Fifteen U.S. athletes to compete AT 2011 ISU World figure skating championships
Colorado Springs, Colo. (April 25, 2011) – Fifteen U.S. skaters will compete April 26–May 1 at the 2011 International Skating Union (ISU) World Figure Skating Championships in Moscow, Russia. Competition begins Wednesday, April 27 at the Ice Palace MEGASPORT with the men’s and pairs short programs.
Fifteen U.S. skaters will compete April 26–May 1 at the 2011 International Skating Union (ISU) World Figure Skating Championships in Moscow, Russia. Competition begins Wednesday, April 27 at the Ice Palace MEGASPORT with the men’s and pairs short programs.
The event will be broadcast live on icenetwork.com and universalsports.com on a subscription basis, and Universal Sports will air more than 14 hours of television coverage. Icenetwork.com will also provide news, results and photos for all users. For a full broadcast schedule and information on how to subscribe, read the U.S. Figure Skating press release at http://www.usfigureskating.org/Story.asp?id=46008&type=media.
LADIES
Leading the U.S. ladies contingent in Moscow is U.S. champion Alissa Czisny. Czisny won a pair of medals in the 2010 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Series—gold at Skate Canada and bronze at Trophée Eric Bompard—before winning the gold at the 2010 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final. She went on to win her second U.S. title at the 2011 AT&T U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Greensboro, N.C. The native of Bowling Green, Ohio, most recently placed fifth at the 2011 ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships in February. She is joined by Rachael Flatt, who will make her third consecutive appearance at the World Championships; she placed fifth in 2009 and ninth a year ago. Flatt, who earned the silver at the 2011 U.S. Championships, won a pair of silver medals at her Grand Prix assignments in the fall, Skate America and the NHK Trophy, and went on to finish sixth at the Grand Prix Final. Flatt finished just off the podium, in fourth, at the Four Continents Championships.
MEN’S
Ryan Bradley makes his third appearance at the World Championships. After undergoing foot surgery in the off-season, Bradley did not compete in the fall and made his 2010–11 debut by winning his first U.S. title. He is joined by U.S. silver medalist Richard Dornbush and U.S. bronze medalist Ross Miner, both of whom make their debuts at this event. Dornbush is the 2010 ISU Junior Grand Prix (JGP) of Figure Skating Final champion. He began the season with a fourth-place showing at JGP Austria before winning gold at his assignment in Germany. Miner, the 2009 JGP Final bronze medalist, competed for the first time on the Grand Prix circuit in 2010, placing seventh and ninth, respectively, at the Cup of China and the NHK Trophy.
PAIRS
Caitlin Yankowskas and John Coughlin, the newly minted U.S. champions, make their first appearance at the World Championships. The duo won their first Grand Prix series medal, a bronze, at the Cup of China after finishing in fourth at the NHK Trophy. Most recently, they finished fifth at the Four Continents Championships. Two-time U.S. silver medalists Amanda Evora and Mark Ladwig also earned their first Grand Prix medal with a third-place finish at the Rostelecom Cup. They placed fifth at the Cup of China before winning their second consecutive U.S. silver medal in Greensboro and placing sixth at the Four Continents Championships. Evora and Ladwig look to improve on their ninth-place finish at this event a year ago.
ICE DANCING
Meryl Davis and Charlie White look to cap a perfect season with their sixth gold medal in six events. Before winning their third straight U.S. title in January, Davis and White swept their Grand Prix assignments, the NHK Trophy and Skate America, and repeated as Grand Prix Final champions. They also won their second Four Continents title in February. Maia Shibutani and Alex Shibutani, the 2011 U.S. silver medalists, won bronze at the 2010 NHK Trophy and 2010 Skate America, making them the first ice dancing team to medal at both of their Grand Prix assignments in their first year as seniors. They added a silver medal at the Four Continents Championships. Rounding out the U.S. ice dancing contingent are Madison Chock and Greg Zuerlein, the 2011 U.S. bronze medalists. The pair earned two bronze medals in their Grand Prix assignments, Skate Canada and Trophée Bompard, and placed fifth at the Four Continents Championships. The three U.S. ice dancing teams are training mates in Canton, Mich., and are coached by Igor Shpilband and Marina Zoueva.
Renee Felton
U.S. Figure Skating Communications
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– About U.S. Figure Skating –
U.S. Figure Skating is the national governing body for the sport of figure skating in the United States as recognized by the United States Olympic Committee and the International Skating Union. U.S. Figure Skating is made up of 743 member, collegiate and school-affiliated clubs and more than 990 Basic Skills programs representing approximately 176,000 members. U.S. Figure Skating is charged with the development of the sport on all levels within the United States including athletes, officials, sanctioning of events and exhibitions, and establishing the rules and guidelines by which the sport is governed.