2008 Worlds free skate | Canadian wins Men’s title | Buttle 🇨🇦🥇Joubert 🇫🇷🥈 Weir 🥉🇺🇸
A lot of the skaters saying how good the ice is. Just listen to that. Stay calm, man. And remember this moment. [Applause] So to start this second group, an almighty roar for Adrien Schultice who was exceptional in the short program yesterday and please more of the same today. The music from the soundtrack of Mr. and Mrs. Smith. [Music] Triple axle, double toe loop to start. Oh yes, no triple toe, but a cracker of a triple axle. [Music] [Applause] Triple toe loop on the end and a loop for good measure. Quality in the landings. Lovely soft knee bend. Needs it in combination and puts it on the end. Triple axle double toe loop. [Applause] Heat. Heat. [Music] [Music] [Music] Oh, looked offline on the takeoff for the loop. Didn’t I didn’t think he was going to make it. [Applause] [Music] Lovely on the looks. Straight as a die. [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] Heat. [Music] [Applause] [Music] Heat. [Music] [Music] Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. [Applause] [Music] Wow. [Music] [Music] Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] [Applause] [Applause] very very well Well done. [Applause] That was a performance of character both in the short and in the long. Adrien Schul Heist today in Goththingberg, your hometown. You’ve come of age at 19 years of age. Brilliant. [Applause] You’ve got to use it to your advantage, but so often it can it can really add so much to the pressure. It’s one thing to be out there as just one of the competitors. It’s another to be stuck up on the front stage with everybody cheering you on. that expectation level that you carry with you before the competition on the day of it all through the week people saying gosh you know in the streets and everywhere would be saying come on we hope you do well and in parts of that he didn’t have the exuberance that we’ve seen him in the short program but he controlled it and he maintained his focus some lovely elements and even when some of the jumps didn’t do well he wasn’t going to put the second foot down. Just fantastic that combination triple, triple toe, double toe. Brilliant. And there’s no doubt about it to me that that routine was helped by the crowd because the the makeup of the music gives you space. Ah, catching the toe. That was just a flip. He let the left shoulder go. He looked tired actually by that point. And you can forgive him for that. Eight triple jumps included in that program and they’re just sorting out the judges at the end. I’ve wanted to do that in the past. Not anymore. You can work through it. Yes. Oh, that’s what it means. That’s what it’s about. Gene Lukov who coaches him in Goththingberg. He trains in Hacker as well and Talon. What a magnificent effort. Well done. Well done, Adrian. And well done to the team behind you. It would have been so easy to go out there and just overdo it. You could have bottled it, couldn’t you? Abs could have bottled it, but he didn’t. Brilliant. Well, let’s Oh, yes. 17.08. Very, very good technical score. 5786 127. That’s going to give him.94. way over his best. Great to see he’ll go shooting into the lead ahead of Yazu Haru Nanri who led from the first group. And there it is, a new season’s best for Adrian. Very well done from all of us here at Eurosport. Two skaters to go in this group before the ice resurface. And here coming into these world championships as substitute for Evan Lysek. Evan had a accident in practice a couple of weeks ago where the weld on the blade that he was skating on broke on the landing of a triple axle and he fell and damaged his shoulder. So we wish him well and a great opportunity for this young man. Fourth in US nationals, fifth in four continents this year. He lies 14th after the short program. This is 22-year-old Jeremy Abbott for the USA. [Music] Going for the quad toe loop to to loop to start four times round in the end. [Music] And there it is. Beautiful. [Music] Good flow over the ice. Sets up the axle. Ah, to the free leg. too high behind him as he stepped forwards on that left forward outside edge. [Music] Not a lot of height on the flip, but made it count. Good running edge coming out. Heat. [Music] [Music] Heat. [Music] Heat up [Music] here. [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] That was down on the second attempt of the triple axle. Well, he’s put some pressure on himself for this second half of the program because none of the jumps that he’s done at the beginning have been in combination. [Music] [Music] Oh, well done. He was listening to you. [Music] Good clean positions in the spins. Change of edge, maintaining the speed. And well centered. [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] Hey, [Music] [Music] Well, it’s a gorgeous program. Loads of drama in there. and a very very wellbalanced program too. Tom Sigretchek who coaches him in Colorado Springs. He’s got a really good team of kids back there in the States. And Jeremy Abbott leading the way, but it won’t be the performance he was looking for. Too many mistakes in there, not enough combinations. So that’s going to affect him technically. There’s no doubt about that. Couple of stumbles as well. So not the sort of performance he was looking for, but remember he’s not had the preparation time. He comes here as substitute for Evan Lysek. So he would have thought his season was over. Tell me about the jumps though because for me they’re not getting the height. He’s offline on a lot of the takeoffs and the spins are good but I’m just not confident about the jumps. What do you see? Well, sometimes it can be it can just be an off day. The timing is so critical. You can see there just about getting the weight over the skate going into it. It is a mind game as well. The pressure is intense there. He just about makes three and a half turns. Didn’t have enough elevation on there to be able to get that left leg back. Left forward outside edge. Drives the right leg through. It’s important when you go into that that you don’t take the right leg up too far behind you as you step onto the left forward outside edge because then the right leg gets away from you. after the pendulum effect when you go through to the jump and you can’t get over it quick enough. So you lose rotational time and that can happen when you overcook it. You come out and you’re pumped up. The adrenaline’s running through your body and all of a sudden your timing changes and when it works the guys are very tight. The girls too tight in the air. Lovely position straight up. It’s the up and down, isn’t it? There’s no lean on it at all. Very tight. Zapping. That’s right. The key is how quickly you get over that right foot. If you if you end up taking the right leg too far through and you’re going for three and a half turns or four turns and you haven’t got your your left foot over your right foot by 6 in off the ground, four, five, six inches off the ground, you’re going to make it. Just talking about that getting over the right foot and the left foot and everything. Best says, “Hi, Chris Nikki. I noticed some of the skaters do their turns and spins in the opposite direction, clockwise. Is there a name for this? As in skateboarding, in skateboarding apparently they say regular and goofy.” Okay. So, um, goofy is when you’re doing it the right way, the the other way around. So, majority of the skaters take off the left foot, but um, most of them rotate counterclockwise, anticlockwise. So, who who can you think of any right now that go the other way around? Yeah. Johnny Weir. Johnny Weir. He’s So, if we called him a goofy skater, would he get upset? Yes. Okay, we won’t do that then. No, you call him a lefty. I call her lefty, but might still get upset. No, that’s that’s what it is. Okay, Jamie M. Jamie M just reminds us the island Ireland have become members of the ISU in last January. So hope to be see us skating on some Irish skaters soon or maybe even some Irish Americans. Now there’s a thought you can use your parents’ nationality in order to skate for a different country. We see that happening quite a lot. Well, I can think of loads. Actually, where I am in Chicago, there’s a massive uh amount of people with Irish heritage there that could represent Ireland. So, the Irish championships could be quite interesting. It could be very interesting. Anyway, let’s focus on Jeremy’s marks. Where are they going to put him? He’s going to go into the lead with those marks. 