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2008 Trophée Eric Bompard - Figure Skating HighlightsFree Dance and the Men's, Ladies', and Pairs' Long ProgramNov 17, 2008
Trophée Eric Bompard concluded with the Free Dance and the Men's, Ladies', and Pairs' Long Program. Men (Long Program)Patrick Chan defended his title after finishing first in the Men's Long Program with a score of 156.70 and 238.09 points total. Both sums now stand as his new personal best, but they certainly do not represent the limit of what the young Canadian skater is capable of achieving. Skating last in the second warm up group, Chan was forced to wait for almost 40 minutes to start his program while listening to the audience erupt in ovations for two French skaters and then Japan's Takahiko Kozuka. He was, however, up to the challenge. The Canadian Champion opened his routine with an excellent triple Axel and triple flip-triple toe loop combination, and triple Lutz. He also completed a good change of foot sit spin and an intricate level four circular step sequence in which his movements were completely in tune with the music, but then stepped out of his second triple Axel and triple Salchow. "I felt much better performance-wise and I felt really good on the ice," Chan later said. "Not too relaxed, not too tight. To see I was first after the long was a big relief this time."
Chan's mistakes did not distract from an otherwise excellent flow of the superbly choreographed program to Rachmaninov's music, and he received the highest program components score of the evening. His next competition will be at Grand Prix Final in December for which he qualified with the maximum 30 points. "I'm happy with how I skated even though I made two mistakes," said the Skate Canada Champion. "It's a big jump from the long program I did at Skate Canada. It's a big difference. The personal best is just icing on the cake." Japan's Takahiko Kozuka won his second Senior Grand Prix medal and qualified for Grand Prix Final for the first time in his career. Skating to Nina Rota's score for Romeo and Juliet, the 2008 Skate America Champion made only one mistake: he fell on an underrotated quad toe loop attempt in the first seconds of the program, but the remaining four minutes more than made up for this failure. "I made a mistake on the quad toeloop," noted Kozuka. "I fell and it was downgraded, but after that, I recovered very well similar to Skate America." The 20-year-old landed two triple Axels - the first one in combination with a triple toe loop and the other really late in the program, two triple Lutzes (one in combination with a double toe-double loop), as well as three other triples jumps. Kozuka also displayed excellent skating skills and the ability to interpret his music in an understated and unpretentious manner. While his transitions were not as strong as Chan's, his overall delivery of the program was equally convincing. He scored 153.78 points for his long program, posting the highest technical score of the night due to the high grades of execution marks and racked up 230.78 points in total. "Now I qualified for Grand Prix Final and in the month ahead, I'll keep practicing hard," said the Japanese silver medalist. Alban Preaubert of France moved up one spot to capture the bronze over his more experienced compatriot Brian Joubert. The skater produced the most entertaining program of the night to the mix of Kalinka and "Song of the Volga Boatmen arranged by Maxime Rodriguez, and delivered with his trademark outgoing and humorous style. The 23-year-old had the highest starting value of all the competitors, as his program included a fully rotated quad toe loop, as well as two triple Axels and six other triples, however the quality of his jumps were not as outstanding as those of Kozuka and Chan and he received an edge call on his triple Lutz. Nevertheless, with the second highest technical score, the French bronze medalist was able to win his first Grand Prix medal of the season. He earned 149.20 points, and the loudest audience reaction of the night, and picked up 222.24 points total. "It wasn't my first competition," acknowledged Preaubert. "Beating Brian is not very important for me. The most important for me is to skate well and enjoy my performance. I had a lot of pleasure today because the audience was very supportive, I was very confident, and not too stressed." "I'm proud to be back in top shape," he continued, referring to his back injury that forced him to withdraw from the World Championships in March. "I was sad that I couldn't compete at Worlds. I couldn't skate for one month and I couldn't do jumps for two months, but I didn't waste my time and I worked with the Lyon ice dancing team." Joubert finished off podium after he turned out of his quad toe loop attempt and later fell on an underrotated triple loop. The 2008 World Championships silver medalist recovered from his initial mistake to land two powerful triple Axels, and produced two other triples, but left out triple flip attempts since his recent attempts on this jump were always marked as "e" for use the wrong take off edge. Instead he completed a double Axel-double toe loop combination as his final jumping pass. The French Champion's routine to The Last of Mohicans soundtrack lacked the sheer entertaining value of Preaubert's free skate right before him, but he sold the program well, scoring the second highest program components score. Overall the 24-year-old was awarded 147.38 points and 221.13 points in total - well below his personal best of 240.85 points. USA's Brandon Mroz finished fifth in long program and overall after he fell on his opening quad attempt and underrotated his second triple Axel. However, the 17-year-old landed seven triples, including a triple Axel-double toe loop combination, and gained a level four on two of his spins and a level three on all other non-jumping elements. He scored 124.02 and 189.46 points overall. Peter Liebers of Germany moved up a couple of spots to finish sixth (176.88 points) overall after an entertaining program on a theme of martial arts. The 20-year-old landed a clean triple Axel and four other triples, but missed his second triple Axel and triple loop at the end of the program. He placed sixth in the long with 115.29 points. USA's Ryan Bradley finished seventh, followed by Jialiang Wu of China. Pairs (Long Program)
