Canadians Stand Tall At Worlds
Fans came out in full force to cheer on their favourites at the 2013 Figure Skating World Championships and the contingent of Canadians did not disappoint .
Olympic champions Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir got the crowd off its feet with a well-executed and fun short dance routine that saw them score 73.87 points to place second heading into Saturday’s final.
Virtue, from host city London, ON and Moir from nearby Ilderton, ON said they felt the energy from the crowd as soon as their names were announced in the arena. The duo is gunning for a third world title in four years.
“It was a fun skate,” said Moir. “We felt the energy right from warmups to the end of the program. I was happy with that program and the strength of it.”
The pair was followed by the Canadian teams of Kaitlyn Weaver and Andrew Poje in sixth place with 67.54 points and Piper Gilles (Toronto, ON) and Paul Poirier (Unionville, ON) in 15th place with 58.61 points.
Earlier in the day, Kaetlyn Osmond (Marystown, NL) scored a season best 64.73 to sit just shy of a potential podium in fourth place.
The first day of competition was highlighted by one of a magical performances from Patrick Chan’s (Toronto, ON) — a highlight in his career.
Patrick Chan reacts to seeing his record-breaking score of 98.37 after the short program at the 2013 World Championships. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Chiasson
The two-time defending champ scored a record-breaking tally of 98.37 in the short program. Also currently sitting on the podium is Kevin Reynolds (Coquitlam, BC) with 85.16 points. Andrei Rogozine of Richmond, Hill sits in 18th place with 67.35 points.
“I love the Canadian fans, they are inspirational and create excitement,” said Chan after his skate. “The Canadian fans help me to be more focused … they lift a lot of pressure. Today I had no luck, just a lot of hard work that paid off. This feels almost as great as the Vancouver Olympics. Setting a new world record is just the icing on the cake.”
In pairs action, Meagan Duhamel (Lively, ON) and Eric Radford (Balmerton, ON) currently sit in second place after a performance that netted them 73.61 points. The duo of Kirsten Moore-Towers (St. Catharines) and Dylan Moscovitch (Toronto, ON) ranked in fifth with 69.25.
The men’s and pairs programs continue on Friday and it can all be seen on CBC.
– George Fadel
