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Bobek leads in short program at Lalique
PARIS (AP-CP) -- American Nicole Bobek, who has had a an-and-down skating career lately, took the lead in the women's short program at the Lalique Trophy competition Friday, one of the skating Grand Prix series.
Bobek skated a clean program to Flamenco music from the movie Zorro to put her in first ahead of Ukraine's Elena Liashenko, winner of Skate Canada in Kamloops, B.C., and European champion Maria Butyrskaya, who beat Bobek at Skate America.
Tara Ferguson of Thornhill, Ont., who is ranked No. 5 in Canada, was ninth.
Bobek landed a superb triple lutz-double toe loop and a triple toe loop. She received marks from 5.3 to a high of 5.8 and earned a 4-3 decision on judges over Liashenko, who also skated clean.
Bobek was the U.S. champion in 1995 but has had an checkered career since. After her coach Carlo Fassi died at the 1997 world championships, Bobek fell apart in the long program at Lausanne, Switzerland.
She rebounded at the 1998 U.S. championships where she placed third to Michelle Kwan and Tara Lipinski with talk of a U.S. sweep at the Olympics.
However, at Nagano, she barely stood up in her short program and long program and finished 17th.
"I've had plenty of downs followed by ups," said Bobek. "And ups followed by downs.
"Now it's time to tie the ups together."
In the pairs, the French couple of Sarah Abitbol and Stephane Bernadis took the short program edging former world champions Marina Yeltsova and Andrei Bushkov of Russia.
Canadian champions Kristy Sargeant of Alix, Alta., and Kris Wirtz of Marathon, Ont., were third while Valerie Saurette of Granby, Que., and Jean-Sebastien Fecteau of Montreal were sixth.
All the top couples tried triple toe loop jumps and throw triple moves with only slight mistakes separating them, such as Bushkov putting a hand down to steady himself after a jump.
The long programs of all the events will be held today.
The Lalique Trophy is the fourth in the International Skating Union's that features Olympic-eligible skaters.
Winners of the events receive $30,000. The next event is the Cup of Russia in Moscow.
The series culminates with the March final in Russia, two weeks before the world championships in Finland.
Results
PARIS (AP) -- Results Friday at the Lalique Trophy, the fourth event of the International Skating Union's Grand Prix series:Women
Short Program
1. Nicole Bobek, U.S., .5 factored placings; 2. Elena Liashenko, Ukraine, 1.0; 3. Maria Butyrskaya, Russia, 1.5; 4. Vanessa Gusmeroli, France, 2.0; 5. Laetitia Hubert, France. 2.5; 6. Diana Poth, Hungary, 3.0; 7. Andrea Diewald, Germany, 3.5; 8. Mojca Kopec, Slovenia, 4.0; 9. Tara Ferguson, Thornhill, Ont., 4.5.
Pairs
Short Program
1. Sarah Abitbol and Stephane Bernadis, France, .5 factored placings; 2. Marina Yeltsova and Andrei Bushkov, Russia, 1.0; 3. Kristy Sargeant, Alix, Alta., and Kris Wirtz, Marathon, Ont., 1.5; 4. Kyoko Ina and John Zimmerman, U.S., 2.0; 5. Tania Totmianina and Maxim Marinin, Russia, 2.5; 6. Valerie Saurette, Granby, Que., and Jean-Sebastien Fecteau, Montreal, 3.0; 7. Olga Bestandigova and Josef Bestandigov, Slovakia, 3.5.