13165 his score. It’s way below his season’s best. 14553, his personal best from the four continents this year, but he will lead ahead of Adrien Schul Heist at the halfway mark. We’ve still got 12 skaters to go. [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] In fact, we’ve got 13 skaters to go. I’m getting ahead of myself here. Skating 12th in this men’s free program, lying in 15th place after the short. The Russian national champion for the first time. He was junior champion last year, senior champion this year. Coached by Alexemanov, the 1994 Olympic champion. This is Sergey Voronov and a selection of tangos by Ator Pzola. [Music] That’ll do. Quadruple toe loop and a bit of cracker. [Music] [Applause] [Music] Oh, lovely triple axle height in it. He could have changed the light bulbs while he was up there, couldn’t he? Super start on those elements. [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] Triple flip right down below us. just offline in the air a little bit, but made it count with a lovely landing edge. Oh, he’s on fire. Triple axle, just double toe on the end, but the quality of the axle just amazing. [Music] [Applause] Heat. Heat. [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Music] Loop out of nowhere. And again that height [Music] [Music] Triple toe loop. Double toe loop. [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] Good edge changes on the straight line step sequence. Heat [Music] up here. [Music] Oh, that was amazing. Well, he skated exceptionally at the European Championships to finish in fourth place. And in the short yesterday, to be honest, by his standards, he had a bit of a nightmare. He couldn’t stop the rotation on the triple axle. Overcooked it a little bit and then he doubled down on the loop and that’s what cost him. He lost three and a half marks on that mistake on the loop and that has him in this 15th place. Now, if that performance had been in the final group, he’d be contending for a medal here. The height he gets in the jumps. Incredible, isn’t it? Just uncanny. It’s just there. It’s got so much time in the air. Up perfectly straight. That’s as good as it gets. Look at the control coming out of it. Here’s the quad toe. Drop three turn on the way in. Tight as you like in the air. Left arm back a little bit too far. That’s the only thing you can say about it. He’s soft on the landings, too. He is so controlled. so much upper body strength. Look at that. Just a little dip so he can get the momentum for the toe loop. He was looking for a triple toe and then thought better of it. Didn’t see the triple triple combinations in there. Some of the other guys it Yeah, we will. We may even see some quad toe with triple toes on the end. But I’ve got to say, I watched the practice of the last couple of groups this morning and there were a lot of errors. The pressure getting to people. Some some of the skaters really struggling with the quad toe. Vanderpin had a bit of a bad practice. Thomas Verer looked good. Lombiel struggled to get a quad soo landed and uh he’s been training the program with quadto and quadal. So he may want that. Lombiel, I didn’t see him land a triple axle. He doesn’t like it, does he? He doesn’t like the triple axle. Battle looked good, but he hasn’t got the quad. And when you got a course to come, when you got a coach who knows about winning too, I always think it makes a difference. You know, Alex has been at the top of the pile. He really does know and he’s taken in there and and the psychology of it. If something goes wrong, he’s been through that himself. He can just work into it. Well done. Certainly a good job done. He’s going to move up at least one place with those marks. 14467. That’s going to put him at the top of the pile this afternoon. and he leads with 20993. [Applause] Not quite a personal best. He got 210 at the European Championships, but with the mistakes made on the short program, he’ll take that total and run with it. So, that’s how they stand. Voronov for Russia leading Jeremy Albert for the USA in second. Adrien Schulis, who’s had a sensational championships in third at the moment. We’ve got 12 skaters to go and the medal contenders all going we think in the final group. Time for us to take a quick break while the ice is resurfaced. [Music] Welcome back. It’s going crazy in here on the ice. The first skater in the third group, Christopher Bernson from Sweden. And he’s skating a blinder. mistake there on the loop, but he’s already done a couple of triple axles and a triple looks triple toe combination. And the crowd are loving it. [Music] [Music] Keeping his concentration, building up the level on the spin whilst 9,000 people are clapping away in the background. [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] Oh, a hand down on the flip. Manages to get double toe on the end of it. [Music] Heat [Music] [Applause] up [Applause] here. [Music] [Applause] and one young lady just swooned in the front row facing up. Three passed out. [Music] Oh, youch. That was a nasty tumble. Well done. Double axle. The Ps on the SO, [Music] [Applause] [Music] great music as a background for the straight line step sequence. Loads of energy, good edge work, but what a performer. [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] Oh, that wasn’t what he was looking for. But they don’t care. They love him anyway. This is his home city, Goththingberg. And he gave it his best shot. There are pictures of him everywhere on the TV, posters everywhere. He’s a real star. And the pressure, you can imagine, was intense. He held it together yesterday in the short program. A couple of mistakes there, but on the whole he’s done very, very well. He went into this free program lying in 10th place, which is an incredible achievement. Remember 12 months ago, he had the performance of his life in the free skating to that same music. Couldn’t quite hold it together. Finished ninth last year. Fear he’s going to be outside the top 10 this year, but still a great great character. Well done, Christopher. Yeah. And the majority of the young ladies now trying to settle down for a moment after that. I think that was a moment that made an impression probably lasting on many of them present. And just sometimes it doesn’t come come off, does it? But still, he could have done anything out there and the crowd would have gone crazy. Yeah, they really do love him. That’s the sort of quality of jumps we’re looking for. checks that left arm, triple toe on the end. Really, really good. And he does have a wonderful character. Real charisma out there. So important in an arena like this to present up and out to the crowd. You can see when you get the what we call the long shots, the wide shots, that is that you can see how high the banking is. And you get taught to present up and out. Lift your chin to face right up to the back row. Yeah, there’s not a seat to be had, is there? It’s absolutely packed in here. Right up to the top of the back. Yeah, that mistake on the Sera. That was a nasty fall. And he did well to get straight up and put in a double axle. Love the footwork. Good use of the music and good choice of music, too. It really does reach the crowd that makes such a difference when you’re putting together the program in the first instance. What are you looking to achieve here? He is a performer. It does work well. Just everything’s a little muted for him cuz he knows he hasn’t delivered as he can. [Music] Well, he does tend to suffer from nerves and he did suffer from nerves at the European Championships. And you can forgive him for being nervous, can’t you? Skating in front of 10,000 people nearly. He must be in here at your home venue. So, where will they have him? It’s not going to be great. It’s going to be fourth place. Fourth for Bernson. And in fact, he finishes behind his teammate Adrian Shouse. And if you didn’t see him, he skated a blinder early on. He started the second group and didn’t really make any mistakes. So, just about half a point between those two. But out in front, Sergey Voronov with Jeremy Abbott in second at the