Posted at 6:16 a.m., Saturday, October 6, 2007
Figure skating: United States tops Japan in team event
Associated Press
YOKOHAMA, Japan — Led by world junior champion Caroline Zhang, the United States defeated Japan in a figure skating team competition today.The event featured four male and four female skaters from the two nations in head-to-head competition in either the short or free programs, with the cumulative scores being totaled to determine the winner.
The U.S. women won by a total of 289.00 points to 284.90, while the U.S. men outpaced the Japan team by a score of 362.81 to 334.48.
The heavily favored Japanese women, featuring world champion Miki Ando, world runner-up Mao Asada, veteran Fumie Suguri and junior skater Rumi Suizu, came up short against a youthful U.S. squad comprised of Zhang, U.S. junior national champion Mirai Nagasu, Rachael Flatt and Beatrisa Liang.
Ando fell on a combination and briefly stopped her performance before finishing 10 points back of Zhang, who received 56.78 points.
World junior champion Stephen Carriere opened the skating with a solid victory for the U.S., outscoring Tatsuki Machida 122.30 to 102.34.
Johnny Weir topped Yasuharu Nanri by a big margin (73.90 to 51.07), with a routine that featured a triple lutz.
"We all have separate strengths, and when they were combined it helped us to win," said Weir, the 2006 U.S. national champion.
