Figure skatingSurprises, big spills the talk of NHK Trophy

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Brian Joubert, the 2007 world champion from France, redeemed himself with a gold medal after a dismal fourth-place finish at the Trophee Eric Bompard event in France last month. I am persuaded that Joubert’s lead after the short and his win in the free means that he is not going to roll over heading towards the Olympics.

Despite weak choreography, he demonstrated that he can be a formidable competitor with a beautiful quad and is not to be counted out … ever. In a peculiar quirk of “skatingness” Johnny Weir, battling a sinus infection, came third in both the short and the free to come away with enough total points for the silver.

Spills and revealations

Michael Brezina of the Czech Republic was the highlight of the men’s competition for me. In his first senior Grand Prix event, the current junior world silver medallist, Brezina was able to earn a personal best in both the free program and overall scores. His second place score in the free was able to bump him up from sixth place to a bronze medal. What happened to Daisuke Takahashi of Japan? Finishing fourth, he is still shy of where he needs to be in order to really be ready to challenge at the Olympics, but he is a skater who could appear out of nowhere to take it all.

The pairs event was won by the 2006 world champions Qing Pang and Jian Tong of China, whose second gold medal this season earned them a trip to the Grand Prix Final.

Pang and Tong were secure and confident and earned this season’s top series score for their free program. Russia’s Yuko Kavaguti and Alexander Smirnov took the silver medal despite a disastrous throw quad Salchow attempt. Yuko’s painful fall on the landing was with enough force that she had to stop in order to regain her composure. The rules allow for a three-minute pause before the skaters have to resume their program, which comes with a mandatory two-point deduction, or disqualification. In a testament to her toughness, they completed their program with what was later determined to be a dislocated right shoulder for Yuko. The veteran American team of Rena Inoue and John Baldwin, who moved up from fourth after the short, capitalized again on other teams’ mistakes to capture the bronze.

Canadians make podium

Ice dance went as expected with the American team of Meryl Davis and Charlie White earning their second Grand Prix gold medal and a berth at the Grand Prix Final. The silver medal was won by Great Britain’s brother and sister team of Sinead and John Kerr. The surprise of the event came from Canada’s national silver medallists Vanessa Crone and Paul Poirier whose strength in both the original and free dance segments moved them from fourth into third overall in their final Grand Prix event this season.

The 2007 world champion from Japan, Miki Ando, prevailed overall with enough points in her total score to take her second Grand Prix gold in Japan despite finishing second in both the short and the free programs. The ultimate silver medallist was Russia’s Alena Leonova, who was like a breath of fresh air in her free program to musical selections from Chicago. She won the free program which propelled her from fifth after the short program to second overall. Youthful, exuberant and energetic, the 2009 world junior champion adds a silver to her bronze medal from the Grand Prix of Russia. Having earned a total of 24 placement points, she might earn a trip to the Grand Prix Final, but will have to wait for the completion of the final two events to know for sure.

Sitting in the kiss and cry with her fingers crossed, the short program leader from the United States, Ashley Wagner, knew that she had been a little wobbly in her free program but was able to get her wish to stay on the program for a bronze, her second Grand Prix medal this season.

The fifth of the six Grand Prix events takes place this coming weekend in Lake Placid, N.Y., with the Cancer.net Skate America.

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