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Something old, something new Kwan takes the opening round at Grand Prix
Posted: Saturday January 15, 2000 09:03 AM
LYON, France (AP) -- After beating the top Russian figure skaters with her new routine, Michelle Kwan will attempt to deliver a victory with an old program. In the International Skating Union's new formula for the Grand Prix final, the first round has one long program, the second has the short program and the final head-to-head matchup with another free program. With most skaters not wanting to work on a completely new program for just one event, nearly all have polished up last year's programs. Kwan, skating with grace and precision, took the opening round of the competition Friday skating to the "Red Violin" soundtrack, the music for her competition program from this season. Kwan did six triple jumps and scaled down just one in her routine that had marks in the 5.8-5.9 range with only a 5.6 and 5.7 spoiling the scores. "I wanted to feel comfortable with this program and worry about the rest later on," Kwan said. "I didn't rush through the program." She intends to use last year's program based on Ariane music by Jules Massenet tonight. After the short program, which should not alter the standings much, the top four skaters will go against each other in a super final, executing a second different long program with first against second and third meeting fourth. She could meet Irina Slutskaya instead of current world champion Maria Butyrskaya. Slutskaya was as perfect as Kwan with six triple jumps, not backing off at all in her routine to "Carmen." She was barely a tenth behind Kwan in every mark. Slutskaya nearly quit skating last year when she failed to make the Russian team after being second in the world in 1998. But she came back to take the Russian title over Butyrskaya last month. Butyrskaya executed five triples, but fell once and had bad landings on two others and was in third behind Slutskaya. Russian Yevgeny Plushchenko had an easy time in the men's event, receiving marks of 5.8 and 5.9 to his routine from last year of techno-music that included a quad and six triples. Elvis Stojko, a former three-time men's world champion, was second and Russian Alexander Abt was third. Abt replaced two-time world and European champion Alexei Yagudin in the lineup when Yagudin withdrew due to boot and foot problems. American Tim Goebel completed a quad salchow-triple toe loop combination, but fell on two other quad attempts and came in fourth. In the other events Friday, Shen Xue and Zhao Hongbo led a close pairs contest while France's hometown ice dancers Marina Anissina and Gwendal Peizerat were in front of their event, who received the only 6.0 of the night. The final brings together the top point scorers in the four events from a six-meet series between October and December last year. The winners of each event get $50,000 and a $10,000 bonus.
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