Olympic Weekend Preview The winter sports remain active this weekend with the Four Continents Figure Skating Championships and the luge world championships, among other events.
The winter sports remain active this weekend with the Four Continents Figure Skating Championships and the luge world championships, among other events. Meanwhile, many U.S. hopefuls for the London 2012 Olympic Games will be in the pool in Columbia, Mo., for a USA Swimming Grand Prix. Check out this week’s Olympic Weekend Preview for the full updates and check back on Monday for a wrap-up.
FIGURE SKATING
ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships, Feb. 9-12, Colorado Springs.
Four-time national ice dancing champions and Olympic silver medalists Meryl Davis and Charlie White, 2012 ladies’ champion Ashley Wagner and pairs champions Caydee Denney and John Coughlin are among a star-studded U.S. lineup at the ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships this week.
The event includes six Olympic and world championships medalists among 102 skaters from 17 nations. It is being held at the Colorado Springs World Arena.
Davis and White, defending Four Continents champions, have won gold at 10 consecutive events, including the 2011 world championship title. The ice dancing competition will begin Saturday; the free dance is Sunday.
Richard Dornbush, the 2011 U.S. silver medalist, replaced Jeremy Abbott, the 2012 U.S. men’s champion after Abbott withdrew due to a hip injury. Dornbush placed 13th in the short program Thursday. Ross Miner, the bronze medalist at the past two nationals, was in sixth place and Adam Rippon, the 2012 U.S. silver medalist, was in seventh place. The men’s long program is Friday night.
“I’m really happy with it,” Miner said of his sixth-place start. “It’s my new season’s best so it’s a good start to the competition and I’m excited for tomorrow.”
The ladies’ competition, featuring Wagner, Agnes Zawadzki, who trains in Colorado Springs, and Caroline Zhang of the United States, begins Friday with the short program and finishes Saturday with the free skate. The pairs competition will be held Saturday and Sunday. Denney, a 2010 Olympian, and Coughlin train in Colorado Springs.
Olympians Jason Lezak, Matt Grevers and Amanda Weir are among the field of swimmers schedule to compete in the Missouri Grand Prix, beginning Friday at the Mizzou Aquatic Center. Also sure to grab attention is Rachel Bootsma, the national high school record holder in the women’s 100 backstroke.
Others among 19 national team members scheduled to compete: Mark Gangloff, Eric Shanteau and Chloe Sutton, a 2008 Olympian who competed in open-water swimming, is scheduled to swim in six events.
The event is the third in the Grand Prix Series, which has drawn many of the top national and international swimmers in this Olympic year. Competition on Friday includes the 100 breaststroke, 200 free and 100 fly; Saturday, 100 backstroke, 200 fly, 50 free; Sunday, 200 backstroke,
