Tokyo, 31 October, /AJMEDIA/
Three-time world champion Nathan Chen of the United States claimed his first Skate Canada International men’s Grand Prix title Saturday in Vancouver while Japan failed to secure a podium place.
Japanese competitors Sota Yamamoto and Keiji Tanaka finished seventh and 10th, respectively, out of a strong men’s field of 12 skaters at the Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre.
Chen, whose three-year, 10-event win streak was snapped at Skate America last weekend, won the men’s event with 307.18 points. Countryman Jason Brown was second with 259.55, and Russia’s Evgeni Semenenko was third with 256.01.
“I got my motivation going again for the free skate, but the insecurities were still there. I didn’t train enough for the two jumps in the first half (of the program). But I skated better in the second half and that’s an improvement for me,” Yamamoto said.
Competition ends Saturday evening with the free dance and the women’s free.
Skate Canada is the second of six Grand Prix Series events this season. The Grand Prix Final in mid-December will feature the best six skaters or teams from each discipline.
The national bodies will name their Olympic teams for the Beijing Games after the national championships in late December and early January.
