Aliona Savchenko and Robin Szolkowy of Germany won the pairs title at the World Figure Skating Championships, completing a sweep of all the year's major titles.
Savchenko and Szolkowy, also the Grand Prix and European champions, took advantage of their hugely difficult routine to win the title, beating China's Zhang Dan and Zhang Hao by more than five points. Canada's Jessica Dube and Bryce Davison won the bronze.
Earlier on Wednesday, two-time European champion Carolina Kostner edged reigning world silver medalist Mao Asada by the slightest of margins, a mere 0.18 points, to win the short program. Former world champion Kimmie Meissner, who is hoping a coaching switch can reverse a dismal season, was in ninth place. But Meissner was more than satisfied with the performance, punching the air when she finished.
The women's competition was expected to be a showdown between Asada of Japan and South Korea's Kim Yu-na, winner of the Grand Prix final. But Kostner had a different idea.
The Italian has departed from her classical comfort zone with this year's short program, packing elongated spirals, tight spins with ever-changing arm positions and big jumps between the opening shrieks and closing groans of The Doors classic Riders on the Storm.
She matched Asada's jumping ability with a huge triple-triple combination.
Her only error was a step out on the landing of her triple lutz, but it had little bearing. Her score of 64.28 included the best technical mark of the night.
Asada hit all of her jumps easily, seeming to hover momentarily above the ice before making her rotations. Her triple flip-triple loop combination, triple lutz and double axel were all gorgeous.
"The difference between first and second is not so much, so I will do my best in the long," said Asada, who finished with 64.10 points.
Asada's Japanese teammate, Yukari Nakano, was third with 61.10 points. Kim, who had to skip last month's Four Continents championship in her native South Korea because of a hip injury, is in fifth place.
Melinda Sherilyn Wang of Taiwan was 22nd with 44.77 points.
BUMRAH WATCH: Captain Jasprit Bumrah left the SCG for scans for back spasms and although he returned to the ground, there was no word on if he would play Rishabh Pant’s blistering counterattack yesterday capped a chaotic second day of the fifth and final Test between Australia and India, with 15 wickets falling and the star bowler of the series leaving the Sydney Cricket Ground with an ambulance escort. Yet the Border-Gavaskar trophy still remains very much in the balance as India reached 141-6, holding a 145-run lead over Australia with three days remaining. “Low-scoring games like this, it just heightens the pressure within it, so long way still to go,” Australia coach Andrew McDonald said. “There’s gonna be plenty of cricket, so we’ll see what happens.” Australia were bowled out for
Elena Rybakina’s Kazakhstan yesterday dumped defending champions Germany out of the United Cup with world No. 2 Alexander Zverev sidelined by an arm injury barely a week away from the Australian Open. The upset in Perth sent the Kazakhs into the semi-finals of the 18-nation tournament. In Sydney, women’s world No. 2 Iga Swiatek led Poland into the last eight by winning a rematch of her 2023 French Open final against Karolina Muchova of the Czech Republic. Britain also progressed to the quarter-finals with Katie Boulter’s dominant 6-2, 6-1 victory over Australia’s Olivia Gadecki enough to guarantee they won their group. The US and
HAT-TRICK PREP: World No. 1 Sabalenka clinched her first win of the season, as she aims to become the first woman in 20 years to win three Australian Opens in succession Coco Gauff, Jasmine Paolini and Taylor Fritz yesterday all clocked impressive wins as tennis powerhouses Italy and the US surged into the quarter-finals of the mixed-team United Cup. World No. 3 Gauff swept past Croatia’s Donna Vekic 6-4, 6-2 to avenge a loss at the Paris Olympics, while Fritz took care of Borna Coric 6-3, 6-2 in searing Perth heat. That was enough to put the Americans — last year’s winners — into a last-eight clash with China today, while Elena Rybakina’s Kazakhstan today are to meet defending champions Germany, led by Alexander Zverev, in the other Perth quarter-final. In Sydney, the in-form
Five-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek yesterday beat Elena Rybakina in straight sets to take Poland into the final of the mixed-teams United Cup with victory over Kazakhstan. Last year’s runners-up face the US today for the title in Sydney after they beat the Czech Republic in the other semi-final. “This win makes me really proud,” Swiatek said after seeing off Rybakina 7-6 (7/5), 6-4 to give Poland an unassailable 2-0 lead in the tie. It was a statement of intent from the world number two with the first major of the year to start on Jan. 12. “It is perfect preparation for the
RSS