2008 Cup of Russia Figure Skating Championships - Compulsory Dance and the Ladies', Pairs' and Men's Short Programs - Highlights

2008 Cup of Russia

Nov 21-23, 2008
Moscow, Russia

DAY 1
DAY 3
FULL RESULTS

STANDINGS

ICE DANCE (FINAL):

1. Khokhlova/Novitski RUS
2. Domnina/Shabalin RUS
3. Davis/White USA

LADIES (FINAL):

1. Kostner ITA
2. Flatt USA
3. Suguri JPN

PAIRS (FINAL):

1. Zhang/Zhang CHN
2. Kawaguchi/Smirnov RUS
3. Volosozhar/Stanislav UKR

MEN (FINAL):

1. Joubert FRA
2. Verner CZE
3. Preaubert FRA

Cup of Russia continued with the Original Dance and the Ladies', Pairs' and Men's Long Programs.

Ladies (Long Program)

Carolina Kostner of Italy rose from second after the Short Program to capture the gold, while USA's Rachael Flatt claimed the silver.

Overnight leader Fumie Suguri of Japan slipped from first to third overall to settle for bronze.

Kostner won the long program and the gold despite a flawed performance of last year's free program to the music of Dumsky Trio. The skater, who cited the need 'to feel more like herself on the ice' for returning to the old program, opened her routine with an excellent triple flip-triple toe loop combination, a slightly flawed triple Lutz-double toe loop-double loop, and a strong triple flip. However, the current World silver medalist later fell out of a triple loop entry, underrotated and fell on a triple toe loop (in combination with a double Axel), and stepped out of her final double Axel.

The comfort of the old program allowed the two-time European Champion to relax and enjoy her performance, which was especially evident during an inspired straightline step sequence and spiral sequence, which simply flew across the ice. The Italian scored 113.70 points for her program, and with 170.72 points total, won the event with a 4-point margin.

"I was quite nervous," confessed Kostner. "I remembered Skate Canada and I was nervous there as well, but I after I landed my first jumps here I was able to calm down. I thought 'Ok, see? You know how to skate, you don't just forget it overnight'. I was able to have fun."

Flatt posted the highest technical score of the night, but the judges found her interpretation and presentation of Debussy's Dialogue du Vent et de la Mer lacking. Once again, however, the student of Tom Zakrajsek proved to be an excellent competitor and quick thinker. When the landing of her opening triple flip turned out not secure enough to add a planned triple loop to it, she quickly switched the combination to a triple flip-triple toe loop. The 2008 World Junior Champion later landed four more triple jumps and two double Axels.

The U.S. silver medalist also displayed level four spins and complex transitions, which went well with the character of the music, but compared to Kostner she seems to lack flow across the ice as well as the ability to impress the audience with every move she makes. She placed second in the long with 110.14 points, and moved up one spot to second overall with 166.06 points.

"I feel very well about my performance," said Flatt, "even though it wasn't my best. There are some little things which can be improved, but I had a lot of fun. It was great skating here in front of such an audience in this incredible venue, and I'm happy to win the medal at my second Senior Grand Prix."

Suguri, who stood in first after the Short Program, was only able to land three clean triple jumps in her routine to Raul di Blasio's Otonal. Skating last, she opened her performance with a strong triple Lutz-double toe loop combination and a triple flip. The 2008 Skate Canada silver medalist looked well poised to win the competition, but then she fell out of an underrotated triple Salchow, doubled a toe loop, and popped a planned triple flip into a single.

The mistakes on the jumps sealed Suguri's fate even though her non-jumping elements were as good as those of her rivals. She placed third with 103.74 points, and slipped to third overall with 162.04 points.

"I made a lot of mistakes on jumps," admitted Suguri. "I am very disappointed with my performance, especially since the last two weeks of training went so well. I did not feel much pressure (skating last). I was prepared for any situation."

USA's Alissa Czisny overcame a shaky start to finish fourth in the long (97.53 points) and overall (151.03 points). The 2008 Skate Canada bronze medalist fell on her opening triple Lutz and then underrotated a triple flip, but recovered to land a triple loop. Her second triple Lutz attempt was underrotated, but both double Axels (one in combination) were clean.

The American captured the attention of the public with her delicate interpretation to the famous soundtrack tunes of Dr. Zhivago, and impressed with her phenomenal spins and spiral sequence. However, with only two clean triples, even the complexity and the quality of her non-jumping elements did not allow her to challenge for medals.

