(YouTube video chronicling Lambiel's rise at Skate Canada: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ja2sd5iecgI)
The U.S. ice dancing champs were so certain that their free dance wasn’t good enough to win a medal, they also changed their clothes and were ready to leave the building when they were called back for the awards ceremony. “I learned a lesson,” Tanith Belbin said. “Don't take anything for granted.”
“I guess we dodged a bullet on that one,” Ben Agosto said. “We’ve been working really hard on the program. We didn’t skate our best, but I guess we did it good enough.”
Belbin and Agosto had only been skating their free dance program, done to the soundtrack to the French film “Amelie,” for a little over two months, having introduced it for the first time at the U.S. championships in January. As a result, it still had some rough spots at Worlds. Belbin bobbled a twizzle and nearly bumped into Agosto. They also lost a point on a lift held longer than the rules stipulate.
"I can’t believe I missed my twizzle. I never do that,” Belbin said.
The judges must have thought Belbin and Agosto’s errors were minor, for they made up what they lost in their other elements: excellent choreography and high marks for their lifts and step sequences. It was close, however; they were a mere 0.25 points over the fourth-place finishers, French champs Isabelle Delobel and Oliver Schenfelder.
“We're happy with how we skated,” said Delobel. “We were beaten by the Americans. Oh well.”
By the competition’s end, it was an exact duplication of the podium at the Worlds championships last year in Calgary: the gold going to Denkova and Staviski of Bulgaria, the silver to Dubreuil and Lauzon of Canada, and the bronze of course to Belbin and Agosto.
“I guess we dodged a bullet on that one,” Ben Agosto said. “We’ve been working really hard on the program. We didn’t skate our best, but I guess we did it good enough.”
Belbin and Agosto had only been skating their free dance program, done to the soundtrack to the French film “Amelie,” for a little over two months, having introduced it for the first time at the U.S. championships in January. As a result, it still had some rough spots at Worlds. Belbin bobbled a twizzle and nearly bumped into Agosto. They also lost a point on a lift held longer than the rules stipulate.
"I can’t believe I missed my twizzle. I never do that,” Belbin said.
The judges must have thought Belbin and Agosto’s errors were minor, for they made up what they lost in their other elements: excellent choreography and high marks for their lifts and step sequences. It was close, however; they were a mere 0.25 points over the fourth-place finishers, French champs Isabelle Delobel and Oliver Schenfelder.
“We're happy with how we skated,” said Delobel. “We were beaten by the Americans. Oh well.”
By the competition’s end, it was an exact duplication of the podium at the Worlds championships last year in Calgary: the gold going to Denkova and Staviski of Bulgaria, the silver to Dubreuil and Lauzon of Canada, and the bronze of course to Belbin and Agosto.
2006 Worlds podium
2007
The Bulgarians were very proud of their performance, which was probably their last in competitive figure skating. “It is wonderful for us to be here and to have won the second gold medal," Denkova stated. "I never thought this is possible. We’ve fought for it since the beginning of the season, we fought every moment.”
Denkova also admitted that she didn’t understand why she and her partner won the gold medal last year, but felt more secure with their performance this year. “I feel happier than last year,” she added.
Albena and Maxim had previously stated their intentions to retire from competition, but resisted formally announcing it. “I want to have a rest. But she’s the president. I’m just a skater,” Staviski grinned, referring to the fact that his partner and wife was elected president of the Bulgarian Skating Federation last fall.
Canadians Marie-France Dubreuil and Patrice Lauzon exhibited the romance in their relationship with their long program, set to “At Last” by Etta James, took the silver again this year.
"Last year the worlds were in Canada,” Dubreuil said. “It added to the pressure. After the accident in Torino my body was not 100%, and to get back on that ice after Torino, it was overwhelming and was very hard to skate. We skated this competition very well with no pain and much less stress.”
The married couple were, disappointed that they lost the gold by such a close margin (barely one point). It didn’t mar their happiness at winning the silver, though. “We skated with a lot of love and joy,” said Dubreuil. “We just felt really free out there, which felt great.”
Sources:
Associated Press. Figure skating: Bulgarians’ intricate swirls win ice dance title.
http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/03/23/sports/skate.php
Free Press News Services. Belbin, Agosto capture bronze.
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070324/SPORTS18/703240377/1048/SPORTS
ISU World Figure Skating Championships 2007 Tokyo (JPN) Day 4.
http://www.isu.org/vsite/vcontent/content/news/0,10869,4844-131973-133281-18886-268075-news-item,00.html
Kaye, R. 2007 World Figure Skating Championships: Free Dance Highlights. http://goldenskate.com/articles/2006/032407_fd.shtml
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