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Kwan was in top form at the 2003 World Championships held March 24-30, in Washington, D.C. She skated a clean and solid short program to the song "The Feeling Beings" by Peter Gabriel. The determined expression on her face let us know she meant business as she successfully completed all the required elements. Her performance was rewarded with scores ranging from 5.5 to one 6.0 for presentation; Kwan moved into first place. She commented to ABC Sports afterwards, "I just had a lot of fun out there. The audience was great, and I took one thing at a time. [I thought] execute, be efficient, do all the jumps. I was determined." After a disappointing sixth place finish in her qualifying round earlier in the week, Sarah Hughes attacked her short program with energy and speed. Overall, she skated a good performance, but she lost points on two jumps: she switched to an inside edge on her triple lutz-double toe loop combo--thereby completing a triple "flutz"--and she didn't complete three full revolutions on a triple flip jump. She received technical scores ranging from 4.8 to 5.6 and presentation scores ranging from 5.2 to 5.8. Teammate Sasha Cohen skated a fiery, dramatic short program to the song "Malaguena." Following wins at Skate Canada and the Grand Prix Final, she hoped to win a medal at Worlds. Her chance for gold slipped away, however, when she fell on a triple flip jump at the beginning of her short program. The rule book required the judges to deduct at least 0.4 in her technical marks. Her final scores ranged from 4.9 to 5.9, with higher marks for presentation. The surprise performance of the evening came from Russian skater, Elena Sokolova. She replaced teammate and friend Irina Slutskaya, who returned to Russia to be with her mother who is ill. Competing in her first Worlds since 1998, Sokolova skated an ambitious short program to "Samson and Delilah" by Saint-Saens. Her program started out with a strong triple-triple combination jump, and she was rewarded with high technical marks ranging from 5.6 to 5.9. But her presentation scores were lower than Kwan's, and judges placed her in second place overall. Sokolova also skated a technically strong program during the free skate competition and won the silver medal. Hughes was in sixth place going into the free skate competition on Saturday evening. Although she skated with dramatic expression and poise, she lost her footing on a triple flip jump and fell. Teammate Sasha Cohen, who skated fourth in the final group during the free skate, fell on a triple jump and a flying camel spin. Her scores, ranging from 5.4 to 5.7, were enough to place her in third--temporarily. Fumie Suguri of Japan, who was in third place after the short program, held onto her position after the free skate and won the bronze medal. Kwan, who skated second in the final group, was brilliant. Last year, Kwan won the silver medal at Worlds, but this year she would settle for nothing less than gold. In a memorable performance to the song "Aranjuez," Kwan looked calm and secure as she completed triple jump after triple jump for a total of six. The crowd was on its feet before the end of the performance. She earned two 6.0's from the judges, bringing her total to six 6.0's at Worlds. Commenting on her prolific 10-year run at Worlds--she first competed at Worlds when she was only 12--Kwan said, "It's been amazing...It's been unbelievable. It's been a wonderful, wonderful time. I've been very fortunate with my career." It takes more than luck to win, and Kwan proved yet again that she has the talent and skill to be the best. 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. |
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Kwan Wins 2003 World Championships Title by Kristen Koester |
Kwan was in top form at the 2003 World Championships held March 24-30, in Washington, D.C. She skated a clean and solid short program to the song "The Feeling Beings" by Peter Gabriel. The determined expression on her face let us know she meant business as she successfully completed all the required elements. Her performance was rewarded with scores ranging from 5.5 to one 6.0 for presentation; Kwan moved into first place. She commented to ABC Sports afterwards, "I just had a lot of fun out there. The audience was great, and I took one thing at a time. [I thought] execute, be efficient, do all the jumps. I was determined." After a disappointing sixth place finish in her qualifying round earlier in the week, Sarah Hughes attacked her short program with energy and speed. Overall, she skated a good performance, but she lost points on two jumps: she switched to an inside edge on her triple lutz-double toe loop combo--thereby completing a triple "flutz"--and she didn't complete three full revolutions on a triple flip jump. She received technical scores ranging from 4.8 to 5.6 and presentation scores ranging from 5.2 to 5.8. Teammate Sasha Cohen skated a fiery, dramatic short program to the song "Malaguena." Following wins at Skate Canada and the Grand Prix Final, she hoped to win a medal at Worlds. Her chance for gold slipped away, however, when she fell on a triple flip jump at the beginning of her short program. The rule book required the judges to deduct at least 0.4 in her technical marks. Her final scores ranged from 4.9 to 5.9, with higher marks for presentation. The surprise performance of the evening came from Russian skater, Elena Sokolova. She replaced teammate and friend Irina Slutskaya, who returned to Russia to be with her mother who is ill. Competing in her first Worlds since 1998, Sokolova skated an ambitious short program to "Samson and Delilah" by Saint-Saens. Her program started out with a strong triple-triple combination jump, and she was rewarded with high technical marks ranging from 5.6 to 5.9. But her presentation scores were lower than Kwan's, and judges placed her in second place overall. Sokolova also skated a technically strong program during the free skate competition and won the silver medal. Hughes was in sixth place going into the free skate competition on Saturday evening. Although she skated with dramatic expression and poise, she lost her footing on a triple flip jump and fell. Teammate Sasha Cohen, who skated fourth in the final group during the free skate, fell on a triple jump and a flying camel spin. Her scores, ranging from 5.4 to 5.7, were enough to place her in third--temporarily. Fumie Suguri of Japan, who was in third place after the short program, held onto her position after the free skate and won the bronze medal. Kwan, who skated second in the final group, was brilliant. Last year, Kwan won the silver medal at Worlds, but this year she would settle for nothing less than gold. In a memorable performance to the song "Aranjuez," Kwan looked calm and secure as she completed triple jump after triple jump for a total of six. The crowd was on its feet before the end of the performance. She earned two 6.0's from the judges, bringing her total to six 6.0's at Worlds. Commenting on her prolific 10-year run at Worlds--she first competed at Worlds when she was only 12--Kwan said, "It's been amazing...It's been unbelievable. It's been a wonderful, wonderful time. I've been very fortunate with my career." It takes more than luck to win, and Kwan proved yet again that she has the talent and skill to be the best. 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 AP |
Kwan was in top form at the 2003 World Championships held March 24-30, in Washington, D.C. |
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