moment. [Music] Well, on the ice, a real season campaigner. He uh has been inside the top 10 at the World Championships a couple of times, was seventh in 2003, 10th last year, and he goes into this free lying in 12th place for Bellarus. This is Sergey Davididov. [Music] Just had our tea lady arrive. Susie win, former American champion. Good start. Excellent triple axle at the beginning of that combination. [Music] [Applause] [Music] The long wind up into the second triple axle, but it was a cracker. [Music] Well, didn’t really get enough elevation on that look, but he was still able to get a couple of toe loops on the end. Building the technical score all the time. Super butterfly into the back zip. Changing edge, changing position. Should get level three for that. [Music] [Music] [Music] Oh, this is super interpretation. The music from Jesus Christ Superstar, in case you’re wondering. [Music] Heat up here. [Music] That’s real mistake. Just double out on the flip. [Music] Back on track. Triple loop double toe. Yeah. [Applause] [Music] Heat. [Music] [Music] Heat up here. [Music] Heat [Music] [Applause] [Music] up here. [Applause] Heat up [Music] [Music] here. [Music] [Music] Well, that was a clever program, Mr. Davididov. That was definitely designed for this judging system. Really, really getting the technical marks up all the time, packing in those combinations. difficult entry into the spins, butterfly into the flying back sit, the bat spin first, all those little features, getting the levels up all the time. I enjoyed that. I was distracted because just after the start of that performance, Susie Win, who is uh some of you may know, she won the American Ice Dance Championship with Joseph Tur twice. She was in the 1988 Olympics. Well, we saw her last night cuz she’s here. She’s an analyst for ESPN here and she also does stuff for Fox and ABC. Lives in Chicago near Chris and she came along and last yesterday she said she’d bring us tea in the break because ESPN got the catering down there just in front of us and we get nothing. So she came up and was our tea lady. So that’s fantastic. I had the best skate of my life with her in Chicago that day when I went over there a while ago. It was amazing. So I just remember that. So I was a little distracted and that you heard was the kiss on my forehead. Great. Life is good. And Susie Win, is your tea lady serving us here? Should we get back to the men’s now? Right. I’m just going to grab hold of Nikki’s feet and pull them back down onto the ground. He’s about 16 ft in the air at the moment. So, what did you think of Mr. David or were you watching? I was a little distracted. You were? I was. I’ll be back in the game in a minute, but I was sorting the tea out for us and doing all that. I mean, I’m working for you. Just trying to serve here. Okay. while Nikki uh brews himself a cuper. It’s you I’m working for. I’m getting your tea sorted and your biscuits and everything. I’m fine. Good. So, well done. It was a great skate. I thoroughly enjoyed that. I was into it even if my mate wasn’t. Remember, it’s Veronov leading for Russia. Could that possibly be good enough to go into the lead? 6536. 6324. Well, that’s going to be tough. It’s going to be third place overall for David. And it’s actually third on the afternoon and third overall. So, still Voronov leading. Jeremy Abbott for the USA in second. Sergei Davididov for Bellarus in third place. But it was a good skate. Well, who do you think that is? We could have a competition, couldn’t we? It’s Mr. Zubar. Okay, a deep breath. I’m going to take a deep breath as well because I watched him practice this morning and he wasn’t having it all his own way. That’s for sure. He’s a great guy and if he can just put it together, he can skate sensationally. Skating with a hip injury. Remember, he’s having an operation when he gets back after Worlds and he won’t be able to come out the ice for they say at least 4 months. So quite major surgery, but we wish him well here. The jumping machine that is Kevin Vanderpin. [Music] The volume’s not been that high on some of the routines this week. They’ve got over that problem. [Music] Good start. Triple axle double toe. That’s a confidence builder. [Music] Triple axle number two. [Music] [Applause] [Music] Looking great so far. Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat up here. [Music] Heat. [Music] Heat. [Music] Oh, big combination. Triple flip, triple toe, triple loop. Well done, Kevin. Just about pulling out the sack. Love the way the music works. Love the choreography. The little touches that pick out the emphasis of different phases in the music. [Music] [Music] [Applause] Heat. Heat. [Music] [Music] He must be running on empty now. He’s got half a minute to go. Come on, push it. Heat. [Music] [Music] No. Yes. Yes. Well done. Well, if you’ve seen him this morning, this is a completely different guy. Verandi, what has she done to him in the last couple of hours? I don’t know. Interestingly, didn’t go for the quad toe. He couldn’t do it in practice this morning. It was all over the place. But we know his forte is the triple triple combinations and that big flip toe loop loop combination. That won’t do him any harm at all. Very well done, Kevin. I think you can light up Goththingberg with the energy in this building and I think that’s what helped him. The music works so well, capturing the crowd. It suits his style, the energy and the way it changes and it takes you through the routine. It’s just wonderful. A constant presence, isn’t it? Just lovely focus. There’s power in it, audacity, and then the big elements. There’s almost an arrogance in there, isn’t it? I love it. Yeah, absolutely brilliant. Super triple axles at the beginning. Love to see that three triple combination again. Here he is on the looks. Bit of a change of edge going into that, but we’ll forgive him. And you just don’t know how much pain he’s in as well. Here it is. The flip. Three turns on that. Keeps the momentum. That’s the important thing. Toe loop. The speed’s there. Triple loop on the end. As easy as you like. Massive, massive, massive. I was watching him on practice. He did triple toe, triple toe, triple toe, triple toe. And they’re all the same like one after the other. Just it was unbelievable. The thing about it is he’s able to keep the momentum. He gets length on the jump. Yes. They don’t slow down. They It’s like he could go on for days doing triple after triple. Very good. Oh man. Well, that’s lit up the afternoon. And we’re not in the final group yet. Remember, he’s in ninth place. He’s going to suffer because the footwork wasn’t great and the spins were a bit slow, but still very good indeed. 7878 the technical score. 67 the presentation score. So that’s going to give him 145.78 and he’s going to get a new season’s best for that free skate. 2162 and he goes shooting into the lead. That is a massive score for Kevin Vanderpin. It’s about well it’s 12 points more than he’s got in his life. [Applause] [Music] on the ice now lying in seventh place. He must be quivering after the performance that we’ve just had. the Canadian national champion just 17 years of age, a rising star in Canada. First world championships for him and it’s been good so far. This is Patrick Chan. Vivaldi’s four seasons. The music Last year, Patrick was runner up in the junior world championships, but this is a completely different ball game. Lovely flowing edge on the end of the triple axle. [Music] [Music] Oh, gorgeous triple flip, triple toe. [Applause] Love the soft knee bend. Doubling the looks. Very little preparation time that important but just couldn’t get the rotation. Didn’t feel confident. Circular step sequence. [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] Fast snap changes in the spin. Building up the levels. [Music] [Applause] Heat. Heat. [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Laughter] [Applause] Heat. Heat. [Applause] [Music] [Applause] Heat. Heat. [Music] [Applause] [Music] Just great running edges coming out of these jumps. Triple sound, double turn. [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] Heat. [Music] Heat. [Music] Oh, this is sensational. [Music] [Laughter] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Laughter] Well, a star is born. First time