International Skating Union Established 1892 The Official Home of Speed * Figure * Synchronized * Short Track

2000 World Figure Skating Championships March 26 - April 2, 2000 Nice, France Day 5 Summary

Official Site

Main World's Page - (This Site)

The 2000 ISU World Figure Skating Championships continued in Nice (FRA) Friday with the Ladies' Short Program and the conclusion of the Dance competition.

Ladies

The Ladies' competition continued with the Short Program, worth 30% of the final score. Michelle Kwan (USA), second in her Qualifying Group, was the first of the top group to skate. She opened her Lennon & McCartney "Day in the Life" program with a double axel followed by a fine triple lutz/double toeloop combination but stuttered on the landing to her triple flip. She completed the program with good spins and her unique spiral sequence. Her marks included two 5.9s and five 5.8s for presentation but for required elements they ranged from 5.4 - 5.7 and she knew that the small error had left the door open for the two top Russians. And they took full advantage. European champion Irina Slutskaya, the winner of Kwan's Qualifying Group, skated a high quality clean program. She opted for the same jumps as Kwan, and also produced good spins, including her trademark double Biellmann combination. She was rewarded with two 5.8s for required elements and one 5.9 and seven 5.8s for presentation to put her ahead of Kwan. Last to skate was defending champion Maria Butyrskaya, winner of the other Qualifying Group. Her performance was Butryskaya at her best: flowing, lyrical skating with flawless technique. She opted for a triple lutz/double toeloop combination and a triple loop in her Scene d'amour program. The marks included three 5.9s and two 5.8s for required elements and seven 5.9s for presentation. So Butyrskaya won the Short Program (by a seven to two majority of the judges) and goes into the Free in first place ahead of Slutskaya and Kwan, respectively second and third in the Short. Fourteen year old Sarah Hughes (USA), the youngest skater in the Championships, is in fourth overall (fifth in the Short). To the delight of the crowd, Vanessa Gusmeroli (FRA) put the disappointing performance that left her seventh in her Qualifying Group behind her to produce a clean program. The French champion finished fourth in the Short and moved up to fifth overall. Butyrskaya revealed afterwards that she had hurt herself just before she began to skate: "I cut my finger right before I went out to skate when I cleaned my blade," she said. "It was good. I felt very confident today."

Coach Elena Tchaikovskaya commented: "It has been easier for her since she won Europeans twice and Worlds. She said 'Finally I know that I can be first.'"

"I skated well today," said Slutskaya. "I landed all elements cleanly without the slightest mistake. You can't make the slightest mistake in the Short, therefore I'm more nervous."

"I felt really good out there," said Kwan. "I made a little bobble after the triple flip but I'm glad I went for it, that's for sure. I think they both - Maria and Irina - skated really well and right now I'm just glad to be in the top three."

Dance

There was a capacity crowd for the concluding event in the Dance competition. The fans cheered throughout the warm-up for the final group and the atmosphere was electric by the time Marina Anissina & Gwendal Peizerat (FRA), the first skaters of the final group, prepared to start their Carmina Burana program. Holding second place after the first two sections of the competition, they knew they had to produce something special. They performed the innovative choreography, lightening fast twizzles and dance spins, a reverse lift (where Anissina lifted Peizerat) with their characteristic dramatic intensity, swept along by the cheering crowd. They received eight 5.8s for technical merit and four perfect 6.0s and five 5.9s for presentation.