Aliona Savchenko and Robin Szolkowy of Germany won the long program with an inspired, but flawed performance to Schindler's List. The team opened with a clean sequence of side-by-side triple toe loops, an impressive level two triple twist, and very strong side-by-side triple Salchows, but later missed both throw jumps. Savchenko double-footed the landing of a throw triple flip and they popped the throw Salchow into single - a repeat from Skate America. The rest of their elements were good and earned high levels and positive GOEs. The sophisticated long program was a very nice contrast to their upbeat and straight-forward short. The wistful mood of the music was expressed through a series of complex transitions, which the skaters executed seamlessly. The current World Champions scored 120.32 points for first in the long and overall (188.50), but were obviously disappointed with their performance. "After the program, a couple of people came to us and told us that it wasn't so bad as we felt it was," said Szolkowy. "Indeed, it wasn't so bad - otherwise we wouldn't have had more points than at Skate America. But again, we missed the throw Salchow and we made a mistake on the throw flip. There is a lot of room left for improvement and luckily this isn't yet the end of the season." Canadians Meagan Duhamel and Craig Buntin finished second in the long program (107.97 points) and third overall (166.63 points) in an impressive comeback after the team was forced to stop the performance when Duhamel's blade cut Buntin's palm a couple of minutes into the program. After a consultation with the referee, Buntin had his right hand bandaged, but it soon became apparent that the bleeding was not stopping. "Craig and I just went off pattern after the Salchow," explained Duhamel. "We both made different mistakes, so we took a different turn on the exit, and unfortunately I just happened to kick him with my heel or toepick. It was a pretty scary moment, but at that time we knew we were going to keep going and Craig just told me 'I'm not in pain'. Despite the injury, the Canadian bronze medalists delivered an emotional and flawless second half of the program to the standing ovation of the crowd. Prior to the interruption, the team landed a triple toe loop-triple toe loop sequence and executed a level four Axel lift, however, Duhamel doubled a planned triple Salchow, while Buntin stepped out of his. When the couple took to the ice the second time after Buntin's hand was bandaged, they executed two very good throws and a level four death spiral and spins. Buntin received stitches on his hand before the press conference. Maria Mukhortova and Maxim Trankov of Russia failed to deliver their playful Lady and the Hooligan routine to the maximum impact. After the drama of Duhamel and Buntin's injury, the audience could not get into the upbeat mood immediately and the skaters probably felt the lack of feedback from the crowd. The 2008 European silver medalist opened the program with a high triple twist, but then Mukhortova fell on her triple salchow. The landing of the throw triple loop was also flawed as she put both her hands on ice to prevent herself from falling. The 2008 Skate America bronze medalists were otherwise solid and all their non-jumping elements were graded levels three and four. Even more remarkably, both skaters showed a new level of expressiveness and confidence in this complex and stylish program in which Mukhortova portrays a young lady pursued by hooligan Trankov. The team placed third in the long with 106.03 points and second overall (170.87 points). "We are not very satisfied with the performance," said Mukhortova, "but this program is getting better with each competition and it was a lot better here than it was at Skate America. It's difficult to skate this program, but we still have time before the European and World Championships." USA's Tiffany Vise and Derek Trent finished fourth (93.52 points) in the free program, but remained in fifth (140.00 points) overall. They skated a neat and soft program to the music of Heroes and Return of Heroes, but had problems on the side-by-side triple jumps. The team also did not go for the quadruple throw, which they landed a year ago in Paris, but both their throw triple loop and throw triple Salchow jumps were solid and well done, as were their lifts, spins, and basic skating skills. Huibo Dong and Yiming Wu of China placed fifth in the long program, after Wu fell on his triple Salchow. However, the 2008 World Junior Championships landed a strong triple toe loop-double toe loop combination, as well as two triple throw jumps. They scored 89.46 points for the long program and 140.58 overall. France's Adeline Canac and Maximin Coia finished sixth ahead of their compatriots Vanessa James and Yannick Bonheur and Melodie Chataigner and Medhi Bouzzine. The students of Annie Barbare and Aniick Dumout entertained the home crowd with their performance to The Cotton Club, but Canac had to fight for the landing of the throw triple loop. She also singled a double Axel and fell on a throw triple Salchow. Ladies (Long Program)
