Cup of Russia - Final Results
1) Sarah Meier SUI 159.17 3 1
2) Julia Sebestyen HUN 146.75 1 5
3) Yoshie Onda JPN 143.60 6 2
4) Elena Sokolova RUS 143.11 2 6
5) Aki Sawada JPN 142.04 7 3
6) Kiira Korpi FIN 137.41 9 4
7) Arina Martinova RUS 134.91 4 7
8) Viktoria Volchkova RUS 130.83 5 8
9) Alissa Czisny USA 121.21 8 10
10) Yan Liu CHN 114.65 11 11
11) Anastasia Gimazetdinova UZB 114.12 10 12
12) Viktoria Pavuk HUN 111.74 12 9
Wow, I seriously overestimated Alissa Czisny's final placement. She had 4.0 worth of deductions in just the long program alone. The battle for the podium at US Nationals will be wide open this year. You have to wonder if Sasha Cohen isn't the slightest bit tempted to show up in Spokane? US Figure Skating would probably get on their knees and weep with joy if she decided to go for a World spot. Aside from Kimmie Meissner, none of the other American women are showing they're assured of placing top ten in the world. Emily Hughes will probably wind up medaling at Nationals, but she placed 3rd at Cup of China in one of the least competitive Grand Prix rosters I've ever seen. Now with Czisny struggling in Russia, I can't imagine US Figure Skating will feel compelled to hold her up in the short program at Nationals (as they did last year) if she doesn't deliver a clean performance. Much as I love her skating, Beatrisa Liang just hasn't lived up to the gritty promise she showed when she competed in the final group as a 12 year old at 2001 US Nationals. Athough Caroline Zhang is ineligible for the big worlds, she'd probably have been a strong competitor on the US senior level this year had she chosen not to remain a junior.
Anyway, congratulations to Sarah Meier on her first senior grand prix medal, a gold at that! Sarah has dealt with a string of bad luck and injuries since she first took home a bronze medal at the 2000 World Junior Championships. I remember loving her performance to "Miss Saigon" and feeling that she got lost in the shuffle at that event. Americans Jenny Kirk and Deanna Stellato took home gold and silver respectively, and the big news was that Sasha Cohen finished 6th, and as a result she did not qualify for the senior World championships. I remember talking to a few friends after the event. Everyone seemed focused on the three Americans (who were all equally exciting in different ways), and even Hungarian Tamara Dorofejev had a lot of buzz. I remember being disappointed for Sarah because I felt her performances were strong, steady and oozing with potential. Six years later, it's great to see her break through on the senior level. Perseverence and hard work can be a wonderful thing.
2) Julia Sebestyen HUN 146.75 1 5
3) Yoshie Onda JPN 143.60 6 2
4) Elena Sokolova RUS 143.11 2 6
5) Aki Sawada JPN 142.04 7 3
6) Kiira Korpi FIN 137.41 9 4
7) Arina Martinova RUS 134.91 4 7
8) Viktoria Volchkova RUS 130.83 5 8
9) Alissa Czisny USA 121.21 8 10
10) Yan Liu CHN 114.65 11 11
11) Anastasia Gimazetdinova UZB 114.12 10 12
12) Viktoria Pavuk HUN 111.74 12 9
Wow, I seriously overestimated Alissa Czisny's final placement. She had 4.0 worth of deductions in just the long program alone. The battle for the podium at US Nationals will be wide open this year. You have to wonder if Sasha Cohen isn't the slightest bit tempted to show up in Spokane? US Figure Skating would probably get on their knees and weep with joy if she decided to go for a World spot. Aside from Kimmie Meissner, none of the other American women are showing they're assured of placing top ten in the world. Emily Hughes will probably wind up medaling at Nationals, but she placed 3rd at Cup of China in one of the least competitive Grand Prix rosters I've ever seen. Now with Czisny struggling in Russia, I can't imagine US Figure Skating will feel compelled to hold her up in the short program at Nationals (as they did last year) if she doesn't deliver a clean performance. Much as I love her skating, Beatrisa Liang just hasn't lived up to the gritty promise she showed when she competed in the final group as a 12 year old at 2001 US Nationals. Athough Caroline Zhang is ineligible for the big worlds, she'd probably have been a strong competitor on the US senior level this year had she chosen not to remain a junior.
Anyway, congratulations to Sarah Meier on her first senior grand prix medal, a gold at that! Sarah has dealt with a string of bad luck and injuries since she first took home a bronze medal at the 2000 World Junior Championships. I remember loving her performance to "Miss Saigon" and feeling that she got lost in the shuffle at that event. Americans Jenny Kirk and Deanna Stellato took home gold and silver respectively, and the big news was that Sasha Cohen finished 6th, and as a result she did not qualify for the senior World championships. I remember talking to a few friends after the event. Everyone seemed focused on the three Americans (who were all equally exciting in different ways), and even Hungarian Tamara Dorofejev had a lot of buzz. I remember being disappointed for Sarah because I felt her performances were strong, steady and oozing with potential. Six years later, it's great to see her break through on the senior level. Perseverence and hard work can be a wonderful thing.
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