Russian power
Sokolova leads sweep at Cup of Russia
Posted: Friday November 27, 1998 06:05 PM
| |
Sokolova earned her second event win of the year Todd Warshaw/Allsport |
MOSCOW (AP) -- Back on their home ice, Russians swept the podium Friday in the woen's event at the Cup of Russia.
Yelena Sokolova secured her lead after the short program to win her second event this year. Two weeks earlier she won the Nations Cup in Germany.
The 18-year-old Sokolova, a rising star in Russian skating ranks, performed to a blues number and nailed her triple lutz-double toe loop combination and triple loop jumps. Sokolova's the only Russian skater to complete a triple-triple combination this year.
Julia Soldatova was in second after Friday's skating at the Cup of Russia, the fifth event in the International Skating Union's Grand Prix, which features Olympic-eligible skaters and is being held in Moscow for the first time.
Irina Slutskaya, 19, the 1995 world junior champion and second to Michelle Kwan in the 1998 World Championship, dropped to third. Japan's Yuka Kanazawa placed fourth, Laetitia Hubrt of France was fifth and Anna Rechnio of Poland was sixth.
"We have achieved a new level of women skating in Russia now," renowned Russian coach Yelena Chaikovskaya. "There are new Olympic champions sitting here in front of you."
Russians were the first in pairs as well. World champions Yelena Berezhnaya and Anton Sikharulidze secured their success in the short program to win the event.
Tamara Moskvina, their coach, is also coaching American pair Kyoko Ina and John Zimmerman, who are lying third in the competition.
"Yes, I'm coaching Russians and Americans, but it's like an adopted child: Do you make a distinction between your own and a new one?" she asked reporters.
"Definitely there's a competition between them, but on the ice ... they are alone. It's up to them.'
Xue Shen and Hongbo Zhao of China moved from fifth to second place.
Russian World ice dance champions Angelika Krylova and Oleg Ovsiannikov are leading in the ice dances after the original dance, the waltz. They made their season debut two weeks ago to win the Nations Cup in Germany.
The Cup concludes Saturday with free skating in the men's competition, as well as the free dance.
Winners receive US$30,000. Skaters can accumulate points from two of the meets to qualify for the series final in St. Petersburg, Russia, in March. The next event is NHK Trophy in Sapporo, Japan, in December.
Final Standings
1. Yelena Sokolova, Russia, 1.5 factored placings.
2. Juia Soldatova, Russia, 3.5
3. Irina Slutskaya, Russia, 4.0
4. Yuka Kanazawa, Japan, 6.5
5. Laetitia Hubert, France, 7.0
6. Anna Rechnio, Poland, 9.0
7. Veronika Dytrova, Czech Republik, 12.5
8. Amber Corwin, United States, 12.5
9. Angela Derocie, Canada, 13.0
10. Yulia Lavrenchuk, Ukraine, 14.5
11. Sylvia Fontana, Italy, 16.0
12. Franziska Guenther, Germany, 17.0
Copyright 2003 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
| 