Canada's Joannie Rochette defended her overnight lead to win her second Grand Prix title of the season. Her performance to Concertio d'Aranjuez, which was a highlight of the Ladies event, exhibited a combination of power, technical content, and complex choreography that was simply unmatched by any of her rivals. Her only mistakes were popping an intended triple loop into single and stepping out of the second double Axel in double Axel- double Axel sequence towards the end of the program. Despite the errors, the Canadian Champion landed a superb triple Lutz-double toe loop-double loop, as well as four more triple jumps. Her non-jumping elements were equally strong and the 22-year-old earned a level four on two of her spins and spiral sequence. The skater received 121.19 points for her long program and 180.73 points in total to win the competition with an impressive 13 points margin. "Am very happy about it," said Rochette of her program at the post-event press conference. "My skate was not perfect. My goal was to go to the ice and not to be too nervous like in Skate Canada where I was relaxed. In the long, I didn't do all the exits (from jumps) as well I could, but overall it was good and I am happy about it." Rochette feels that her training regiment and lack of injuries are the reasons for her success thus far. "Training has been much better home," said Rochette. "I am not injured now, so I can do things. I am working with a new choreographer (Shae-Lynn Bourne) and am very happy about it. It brought a new perspective. I'm also working with a psychologist who explained to me that I should enjoy myself on the ice because previously I was so stressed that I thought "why am I doing it?" I was actually working with the psychologist for a couple of years, but only now was I able to open up and use the advice." Mao Asada of Japan finished a disappointing second in the long (109.47 points) and overall (167.59 points) after missing half of her jumping passes in her routine to Masquerade Waltz. The 2008 World Champion opened her powerful routine with a fully rotated triple Axel, but double footed the landing. She also doubled a loop, singled a triple Salchow, and singled the loop at the back end of a triple flip combination. Despite the mistakes, the powerful music of Khachaturian brought out different qualities in the usually soft and graceful skater and the program in general seems to suit her very well. "Today's performance was far from my 100 percent and for the next competition I'd like to do better," noted Asada."The triple Axel is my weapon. To do a triple Axel in competition, I need concentration and energy. My mind was a bit stronger than yesterday, but not 100%, so I am not happy about this. I will keep training and later in the season I hope I can do better." USA's Caroline Zhang was the only skater to attempt a triple-triple combination in the long program, but the technical panel downgraded both the triple flip and triple toe loop. The 2007 World Junior Champion also lost 2.00 points for use of the wrong takeoff edge on her triple Lutz which was otherwise clean. Nevertheless, the 15-year-old landed four more triple jumps and impressed the audience with her phenomenal spins, all of which received a level 4. The music from Sleeping Beauty showcased her pleasant lines and posture and suited the young skater very well. She placed third (104.78 points) in the long, maintaining third place overall with 156.54 points. "I was happy with how I skated,"said Zhang. "I think it was a lot better than the short program. I think that the flip-toe could have been better, but other than that I think I got most of the levels I wanted. I just want to improve on the program component score." Skating to Toccata and Fugue mixed with music from the Korean movie soundtrack of My Memory, Candice Didier of France finished fourth in the free program and overall (135.25 points). The student of Katia Krier Beyer landed an opening triple flip, but fell on a triple Lutz attempt immediately afterwards. She recovered to land two triple toe loops (one in combination) and a slightly flawed triple Salchow-double toe loop combination. Her non-jumping elements were strong and well executed and she gained a level four for two of her spins and spiral sequence to post a new personal best or 87.29 points. USA's Beatrice Liang slipped to fifth place after an error-filled performance. The skater from California landed only two clean triple jumps - triple flip and triple loop, falling or stepping out of all other jumps and receiving edge calls on both her Lutz attempts. Even though the level of her spins and spirals were good she only received 84.69 points and earned 134.29 points overall. Binshu Xu of China, who was in 10th after the short, pulled up to sixth place overall (123.83 points). Ice Dance (Free Dance)
Isabelle Delobel and Olivier Schoenfelder of France won another Trophée Eric Bompard title with a touching performance to Pink Floyd's The Great Gig in the Sky. Technically the dance was quite disappointing as the skaters received a level two for their combination spin and both step sequences, as well as only a level three for the twizzle sequence and rotational lift. However, the overall quality of their skating and choreography really set them apart from the rest of the field. Since most of the low levels were due to rule infractions rather than actual mistakes (expect for Schoenfelder's stumble at the end of a midline step sequence), they did not distract from the overall impression of the program and the team scored 91.60 for the Free Dance and 184.81 overall. In contrast to the upbeat Original Dance, their Free Dance is melancholic and introspective, which is apparently exactly the way the skaters envisioned the dance. "The theme of the program is our life," explained Delobel. "After the World Championships, we had to decide if we