For Japanese pair, Skate America silver medal is a joyous (and rare) surprise

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For Japanese pair, Skate America silver medal is a joyous (and rare) surprise

In the 32 years since the redoubtable Midori Ito became Japan’s first world figure skating champion, her country has become one of the most decorated in the sport.

All the greatest success has been in singles, climaxed by Yuzuru Hanyu’s consecutive Olympic gold medals in 2014 and 2018.

That background is why the silver medalists were the story in the Skate America pairs’ event Saturday night in Las Vegas.

With their second personal best score in two days, skating with an exuberance and joy that delighted the crowd, Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara became the first Japanese team to win a medal on the Grand Prix circuit in 10 years, equaling the silver won by Narumi Takahashi and Mervin Tran at the NHK Trophy in 2011.

“We weren’t really hoping or aiming for a medal,” Miura said. “We just wanted to show what we were doing in training. We’re obviously surprised we came in second.”

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Russians putting a world of hurt on women’s singles rivals

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Russians putting a world of hurt on women’s singles rivals

This is what the rest of the women’s singles skaters in the world are up against.

(“The rest” means everyone who is not competing for Russia.)

Mother Russia sent three of her talented daughters to Las Vegas for Skate America, the first event of the Grand Prix Series in this Olympic season.

Only one, Aleksandra Trusova, was among the three Russian women who had swept the podium at last season’s World Championships, a feat in women’s singles previously pulled off by only a U.S. trio in 1991.

And Trusova came to Vegas with a foot injury that sparked talk she might withdraw.

And her two singles compatriots at Skate America, Daria Usacheva and Kseniia Sinitsyna, each was making her senior Grand Prix debut.

Yet they swept the top three places in Saturday’s short program, with all three recording personal bests: Trusova, 17, the reigning world bronze medalist, at 77.69; Usacheva, 15, at 76.71; and Sinitsina, 17, at 71.51.

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Russians prove they are back as two pairs’ teams lead the way at Skate America

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Russians prove they are back as two pairs’ teams lead the way at Skate America

Brandon Frazier sounded like a lot of the leading U.S. pairs’ skaters who have come before him over the years.

“We’re trying to push ourselves to be more competitive with the top teams in the world,” said Frazier, reigning U.S. champion with partner Alexa Knierim.

For six decades, that goal for U.S. pairs has primarily meant trying to be competitive with teams from Russia and its predecessor, the Soviet Union.

And, despite some unexpected Russian dry spells in the past 15 years, that is what it means again.

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ISU investigating "surge of hate" directed at French ice dance team, condemns reported homophobic comments

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ISU investigating "surge of hate" directed at French ice dance team, condemns reported homophobic comments

The president of the French Ice Sports Federation told the International Skating Union that the ISU “can’t remain silent in front of this surge of hate” directed at French ice dancers Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron.

In a letter dated Oct. 12, a copy of which I have obtained, FFSG President Nathalie Péchalat made a forceful appeal for the ISU to take action after several months in which Papadakis and Cizeron “are targeted, not on a sporting level but due to Guillaume(‘s) sexual orientation.”

Cizeron, 2018 Olympic silver medalist and four-time world champion with Papadakis, came out as gay in May 2020.

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Three-time Olympic skater Evan Bates decries “terrible” human rights issues in 2022 host China

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Three-time Olympic skater Evan Bates decries “terrible” human rights issues in 2022 host China

The question was posed to the five figure skaters in a Monday afternoon press conference that was part of the Beijing 2022 Team USA Media Summit.

They were asked if anyone wanted to comment on the human rights issues that have made China a controversial host of the upcoming Winter Olympics.

Three-time Olympic ice dancer Evan Bates did not hesitate to address the topic.

“Speaking on behalf of all the athletes, I can say human rights violations are abysmal, and we all believe that it tears the fabric of humanity,” Bates said.

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