I’ve seen him and I’m sure the first time a lot of you have seen him. He’s the new Canadian champion and we’re going to be seeing a lot more of this guy. Remember the name Patrick Chan. Quality skating throughout. And the the and the setup time for many of those major jump elements very very slight indeed. Great in the spins. Good on the step sequences. There’s nothing missing. Good on the step sequences. And that last one was He’s pushing round the edges in every direction. Great changes of direction, movement. The turns were in there. That’s one of the best bits of footwork I’ve seen at the end of 4 minutes. It was in the 4-minute mark there. So, it had been starting to feel a little tired. You and I would be on our back with our legs in the air. No, that would be you. I’d never do that, Grace. Not a pretty sight. But no, that was very, very good. Remember, runner up at the Junior Worlds last year, his first season at Senior International. Competed in the ISU Grand Prix events this year, one in France. That’s really where he made a name for himself. the Eric Bombard Trophy in Paris, was bronze medalist in Skate America and finished fifth in the Grand Prix finals. The program came over as in terms of its presentation on a level throughout. So, I didn’t get the the effect of what we’d call light and shade, the excitement and then the taking your foot off the pedal and letting you relax a little bit. It stayed the same level for me. So, you’re looking at something that’s brilliant and and picking tiny little holes. But I if if he went up another gear and he could get more excitement generated in certain parts to give me that funny look again and then the slows like Kevin got that wasn’t quite coming over, but it’s a difference with the music, but the quality of what he’s doing. Okay. Undoubtable. Hear what he’s saying. I’m not sure I agree. I thought that he really rose the level on the footwork at the end there. Yeah, it’s the overall effect of the program coming over to me though and the audience here is so the Canadian team must be delighted. I’m sure they are third place at this stage for Patrick Chan. So doubt he’ll be moving up any, but it certainly was a good skate. Pat on the back from Nouo Sato. He’s been here a few times flying in eighth place. He’s the junior world champion of a couple of years ago. had a pretty good short program. The runner up in Japanese National Championships. This is Takahiko Kuka. [Music] A selection of Beatles songs here. [Music] Oh, that’s a shame. He overstretched going at the second part of that combination. That was the triple. That’s should have been triple toe on the end. Toe slipped away from him. [Music] Lovely holding the edge well on the end of the triple axle before the toe loop and he gets a lot of speed over the ice. Light but good ice coverage. Triple axle number two. [Music] Light fast steps. [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] Just great on the loop there. We had the flip combination before that. [Music] Oh, what a shame. down on the south coat. [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] Heat up [Music] here. [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Applause] Heat. Heat. [Music] [Applause] Well, you can tell by the reaction there at the end of the program, he’s not thrilled with it, but this is a guy with real talent. We’ve seen skaters out this afternoon that are jumping machines technically brilliant, but this guy is the complete package. The spins are great. The footwork’s beautiful. He’s just 19 years of age. He has a very, very good basic skating knowledge and an understanding of how the skates work. Lovely soft knee bend. I’m a big big fan. This guy’s going to go far. Takahiko Kazuka. And Scarlet, you asked us about explanation of the second mark, the presentation mark. Well, it’s good to apply it really to him because skating skills are one of those. It’s all about skating skills and then the transitions between elements, performance and execution, the choreography and the interpretation. So, his skating skills very good indeed. The transitions, well, most of those were fine. Here’s the combination. Great. thought it looked great and then popped it, but in fact he overstretched. You can see that left leg went back too far. It got no purchase as he put the toe in for the toe loop at the end and it just slipped away from him. That’s what he was looking for. There’s one specific part of the presentation which is about choreography and composition looking at having an overall routine, a concept. We I love to see that this lifts up the routine for me and it didn’t really have that. It had the Beatles music. It was a medley of Beatles music, but he’s 19 and I’m sure things will develop. Picking something for his unique style would be good. We saw uh Duki Takahashi in the short program doing something that was a standout moment in the the short for him. Really funky. But so this was just quite gentle in relation to that. So you won’t get so high a mark in the second part from the presentation mark against the judges on that choreography and composition section. Having said that, the judges do seem to link together the five parts of the second mark and just come up with an overall score. Okay, with that program choreographed by Yukas, dad the coach, Nou. So here we go. Where will they have it? Vanderpair in leading with 216.02. Voronov second, Chan in third. And Takaho here is going to shake things up a little bit. Good marks. He’s got two deductions there. 13424. And that’s good enough to put him into third place. It’ll be third place for Takaho in behind Voronov ahead of Patrick Chan. So all smiles down there. We’ve got one more skater in this group and then the top six going headto head in the final group. so much. So, here we go. We’ve got one skater, the final skater in group number three, lying in 11th place, the bronze medalist in the US National Championships. Here, skating to Hollywood Noturn. It’s the 18-year-old from Boston, Massachusetts, Steven Carriier. [Music] Strangest thing just happened to me there. Nikki handed me a bunch of flowers. Somebody from Bergen in Norway has sent us some flowers. Thank you very much. Very nice. Thank you. Champagne next to be good. [Applause] Back in the room. [Music] Good start. Triple axle double toe. [Music] Oh yes, very difficult with those two toe loops on the end of that combination. Great arm positions. [Music] Yes, he’s on form this afternoon, isn’t he? [Music] Heat. [Music] Heat. [Music] Quality in the flip. Very close to the barrier. Again, I think he likes to feel the air pressure pushing back to give him extra lift. Well, that was fantastic. Triple axle number two. Second half of the program. Remember an extra 10%. [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] Oh, what a shame. Down on the LS. [Music] [Applause] [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] [Music] Heat. [Music] Heat. [Music] Heat up here. [Music] [Music] [Applause] You can see he’s quite a character and he gave it his best shot. Some great spins in there. Footwork questionable to me, the technical content in there, but very enjoyable to watch. Couple of mistakes creeping in towards the end, but uh good jumping technique. Really enjoyed it. Steven Carrier for the USA. The music coming in for on 440 just within the prescribed limits. 