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Post by Admin on Apr 1, 2017 20:49:02 GMT
Hanyu pulled off a remarkable comeback to win the world figure skating title on Saturday, a boost to his bid to retain his Olympic title next year. Hanyu was fifth after the short program but produced a world-record free skate score of 223.30 points, landing four quadruple jumps, for a winning total of 321.59. Short program leader Javier Fernandez of Spain, skating last, dropped to fourth with a fall and other errors, giving Hanyu his second career world title after victory in 2014. Hanyu, who was in tears of joy after learning his score, praised the passionate support from Japanese fans. “After the short program, I was quite depressed. I was so deeply depressed,” he said. “But the fans and the team believed in me.”
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Post by Admin on Apr 2, 2017 20:53:18 GMT
Medvedeva smashed her world record for free-skate and total scores Friday, ending up with a flawless seven triple jumps and 233.41 points. She won by a whopping 13.28 points over Canadian Kaetlyn Osmond. Another Canadian, Gabrielle Daleman, took bronze. “A little bit nervous [in] 6-minute warm-up before my [free] skate,” Medvedeva said. “I just told [myself], Yevgenia, you must keep calm. I skated well and had fun.” Medvedeva hasn’t lost since November 2015, which was her only defeat in two seasons as a senior skater. She just completed the most dominant two-year stretch in women’s skating since Katarina Witt in the 1980s. Medvedeva was asked this in Friday night’s press conference: It’s been a tough time for Russian sport in general, in many respects. How important is it for you to do well for Russian sport, and what does this victory perhaps mean for Russian sport in general? After a translator interpreted the question, Medvedeva took 10 seconds to gather her thoughts. She then spoke in Russian for 75 seconds, one of the longest answers she has given in such a setting. “That’s one of the most difficult questions I’ve had,” Medvedeva said. “I hope that all the work that my coaches and myself are inputting every day brings something positive to the country. Yeah, it is sad to hear all the news and read the news and hear the news. I think we just should support each other. I know from my own experience what a great role support plays. We should not give up and move forward.”
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Post by Admin on Apr 3, 2017 20:54:01 GMT
You could be forgiven for thinking this year’s world figure skating championships took place in Japan, not Finland. The stands were full of red-and-white flags, Japanese skaters got huge cheers, and companies from the country dominated the advertising on the rink’s boards. That’s because Japan is firmly entrenched as skating’s spiritual home, with a legion of dedicated fans ready to follow their favorite skaters around the world. ”When I was a small girl, five years old, I was always watching it on TV, all the skating competitions,” said Kikuko, who didn’t want to give her family name, as she sipped a beer Sunday below a display of Finnish hockey memorabilia ahead of the exhibition gala skates. In the decades since Kikuko first fell in love with skating, she has followed her favorite skaters to competitions in France, South Korea, North America and Spain. Championship organizers didn’t provide an official number for tickets sold in Japan, but arena staff and Japanese journalists estimated that up to 2,000 fans from the country – typically middle-aged women – were in attendance at the Hartwall Arena this week. They had plenty to cheer as Yuzuru Hanyu, a heartthrob for Japanese supporters, won men’s gold on Saturday.
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Post by Admin on Apr 4, 2017 20:48:48 GMT
The 2017 ISU World Championships wrapped up over the weekend in a whirlwind of drama and excitement. Team USA, comprised of veterans and newer faces, had a strong showing and secured the maximum of three Olympic spots in three out of four disciplines. Now, we look ahead to the World Synchronized Skating Championships. From the science behind Nathan Chen’s quads to an introduction to the Haydenettes, the following reads sum up the latest stories in figure skating. Karen Chen entered a cauldron on the ice Friday in Helsinki in her first senior World Championships. She glanced at the scoreboard and saw teammate Ashley Wagner, the face of U.S. figure skating for the past three years, had faltered in her free program in Helsinki. It was up to the Fremont skater to salvage America’s hopes of earning three spots for the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea. The teen who began skating at Sharks Ice Fremont as a kid came through by finishing fourth to save the United States’ Olympic chances 10 months from now. “At first, it was overwhelming,” Chen said. “Right when that thought came into my head my body felt tense all of a sudden. Because I wanted to prove to myself I can do it — I could skate very well under pressure.”
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Post by Admin on Apr 6, 2017 20:53:15 GMT
Ted Flett talks with French ice dancers Gabriella Papadakis & Guillaume Cizeron in Helsinki about their distinct style for the Short Dance, music choice for the Free Dance, costumes, training with Canada's Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir, their season compared to last season, and more. Guillaume Cizeron still wears a bandage in his hand, remembering his injury by catching his skate during the short program. "The points were made a bit in a hurry just after the competition and have jumped a bit, it hurts a little but I imagine it will heal," he smiled. He and his partner Gabriella Papadakis were visiting L'Equipe on Tuesday. The occasion to evoke the artistic choices without concession of the double world champions of dance, silver medalists Saturday in Helsinki. And their vision of the Olympic year.
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