[MakkabI]
November 1st, 2004, 03:39 AM
Galit Chait and Sergei Sakhnovsky performed a brilliant free dance in the final segment (worth 50% of the total) of the Mastercard Skate Canada Grand Prix competition in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada to take over the third spot from Isabelle Delobel and Olivier Schoenfelder of France (currently sixth in the world) of the 12 competing couples. The event took place from October 28-31.
After the opening compulsory dance, the rumba, Chait and Sakhnovsky stood in 4th place behind eventual winners Albena Denkova and Maxim Staviski of Bulgaria (currently second-ranked in the world, Delobel and Schoenfelder in second, and surprise second place finishers Marie-France Dubreuil and Patrice Lauzon of Canada in third, and it began to look like deja vu from last year's travesty at Skate Canada.
After making some suggested minor changes to their program after Skate America, where they won a silver medal last week, they managed some fancier footwork in their original dance routine, two segments of "Sing, Sing, Sing" by Benny Goodman for their two quickstep elements and Nat King Cole's "Smile" for their slow foxtrot. While they still remained in fourth place, they managed to close the gap to less than a point separating them from the second and third pairs. Delobel and Schoenfelder slipped to third, while Dubreuil/Lauzon moved into second.
Chait/Sakhnovsky competed last in the free skate, a Toccata and Fugue in D Minor by Johann Sebastian Bach, and with all of the pressure on them gave a performance that earned them a combined 200.97 score, vaulting them past the French pair, who had 199.19. The Bulgarians skated away from everyone with a 208.93, while the hometown favorites finished with 203.69 for the silver.
"It's wonderful that they were finally able to take a medal in Canada, and when the scores were posted for them after the free skate, a tremendous roar of appreciation went up from the crowd, who were delighted with the results," said Judith Javor, secretary of the Israel Ice Skating Federation. "It's also a good omen for them for the rest of the season that they were able to overtake the French couple (who finished one place ahead of them in the World championships this year)."
Their next Grand Prix tournament will be at the Cup of China, from November 11-14.
The married duo of Natalia Gudina and Alexei Beletsky, Israel's no. 2 ice dancing couple will take to the ice in Nagoya, Japan, November 4-7 for their first Grand Prix event of the season.
:banana: :cheers:
After the opening compulsory dance, the rumba, Chait and Sakhnovsky stood in 4th place behind eventual winners Albena Denkova and Maxim Staviski of Bulgaria (currently second-ranked in the world, Delobel and Schoenfelder in second, and surprise second place finishers Marie-France Dubreuil and Patrice Lauzon of Canada in third, and it began to look like deja vu from last year's travesty at Skate Canada.
After making some suggested minor changes to their program after Skate America, where they won a silver medal last week, they managed some fancier footwork in their original dance routine, two segments of "Sing, Sing, Sing" by Benny Goodman for their two quickstep elements and Nat King Cole's "Smile" for their slow foxtrot. While they still remained in fourth place, they managed to close the gap to less than a point separating them from the second and third pairs. Delobel and Schoenfelder slipped to third, while Dubreuil/Lauzon moved into second.
Chait/Sakhnovsky competed last in the free skate, a Toccata and Fugue in D Minor by Johann Sebastian Bach, and with all of the pressure on them gave a performance that earned them a combined 200.97 score, vaulting them past the French pair, who had 199.19. The Bulgarians skated away from everyone with a 208.93, while the hometown favorites finished with 203.69 for the silver.
"It's wonderful that they were finally able to take a medal in Canada, and when the scores were posted for them after the free skate, a tremendous roar of appreciation went up from the crowd, who were delighted with the results," said Judith Javor, secretary of the Israel Ice Skating Federation. "It's also a good omen for them for the rest of the season that they were able to overtake the French couple (who finished one place ahead of them in the World championships this year)."
Their next Grand Prix tournament will be at the Cup of China, from November 11-14.
The married duo of Natalia Gudina and Alexei Beletsky, Israel's no. 2 ice dancing couple will take to the ice in Nagoya, Japan, November 4-7 for their first Grand Prix event of the season.
:banana: :cheers: