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| | Sunday, December 10 Night of revivals at skating championships | |||||
| Associated Press WASHINGTON -- It was a night for successful revivals -- "Bolero," "The Wild Wild West" and Yuka Sato. An update of Torvill and Dean's dance to "Bolero" -- complete with jumps, overhead lifts and throws -- won the pairs title for Elena Leonova and Andrei Khvalko on Saturday night in the World Professional Figure Skating Championship. Philippe Candeloro won the men's competition -- his first major title as an amateur or professional -- with a prop-filled skate to music from "The Wild Wild West" soundtrack. And Sato tied the event's record for longest gap between titles. Five years after winning the 1995 championship, the 27-year-old Japanese skater took the women's competition. "This time is a little bit different," Sato said. "In 1995, I was clueless in a lot of ways, as a skater, as a person. It was the second year of my pro career." The biggest ovation of the night was for defending pairs champions Leonova and Khvalko, who earned four perfect 10s for artistic impression as they captivated the MCI Center audience with a "Bolero" interpretation similar to that of Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean in the 1984 Olympics. In their most daring lift, Leonova was upside-down and balanced on Khvalko only by her forearms on his shoulders, with her face pressed against his. Leonova said she and Khvalko weren't trying to copy or pay tribute to Torvill and Dean. They simply chose "Bolero" because it's great skating music. "The legacy of Torvill and Dean is the legacy of Torvill and Dean, and there's going to be the Torvill and Dean 'Bolero' forever," Leonova said. The routine earned all 9.9s and 10s. They won by a rout ahead of Oksana Kazakova and Artur Dmitriev. Americans Jenni Meno and Todd Sand placed third. Candeloro won by a more narrow margin over Rudy Galindo. Candeloro began his routine by bursting through the swinging doors of an imitation saloon called "Candel City." He twirled a six-shooter, changed from a black outfit to a white one and even lassoed a production assistant sitting among the judges. He only landed three triple jumps -- two in the same combination -- but his superior artistic marks allowed him to top Galindo. Because he had never won a major title, Candeloro put an emphasis on winning that is rarely seen at the pro level. He also hopes the victory will send a message to the French people and the national skating federation with which he has frosty relations. "I'm very glad for myself," Candeloro said. "The people in France are going to be ticked off. They don't like me too well. ... (This) proves I never stopped skating. I never stopped practice. I never stopped competitions. "In the States, everybody knows that professional skating is much better than amateur. In France, people think when you turn professional you go to Holiday on Ice and stop competing." Galindo attempted four triple jumps, but stepped out of his triple axel. He wore a multicolored costume that flowed with the music in a moving performance that he said reflected his life. He tested positive for HIV early this year. "You know my story -- it's been a roller-coaster," Galindo said. "You don't have to crawl up in a ball and hide. Now I feel like I am a true role model." With defending women's champion Tara Lipinski absent with a hip injury, Sato took the mantel of favorite and lived up to it a solid performances that included three triple jumps and a double axel. Choreographing her routine was a challenge because the music was subtle and didn't build to any kind of crescendo. With no theatrics, the skating had to speak for itself. "Because it's so quiet, you really really have to depend on your skating quality," said Sato, who has been working on her upper body strength in a budding pairs career with husband Jason Dungjen. Nicole Bobek was second. In the dance, Elizabeth Punsalan and Jerod Swallow of the United States retained their title. | ALSO SEE World Professional Championships final results Some original skating from some of the best pros Recycled routines get tossed at World Pro Lipinski will not defend World Pro title Women go for a spin at World Pro Candeloro leads men's competition at World Pro | |||||