraded, but after that Kim pulled herself together to reel off a double Axel-triple toe, a triple Lutz, triple Salchow and another double Axel as well as exquisite spins, steps and spirals. The Korean scored 116.83 points (56.95 element score/60.88 program component score) and was ranked third in the Free Skating but overall held on to first place at 189.07 points to claim her first ISU Championships title at the senior level. “I wanted to do the triple loop in this competition, but unfortunately I missed it. The rest of the program was great, although I was a little tired today. It is very good for me to have earned the first place here in Vancouver”, a relieved and happy Yu-Na Kim said immediately after her performance.
Rochette landed a triple Lutz-double toe-double loop combination, a triple flip, loop, another Lutz and a triple Salchow in her sophisticated routine to “Concierto de Aranjuez”. She only did one step too many in her triple toe-triple Salchow sequence so that the second jump didn’t count and she singled the first jump in a double Axel-double Axel jump sequence. The Canadian was awarded a level four for her three spins as well as for the spiral sequence and got a level four for the footwork. Rochette collected 117.01 points (58.45/58.56) for this performance and claimed her second consecutive silver medal at Four Continents with 183.91 points.
Asada, who stood only in sixth place following a faulty Short Program skated first in the group and knew she had to risk everything. The World Champion had to overcome a shaky start into her powerful “Waltz Masquerade” program when she popped her first planned triple Axel, but she rallied back to hit a triple Axel just a few seconds later. A triple flip-double loop-double loop combination, a triple loop, triple flip-double loop as well as a double Axel followed, and she only doubled a toeloop. The 18-year-old also showed strong spins two of which were graded a level four. Asada scored 118.66 points (58.58/60.08) and was ranked first in the Free Skating. With 176.52 points, the defending Four Continents Champion moved up three spots to take the bronze medal this time.
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