| Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating, SBC Cup, Nagano (JPN) |
The last of the seven qualifying events of the Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating, is taking place in Nagano, Japan starting on Thursday and continues until Sunday November 18. This is the last opportunity for junior skaters to earn points to qualify for the Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final, which will be held in Bled, Sofia on December 13-16, 2001. The top eight Ladies, Men, Pairs and Ice Dance couples in the overall standings will qualify for the Final.
The full list of 30 entries from 11 ISU Member Federations is attached and final and immediate results of the competition are available directly from the ISU Internet site on ww2.isu.org.
Three places out of eight available spots remained open in the Men's competition to qualify for the Junior Grand Prix Final. In Japan, three strong contenders could fill in these spots. Shawn Sawyer of Canada came into this event with 15 points from his win in Bulgaria, while Daisuke Takahashi (JPN) and Ari-Pekka Nurmenkari (FIN), who already had 13 and 11 points respectively, were also aiming to be amongst those qualified for the Final. Following the final results of the Men's competition that ended today in Nagano, Takahashi clinched the gold medal, followed by Nurmenkari and Sawyer, which means that all three skaters have earned a place amongst those who will soon be heading for the Junior Grand Prix Final.
In the Ladies event, three spots for the Junior Grand Prix Final are also vacant. Currently, the top contenders for these places are Japanese teammates, Akiko Suzuki and Yukari Nakano, who entered this event with 11 points each and who now hold first and second place respectively in the standings after the Short Program. They are followed by Dan Fang of China, who stands in third place. Meanwhile, Canada's Cynthia Phaneuf, who was heading the Ladies' field in Nagano with 15 points from her victory in The Netherlands, is currently in ninth place, which has seriously compromised her chance of qualifying for the Final.
There are two places left to qualify for the Pairs event at the Junior Grand Prix Final and there are two pairs, both from Canada, entered to compete in the Pairs event in Nagano. This means that only two medals will be awarded (gold and silver) and now the question that remains is which of the two pairs, Clara Montgomery/ Ryan Arnold with 15 points or Jessica Dube/ Samuel Tetrault with 11 points, both earned in The Netherlands, will win what medal? In the current standings of the ongoing competition, Montgomery/ Arnold are sitting in first place.
In Ice Dancing, two places for the Junior Grand Prix Final also remain to be settled in Nagano. Top contenders entered in the Ice Dance event are Anna Zadorozhniuk/ Sergei Verbillo (UKR) and Miriam Steinel/ Vladimir Tsvetkov (GER) who came to Japan with 13 and 11 points respectively. Steinel/ Tsvetkov are off to a good start, as they currently lead the standings after the Compulsory and Original Dances. However, Zadorozhniuk/ Verbillo are now sitting in fifth place and their chances for a spot amongst the couples, who will qualify to compete in Bled, are currently challenged by Natalie Pechalat/ Fabian Bourzat (FRA), who are now in second place, followed by Daria Borisova/ Alexander Chepurnov of Russia. The French couple, who entered this event with 9 points, may now also have a chance to qualify for the Final, provided that they manage to stay on top.
For further information please contact: Aline Bussat Ingwersen, ISU Media Coordinator Tel: +41 21 612 66 66 Fax: +41 21 612 66 77 E-mail: bussat@isu.org or Tatsuro Matsumura SBC Cup Tel: +81 3 3986 1138 Fax: +81 3 3986 1244 E-mail: matsumura@skatingjapan.or.jp Entries Ladies Nation Name AUS Zoe BRADFORTH CAN Lauren WILSON CAN Cynthia PHANEUF CHN Dan FANG TPE Diana Y. CHEN TPE Hsin-Hui TSAI FIN Sari HAKOLA FIN Hanna KAIJOMAA FIN Henna HIETALA FIN Sanna REMES JPN Yukari NAKANO JPN Akiko SUZUKI JPN Ichie HAYASHI Men Nation Name CAN Shawn SAWYER FIN Mikko MINKKINEN FIN Ari-Pekka NURMENKARI FRA Gregory REVERDIAU JPN Daisuke TAKAHASHI KOR Dong-Whun LEE Pairs Nation Name CAN Jessica DUBE/ Samuel TETRAULT CAN Carla MONTGOMERY/ Ryan ARNOLD Ice Dancing Nation Name CAN Lauren FLYNN/ Leif GISLASON FRA Natalie PECHALAT/ Fabian BOURZAT FRA Aurelie LAMBEL/ Jerome LAMBEL GER Miriam STEINEL/ Vladimir TSVETKOV JPN Minami SAKACHO/ Tatsuya SAKACHO KOR Hye-Min KIM/ Min-Woo KIM RUS Daria BORISOVA/ Alexander CHEPURNOV RUS Natalia MIKHAILOVA/ Arkadi SERGUEEV UKR Anna ZADOROZHNIUK/ Sergly VERBILO