wanted to continue or not, and the program is a reflection of it. It starts with 'yes', then 'no', then 'yes' again and it ends with an explosive 'yes'!" Her partner admitted what it was a hard competition for them: "It was hard to skate today after yesterday," confessed Schoenfelder. "We wanted to savor the competition and wanted to show that we are ready to fight again for the World title. The step sequences are not ready yet. Maybe we have to change something and we have to skate cleaner. The way we built it is ok - we just have to work on it (step sequences) and it will be good for the Grand Prix Final." Federica Faiella and Massimo Scali of Italy finished second in Free Dance (89.33 points) and overall (179.58 points). For this season, the team has prepared a very unusual free dance set to Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata. It explores the theme of Commedia dell'Arte (the comedy of artists) in which Pierrot is a character traditionally associated with the moon. "I think the hardest thing about our Free Dance is to find a way to get into it and to skate with strong emotions," said Scali. "It's a story about a sad man who is in love with a moon and that's the reason we took Moonlight Sonata - it's a sad feeling we have to live inside us during the skating. The dance flowed perfectly from one element to the next, and the team has showed a marked improvement in confidence and expression as they carried the feelings of loneliness and detachment perfectly throughout the entire piece. For the first performance in front of international judges, the Italian Champion's levels of difficulty were quite good. They only received one level 2 on a serpentine lift as they didn't hold the position long enough. All other elements were level 3 (step sequences) and 4. "We are very happy about our performance tonight," said Scali. "We are really happy we found this connection and feeling about each other tonight. It was much better than yesterday. It's a first silver medal for us, so we're happy and it's the first Grand Prix for us this year so there is more pressure. We know the program is great and we were ready, so we wanted to show we're ready and better than last year. It was a good beginning." Great Britain's Sinead Kerr and John Kerr finished third to win the second Grand Prix event bronze medal this season. The couple from Scotland chose the music by "The Muse" rock band for their Free Dance and built their dance around the idea of survivors who offer each other the support. The skaters were able to convey that peculiar mixture of desperation and hope perfectly, and on an emotional level it was one of the most intense performances of the night. Technically it was also quite strong, but one of the lifts received only a level 2 and the combination spin and both step sequences were graded level 3. "It's a like a love story, but of a family," explained John Kerr. "You come from a place of disaster, and the brother and sister help each other. First I'm helping her and then at the end she helps me - hence all those moves where she is supporting me. We hope we managed to pass the idea across." "I think we felt like we performed our routine better than at Skate America or Finlandia (Trophy)," added Sinead Kerr. "It has developed and grown and just become better and better. I think one of the important things for us today was just to feel a connection between each other, and our coach told us not just to think about the elements, but to just go out and skate the routine and feel the music and show how much our skating has developed this season." Vanessa Crone and Paul Poirier of Canada finished fourth in the Free Dance, posting the highest technical score of the night, and fourth overall (171.49 points). The 2008 Skate Canada silver medalists received a level three only for the step sequences and combination spin. Their dance to the music of Doce de Coco was lovely, however, compared to the top three performances, seemed to lack sophistication and emotional impact. Nevertheless all their elements were well executed and well choreographed to fit the general theme and flow of the program. The team earned a new personal best of 87.03 points for their routine. Performing to Butterflies and Hurricanes by The Muse, France's Pernelle Carron and Mathieu Jost finished fifth in the Free Dance and overall (166.84 points). Their dance was quite a departure from the touching Nocturne they did a year ago, but compared to the Kerrs, their dance seemed to lack poignancy and a sense of purpose. They were, however, technically strong - gaining a level four on all their elements except for two step sequence which received a level 2. They received 82.85 points. Russia's Ekaterina Rubleva and Ivan Shefer from Russia finished sixth in Free Dance, but remained seventh overall. The 2008 Russian silver medalists delivered a sharp and passionate dance to Spanish guitar tunes, highlighting their newly improved power and confidence. The team, however, received only a level 2 on their curve lift and circular step sequence to score 80.00 points, but with 156.84 points total, finished behind Azerbaijan's Kristin Frazer and Igor Lukanin (158.53 points). The Grand Prix series continues next week with the Cup of Russia in Moscow. |
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Canada's Patrick Chan, 17, performs his Long Program to selections of music by Rachmaninov.
Aliona Savchenko and Robin Szolkowy of Germany placed first in the Pairs Long Program with their routine to music from the Schindler's List soundtrack.
Joannie Rochette of Canada won the Ladies Long Program with her routine to Concertio d'Aranjuez.
Isabelle Delobel and Oliver Schoenfelder of France won the Free Dance with their routine to Pink Floyd's The Great Gig in the Sky.