430 go 10 seconds either way. Was smack on the button. I I enjoyed a lot of that. I love the music. I love the way that he was interpreting it. The skating, the the jumps. Uh, I thought he could take it up a level within the jazzy feel of the music and it although it’s it’s a medley, it worked the structure of it for me, helping into the the circular step sequence at the end. And he’s I like his style, you know. I It’s interesting to watch for me on the ice. He’s just holds my attention. Yeah, it’s good. You’re giving me that funny look again. And it must be because you’ve got tea from Susie today and you got flowers from Norway. I mean, we’re having quite an afternoon, aren’t we? With me, it is so exciting. You enjoy it, don’t you? You love it. When Simon was here, you probably didn’t get that. No, actually, the last time we were in Scandinavia, somebody left a book on our chair with a a mark how to commentate. No, no, no, no, no. It was all in it was called It was It was a um a thriller. Good written in Scandinavia. I don’t know what language it was. Anyway, I’ve got it was our own copy signed by the author. It was called The Death Spiral. And there was a page about what the British sport commentators were saying about one of the characters, Simon and Chris. You’re famous. Yeah. No. There. You see? Some people love us. I love that expression at the end. That was for you, Nikki. Tony B was saying he remembers me from way back when uh doing ice dancing. But what was your credentials? What was Chris Howath’s credentials? I asked Chris if he’d tell us his credentials, but anything with sticky back plastic, I’m pretty good. His credentials are that he was British men’s champion. He did the uh Olympics, did the worlds and the Europeans. He was national coach of the Netherlands. And now he’s a coach in Chicago. He has uh I don’t know how to do an adjective around credentials without getting into trouble. Been around. You’ve been around. Yes. I was going to say you had large credentials, but I just get myself Thank you for that. I get myself in in a problem whatever I said there. Dear me, it’s the best compliment. Impressive. Impressive. You’ve got impressive credentials. That’s what it is. Yes. There we are. No one’s ever said that to me before. Don’t sit too close. So, let’s focus on these marks. It’s going to be fifth place. Bit of a grimace. We’ve got six to go, remember? And they’re all ahead of him. Fifth it is. And he’d have been looking if possible to get inside the top 10, but it’s not going to happen. There they are, the skaters for the next group. And it’s going to be a humdinger. All the medal contenders there. And a look of concentration on the face of Takahashi. What must be going through their minds? A penny for their thoughts. That’s how it stands going into the final group. Great news for Kevin Vanderpin. He went into this in ninth. He’s at least going to be seventh at worst. Voronov in second. Kazuka for Japan in third. Chan fourth. Carrier for the USA in fifth and Abbott in sixth place. So, the two Americans locked together there in fifth and sixth as are the Swedish duo. What a impressive performance they’ve both given us. Although Christopher Bernson wasn’t quite at his best in the free this afternoon. That’s the situation further down. The skaters for the final group on for their six-minute warm-up. We’re going to take a very quick commercial break, but you’ve got to stay with us. You wouldn’t want to miss this for the world. Welcome back. Here we go then. The final group in the men’s freekate at the World’s Figure Skating Championships here in Goththingberg, Sweden. They’re the leader, Jeffrey Butle, for Canada. He’ll be last to go. Just ahead of him, it will be the defending champion Brian Jubar, but he finds himself down in sixth place going into this three. There’s Johnny Weir on your screen. He’s second to go, lying in second place. Skated very, very well in the American National Championships. Watch that back home in Chicago. Very good. It was he finished actually exactly the same points as Evan Lys, but uh because Lys actually won the free, we’re ended up second in nationals. So to get us underway in this group, it’ll be Thomas Verer, then Weir, then Daisuki, Takahashi, then it’ll be Lombiel, Juber, and Buff. We’ve got just about 2 and 1/2 minutes to go in the warm-up. Watch the practice this morning, and I can tell you there were a lot of nerves out there. Perhaps not from this man, though. He probably looked the most consistent and the most relaxed. Stephan Lombiel quad was working really well this morning. Triple axle not great and that’s the jump that he has the problem with. It’s his nemesis. So he’ll be glad to get that under his belt. And there it is again. Same problem. But he’s such a competitor. You can’t rule him out, can you? Takahashi looking composed. He was struggling with the quad. Really struggling and it was difficult to watch them all, but I didn’t see him land one quad toe this morning. That’s not to say that it won’t happen this afternoon, though. Fantastic atmosphere. Thomas Verer, he’s first to go here, so he won’t be able to use the last minute of the warm-up. We’re into a minute and a half to go now. The European champion. He was fourth in the world’s last year, remember? desperate for a medal at these World Championships and he’ll give it his best shot. You can bet your bottom dollar into the final minute now. Expect an atmosphere. Some of you might have heard this before, but uh I haven’t been at the Worlds for a few years. Simon Reed alongside Chris for Euro Sport every year. So I get to do the Europeans and to come and be rinkside at the World Championship. See the level of these competitors and get the atmosphere of it. Ah, it’s fantastic. It is so much obviously higher. Well, in some cases it might not be higher than Europeans, but the overall depth of talent in the worlds and the competition this week has been fantastic and the performances, but uh the atmosphere here might have been quite cold outside. We had snow last night, but lovely and warm in here. And it is it has warmed up and we’ve said it before, but uh does take some of the oxygen out of the air. There’s 9,000 people breathing the air in here. Makes it a little drier for the skaters. So your conditioning needs to be very strong. But all these guys, well, for the majority, most of these guys will be able to cope with that. They’ll have been here before, able to deal with it. The warm up over now. Ready to get underway. Mr. Weir just going through the preparation for his axle there. Thank you for your messages at eurosport.yahoo.co.uk. We really appreciate hearing from you and your very kind comments and suggestions. We’re sorry we couldn’t get right in at the start of Christopher Bernson’s routine, but glad we got half of that for you. Just hope you enjoy the rest of the coverage as well. If you want to send us a message, do log on and we’ll try and get back to you when we have time. [Applause] Well, it couldn’t be closer, I can tell you. From fifth place to first is just a couple of points, a little bit over a couple of points. And sixth place, Brian Jubar, just a point further back. So, anything can happen here, and it probably will. First to go in this final group, the European champion representing the Czech Republic. A sensational short program he had and he looked good this morning. This is Thomas Verer, just 21 years of age. Remember last year finished in fourth place. Could he possibly get on the podium here in Sweden? The music from Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. [Applause] [Music] The judges wanted a program that has a purpose, an idea, a concept, and a vision. He’s got that within this program. [Music] That’s a big one. Quadruple toe loop hand down. But he made the rotation. That’s key. [Music] Oh, what a shame. All credit to him. Second attempt to the quadruple toe. [Music] Oh no, it’s all going south. That should have been the triple looks. Come on, Thomas. [Music] [Applause] [Music] What are you doing? [Music] [Applause] [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] [Applause] [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] Oh no. Pull the treble axle. Come on. Oh, he’s such a fighter. There it is. Heat. [Applause] [Music] Heat. Heat. [Applause] [Music] Heat. [Music] Heat up here. Heat. [Music] Heat. [Music] [Music] Ouch. [Applause] Ready for your thoughts, mate? That was tough. Well, he he kept trying and perhaps tried too hard. Yeah. Going for the two big elements with the quad at the start, but it just again and again wasn’t working. And then you lose the conviction of the overall routine as well and being able to sell it. However much this crowd wants you to do well, they just can feel it, sense it. Well, they see it, but they sense it, too. Yeah. I don’t think I’ve ever been anywhere where the crowd have been so supportive of a skater when things are going wrong. Yes. Yeah. It’s it’s it’s lovely. But that was just Ouch. Yes. Is completely right. Don’t want to watch that one back cuz he can generate such excitement with it. The idea of the routine so good with the costumeuming, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, getting