Sasha Cohen Lands Back on Top at Marshalls World Skating Challenge
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| Sasha Cohen Photo by Michelle Wojdyla |
(4/6/04) The Marshalls World Skating Challenge in Providence, R.I., was the first post-Worlds showdown for skating's top athletes, and Sasha Cohen proved she was ready to be back on top.
Cohen skated a near perfect program to snatch the gold from World champion Shizuka Arakawa of Japan, who placed second. U.S. champion Michelle Kwan made two major mistakes in her performance to finish third, a repeat from Worlds. On the men's side, Evgeny Plushenko of Russia re-established his world dominance by taking the gold over silver medalist Brian Joubert of France – another mirror image of the 2004 World Championships.
LADIES
Skating last out of the seven ladies, Cohen entered her performance with confidence. Her graceful performance marked her final “Swan Lake” free skate of the season. The 2004 World silver medalist opened with a clean triple Lutz-double toe, followed by a triple flip-double toe and four additional clean triples. The judges rewarded her with two 6.0s for presentation, and she took the gold away from Arakawa.
“I started the season with a bang at Madison Square Garden (Campbell's International Figure Skating Classic) and I ended with a bang here,” Cohen said. “This was definitely a ‘yes' performance. To do it here at the end of my season with Robin is so special. It was perfect for me.”
Cohen's coach, Robin Wagner, was pleased with the night's results: “There were sixes in my heart and my mind. You can never get enough of those.”
Kwan skated second and started her performance strong, nailing three triples before opening up on a double Axel. After a difficult World Championships she struggled in Providence as well, but came away in third place. The eight-time U.S. champion said she thought her performance was decent.
“I felt really good going into it,” Kwan said, “but then I made those two mistakes. It's been a long season, and it's tough after Worlds to switch gears (from touring back to competition). To do a competition program is different than a show program. My head's still in the clouds.”
Irina Slutskaya of Russia pulled off an animated, powerful performance. She finished in fifth place after stepping out of her planned triple-double-double. The 2002 World champion proved she was back among the World's best after a heart ailment kept her out of the majority of the 2003-04 season. Her first major competition was the World Championships where she struggled and placed ninth. Her fifth at the Marshalls World Skating Challenge marked her return.
“When I finished Worlds I was thinking I needed one month more,” Slutskaya said. “It keeps getting better and better. I feel more confident; I'm starting to feel my skating. I missed this – each moment I hold and enjoy.”
Rounding out the ladies results were 2004 World Junior champion Miki Ando in fourth, 2004 U.S. bronze medalist Jennifer Kirk in sixth and Japan's Fumie Suguri in seventh.
MEN
Plushenko skated second, establishing the benchmark early in the men's competition. He opened with a quad and never looked back, earning marks ranging from 5.8-5.9, with the exception of one 5.7 for technical merit. A slight step out on his triple Lutz later in the performance left a slim opening for the remaining skaters, and France's Brian Joubert almost capitalized. With a 3-2 judges split Plushenko squeezed out the victory.
“I'm happy with the quad,” Plushenko said, “but it is no good for me because I fell on the triple Lutz. It was hard after Worlds to come to the U.S. and skate four days with Champions on Ice. It was okay, because I didn't skate a lot after Worlds – I am happy to win the last competition of the season.”
Many of the skaters competing at the Marshalls World Skating Challenge struggled with a similar schedule, heading straight to Champions on Ice rehearsals after the World Championships in Dortmund, Germany. After four shows on the tour, the majority of Tuesday's skaters switched gears to competition mode.
Among the minority was Joubert, who will return to France for a 25-city tour. His second-place finish at the Marshalls World Skating Challenge was his last free skate performance of the season to “The Matrix.”
U.S. champion Johnny Weir didn't quite find his footing Tuesday, stepping out of his triple Axel. However, his performance to “Doctor Zhivago” wowed the crowd and placed him in third. A strong breakout season proved he is a skater to watch in the future. Weir plans on spending the summer working on a quad flip with coach Priscilla Hill.
“This is a nice finish to the season and I had a lot of fun out there today,” Weir said. “I showed myself a lot today – I can get through a long program (exhausted) without making a fool of myself!”
Weir's U.S. teammate Michael Weiss was the only U.S. skater to attempt a quad, but he pulled out on the landing and settled with fourth place. Evan Lysacek finished in fifth and Timothy Goebel placed sixth. Goebel returned for his first performance following his withdrawal from the 2004 State Farm U.S. Championships. Persistent boot problems and injuries have ailed him throughout the season.
The Marshalls World Skating Challenge will be televised nationally on ABC Sports on Mother's Day, May 9, from 1-3 p.m. EST. Check your local listings.
