China

Shen\Zhao dominate Four Continents

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2007-02-08 10:18

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado - China's Shen Xue and Zhao Hongbo continued their domination of figure skating's pairs on Wednesday, out-pointing world champions Pang Qing and Tong Jian to lead after the short programme at the Four Continents championships.

China's Shen Xue (L) and Zhao Hongbo compete during the Pairs Free Skating event at the Sixth Asian Winter Games in Changchun, in northeastern China's Jilin province, February 3, 2007. [Reuters]

Having announced plans to retire at the end of the season, Shen and Zhao look poised to exit in a blaze of glory having finished top of the podium in every event they have entered this season, including the Grand Prix final and Asian Winter Games.

The twice-world champions and 2002 Olympic bronze medallist moved into position to add a second Four Continents title to their collection with an efficient if unspectacular short programme that earned top marks of 69.29.

Sitting a distant second on 65.80 are team mates Pang and Tong, who are slowly returning to top form following a season disrupted by injury and illness.

Still recovering from albuminuria, a condition that indicates disease in the kidneys but can also be a symptom of other diseases, Pang cannot train for more than an hour without taking a break.

Tong, meanwhile, skated on Wednesday wearing a black headband to hide scars resulting from a car crash in Beijing that left him unconscious with a nasty gash on his forehead.

"After winning the world championships, practices haven't been going too well because of her health and in January I got in a car accident and I crashed through the window," Tong told reporters. "Right now our energy is a little low, the high altitude has affected us."

The first pair from China to win a world title, Shen and Zhao confirmed that Thursday's free skate would mark their last competitive appearance in North America followed by their international farewell at the world championships next month in Tokyo.

DOOR OPEN

The ground-breaking pair did leave the door open for a possible return, saying they would re-evaluate their fitness and the competition in 2009 with an eye on the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games.

"After this competition (worlds) we plan to retire," said Shen. "We will leave the competition and if we are feeling good in 2009 we might try to compete in the (2010) Olympics."

Earlier, Olympic silver medallists Tanith Belbin and Benjamin Agosto got the defence of their Four Continents ice dance crown off to a shaky start.

Taking advantage of a wobble by the four-times U.S. champions, world silver medallists Marie-France Dubreuil and Patrice Lauzon of Canada produced a clean skate earning top marks of 38.54.

Skating the Golden Waltz, Agosto's stumble was hardly noticed by the sparse crowd of about 100 spectators sprinkled through the World Arena but caught the attention of the judges who marked down the home town favourites leaving them in second with a mark of 37.72.

Meryl Davis and Charlie White, third place finishers at the U.S. nationals, sit third on 33.68 going into Thursday's original dance.