that theme running throughout. Gives you a platform on which to build the choreography and get that second presentation mark up. Here’s that quadruple toe. Good elevation on it. And he’d done everything right there. Little bit tight in the right knee on the way out. If he’d gone down in the knee, it would have given him just that little bit longer to get the left leg back. Here he is again. didn’t quite make the rotation on that. Not sure if he’ll get downgraded. That will hurt him if he does. But to be honest with you, technically there wasn’t enough there to make any inroads in this final group. And even looking at what we’ve seen so far in the competition, Kevin Vanderpin, who leads, remember he’s got that 216.02 there. And the Salo left arm completely gone on that the jump he can do in his sleep. You know he’s going to be back and it’s all a part of the learning process. He’s still only 21. It’s character building and all the champions know it. You have your ups, you have your downs. It’s how you deal with them. Michael Hook alongside who will be so supportive and that’s all you can do. Yep. Some days it doesn’t work. Yeah. I was talking to Kurt Browning just after the Olympics. He hadn’t won the Olympics. He said, “How are you?” He said, “Fine. There’s another one coming up.” And I was like, completely gobsmacked that he could deal with it in that way, not be knocked down by it and take it on board. Just the mental toughness that you need to compete at this level. So, where will he end up? Oh, dear me. It’s not good at all. 10th place. We’ve still got five to go and you’d have to bet that all of those skaters are going to finish ahead of him. So, it looks like it’s going to be 15th for Thomas. United States. So, here we go. He’s twice, in fact, he’s three times been US National Champion here, lying in second place in the World Championships. Best finish for him was fourth back in 2005. He is getting to love his war. This is 23-year-old Johnny Weir for the USA. And I’m sure many of you watching on the internet in America put Molly be in London. Special mention for you. [Music] double footed on the quad toe, but he made the rotation. [Music] He’s looking to put pressure on Jeffrey Butler. He’s only a point and a half behind. [Music] That’ll do nicely. Triple axle. [Music] Precise and beautiful. [Music] [Music] sets up triple axle number two. And there it is in combination. Trouble. Superb extension on all the movements. Really selling everything. Good edges. [Music] Ooh, how did he get out of that triple loop? Heat. [Music] [Applause] [Music] Heat. [Music] [Applause] He really is fighting his way through this. [Music] [Applause] [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] Heat up here. Heat up here. [Applause] [Applause] Well done, Mr. Weir. Well, the Americans are desperate for something to really shout about at these World Championships. It’s probably been one of the worst ever for them. No medals yet. Could that be good enough to put him on the podium? I think it may well be. I’m not sure. I think it’s where he’s standing at the moment is that could get him there. That performance, I’m sure he’d be would know himself. He can do it better than that. Sell it more than that. Beautiful to watch the lovely arm movements, the extension to right to the end of the fingertips. [Applause] You know so much more about the technical on this than I do, Chris, but I’m seeing I’m not seeing the flow on the landing of many of the jumps that I’ve seen from some of the other skaters. I’m not seeing the quality in some of the elements that I’ve seen and Kevin Vanderpin’s technical content, the amount that he did. No, no, no, no. On the jumps. Yeah, on the jumps, but not spins and footwork. He’s going to This was way better. You’ve got a there’s eight jump elements, remember? And granted, Kevin Vaniparian was jumping superbly today. The jumps were better to me. Yeah. But the spins not as good. And you got to remember as well that Johnny Wear is a lefty, rotates the other way around. So, you get a different feel. It’s harder to actually feel the quality of the jump. There still is good quality in those elements. It was the the landing. Some of the landings were just pulled for me, but okay. Yeah. But we look at his arm movements and the extension. It’s [Music] I just Yeah, I just wonder. It’s I love the flick of the hands and that, but I just sense there’s a touch more that could come out of it. whether he just wasn’t completely giving it as he could today cuz he is to me he’s like a dancer out there on the ice and the ability he’s got to present that it’s the power of the the more bletic style [Applause] I think unless Jubar and Lombiel skate out of their skins. That will give him a medal. [Music] But we’ll see. Remember, he’s never been on the podium. Fourth in 2005 and he gave it his best shot. Change of coach. The little one. Yeah. It’s all very tight at the top. Vixeno, of course. sat alongside technical 67.21 he leads but it’s not good news for him 221.84 84. He doesn’t lead on the afternoon. So, first place for Johnny Weir at the moment. And he’s breathing a sigh of relief for a good short program. Well, this guy was just sensational in the short. I loved it. A brilliant program. Some wonderful choreography to a modern version of Swan Lake. He’s got Romeo and Juliet lined up for us this afternoon. Flying in third place after the short. This is Dauki Takahashi for Japan. Last year’s silver medalist, remember? Runner up in the Grand Prix final. What can he do here? [Music] [Applause] [Music] He could do a quad toe and he couldn’t do that for love nor money this morning. [Applause] [Music] and going for quantu. [Applause] [Music] Oh, that was close. Triple axle. Energy [Applause] [Music] [Music] and sharpness. us in the circular step sequence. [Music] [Applause] [Music] He Heat [Music] up here. [Music] Ah, going for the triple axle. That would have had to have been in combination. Hand down. [Applause] [Music] Excellent. There’s [Music] a fight on that one. That was a loop. Timing was wrong going in, but he made his way through it. [Music] looks with a double toe on the end. It’s no let up in this program. Driving through it. [Music] [Applause] [Music] Heat up here. [Music] [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] Well, he’s like a little firecracker, isn’t he? The power and speed across the ice probably second to none. Great presentation, good body movement. He’s the complete package. The spins very, very difficult indeed. Love the way he uses the music and he’s got the jumps too and the footwork as well. And there was no taking the foot off them off the accelerator in that program. To me, I think that was better than Johnny Weir on today’s performance. And they are so close together. The key thing for Johnny Weir was that his quadrupled toe was downgraded. If that hadn’t been ground downgraded, he’d be grounded. Ground graded. Yeah, I’ve got your teeth in. The wrong ones up this morning. Yeah. If he’d got the marks for that, he’d be leading on the afternoon. But as it was downgraded, he finds himself in third place. Wow. Wow. One jump. And I I just love Duki. I I love the way he’s popping the jumps out of nowhere. Let’s watch this. Does he make it round? That’s Yes, he does. and he won’t get that one. So, he’s going to get a point off for the fall and it’s going to be downgraded as well. There was the axle with the handle was the fall, but the the flip and toe loop combination. He should get that. The technical specialist going through the slow mos just to make sure that all of the jumps are performed cleanly. And he did the C one of the circular step sequences. Well, one of the step sequences which was the circular one early on in the program. Putting a lot of energy and effort into it. Really driving round on the edges. Worked well for me with the music. Yeah. It’s great the way he uses his whole body, doesn’t he? Not just the feet. Absolutely. The amount of energy he must expend and he just superb condition. Bit like you. I’ll laugh. Okay. So I’ve heard. Well, somebody’s bringing you flowers. Ah. Golly. Three to go. Remember it’s we’re leading. Vanderpair in second. Voronov third. We’ve still got Lombiel and the leader Battle to go. Sarah J says Chris’s C on Chris’s CV should