2009 World Championships Preview
WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS, Los Angeles, USA
After six years, the World Figure Skating Championships are returning to the United States, and dance may be the most unpredictable discipline in the event. A lot has changed since 2003, to say the least. The 2009 World Championships will be held in Los Angeles, California, from March 23 to 29. With the reigning champions out and many of the top contenders battling injuries of their own, the event could seem deflated, yet the opposite is true. A buzz surrounds the unpredictability and as many as seven teams could fight for a piece of the podium.
The 2008 world champions, Isabelle Delobel & Olivier Schoenfelder of France, are out with an injury to Delobel’s shoulder. She had surgery in early January, but has not recovered enough to compete in this year’s final championship.
Last year’s silver medalists were Canadians Tessa Virtue & Scott Moir, but like Delobel, Virtue has also suffered an injury this season. Diagnosed with compartment syndrome in her legs, Virtue underwent surgery to correct the problem last September. The couple missed the Grand Prix series but returned in time to win their second national title in January. Two weeks later, they were the runners-up at the 2009 Four Continents Championships, where they were upset by trainingmates Meryl Davis & Charlie White. Virtue & Moir have stated that they have had plenty of time to recover and train for the World Championships, though, and are coming to Los Angeles with a medal in their sights–perhaps even gold. Interestingly enough, Virtue & Moir and Delobel & Schoenfelder chose the same music for their free dance this year, Pink Floyd’s “The Great Gig in the Sky,” but since the Canadians missed the first half of the season and the French team are missing the second half, there has been no head-to-head battle to see whose gig is greater.
Jana Khokhlova & Sergei Novitski of Russia are one of the teams entering the World Championships with quite a bit of momentum. After winning bronze last year, the Russian duo has had a great season, defeating countrymen Oksana Domnina & Maxim Shabalin at Cup of Russia and winning their first European Championship, where they blew past the rest of the field by more than ten points. However, they have not been without setbacks–although they qualified for the Grand Prix Final, they had to withdraw when Novitski was hit with the food poisoning that circulated during the event. Although Khokhlova & Novitski came back to win the European title, the reception to their programs this year has been somewhat lukewarm. Still, they have consistently shown that they can earn the points that they need and if they skate well, they have a great shot at their first world title.
For the first time since 1966, the United States has two legitimate medal threats in ice dance. Meryl Davis & Charlie White could make a big jump to the podium from their sixth-place finish last year, based on the confident and championship-worthy performance they gave en route to their first U.S. title, as well as their first Four Continents title. Davis & White’s score at Four Continents was just less than four points behind Khokhlova & Novitski’s score at Europeans, and while scores cannot be directly compared across competitions, it says a lot that the young Americans were in the same range. However, Davis & White just barely edged a struggling Virtue & Moir for the Four Continents title, and while their programs have been celebrated this year, Davis & White had a disastrous original dance at Cup of Russia. They will not be able to make those kinds of mistakes if they want to improve their world ranking.
Although they have more experience, Tanith Belbin & Ben Agosto are coming from behind. Last year, a fall in the compulsory dance relegated the three-time world medalists to fourth place, prompting a coaching change during the off-season. Their return to competition under the tutelage of famed coaches Natalia Linichuk & Gennadi Karponosov did not make as much of a splash as many thought it would. They had a good Grand Prix season, winning two silver medals, but it was the first year since 2002 that they did not win a Grand Prix event, and while improvements were noted, they were not to the extent that many hoped. Then, Belbin & Agosto had to face a major setback–Agosto’s lingering back injury flared up during the Grand Prix Final, prompting a withdrawal from that event after the original dance. As a team, they missed their first U.S. Championships ever, but successfully petitioned for a spot on the world team. Belbin & Agosto say that they are ready for the World Championships, but even if he is recovered, their momentum has been broken and they are going into this home Worlds as the underdogs.
The European runners-up were Italians Federica Faiella & Massimo Scali. Although they finished in fourth in the free dance, the duo came out on top in a hotly-contested battle for the silver and bronze medals. After a career-best fifth-place finish at last year’s World Championships, their momentum continued–this season, they qualified for their first Grand Prix Final, where they placed fourth. Look for their free dance, an interpretation of the Pierrot story set to “Moonlight Sonata” to either delight or confuse the audience–reactions have been split this year.
Two bronze medals on the Grand Prix circuit left British champions Sinead Kerr & John Kerr in the alternate group for the Grand Prix Final, but the Kerrs have been enjoying their most successful season to date. With a bronze medal at the European Championships and dances that have been extremely well-liked, the sibling duo may only need to keep their nerves in check in order to improve upon last year’s eighth-place finish. While a medal seems like a long shot, at this event, it seems like anything is possible.
In the absence of their teammates, Nathalie Pechalat & Fabian Bourzat have taken over as the top French team. Although their programs have been well-received, they have struggled with results this season. Despite finishing second in the free dance at the European Championships, fourth-place rankings in the compulsory and original dances kept them in fourth overall, less than a point from the podium. The couple was understandably disappointed after the event and is hoping for even better performances at Worlds. A medal is not a sure bet, but theoretically within their reach, and would be an incredible way to finish the year after a rough start at their first Grand Prix event.
Finally, Oksana Domnina & Maxim Shabalin are a bit of wild card. Although Shabalin has not yet recovered from knee surgery and the injury that forced them out of the World Championships last year, the team competed on the Grand Prix circuit, finishing second to Delobel & Schoenfelder in the Final. The strain of the first half of the season may have been too much for Shabalin, however, and the team showed up to the European Championships injured and not ready to compete. Still, they fought through the compulsory dance, placing fifth, but withdrew before the original dance. Reports of his status have been inconsistent, and although they have arrived in Los Angeles, it is unclear whether they are ready to compete.
In addition to the podium race, another important battle is the fight for 13–the magic number needed to secure three spots for next year’s Olympic season. If Domnina & Shabalin are able to finish the competition, Russia will probably earn three spots. Similarly, as long as Agosto’s back holds up, the American teams should finish with combined rankings below 13. Italy also has a shot–their second team, Anna Cappellini & Luca Lanotte, was tenth last year and has had a strong season so far, finishing fifth at the European Championships.
The two major question marks are Canada and France. Canada had three spots last year, but is down to two this year, and undoubtedly would love to have three teams representing the home country at next year’s Olympic Games. Youngsters Vanessa Crone & Paul Poirier have had a fabulous initial season on the senior circuit, winning the silver medal at Skate Canada ahead of Pechalat & Bourzat, but will face a lot of pressure at this event. If Virtue & Moir can land on the podium, there’s a chance that Crone & Poirier can crack the top ten in their debut at the World Champions.
Until Delobel & Schoenfelder’s withdrawal, France seemed like a safe bet for three spots. Now, it will be a tall order. Pechalat & Bourzat will have to skate clean and hope for the best from Pernelle Carron & Mathieu Jost, who are a good team but have never skated at the world level.
Thirty teams from 22 countries are scheduled to skate the Paso Doble in the compulsory dance on Tuesday, March 24. All teams will skate the original dance on Thursday, but only the top 24 will continue to the free dance, which will be held on Friday night.