It was expected to be a Japanese showdown for the top spot in the men's short program at the 2013 Four Continents Championships today, but it turned out to be just Yuzuru Hanyu making the waves. Hanyu took the lead going into the free skate with teammate Daisuke Takahashi in fourth.
Men's short: Play-by-play
The last skater of the 23 in the field, Hanyu started off his short program in fine fashion, hitting a quad toe and a triple axel. But he made a major mistake on his last jump element, singling the first half of his triple lutz-triple toe combination, which cost him about five points in base value. Normally in the 90s with a clean short, Hanyu scored a 87.65 to take a lead of just over two points.
The surprise of the short program was World junior champion Han Yan, who has not had a strong season so far after not qualifying for the Junior Grand Prix Final in the fall. He skated a clean short, highlighted by a superb quad toe, to sit in second place with an 85.08.
Skating early in the second-to-last group, former U.S. silver medalist Richard Dornbush skated one of his best short programs in recent memory. He hit a solid quad toe in his performance, with a hand down on his triple axel being the only mistake. His 83.01 puts him in third, the highest of the three American men, going into the free skate.
Takahashi is in fourth going into the free skate after a rough go at his short program. He stepped out of his opening quad toe but fell on his next jump, a triple axel, generally a consistent jump for him. He salvaged his short program with a triple lutz-triple toe, but the damage was done.
U.S. bronze medalist Ross Miner is in ninth after doubling his quad salchow, with U.S. champion Max Aaron right behind him in tenth after a fall on his triple axel.
MEN (after the short program)
1. Yuzuru Hanyu JPN - 87.65
2. Han Yan CHN - 85.08
3. Richard Dornbush USA - 83.01
4. Daisuke Takahashi JPN - 82.62
5. Nan Song CHN - 81.16
6. Kevin Reynolds CAN - 78.34
7. Denis Ten KAZ - 78.05
8. Takahito Mura JPN - 78.03
9. Ross Miner USA - 74.01
10. Max Aaron USA - 72.46
11. Andrei Rogozine CAN - 70.58
12. Misha Ge UZB - 70.26
13. Yi Wang CHN - 68.24
14. Michael Christian Martinez PHI - 64.62
15. Abzal Rakimgaliev KAZ - 60.83
16. Christopher Caluza PHI - 58.53
17. Jin Seo Kim KOR - 58.04
18. June Hyoung Lee KOR - 55.63
19. Brendan Kerry AUS - 53.37
20. Elladj Balde CAN - 51.91
21. Min-Seok Kim KOR - 51.43
22. Jordan Ju TPE - 42.78
23. David Kranjec AUS - 40.51
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