Alena Leonova of Russia also improved her standings after the long program, moving up from seventh to fifth overall (145.93 points). The 2008 Russian Junior National silver medalist delivered five fully rotated triples, however the landings on most were tight. Her non-jumping elements were also not quite as strong as those of the top skaters, but the student of Alla Pyatova attacked her program throughout and strategically placed jumps highlighted the music in her routine to Raul di Blasio's La Leyenda del Beso. She placed fifth in the long with a new personal best of 94.97 points.

Skating to Carl Orff's Carmina Burana, Elena Glebova of Estonia landed a clean double Axel-triple toe loop combination in the opening seconds of her program, but the rest of the program was not as impressive. The 19-year-old was only able to deliver two clean triple Salchows and one triple toe loop. She placed sixth in the long (89.65 points) and overall (140.67 points).

Julia Sebestyen of Hungary slipped to seventh place overall the long, while USA's Kimmie Meissner finished eighth.

Ice Dance (Original Dance)

Jana Khokhlova and Sergei Novitski of Russia won the Original Dance with an entertaining performance, but remain in second place going into the Free Dance.

The students of Irina Zhuk and Alexander Svinin were the most energetic couple on the ice, and their routine to Sam's Blues and Puttin' on the Ritz allowed them to post the best technical score of the night.

"Our dance did not have grand idea," explained Khokhlova. "it's just the style of the period. Let's say a bar, people meeting each other, men and women flirting with each other...The second part is more entertaining."

The 2008 World bronze medalists began their performance with their trademark dance spin, which received level four, and went on to execute a level four twizzle sequence. They followed up with a daring straightline level four lift in which Novitski holds his partner upside down while balancing on one foot, and both their step sequences received a level three.

The Russian Champions held nothing back, delivering the required elements and connecting moves smoothly, and both the audience and the judges obviously enjoyed their interpretation of the 1930s-40s rhythms. They scored 59.33 points and have 95.52 points total.

"Cup of China was our first event of the season and this one was second and it makes all the difference," said Novitski. "We felt easier here, more relaxed."

"We asked Slava Zaitsev to do our costumes this year," added Khokhlova. "We are very grateful to him and his entire team. We are glad that we took the risk. At first we had some reservations about this experiment, but we are very happy now."

Teammates Oksana Domnina and Maxim Shabalin were equally entertaining, but had problems meeting the technical requirement for the elements. The couple presented an excellent interpretation of Shostakovitch's Waltz from Suite No. 2 for Jazz Orchestra, opting to do the dance typical for the Soviet lifestyle of the time.

"When we started working on the original dance, we wanted to do something different," explained Domnina. "We knew that lot of people would choose foxtrot, quickstep or blues, so we looked for something different from the 1930s and 1940s, and we found this music. We didn't concentrate on it being waltz, we just picked up the style."

Skating in front of the home crowd, the 2008 European Champions were able to capitalize on the audience's ability to instantly recognize both the tune and the style, and delivered their humorous program on a theme of 'Lady and Hooligan' with a lot of flavor. However, their circular step sequence received only a level two and the twizzles a level three. The team earned 58.64 points for second place, and remain in first overall with 97.41 points.

"In 10 day since Cup of China we worked hard on improving our dance," said Shabalin, "but it is hard to compare different competitions. We had level four circular steps in China, we had level two here… I really don't know what to say."

Anna Cappellini and Luca Lanotte of Italy finished third in the Original Dance with 54.25 points despite the fact that their midline non-touching step sequence was graded only a level two. The team showed excellent lines and basic skating skills in their lovely program to Secunda's Bei mir bist du schoen, and their choice of the style worked perfectly. They executed all elements well and are currently third overall with 86.82 points.

"We are happy with our performance," said Cappellini. "In two weeks since Cup of China, we worked hard to improve our interpretation - to feel more secure on the ice. We were really eager to show people what we have worked on during the summer."

Ukrainians Anna Zadorozhniuk and Sergei Verbillo finished fourth in the Original Dance (48.38 points) with an expressive performance to music from the Chicago soundtrack. Three of their elements, however, only received a level two and they were not able to match their fast rhythm at the end of the program. The team is currently in fourth overall with 78.54 points.

USA's Meryl Davis and Charlie White placed eighth in the Original Dance after a disastrous performance. First, White stepped out and put a hand down during the twizzle sequence, and then later fell at the end of the diagonal step sequence. He also slipped again during the midline non-touching steps. In the end their only clean element was a level four straightline lift, and even excellent choreography and interpretation of Happy Feet could not prevent them from receiving the lowest technical score of the night. They are currently in a distant fourth overall with 79.45 points.

Katherine Copely and Deividas Stagniunas of Lithuania currently sit in fifth place, followed by Russia's Anastasia Platonova and Alexander Grachev.

