March 1, 2008 SOFIA, Bulgaria - The American women were as good as expected at the junior world figure skating championships.
Rachael Flatt conquered the ladies free skate to capture the division and the United States’ third gold medal at the 2008 World Junior Championships. The U.S. ladies dominated both the short and free skate competitions, with Rachel Flatt, Caroline Zhang and Mirai Nagasu finishing an overall first, second and third, respectively.
Nagasu and Flatt were first and second in the senior division at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships last month. But neither was 15 by last July 1, making them too young for the senior world championships. Flatt turned 15 on July 21 while Nagasu won’t even turn 15 until April. Zhang, who was fourth at nationals, doesn’t turn 15 until May.
So they came to junior worlds - and are going home with some shiny souvenirs!
Feb. 16, 2008 - The 2008 Four Continents Championships figure skating competition in Goyang City, South Korea concluded Saturday and Mao Asada of Japan won both the short and long programs for the gold medal with 193.25 points.
Asada hit a beautiful triple Axel in the first seconds of her program to “Fantaisie Impromptu” by Frederic Chopin. Once she had that key element under her belt, the rest went smoothly. She landed five more triples, and only the triple toe in a combination with a triple flip was downgraded.
Canadian Joannie Rochette climbed from third spot after the short program with the second-best long program to take the silver with a personal-best score of 179.54. World champion Miki Ando of Japan, struggled early in her program and dropped to third at 177.66.
Rena Inoue didn’t win a gold medal at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships this weekend - but she did get the guy. If you’re a hopeless romantic (like me), you have to see the video and photos of Olympic pairs skaters John Baldwin and Rena Inoue, as John proposed to Rena after their silver medal performance at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships.
After taking their bows, Rena turned and found John on bended knee. He not only surprised the crowd at the Xcel Energy Center but he also stunned Rena with the proposal. He had to ask twice before she said yes, hugging him as tears rolled down her face. Later, she told PEOPLE:
“I was shocked I saw him on one knee and thought he was going to tell me how proud he was – and then he asked me to marry him. Then I started crying and I said yes.”
The two have been skating partners since 2000. They both had their own singles careers and were brought together upon the urging of John’s father. It wasn’t long before the two became a couple off the ice as well.
Marriage proposals are not uncommon at sporting events, but they usually involve fans and a banner towed by an airplane. How often do two athletic participants get engaged during their competition in front of an arena full of thousands of people and a live national television audience?
Though the couple may not have won the competition, they certainly came in first in the hearts of fans.
Saint Paul, Minn. Jan. 28, 2008 – U.S. Figure Skating has named its international selections for ladies, men’s pairs and ice dancing. Those selections include the World Championships, Four Continents Championships and World Junior Championships. Among those named are newly crowned U.S. champions Mirai Nagasu and Rachel Flatt who are ineligible because of age to compete at the Worlds but will be skating at the World Juniors.
Jan. 28, 2008 - Four of the top female figure skaters in the nation, the youngest collection of stars in the history of U.S. skating, waved from the top of the podium Saturday night at the U.S. national championships.
Gold medal winner Mirai Nagasu, who at 14 is the second-youngest U.S. “women’s” champion ever, along with a trio of ladies in waiting: 15-year-old Rachael Flatt, 16-year-old Ashley Wagner and 14-year-old Caroline Zhang.
Unfortunately, three of the four cannot go to the World Championships in March because of a minimum-age rule that is enforced at only one big competition this year, the same competition that is so essential to sending a young skater on her way to greatness. The Worlds.
Christine Brennan wonders why U.S. officials don’t leap to these young skaters’ defense. Read more.
ST. PAUL, Minn. Jan. 27, 2008 - On a night when a new generation came to the fore, Mirai Nagasu overcame a fall on her opening double Axel and a third-place finish in the free skate to capture the U.S. title.The ninth grader from Arcadia, Calif., became only the second skater in history to win the U.S. senior ladies crown the season after taking the junior title.
In a quandary for U.S. Figure Skating’s International Committee, the top two finishers, Nagasu and Rachael Flatt, are both too young under International Skating Union (ISU) rules to compete at the 2008 World Championships in Gothenburg, Sweden.
With their gold and silver medalists unavailable, the committee named bronze medalist Ashley Wagner; fifth-place finisher Bebe Liang; and 2006 world champion Kimberly Meissner, who placed a devastating seventh in Saint Paul, to the 2008 world team.
What she won’t have is a trip to the 2008 World Championships in Gothenburg, Sweden. She’s too young.
The winsome skater captured the crowd and judges with her peppy take to Gershwin’s classic, “I Got Rhythm.” The program included a strong triple Lutz-triple toe combination; speedy, well-centered spins; and a beautifully extended spiral sequence. Four of her five non-jumping elements gained Level 4.
Defending champion Kimmie Meissner sits fourth after falling on a triple flip in her short to Peter Gabriel’s “The Feeling Begins.” She enters the free skate with 57.58 points, 12.65 points behind Nagasu.
So what lies in store for the newest wunderkind? No one knows for sure but try catching Saturday’s performance for a clue.
Top level competition began on Wednesday with compulsory dance and pairs short routines while the women’s short program and original dance are slated for today. Pairs, dance and women’s finals are Saturday.
Meissner and 14-year-old Caroline Zhang are favored in a women’s event lacking 2007 runner-up Emily Hughes due to a hip injury. She was fourth at Skate America and Skate Canada and seventh at the 2006 Winter Olympics.
Meissner, 18, won the 2006 world title but figures to be tested by a host of young rivals, including Zhang; Mirai Nagasu, 14; Ashley Wagner, 16, and Rachael Flatt, 15.
Zhang won last year’s world junior crown with Nagasu and Wagner also sharing the podium in a US sweep that served notice of a new generation to follow in the skatemarks of legend Michelle Kwan with the 2010 Games approaching.
Colorado Springs, Colo. (Jan. 3, 2008) – National Skating month kicked off Jan. 1, with U.S. Figure Skating, USA Hockey and US Speedskating joining forces to promote all forms of skating. Nearly 300 skating clubs across the United States are participating and offering free lessons.
Olympians Kimmie Meissner (U.S. Figure Skating) and Scott Gomez (USA Hockey) and three-time Olympic medalist Chad Hedrick (US Speedskating) are encouraging those who have never tried ice skating to take advantage of the free lessons being offered by participating ice skating rinks.
“The great thing about National Skating Month is that families can go to any participating rink for free lessons and all sorts of other fun events,” said Meissner, the reigning U.S. champion and 2006 World champion. “It’s a sport and a pastime for people of all ages, and I encourage everyone to visit their local rinks to see how they can get involved in this wonderful activity.”
TORINO, ITALY, Dec. 15, 2007 - Yu-Na Kim won the ladies competition by five points, although she was only second in the free program. She had high scoring elements and easy-looking jumps with an elegant landing phase, which are deliciously placed between her exquisite choreography and transition moves. She flowed and flew over the ice like a feather.
Her first element in the long program to music of “Miss Saigon,” a triple flip-triple toe loop combination, got nine +2s and one +3. Her only mistake was when she fell on the loop. But later, she added four good triple jumps and very good spins.
March 1, 2008 SOFIA, Bulgaria - The American women were as good as expected at the junior world figure skating championships.
Loading ...
