Figure skating final kicks off today
By Lei Lei (China Daily)
Updated: 2004-12-17 11:27

With the arrivals of the world's leading figure skaters, the 2004 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final hits the ice today in Beijing.

The top six skaters and pairs from the six legs of the ISU Grand Prix series held since October are in Beijing for the final, hosted in the Chinese capital for the first time.

The star-studded Russia's team, which includes world champions Evgeni Plushenko and Irina Slutskaya, arrived in Beijing on Wednesday.

Marked by a biellmann spin and difficult combination jumps, Plushenko won the Cup of Russia comfortably and accumulated 12 points from his only-participated leg to rank as the top alternate option if anyone withdrew.

When American Johnnie Weir, who ranked top in the men's singles event, withdraw with a foot injury picked up during the Cup of Russia last month, Plushenko got a chance.

Ranked as the top ladies' skater by two winnings at Cup of China and Cup of Russia, Slutskaya has made a perfect return after missing almost the entire 2003/04 season.

She will be challenged by three Japanese skaters, led by 2004 world champion Shizuka Arakawa and two Canadians, who ranked in the top two spots in Canada.

Plushenko and Slutskaya are aiming to glide off with two golds for Russia.

Their ice dancing world champions, Tatiana Navka and Roman Kostomarov will also try to defend their Grand Prix final title against Tanith Belbin/Benjamin Agosto from the United States and Albena Denkova/Maxim Staviski from Bulgaria.

With the absence of Russia's top skating Tatiana Totmianina and Maxim Marinin, who were severely injured in the opening leg, another two Russian pairs Maria Petrova/Alexie Tikhonov, the 2000 world champions and Julia Obertas/Sergei Slavnov will battle for the honours with three Chinese pairs, led by twice world champions Shen Xue and Zhao Hongbo.

For the first time in this season, the three Chinese leading pairs, Shen/Zhao, Pang Qing/Tong Jian, the Four Continents champions and Zhang Dan/Zhang Hao, 2003 world junior champions, will compete together to secure the pairs title at home.

Li Chengjiang will compete as the only Chinese single skater in the prestigious final, confronting Plushenko, France's Brian Joubert, who became the top-ranked skater after Weir's withdrawal, Canadian Emanuel Sandhu, the defending champion, and Jeffrey Buttle, and Ryan Jahnke of the United States.

The final starts today and ends on Sunday, with an exhibition at the end.

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