Photo copyright J. Barry Mittan |
Michelle skated her short program to the music of Rachmaninoff--the same program she skated at the 1998 Olympics in Japan. After she stumbled on her first jump, Michelle recovered and skated an excellent program. However, the damage was done and she received technical marks as low as 5.2 from the judges. She fared better in her presentation marks, but the scores were not the usual 5.9's and even 6.0's that she receives in competitions. Commenting to the media afterwards, Michelle said, "I made the mistake in the combination and making a mistake in the short program is huge." Michelle's teammate, Sasha Cohen, fared worse in her short program. She fell on a double axel and touched her hand on the ice. She received low scores in her technical marks, which ranged from 5.0 to 5.4. Sasha also stumbled in her long program. She fell on two of her triple jumps and two-footed another one. Her extension, back positions, and artistry were excellent, but were not enough to compensate for her mistakes. Cohen finished in fourth place. Irina Slutskaya, on the other hand, skated a flawless short program. She completed a difficult triple lutz-double loop combination, as well as a footwork sequence performed all on one foot. She was rewarded for her impressive skate with two 6.0's from the judges. Irina's strong and energetic short program was followed by an excellent free skate. Since she was the first skater in the final group, Irina had to wait while the remaining skaters performed. Slutskaya completed six triple jumps, but she did not attempt a triple-triple combination, leaving the door open for Michelle and Fumie Suguri of Japan. Michelle skated next and her long program rivaled Irina's in technical content and artistry. She also completed six triples, but did not complete a triple-triple combination. She needed to win the free skate, and another skater would need to beat Slutskaya, in order for Kwan to win the gold. Unfortunately, Kwan did not score as high as Irina with the judges, and finished in second place. Fumie Suguri, who skated excellent short and long programs in front of her hometown crowd, won the bronze medal. This is Japan's first medal at Worlds since 1994. Irina won the second Russian ladies' gold at Worlds--the first was won by Maria Butyrskaya in 1999. Joking with the media after her performance, Irina laughed, "Now I have all my collection--gold, silver, and bronze!" Copyright © Kristen Koester. All Rights Reserved. This article and any accompanying pictures, photographs, or line art, may not be resold, reprinted, or redistributed for compensation of any kind without prior written permission from the author. |
Photo copyright © Andrea "Hoo" Chempinski |
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Slutskaya Captures Gold; Kwan Earns Silver by Kristen Koester |
Michelle skated her short program to the music of Rachmaninoff--the same program she skated at the 1998 Olympics in Japan. After she stumbled on her first jump, Michelle recovered and skated an excellent program. However, the damage was done and she received technical marks as low as 5.2 from the judges. She fared better in her presentation marks, but the scores were not the usual 5.9's and even 6.0's that she receives in competitions. Commenting to the media afterwards, Michelle said, "I made the mistake in the combination and making a mistake in the short program is huge." Michelle's teammate, Sasha Cohen, fared worse in her short program. She fell on a double axel and touched her hand on the ice. She received low scores in her technical marks, which ranged from 5.0 to 5.4. Sasha also stumbled in her long program. She fell on two of her triple jumps and two-footed another one. Her extension, back positions, and artistry were excellent, but were not enough to compensate for her mistakes. Cohen finished in fourth place. Irina Slutskaya, on the other hand, skated a flawless short program. She completed a difficult triple lutz-double loop combination, as well as a footwork sequence performed all on one foot. She was rewarded for her impressive skate with two 6.0's from the judges. Irina's strong and energetic short program was followed by an excellent free skate. Since she was the first skater in the final group, Irina had to wait while the remaining skaters performed. Slutskaya completed six triple jumps, but she did not attempt a triple-triple combination, leaving the door open for Michelle and Fumie Suguri of Japan. Michelle skated next and her long program rivaled Irina's in technical content and artistry. She also completed six triples, but did not complete a triple-triple combination. She needed to win the free skate, and another skater would need to beat Slutskaya, in order for Kwan to win the gold. Unfortunately, Kwan did not score as high as Irina with the judges, and finished in second place. Fumie Suguri, who skated excellent short and long programs in front of her hometown crowd, won the bronze medal. This is Japan's first medal at Worlds since 1994. Irina won the second Russian ladies' gold at Worlds--the first was won by Maria Butyrskaya in 1999. Joking with the media after her performance, Irina laughed, "Now I have all my collection--gold, silver, and bronze!" Copyright © Kristen Koester. All Rights Reserved. This article and any accompanying pictures, photographs, or line art, may not be resold, reprinted, or redistributed for compensation of any kind without prior written permission from the author. |
Photo copyright J. Barry Mittan |
Following a disappointing third place finish at the Olympics last month, Michelle returned to the World Championships in Nagano, Japan, to defend her title. However, the gold eluded her, and she had to settle for silver, following a costly mistake in her short program. Irina Slutskaya of Russia, on the other hand, skated a flawless short program. |