Pairs (Long Program)

China's Dan Zhang and Hao Zhang won the Pairs Long Program despite placing second in the long program. Yuko Kawaguchi and Alexander Smirnov of Russia captured the silver, while Ukrainians Tatiana Volosozhar and Stanislav Morozov claimed the bronze.

Kawaguchi and Smirnov ran into problems with side-by-side jumps, with Kawaguchi doubling the second jump in an intended triple toe loop-triple toe loop sequence and later falling on the double Axel. However, the team executed a nearly clean throw quad salchow, as well as a second throw triple loop in the second part of the program.

The students of Tamara Moskvina attempted some new elements, but not all of them worked as planned, and their final lift received only a level one. The choreography of their program to Leoncavallo's I Pagliacci told the story of a mime pinning after a beautiful girl who refuses him, and the 2008 Russian Champions carried the theme throughout. They scored 110.51 for first place in the long, but with a total of 169.27 points, placed second overall.

"We are satisfied with the program in general, but we made mistakes on elements," admitted Smirnov. "Yuko landed a nice throw quad salchow with only minor mistakes. In practice this morning we had a lot of problems with it, but now it worked. We hope we will skate better in the Final. We would like to thank our coach."

Zhang and Zhang won their second Grand Prix event this season thanks to an advantage they gained in the short program, but their performance in the long left much to be desired. The 2008 World silver medalists made mistakes on both jumping passes, with Dan doubling the second jump in a double Axel-triple toe loop combination and later popping a planned triple Salchow into a single (while Hao doubled his).

The 2008 Cup of China Champions also aborted one of their lifts, but their throws and level two triple twist were as impressive as ever. Their program to The Yangtze River featured interesting transitions, and the team showed marked improvement in overall presentation. They earned 110.36 points for the long program and 177.42 points overall.

"We are disappointed with the way we skated," confessed Hao Zhang. "In neither programs were we able to show our best skating. We are very upset about it, but the Grand Prix Final is close and we hope to skate much better there."

Volosozhar and Morozov began their Pearl Harbor routine with with side-by-side triple jump attempts, but Morozov popped his into doubles. Volosozhar later two-footed the landing of throw triple loop, however, the team otherwise demonstrated one of the most secure and complex lifts in competition. The 2008 Cup of China silver medalists also delivered an excellent level three triple twist and high throw triple Salchow, and their program in general moved well with the music.

The Ukrainian Champions scored 109.52 points for the long program and 167.86 points overall, and now have a chance to advance to the Grand Prix Final for the first time in their career.

"We are not satisfied," claimed Volosozhar. "It's a pity we missed two elements in the short program and today we made mistakes on jumps." "Actually, Tatiana skated quite well," countered Morozov, "but I could not pull myself together. I was completely uncoordinated today."

Russia's Lubov Iliushechkina and Nodari Maisuradze moved up one spot to finish fourth overall (147.88 points) in their first Senior Grand Prix event of their career. Skating to a selection of music by Edvin Marton, the 2008 World Junior silver medalists landed a triple toe loop-double toe loop combination, but Iliushechkina stepped out of a double Axel landing and stumbled on the throw triple flip.

The students of Natalia Pavlova and Alexei Sokolov otherwise performed a clean throw triple loop and solid lifts, but what really set them apart was the complex choreography and confidence which they displayed throughout the performance. They placed fourth in the long with a new personal best of 100.83 points.

Teammates Ksenia Ozerova and Alexander Enbert slipped to fifth place overall (147.88 points) after they missed both throws and a second Axel in double Axel-double Axel sequence. Despite the mistakes, the team displayed good lines and nice attack throughout their routine to Dark Eyes, and most of their non-jumping elements were graded a level four. They scored 95.62 points for fifth place in the long.

Canada's Monica Pisotta and Michael Stewart placed sixth in the long with a new personal best of 81.47 points, and finished sixth overall. Teammates Amanda Velenosi and Mark Fernandez were seventh.

Men (Long Program)

France's Brian Joubert won the Men's event despite placing fourth in the long program, while Tomas Verner of the Czech Republic took silver. Alban Preaubert of France rose from fourth to third overall to claim the bronze.

Verner won the long program with an inspired Tango routine which featured an excellent quad toe loop, a triple Lutz-triple toe loop combination and a triple Axel. The 2008 European Champion, however, stumbled out of a triple Salchow landing, two-footed the second triple Axel and popped a second combination into a double Lutz- double toe-single loop. In the end, he received 149.74 points for the long program and 222.94 points overall.