be he was the best Panto Dame in Brat. Thanks for that. Just to add that in. How many Panto Danes are there in Bratle? Not many. None to compare with you, that’s for sure. So downgraded on that second quadruple toe, but apart from that all looks good. 139.71 point deduction for the fall and that’s going to put him, it’s mighty close, but he’s just behind Johnny Weir. just behind where? Oh dear. Now, but it’s not over. [Applause] So, there he is. That’s our leader. But it could change here. If they have anything to do about it, it will. What can this man do? The triple axle will be key. He knows it. He’s been in this situation before. Twice the world champion. Bronze medalist last year, silver medalist at the European Championships, but the winner of the Grand Prix finals. This is Stefan Lombiel. And it is a magnificent program if he can nail it. It’s a flamnco. And what a flamco it is. [Music] Here’s the axle. just steps out of it. [Music] [Music] Hand down on the quad toe as well. Oh, it’s not looking good. Heat up here. Heat up here. [Music] This is key. one. He’s going to get downgraded on that. It wasn’t rotated. Pretty sure [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] Heat [Music] up [Music] here. [Music] Heat. [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] Heat. [Music] [Applause] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] Not today. Oh dear me. He’s such a masterful skater. But today was not the day for Stefan Lombiel. For the past 3 years, he’s finished on the podium at the World Championships. He’s finished on the top of the podium twice, bronze medalist last year, but that will definitely not get him a medal. Here we saw who he was in the last spin with a for me, I can remember seeing routines where that last spin would just sum up the whole thing. He’d just be like that the way through with more freedom, with more attack, just taking your breath away with his skating, with the quality of it and the what this man can do. But so often through that routine, it wasn’t to be. No, the sparkle went. You could see him really focusing and working hard, trying to concentrate to get that rhythm back, to get the confidence back, to nail those difficult triple jumps. And all credit to him going for the quadruple toe after halfway in the program trying to get that extra 10 point. But the gamble didn’t pay off at all because it was definitely under rotated. I’m sure we’re going to see it in one of the slow-mos and you’ll see that the skate was more than a quarter of a turn under rotated. And that means that you end up getting a minus three on the tariff of a triple. It’s one of those afternoons where the pressure seems to be telling. It is intense. And it was intense on practice this morning, Nikki. If you’d have seen it, you wouldn’t believe it. The number of times the guys were on the floor was amazing. It means so much. Mind games. Okay. That benefits the younger ones coming in, not been here before, haven’t got so much to lose. What it does mean of course is that Johnny Wheel will get a medal. But what color will it be? So these marks here 138.76. It’ll be third at the moment for Stefan Lombiel. Remember we’ve still got two to go. The leader Jeffrey Battle will be last to go. Oh dear. [Applause] So still leading Johnny Weir for the USA 221.8 for the target. Can this man get there? Remember he got two point deductions in the short program. One for the fall on the triple looks and one for the vocals at the beginning of his program. The French Federation protested to the International Scading Union. The protest was rejected. If he loses by a point, there’ll be one almighty uproar. Here we go. Lying in six. Six sounds bad, but it’s five points behind Jeffrey Butle, just three points behind Johnny Weir going into this. It’s not out of the realms of possibility. Focus, concentration, and the Zubar spirit are needed here. We wish him well. 23-year-old Brian Zubar for France. [Applause] [Music] Really taking his time. The defending world champion. You won’t give up without a fight. You can bet your bottom dollar of that. [Music] That’s massive quadruple toe. And that one was out of the top draw. [Music] [Music] scheduled to be the quadruple south tripled out. [Applause] [Music] Triple axle. [Applause] [Music] This is electric. [Music] [Music] And he’s skating with the assurance and the confidence of a champion. [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] Well, he took a long look at that triple flip, triple toe loop. [Music] Heat up here. [Music] [Music] Heat up here. [Music] [Music] Heat up here. First mistake. [Music] Goodness gracious me. [Applause] Well, look, when the going get tough, the tough get going. Brian Jubar has answered. He’s answered the ISU. I can do it. Even if you take a point away from me, could he have possibly done enough? Brilliant. Well done, Brian Jubar, the defending champion. and he skated like a champion. He’s the emperor of the ice out there. He went out with assurance and he went out with power and strength and he there was no throwing down the gauntlet. It was just like there’s certainty in what I’m going to do here. Watch this. Quality, superb elements, height and length in those jumps above anybody this afternoon without question. Yeah. You want my title, you fight me for it. Yeah, it and and even it’s not even that. This is my title. This is my title. The rest of you can just That was the assurance that came over to me. Awesome. But the thing is, if he’d stayed up on the looks yesterday in the short program, you’d have him nailed in, wouldn’t you? He’d be nailed in for the second world title. The reality of it is that he fell on the triple in the short program. Goes into this in sixth place. [Music] It’s going to end up close. He’s going to be leading after this. It’s just depends what Buckle does. But Battle doesn’t have the quad. We say it again and again, the mind games. What it takes to be a champion when you’re at this top top level. You have to be not just physically strong, not just able to deliver the goods, but able to do it under pressure to believe in yourself when everybody else around you is going, “Oh, I don’t know. I didn’t listen this, and maybe they can’t and maybe can’t.” And go out there and prove it with what you do. [Music] All the battles behind the scenes, all the injuries, all the times it doesn’t work counts for nothing. It’s doing it now. And that’s what he did. Lovely shot. Well, very well done, Jean Kristoff Simon and of course Kurt Browning. Remember Europeans was a nightmare for Brian and between Europeans and the World Championships. Kurt Browning came over to him in8 and spent some time with him. He said, “We didn’t work, we just played. We had fun.” He said, “It’s great to have fun.” And look at those marks. 74.11. The second mark’s going to be important. And that’s great. 79.36. I can’t believe that’s going to get beaten. He’s way out in front of Johnny Weir. Some 10 points nearly between Ju and We’ve just seen it in the stadium. It’s Jub Zakahashi. One skater to go. So, here we go then. Would you like to be in his shoes? I’m happy I’m up here and not down there. I can tell you. Lying in first place, Lee Barkel looks on. He must have a flutter or two going on in his stomach, I would imagine. Skating to the soundtrack of Ararat. The runner up in Canadian Nationals this year. Runner up in four continents. He’s been runner up in the World Championships as well three years ago. But he leads. Can he keep it? 25-year-old Jeffrey Butle. [Music] [Music] Triple axle. Double toe loop. [Music] Oh, that was good. Triple flip, triple toe. [Music] Heat up here. [Music] [Music] Triple axle number two. That’s key. [Music] Heat. [Music] Heat. [Music] [Applause] [Music] Triple locks, double toe loop. Heat. [Applause] Heat. [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] The loop soft flowing edge on the end of that jump. High quality. [Applause] Wow. And the soccer just pulling them all off. A [Applause] [Music] heat. Heat. Heat. Oh My goodness. Well, it’s a bit of an upset. But I thoroughly enjoyed it. What an afternoon of men’s figure skating. No quadruple. Did he need a quadruple? Not sure. Don’t think so. That’s Jeffrey Butler from Canada at his absolute best. He couldn’t have given another ounce, could he? He couldn’t. and he’s just delivering again and again and again. You take it for granted that the skating skills have to be there, the overall makeup of the routine, but gosh, he was just landing quality elements in the jumps again and again. I had it 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 at least eight perfectly executed triple jumps within that routine, making them look easy, effortless, running throughout it. If I had to pick between the two, I’d have Juber. Juber’s performance to me excited me more. It had more power to it. It It really It was more of a champions performance that than that one was. But Jeffrey just Oh, he’s he’s leading already. Yeah. Don’t forget that’s And that’s the key, isn’t it? And there’s a there’s a gap there. 