Next onto the ice were the overnight leaders, Barbara Fusar-Poli & Maurizio Margaglio (ITA), performing their Duel routine which portrays two warriors. It was an intense and powerful performance showing speed across the ice, fine edge work and innovative lifts but it was not quite enough. It earned one 5.9 and four 5.8s for technical merit and four 5.9s and five 5.8s for presentation. The nine judges were unanimous and to the delight of the crowd, Anissina & Peizerat had beaten the Italians to take first place. Irina Lobacheva & Ilia Averbukh (RUS), in third place coming into the Free Dance, were next. Their Jesus Christ Superstar program received marks ranging from 5.5 to 5.7 for technical merit and 5.7 - 5.8 and one 5.9 for presentation. They were followed on to the ice by Margarita Drobiazko & Povilas Vanagas (LTU), the European bronze medallists and in fourth place after the Compulsories and Original Dance. Their romantic contemporary Tosca program featured innovative spins and lifts and won marks ranging from 5.5 - 5.7 for technical merit but their presentation marks were higher - including two 5.9s and six 5.8s. By a six judges to three majority decision, the Lithuanians had beaten the Russians to take a place on the podium. It completed a good day for Tchaikovskaya who started coaching the couple last season. So Anissina & Peizerat won the gold with Fusar-Poli & Margaglio taking the silver and Drobiazko & Vanagas the bronze. It was a result that made history: the first Dance medal for Italy at a World Championships and the first ever medal for Lithuania at a World Championships. It was the first time since 1968 that Russia (or the former Soviet Union) had not been represented on the Dance podium at the World Championships.

"For sure we had some doubts for yesterday was the first time we'd placed second all season. It was not easy," said Peizerat. "We never put so much physically and mentally into a program. To win the World Championships at home, in France, is a dream coming true." Anissina commented: "The audience was great but there was also a lot of pressure but we skated a good Free Dance."

"We are very happy because we did a wonderful program," said Fusar-Poli. "It was a lot of stress because we are not used to compete for the gold" added Margaglio. "We are happy that we coped with this pressure and that we were able to show what we can do."

"I'm so happy it's unbelievable," said Drobiazko. "We are not used to winning medals after all! But today we felt it was going to happen. We had an excellent practice. We put everything we had into this Free Dance." Vanagas added: "The audience helped us so much, it was easy to skate."

The Championships conclude Saturday with the Ladies' Free Program.

Results

Ladies

Short Program

Fi Name 			Nation  TFP 	QB 	QA 	SP FS

1 Maria BUTYRSKAYA 		RUS 	1,0 		1 	1
2 Irina SLUTSKAYA 		RUS 	1,6 	1 		2
3 Michelle KWAN 		USA 	2,6 	2 		3
4 Sarah HUGHES 			USA 	4,2	3 		5
5 Vanessa GUSMEROLI 		FRA 	5,2 	7 		4
6 Julia SEBESTYEN 		HUN 	5,4 		3 	7
7 Angela NIKODINOV 		USA 	5,6 	5 		6
8 Viktoria VOLCHKOVA 		RUS 	6,4	4 		8
9 Elena LIASHENKO 		UKR 	7,6		4 	10
10 Sabina WOJTALA 		POL 	9,0	9 		9
11 Jennifer ROBINSON 		CAN 	9,0 	6 		11
12 Mikkeline KIERKGAARD 	DEN 	9,8 		2 	15
13 Yoshie ONDA 			JPN 	10,4 	8 		12
14 Alisa DREI 			FIN 	11,2 		7 	14
15 Diana POTH 			HUN 	12,2 		11 	13
16 Galina MANIACHENKO 		UKR 	13,2 		9 	16
17 Tatiana MALININA 		UZB 	13,4 		5 	19
18 Anna RECHNIO 		POL 	13,8 		9 	17
19 Anna LUNDSTRÖM 		SWE 	14,0 		8 	18
20 Zoya DOUCHINE 		GER 	14,4 		6 	20
21 Silvia FONTANA 		ITA 	16,6 	10 		21
22 Siyin SUN 			CHN 	18,4 	13 		22
23 Shirene HUMAN 		RSA 	19,0 		13 	23
24 Ivana JAKUPCEVIC 		CRO 	19,8 	12 		25

Final not reached

25 Kaja HANEVOLD 		NOR 	20,4 		15 	24
26 Roxana LUCA 			ROM 	20,4 		12 	26
27 Julia LEBEDEVA 		ARM 	21,8 	14 		27
28 Anastasia GIMAZETDINOVA 	UZB 	21,8 	11 		29
29 Valeria TRIFANCOVA 		LAT 	22,4 	14 		28
30 Marion KRIJGSMAN 		NED 	24,0 	15 		30