"I'm happy to be second here," said the 22-year-old. "It was a better performance than at Cup of China. It's good that I keep improving from one competition to the next, but I'm not entirely satisfied with my result and with the points I got."

Despite the mistakes, Verner's overall performance was one of the highlights of the event, and he presented his routine with a lot of character and good humor. His choice of music, and the dry manner in which he interprets the rhythm, seems to suit him perfectly.

"I guess I was one of the first to pick up tango music this season," said Verner. "The idea occurred to me before the end of last season. I was just looking for a special tango - a famous one, but not one overused. I think it's great music for me. I want to entertain the audience. After all, those people are sitting on the ice rink the whole day, freezing."

USA's Jeremy Abbott, who was sixth after the Short Program, skated first in the second warm up group. The 23-year-old finished second in the long program (148.68 points), but missed the podium by under two points. The 2008 Cup of China Champion delivered a nearly flawless performance, with only a couple of tight landings on his jump combinations.

The student of Tom Zakrajsek delivered excellent level three steps sequences and impressive spins, and really captured the spirit to the music of Eight Seasons. He also used his whole body to express the character of the music through complex transitions, but was unable to convince the judges to give him high enough presentation scores to win a medal. He moved up to fourth place overall with a total of 217.48 points.

Preaubert, who was fourth coming into the long program, won his second Grand Prix bronze medal in just as many weeks with a total score of 219.09 points. The French bronze medalist landed a clean quad toe loop, two triple Axels, and six more triple jumps to post the highest technical score of the night.

"I was very tired towards the end of the program," admitted Preaubert. "It's a second competition in a row for me. I could barely stay on my feet at the end, but fortunately the music was very powerful, so it carried me through. The audience's support helped a lot too."

The 2008 Trophée Eric Bompard bronze medalist gave an entertaining and powerful performance, and the crowd started to clap along as soon as they recognized his music. However, the relative lack of transitions and general lack of refinement prevented him from finishing higher. He earned 147.48 points for his routine to Kalinka and Songs of Volga Boatsmen.

"My music choice is a tribute to my first coach Irina Issachencko who unfortunately passed away two years ago," explained the 23-year-old. "I dreamed of skating to Russian music because she was talking about it all the time. I thought about saving it till the Olympic season, but my coach Annick recently adopted a Russian girl, so all things sort of came together and I couldn't wait any longer. I always try to pick up entertaining music - both for myself and for audience."

Teammate Joubert won the competition on the strength of his short program, despite finishing only fourth (144.68 points) in the long. The 2008 World silver medalist underrotated and stepped out of the opening quad toe loop, but landed two triple Axels (one in combination with a double toe loop and the other in combination with a triple toe loop), and three more triple jumps.

"This quad was the first one I missed this week," said Joubert. "Perhaps I lacked confidence. I had a lot of problems in October. I was only able to solve my problem with the boots this week, therefore I only started to train in full on Monday. I lost a lot of energy. I knew I was not physically ready to this competition, but I am glad that I was able to improve on my performance from last week at Trophée Eric Bompard."

Even with the mistake on the opening element, the program appeared much better than it did a week ago in Paris. The improved confidence and flow allowed the Frenchman to highlight the theme of his Last of the Mohicans routine, and his circular step sequence in particular seems to go well with the music. The 24-year-old won the event with a total of 230.78 points.

"Evgeni Platov is amazing man," said Joubert of his choreographer. "We did a lot of work with him. He gives me a lot of energy and we always try something new. He is good, especially with all those little steps, and he helps me a lot with my expression. I'm to meet him again next week to rework my long program because there are many things which can be improved."

USA's Adam Rippon slipped from third to fifth place overall (207.93 points) after he two-footed the landing of a triple Axel and popped a double Axel. The current World Junior Champion was otherwise clean, nailing seven triple jumps and gaining level three and fours on his non-jumping elements. While he obviously enjoyed performing his Send in the Clowns routine, and has solid basic skating skills, his overall presentation did not seem to be as strong as that of more senior competitors. Nevertheless, the 19-year-old placed fifth in the long with a new personal best of 136.31 points.

Sergei Voronov of Russia, who stood in 12th after a disappointing short, moved up to seventh overall (190.31 points) after placing sixth in the long (190.31 points). The 21-year-old attacked his tango with a lot of power and abandon, but fell out of a quad toe loop landing.

Belgium's Kevin van der Perren slipped to sixth place overall, while Kristoffer Berntsson of Sweden finished eighth.

2008 Cup of Russia - Figure Skating Highlights

Original Dance and the Ladies', Pairs' and Men's Long Programs

Ladies (Long Program)

Ice Dance (Original Dance)

Pairs (Long Program)

Men (Long Program)