Patrick Chan, Canada’s two-time Olympic silver medalist and three-time World Champion figure skater, had a great performance in the men’s short program today in Finland.
Transported through the medley of the Beatles’ ‘Dear Prudence’ and ‘Blackbird’, the jumps were powerful and clean.
“It was the performance I’ve been waiting for” he told the CBC’s Brenda Irving after leaving the ice.
Signe Butler, with CBC Sports in Toronto described it as a “statement skate”. Many had wondered how the veteran Chan would do.
Sitting with his two coaches afterwards, Chan seemed more than satisfied with his score of 102.13, his first 100-plus international short skate, placing him 3rd in the world.
Javier Fermandez, the defending champion, from Spain, was first with 109.05, landing two quads, and then Japan’s Shoma Uno scored 104.86.
Chan started his performance with a huge quadruple toe loop-triple toe loop combination and then a triple Axel.
“The fact that I could enjoy it, enjoying hearing that first note of the music until the end,” Chan told Lori Ewing of the Canadian Press .
“It wasn’t even nervousness but excitement, turning that nervousness to excitement. And being calm. And then breaking 100 [points] with one quad, that’s huge for me.” he said.
Yesterday, in the Women’s short program, Kaetlyn Osmond, was among the Canadians to shine.
In an interview following her performance, she told the CBC’s Brenda Irving that she’d started her season in Helsinki this year, on a very positive note, and she is feeling confident the charm will continue in this competition.
Osmond, a native of Marystown, Nefoundland, posted a personal-best short program score of 75.98, behind first place Evgenia Medvedeva’s 79.01.
Gabrielle Daleman, of Newmarket, Ontario was third, scoring 72.19, just short of her personal best.
The women compete again on Friday.
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