2005

World Championships

Pairs Event

The top ranks of international pair skating remain firmly in the grasp of Russia and China, while North American teams seem consigned to the dregs of pair skating.  Together, Russia and China hold the top six places, while the two Canadian teams currently hold 9th and 10th place, and the two U.S. teams 12th and 14th.

Tatiana Totmianina & Maxim Marinin are not a particularly passionate team in terms of presentation, and this performance was no exception, but they get the job done.  In terms of points for both elements and program components they bested the other 19 teams in this event.  They lead by about 4 points going into the free skating.

Tatiana Totmianina & Maxim Marinin

The 2000 World Champions, Maria Petrova & Alexei Tikhonov, placed an unexpected second.  While it was though they would be among the top group of skaters, few would have predicted they would outscore all three Chinese teams.  Skating last, they gave a clean performance, with no negative GoEs.  Their program component scores where just 2.65 points behind the leaders, leaving them trailing by 3.18 points total.

Xue Shen & Hongbo Zhao had difficulties in three of the eight elements.  Zhao landed his triple toe loop, but reached for the ice.  On their side-by-side spins they were marked down for being short required rotations, and in their pair spin combination Zhao had a minor stumble.  Nevertheless, their presentation was among the best, with their program component score second for the event.

Dan Zhang & Hao Zhang and Qing Pang & Jian Tong are virtually tied.  Officialy they stand in fourth and fifth place, with 64.19 and 64.02 points each.

Americans Rena Inoue & John Baldwin Jr., who placed second at U.S. Nationals this year, ended the day in 12th place, due largely to Baldwin doubling a planned side-by-side triple Lutz.  This error cost the team 4 points, and without it they would have placed 8th, a considerable jump for just one error!  Otherwise, they skated clean, though their presentation did not impress, and they were scored 8 points behind the leaders in program components.

U.S. National Champions Kathryn Orscher & Garrett Lucash had a poor skate today.  On their triple toes Lucash fell, as did Orscehr on throw triple flip.  They skated without energy or enthusiasm and with a noticeable lack of confidence.  For none of their elements did a majority of the judges go above a GoE of 0 and their program components averaged a mediocre 5.2.  At this point it will require a major effort and a miracle for this team to break into the top ten this week.

Maria Petrova & Alexei Tikhonov returned to the podium as sliver medalists.  They has two elements with negative GoEs, their opening double Axel - triple toe sequence, and a step out on throw triple loop.  On triple Salchow, Petrova doubled the jump and Tikhonov poorly landed the jump.  Their triple twist was mediocre.  They skated with decent speed and expression, just 3 points behind the leaders in program components, but down nearly five points in elements.

Xue Shen & Hongo Zhao withdrew due to injury when it was their turn to skate, once it was known that China had secured its three spots at the Olympics next year based on the performances of the other two Chinese team, who by that point in the competition had already skated.

Dan Zhang & Hao Zhang moved ahead of teammates Qing Pang & Jian Tong to place third in the Free Skate and third overall.  These two teams were scored nearly equal in program components, but Zhang & Zhang outscored Pang & Tong in elements to move ahead.  On a double Axel - triple toe loop combination Dan Zhang fell and they received a slightly negative GoE for throw triple loop, though on this element the panel was divided.  During the warmup it looked like Hao Zhang was having back problems, but there was no obvious impact from that on their performance.  They skated with adequate speed and fair expression.

Pang & Tong attempted a less difficult program than Zhang & Zhang, based on base value, and had problems on two elements, both concerning double Axel.. On a triple toe - double Axel sequence Pang two footed and cheated the double Axel which was scored as a single.  Their solo double Axels were also downgraded to singles, and received negative GoEs.

Both U.S. teams moved up from their Short Program standings to place 11th and 12th.

Rena Inoue & John Baldwin gave a sloppy performance with four elements receiving negative GoEs: triple Lutz, triple twist, a double Axel - single Axel sequence, and there final lift.  We use the term triple Lutz loosely, since Baldwin consistently throws a double instead.  Their final lift skirted disaster and they omitted the swooping exit to it.

If Inoue & Baldwin were sloppy, Kathryn Orscher & Garrett Lucash were a mess.  The had negative GoEs on five of their elements.  They had no catch on triple twist, poorly executed triple toe loops, a major reach on throw triple Salchow, and major problems on a step sequence.  The unison in their spins was poor.  This could not be the team that won the U.S. Championships two months ago.  They skated nothing alike.

The two Canadian teams also moved up one place each to end up ninth and tenth overall.