American pair wins, China's Yang/Deng ranked 10th at figure skating Junior Worlds
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E-mail Xinhua, March 3, 2023
BEIJING, March 3 (Xinhua) -- Overnight leaders Sophia Baram and Daniel Tioumentsev of the United States skated to gold, while China's Yang Yixi and Deng Shunyang finished 10th as the ISU World Junior Figure Skating Championships' pairs event concluded Thursday in Calgary, Canada.
Baram/Tioumentsev, who had to overcome a shock when their coach Todd Sand was hospitalized due to a heart attack in the morning, completed a triple twist, triple Salchow-double Axel-double Axel sequence, two level-four lifts and a level-four death spiral and pair combination spin to post a personal best of 116.52 points, totaling 183.47 points.
It has been the first junior world pairs title in ten years for the U.S. since Haven Denney/Brandon Frazier won in 2013.
"We found out this morning (about Sand being hospitalized). It was a definite down-turn for me and Sophia. We skated for Todd and for everyone that has helped us through the season. It was very hard and we tried to remember what Todd told us - to stay in the moment," Tioumentsev said.
"It is such a good feeling to win," Baram added in tears. "It (Sand's illness) hit me so hard, I was really sad."
Australia's Anastasia Golubeva/Hector Giotopoulos Moore repeated as silver medalists with a total of 170.36 points, while Violetta Sierova/Ivan Khobta of Ukraine moved up from fourth place to claim bronze with 159.39 points.
Yang/Deng stayed 10th among 14 pairs. The Chinese junior champions claimed a personal best of 84.78 in their free skate and totaled 131.97 points.
In the men's short program earlier on Thursday, newly-crowned Four Continents champion Kao Miura of Japan, 17, earned a confident lead with a score of 85.11 points, beating Canada's Wesley Chiu and Naoki Rossi of Switzerland to the second and third places. China's national champion Chen Yudong sat temporarily in 14th place on 63.93.
"Today I was very nervous," admitted Miura. "All season long, I skated a senior program and the junior requirements are different so I was nervous. Somehow I managed."
The ISU figure skating junior worlds continues Friday with the ice dancing rhythm dance and women's free skate. Enditem
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