PHILADELPHIA -- With their main competition out, Kyoko Ina and Jason Dungjen could have taken it easy. Instead, they let the Russians and Germans know there's somebody else who can make a run at the gold in Nagano.
Not only did it send a message to their top rivals, it gave Americans hope for their first Olympic pairs medal since 1988 and, perhaps, their first gold ever.Ina and Dungjen won their second straight U.S. Figure Skating Championships pairs title Friday night in brilliant fashion. Their emotional free skate to Polobetsian was the best performance of their six-year partnership.
"We laid it all out there tonight," Dungjen said. "There's nothing I can say that wasn't right out there.
"I think people are finally looking at us as a different pairs team."
Certainly a much different couple than the one that finished ninth at the 1994 Olympics. Ina and Dungjen have developed the kind of harmony usually reserved for the Russians, who have dominated pairs skating for four decades.
"The first year at the Olympics, we were just hoping to skate well," Dungjen said. "This year, we're going with the intention of medaling, and we feel if we can do a performance like tonight, we don't see why we shouldn't."
Although the national championship virtually was assured for them when three-time winners Jenni Meno and Todd Sand withdrew just 30 seconds before their scheduled starting time -- Meno sprained her ankle in an afternoon warmup, but they were named to the Olympic team by an international committee late Friday night -- Ina and Dungjen didn't hold anything back.
They began with a huge throw triple salchow -- the move on which Meno was injured -- and with a throw triple loop on which Dungjen appeared to hurl Ina halfway across the rink.
Their lifts were spectacular, as good as any of the Russian couples, who are considered masters of the maneuver. Their side-by-side jumps were precise, and they finished with a dramatic rollout that left Ina only inches from the ice.
As the crowd -- stunned moments earlier when Meno and Sand left the ice -- rose to its feet, Dungjen pumped his fist and Ina kissed Dungjen's cheek. They stood at center ice, soaking in the warmth from the fans.
"Both of us our very intense people," said Dungjen. "When we are skating, that intenseness comes out and the people see so much intensity on the ice and people start getting drawn into the program."
Perhaps the crowd was even more receptive because it sensed this couple could do something special in next month's Olympics. Or perhaps it needed an object for its affection after Meno and Sand dropped out.
After Meno got hurt, Sand carried his wife out of the arena. They went back to their hotel for medical treatment, but returned to CoreStates Center for their event.
Meno favored her ankle throughout the six-minute warmup. Several times, she skated to the boards for reassurance and guidance from coach John Nicks.
After two troublesome landings on the triple salchow, Meno went to Nicks, who hugged her and urged her to come off the ice.
With her shoulders heaving, she grabbed her skate guards and walked off.
"They're the athletes, and they ultimately make the decisions. But tonight she took my advice," Nicks said. "When you throw a lady so many feet across the ice, there's some risk involved. She actually warmed up not too badly, but on the throws, she was not sure about the landings."
Shelby Lyons and Brian Wells came in second, but were bumped from the U.S. team when the international committee gave the berth to Meno and Sand, who are two-time world bronze medalists.
"I prepared them for this. They understand the politics of the sport," said Kathy Casey, coach for Lyons and Wells. "Whatever the rules are, we have to live by them."
Saturday night, Michelle Kwan carried the momentum of her victory in the short program into the women's free skate. Her main rival, Tara Lipinski, was fourth, behind Nicole Bobek and Tonia Kwiatkowski. Three women will make the Olympic team, but only the winner gets an automatic berth.
Also Saturday was the free dance, with Elizabeth Punsalan and Jerod Swallow seeking a record-tying fifth U.S. title.
提升卡
置顶卡
沉默卡
喧嚣卡
变色卡
抢沙发
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