SALT LAKE CITY – Angela Nikodinov buried her face in her
hands while she waited for her scores to be posted.
She didn't dare look, not after she committed too many technical
errors and stumbled in the short program Thursday night at the Four
Continents figure skating championships.
|  | | Canada's Jamie Sale and David Pelletier received one 6.0 for their free skate routine, paving the way for their second straight Four Continents title. |
Tatiana Malinina of Uzbekistan, who won the inaugural Four
Continents title two years ago, had the first-day lead. Japanese
national champion Fumie Suguri was in second, followed by teammate
Shizuka Arakawa.
Sixteen-year-old American Jennifer Kirk was fourth.
Nikodinov, fresh off a third-place finish at nationals two weeks
ago, tumbled to seventh place. Teammate Amber Corwin was ninth.
With top Americans Michelle Kwan and Sarah Hughes skipping the
Salt Lake event to prepare for next week's Grand Prix final in
Tokyo, Nikodinov was positioned to successfully defend her Four
Continents title.
She opened to cheers on a triple lutz and double toe-loop
combination, but her problems began seconds later when she scraped
a blade at takeoff and singled on a planned triple flip.
"I thought it would be good," Nikodinov said. "I didn't want
to overpower the flip. I just didn't give it enough energy."
Kirk, the reigning world junior champion, had what appeared to
be a solid program. However, she made some mis-steps that altered
her elements, and judges determined she repeated a jump.
"You can't control the marks. All you can control is your
performance and that's what I did," said Kirk, who seemed as
surprised and disappointed as the groaning fans when her scores
went up.
Corwin, meanwhile, fell when she tried a double axel.
"I've been slipping off my edge a little this week, so I wanted
to make sure I held the edge," she said. "I think I jumped too
soon and my legs went before the rest of my body."
Nikodinov, who historically has struggled for consistency,
usually performs well in the short program and has more problems in
the free skate. That puts added pressure on Saturday's closing
program.
She said her success at nationals has been a distraction
recently.
"It's such an overwhelming experience, being on such a high
when you get back into the rink and train," Nikodinov said.
"Instead of relying on my training, I based it on how the warmup
went."
In pairs, Canadians Jamie Sale and David Pelletier successfully
defended last year's Four Continents title, using a fluid free
skate to generate a 6.0 on presentation from one judge and a
standing ovation from the crowd.
"We've skated clean quite a few times this year," Sale said.
"We know we're capable of doing it. It's just a matter of the
whole attitude, which was really good. We've been extremely
positive from the day we got here."
Xue Shen and Hongbo Zhao of China placed second with a
near-flawless program that vaulted them into first place until the
Canadians took the ice as the final couple. Americans Kyoko Ina and
John Zimmerman were third.
Two weeks ago, Sale and Pelletier won their second straight
Canadian title, but complained it felt hollow when Sale fell on a
jump. That's demanding, but one year earlier they won after scoring
five 6.0s.
Sale and Pelletier came to Utah hoping for a better look at the
venue where next year's Olympic competition will be held, but also
to show they could compete simply for pleasure.
"Skating to win is not fun," Pelletier said. "Skating because
you enjoy it is what we really focused on today, and we really
enjoyed it."
Their coordination was almost perfect, each moving in near
unison on their spins and steps. Their lifts and throws were so
rhythmic, they seemed almost effortless.
When they finished, Pelletier and Sale were beaming. He gave her
a hug and kissed her forehead as fans stood and threw bouquets on
the ice.
The goal now, they said, is to bottle the formula for next
month's world championships on home soil in Vancouver.
"We've just got to remember how we were here and take it to
every competition from now on," Sale said. "Whatever happens,
happens."
The Canadians also had a strong day in ice dancing, as Shae-Lynn
Bourne and Victor Kraatz continued to lead after the original
dance. They've been ahead since Wednesday's compulsories
Naomi Lang and Peter Tchernyshev of the United States were in
second place going into Friday's free dance. Marie-France Dubreuil
and Patrice Lauzon of Canada were third.
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ALSO SEE
Thursday's complete results
Eldredge first after short program at Four Continents
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