Some of the pairs teams brought their best to the table while others faltered and fizzled out during the pairs short program. Russian skaters, Tatiana Volosozhar and Maxim Trankov, are currently in first place, which is not surprising as they have been the team to beat all season.
In second place are Canadians, Meagan Duhamel and Eric Radford who completed an exciting short program which consisted of side by side triple Lutz jumps and a throw triple Lutz, a rarity to see in the world of pairs skating. Their joy and excitement was contagious as they celebrated their success in the short program. Though they still have a long program to conquer, it was a great start.
Landing in third place is four time World Champions, Aliona Savchenko and Robin Szolkowy. After struggling with some illness this season, they seem off their game and missing the fire and polish that usually accompanies them. It will be interesting if, having their World title at risk, they will bring back some of the passion that makes this team exciting to watch.
Chinese skaters, Qing Pang and Jian Tong, find themselves in 6th place after a decent performance. This couple has medaled five times at this event and have won gold twice. They are a strong and proven team, yet with a knee injury plaguing Tong, they were just not as sharp and thrilling as usual.
So “where are the Americans?” you might ask. Alexa Scimeca and Chris Knierim are trailing in 12th place and Marissa Castelli and Simon Shnapir have found themselves in 13th place. Though not ideal, the best to hope for these two teams is to see if they can hold on and earn at least two spots on the US Olympic Pairs Figure Skating Team.
All of these athletes' hard work, long hours and disciplined lifestyles will now come down to the free skate, happening this Friday, March 15, which will determine who will be the Pairs World Champion.
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