|  HISTORY IS MADE AS SHEN AND ZHAO CAPTURE THEIR FIRST WORLD TITLE... March 20, 2002. Imagine the pressure. You arrive at the World Championships as the favorites in the pairs competition. You are the Olympic bronze medallists and both the co-gold medal winners are absent leaving the field wide open for you to come in and claim a World title - not just any World title but the first pairs title for your country. All you have to do is come in and skate cleanly and you are well known for your consistency during competition. That is what Xue Shen and Hongbo Zhao had to be feeling as they entered the Worlds. Unfortunately, the pressure intensified as they made two mistakes in their long program and had to watch as two couples skated after them. Not just any two couples, but the major competition at these games: Tatiana Totmianina and Maxim Marinin of Russia and Americans Kyoko Ina and John Zimmerman. Having left the door open for either one of these teams to snatch the gold from their long-waiting hands, they began to pace backstage.As luck would have it, both the remaining pairs teams made costly mistakes and Shen and Zhao became the first World gold medal winners for China since Chen Lu won a ladies' gold medal in 1995. The Russians took home silver and Ina and Zimmerman happily took the bronze - the best American pairs finish at Worlds since Meno and Sand in 1998. (Photo REUTERS/Ruben Sprich)
HARTSELL AND HARTSELL CALL IT QUITS... March 6, 2002. The US sibling pairs team of Danielle and Steve Hartsell have decided to end their competitive career together. After suffering numerous injuries over the past three seasons and a tearful withdrawal at the 2002 US National Championships, they have decided to end their competitive career. Steve Hartsell may return to competition, however, as he is looking for a new partner. For more information go to:Sibling Pair Ends Skating Career
SKATING STARS POSE FOR FASHION AD...Kristi Yamaguchi, Tara Lipinski, Jenny Meno, Todd Sand, and Katarina Witt featured in the December issue of Rosie Magazine's Holiday On Ice fashions.CANADIAN PAIR TURN PRO...SURPRISE? May 1, 2002. Jamie Sale and David Pelletier announced on Tuesday that they are retiring from amateur competition and going pro. This annoucement came shortly after the news that French judge Marie-Reine Le Gougne and her federation chief Didier Gailhaguet were suspended by the ISU for three years. Le Gougne and Gailhaguet seemed to be at the center of the Olympic Scandal involving Sale and Pelletier.Speaking with reporters today, the pair team said that the ISU decision had no influence on their decision to turn pro. "Before all that happened, we had talked about this maybe being our last year," Pelletier said. Hmmm. That's news to the pair's fans. Sale said they wanted to leave amateur competition on a postive note. (You can't get a more positive ending than a gold Olympic medal - "co" or not, "controversy" or not.) The Canadian couple look forward to the more relaxed schedule of pro competition and a chance to enjoy more time off the ice. Don't look for a retirement announcement from their co-gold medal winners, Berehznaya and Sikharulidze of Russia. Though they have decided to take a year off from competition, they are not ready to hang up their amateur status just yet. This team has such a driving spirit that I wouldn't be surprised if they set their sites on the 2006 Olympics to stand atop the medal podium - ALONE. FRENCH JUDGE AND FEDERATION CHIEF SUSPENDED FOR THREE YEARS...May 1, 2002. French judge Marie-Reine Le Gougne and her federation chief Didier Gailhaguet have been suspended from the ISU for the next three years and banned from participating in the 2006 Olympics. The decision was made after a two-day hearing by the International Skating Union in Lausanne, Switzerland.Both plan to appeal the ISU's decision while others involved were disappointed that the judgements were not harsher. It is hard to predict if the Olympic scandal will do more to boost judging reform in the future. One thing is for sure, it is not soon to be forgotten.
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 (Article in graphic written by Vicki Bennett-appeared in Virginian Pilot 2/24/2002)THE 2001/2002 SKATING SEASON COMES TO AN END...March 28, 2002. When you look over this past skating competition season there is only one word that comes to mind...WOW! This past season has been frought with surprising upsets, glorious comebacks, tragedy, and controversy. Let's take a look back...Read full story
KWAN MAKES HISTORY BUT SLUTSKAYA LEAVES WITH GOLD... March 23, 2002. Happy tears streamed down Irina Slutskaya's face as she stood atop the medal podium and received the gold medal for the first time at her seventh trip to the World Championships. All traces of her Olympic disappointment seemed to be washed away. She skated first in the top womens' line-up, delivering a strong and clean program.Silver medallist, Michelle Kwan, made history tonight receiving her seventh World medal - more than any other American skater. Clearly disappointed with her second place finish, she was all smiles as she congratulated the new World Champion. Both ladies have been competing against each other since 1994. There were more tears on the medal stand as Fumie Suguri accepted the bronze medal. It was the first medal won by a Japanese woman since Yuka Sato won in 1994. Ironically enough, Suguri is trained by Yuka Sato's father.
RUSSIANS WIN ICE DANCE...
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March 23, 2002. Irina Lobacheva and Ilia Averbukh of Russia won the ice dance competition. Skating a program dedicated to the victims of the September 11th tragedy, they earned 5.8's and 5.9's for presentation. This is their first National title win. Canadians Shae-Lynn Bourne and Victor Kraatz finished in second place, with Galit Chait and Sergei Sakhnovski coming in third and winning Israel's first-ever world championship medal.
Copyright � 2001 Vicki Bennett