Ice Dance

Fi Name 					Nation 	TFP 	C1	C2 	OD 	FD

1 Marina ANISSINA / Gwendal PEIZERAT		FRA 	2,6 	1 	1 	2 	1
2 Barbara FUSAR-POLI / Maurizio MARGAGLIO 	ITA 	3,4 	2 	2 	1 	2
3 Margarita DROBIAZKO / Povilas VANAGAS 	LTU 	7,0 	4 	4 	4 	3
4 Irina LOBACHEVA / Ilia AVERBUKH 		RUS 	7,0	3 	3 	3 	4
5 Galit CHAIT / Sergei SAKHNOVSKI 		ISR 	10,4 	6 	6 	5 	5
6 Kati WINKLER / Rene LOHSE 			GER 	11,6 	5 	5 	6 	6
7 Elena GRUSHINA / Ruslan GONCHAROV 		UKR 	14,0 	7 	7 	7 	7
8 Naomi LANG / Peter TCHERNYSHEV 		USA 	16,8 	8 	9 	9 	8
9 Sylwia NOWAK / Sebastian KOLASINSKI 		POL 	18,4 	9 	8 	10 	9
10 Marie-France DUBREUIL / Patrice LAUZON 	CAN 	20,8 	10 	11 	11 	10
11 Isabelle DELOBEL / Olivier SCHOENFELDER 	FRA 	23,0 	12 	12 	12 	11
12 Jamie SILVERSTEIN / Justin PEKAREK 		USA 	25,4 	14 	14 	13 	12
13 Anna SEMENOVICH / Roman KOSTOMAROV 		RUS 	26,6 	13 	13 	14 	13
14 Eliane HUGENTOBLER / Daniel HUGENTOBLER 	SUI 	29,2 	15 	16 	15 	14
15 Megan WING / Aaron LOWE 			CAN 	31,0 	7 	15 	16 	15
16 Natalia ROMANIUTA / Danil BARANTSEV 		RUS 	33,8 	18 	17 	18 	16
17 Alexandra KAUC / Filip BERNADOWSKI 		POL 	37,0 	19 	19 	19 	18
18 Nakako TSUZUKI / Rinat FARKHOUTDINOV 	JPN 	37,2 	21 	20 	20 	17
19 Stephanie RAUER / Thomas RAUER 		GER 	39,8 	20 	21 	21 	19
20 Zita GEBORA / Andras VISONTAI 		HUN 	43,0 	25 	24 	22 	20
21 Julie KEEBLE / Lukasz ZALEWSKI 		GBR 	44,2 	24 	23	23 	21
22 Weina ZHANG / Xianming CAO 			CHN 	45,4 	23 	22 	24 	22
Withdrawn
Albena DENKOVA / Maxim STAVISKI 		BUL 		11 	10 	8
Federica FAIELLA / Luciano MILO 		ITA 		16 	18 	17

Final not reached

25 Angelika FÜHRING / Bruno ELLINGER 		AUT 		22 	25 	26
26 Katarina KOVALOVA / David SZURMAN 		CZE 		26 	26 	25
27 Alissa de CARBONNEL / Alexander MALKOV 	BLR 		28 	28 	27
28 Zuzana DURKOVSKA / Marian MESAROS 		SVK 		27 	27 	28
29 Anna MOSENKOVA / Sergei SYCHOV 		EST 		30 	30 	29
30 Tiffany HYDEN / Vazgen AZROJAN 		ARM 		29 	29 	30

Not qualified

31 Ana GALITCH / Andrei GRIAZEV 		BIH		31 	31
32 Portia DUVAL-RIGBY / Francis RIGBY 		AUS 		32 	32


For further information please contact:

ISU Press Office: Aline Bussat/Penny Dain in Nice on +33 4 97 08 25 86