Skating Championships Produce Surprises and Disappointments

Leading up to the World Figure Skating Championships last week, I expected the American skaters would bring home two medals. I was hopeful for three, but in the end, we were lucky to get one – a bronze in ice dancing. The championships had their share of surprises and disappointments. Among them:

Surprises:

* Miki Ando of Japan won the women’s title. Did anyone expect her to even finish in the top five?

* Thomas Verner of Germany finished fourth, moving up from ninth after the short program. In a very talented field, he wasn't mentioned among the top contenders. I don’t think anyone thought he would be that close to the podium. But Verner, the 2007 European silver medalist, had an outstanding free skate while other skaters ahead of him faltered.

* Meryl Davis and Charlie White, the U.S. silver medalists in ice dance, finished seventh in their first world championships. Of all the American skaters, they probably had the best overall competition, and will likely move up quickly in the international ranks in the next few years.

Disappointments:

* The U.S. team only earned one medal – a bronze in ice dancing by Belbin and Agosto. And they only got the bronze because two other dance teams behind them made more mistakes. With the exception of Davis/White, the U.S. ice dance silver medalists, I don’t think anyone else had a solid competition. I can accept third, fourth or fifth place finishes, but not with such sloppy performances.

Men’s competition. After seeing the thrilling men’s free skate last year at the World Championships in Calgary, I fully expected the same level of competition this year in Tokyo. But it didn't live up to its billing. It seemed that all the guys were bit by nerves, and everyone made mistakes in their short program. Even the men’s world champion, Brian Joubert of France, lacked a spark and played it safe in his free skate, completing only one quad jump when he could have put everyone away.

* Delayed-broadcasts of the events. By the time ESPN aired the event, the men’s and pairs events had already been decided and you could read about them on the Internet. The time difference took a lot of the drama out of the telecasts.

For all the results, visit www.isu.org.