4.35 is his lead. So, if my maths is right, Jeffrey needs 149.13 to win. So just bear that in mind. That I think is the target. I was trying to do it while all the commotion was going on, but I think that’s what it is. 149.13. And the spins were good. Got the snap into the different positions. You know, I had a thought this afternoon that perhaps this men’s event it might be a bit of a disaster as again and again the guys the nerves were getting to them. These last two skaters in particular, we’ve had some others skating well before them, but gosh, Jubar and Bottle. Yeah. Really, whatever happens, they they can’t they can’t blame themselves in any way. No, you just do the best you can and then it is up to the judges to separate them. Absolutely. Well, it’s a battle between Jubar and Battle for the gold medal. No doubt about that. Well done, Jeffrey Battle for holding your nerve right to the end of the afternoon. There’s Brian Ju. He’s done his job. All he can do is stand, watch, and wait. Johnny We will get a medal. Looks like it’s going to be bronze. Here we go. What will it be? 149.13 on the free. I think will win it. 84.29. No doubt about it. By a long, long way. Jeffrey Battle is the new world champion. He hasn’t seen it yet. And now he knows 163.0. 07. I didn’t need to do the maths. The world champion for Canada, Jeffrey Battle. And they see it in the auditorium now. Battle the gold. Ju the silver, Johnny Weir the bronze. And brilliant. He’s done it overall, hasn’t he? With the short program and the long complete performance throughout this championship. Well, he won the free by 10 points. Goodness me. Fantastic. And it was all on the technical mark. In fact, on the program component score, he was behind Jubar. Technically, he was ahead. So, the big quad doesn’t, you know, you cannot have it and you can Yeah. Just as you have there, it is a gamble. So there it is, confirmation. The world champion for Canada, Jeffrey Butle. And what an afternoon he’s contributed to. Brian Jubar, the silver, the defending champion. He gave it his best shot, but not today. And Johnny Weir, he’ll be pleased with that bronze medal. A great battle there by Takahashi. And that the situation further down. Well, we know that many of you have joined us for the first time this week. You’ve been uh sending us messages on the message board. Fantastic that so many new fans are coming to us at Eurosport and seeing this wonderful sport. Uh but Kanger, your kids are mesmerized by the championships. They’ve never watched anything like this before. Cannot tell themselves away. Neil and Meredith from Scotland. Hope you enjoyed this afternoon as much as we did. It has been magnificent. there. The 24 that have entertained us this afternoon. What an afternoon it’s been. Hope you’ve enjoyed it.
– HD format, British coverage (commentators: Nicky Slater, Simon Reed)
– Men’s free skate, 2008 World Figure Skating Championships (Goteborg, Sweden).
Rank Name Nation Total points SP FS
1 Jeffrey Buttle Canada 245.17 1 82.10 1 163.07
2 Brian Joubert France 231.22 6 77.75 2 153.47
3 Johnny Weir United States 221.84 2 80.79 5 141.05
4 Daisuke Takahashi Japan 220.11 3 80.40 6 139.71 [高橋 大輔]
5 Stéphane Lambiel Switzerland 217.88 5 79.12 7 138.76
6 Kevin van der Perren Belgium 216.02 9 70.24 3 145.78
7 Sergei Voronov Russia 209.93 15 65.26 4 144.67
8 Takahiko Kozuka Japan 205.15 8 70.91 8 134.24 [小塚 崇彦]
9 Patrick Chan Canada 203.55 7 72.81 11 130.74
10 Stephen Carriere United States 201.69 11 68.20 9 133.49
11 Jeremy Abbott United States 197.26 14 65.61 10 131.65
12 Sergei Davydov Belarus 196.79 12 68.19 12 128.60
13 Adrian Schultheiss Sweden 194.39 13 66.45 13 127.94
14 Kristoffer Berntsson Sweden 193.72 10 69.02 15 124.70
15 Tomáš Verner Czech Republic 191.94 4 79.87 20 112.07
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[AP extract] Buttle’s world gold comes without quad; Weir takes bronze
Mar 23, 2008, 03:35 AM
GOTEBORG, Sweden — Jeffrey Buttle won the world title and set off a debate.
No, this isn’t skating’s latest controversial victory. Buttle was brilliant in adding the men’s title at the World Figure Skating Championships to the 2006 Torino bronze medal he already owns, with a program that was the perfect blend of artistry and athleticism. His footwork was whimsical and his spins thrilling. But he had no quadruple jump — while all the other top contenders at least tried.
Buttle’s gold disproves — this time, at least — the notion that a man has to do a quad to win the big titles.
“I started skating because I watched Kurt Browning and Brian Orser and it was about the program. And the most memorable programs in skating, you remember the program and you don’t remember what elements they did,” said Buttle, the first Canadian since Elvis Stojko to win the world title since 1997.
“I went out there and left everything on the ice. I had my heart on my sleeve.”
Now he has a gold medal around his neck.
Buttle’s score of 245.17 put him well ahead of defending champion Brian Joubert (231.22) and American Johnny Weir (221.84), who won his first world medal and kept the Americans from going home empty for the first time since 1994.
“That makes me feel incredible,” Weir said. “I feel great. I am happy to give the United States its only medal.”
Weir’s finish means the U.S. will be able to send three men to next year’s all-important world championships, where results determine slots for the 2010 Vancouver Games.
—
Some, like Joubert and U.S. champion Evan Lysacek, say the quad is an essential part of men’s skating. Joubert, who has done three quads in a program, complained to French television when he came off the ice that quads were undervalued in the current scoring system and their value should be raised.
“Right after the results, I was very disappointed,” Joubert said. “And I am still disappointed because Jeffrey did the perfect competition, he made no mistakes, but he didn’t try the quad jump.”
Others, like Buttle and Weir, say the quad is an important element, but it is only one element in a long list of what makes a great performance.
“I was fortunate to skate a clean program today. I concentrated very hard to do that, but it is not just the jumps. We work whole sessions on spins and stroking and all those things in between because that is figure skating,” Buttle said, sitting serenely next to Joubert.
“It’s everything that happens in those four and a half minutes. It’s not just about the jumps and … those in-betweens don’t mean anything at all.”
Indeed, the quadless Buttle earned the highest technical marks with eight triple jumps, while all the men behind him tried quads — to one degree of success or another. Joubert opened his program with a big one, while Weir two-footed his. Japan’s Daisuke Takahashi and former world champ Stephane Lambiel of Switzerland each tried two, landing only one of them successfully. They finished fourth and fifth.
“I think it is a very strong statement that my sport is not defined by one jump … and not defined by one element,” Weir said. “It’s a whole package that you have to have to be a top-level skater. You need to have everything.”
—
“I was so nervous and so scared. … I didn’t want anything to go wrong,” Weir said. “I think you could see that in the performance because I was very tentative. I didn’t perform as I usually do. I was focused on one element and the next. It’s the kind of performance I don’t remember everything I did.”
#figureskating #フィギュアスケート #eiskunstlauf #фигурноекатание #pattinaggioartistico #patinageartistique #icedance
