Worlds 2012 - Pairs FP and RESULTS

Fifth day of these 2012 World Championships, and we go on with another medal awarding, this time in the pairs event. The unexpected continues in Nice: Aliona Savchenko/Robin Szolkowy struck gold, Tatiana Volosozhar/Maxim Trankov surged from eighth to take silver and Narumi Takahashi/Mervin Tran made history when they claimed Japan's first Pair Skating medal, the bronze.

Savchenko/Szolkowy

Savchenko/Szolkowy's “Pina” program was highlighted by a throw triple flip and Salchow, a triple twist and difficult lifts, but Robin singled the Axel and wobbled on the pair spin (level one). “Everything was going well until I singled the Axel. Then my power was gone. I don't really know why but I forgot the spin, starting it on the wrong foot. It has never happened to me before but we just tried to make the best out of it”, Szolkowy said. “We were obviously a little nervous to skate tonight, having already won three Worlds. But now we can be proud of having won our fourth title and look into the future”, he continued.



Volosozhar/Trankov

Volosozhar/Trankov redeemed from their incomprehensible error in their Short Program by skating an excellent performance of their “Black Swan”. They hit a triple twist, a side by side triple toe-double toe combination, triple Salchow, throw triple loop and Salchow and picked up a level four for their lifts and spins. “It feels special. We were eighth in the short program, we were so far behind. But everything can happen. The short program was horrible, completely disappointing, but we found motivation for the free skating”, Trankov commented.
After seeing Maxim cross/frustrated expression after the SP, I was so happy to watch their breathtaking performance of their beautiful FP!



Takahashi/Tran

Takahashi/Tran gave a solid performance to “Concerto de Quebec” and produced a triple twist, triple toe-double toe sequence, throw triple toe and six level-four elements. “I love to collect medals. I was so happy to get a small medal, now I added a big one. It's amazing. We are so honored to be the first Japanese pair skaters to win a world medal. I cannot describe this feeling”, Takahashi told the press.

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Worlds 2012 - Men SP

Fifth day of these 2012 World Championships, and this is continues to be one of those strange events where none of the top skaters skated cleanly. Patrick Chan took the lead with a short program that wasn't without errors. Michal Brezina and Daisuke Takahashi follow in second and third.
Of the 30 men who performed today, only 24 made it to the free. Good luck to all the skaters for Saturday SP.

Patrick Chan

Performing to “Take Five”, Chan hit a triple Axel, triple Lutz-triple toeloop combination and two level-four spins, but he stepped out of the quadruple toeloop and was off balance in his footwork. “It was a little shaky. I had a little mistake on my quad, so I had to do the combination later on, but this is a thing I practice every day. Then in the step sequence it was very good that I was strong enough to keep it all together and regain my balance. Overall I am very happy with the outcome”, Chan said.
It's not a secret I' don't like him very much, but I like his routine enough and I was really sad to see him making some mistakes in an otherwise good program.



Michal Brezina

Brezina gave himself a nice 22nd birthday present by putting out a strong Short Program that featured a triple Axel, triple flip-triple toe and a quadruple Salchow. The Czech skater picked up a level four for the three spins and the straight line step sequence in his Kodo Drums routine. “It is for the first time that I skated the program clean with the quad (Salchow) in it, and I am happy that I did it at Worlds. I got a nice shiny medal and I think I couldn't have gotten any better present for my birthday”, Brezina noted.



Daisuke Takahashi

Takahashi went for quadruple-triple toe in his performance to “In the Garden of the Souls” but stumbled on the second jump that was downgraded. But he recovered to land a triple Axel and a triple Lutz. “I feel good about my quad toe and then calculated if I should add the triple toe after this. It could be better in order to get a higher score. That is what caused my mistake on the triple toe. I shouldn't have been thinking like that. I am not happy about it but my overall performance was quite good. I was satisfied to be able to include a quad toe in my short program“, Daisuke commented.
Despite the mistakes, Takahashi's skating is always breathtaking and fascinating.



Brian Joubert

Brian completed a quadruple-triple toeloop combination, a triple Axel and triple flip. The stress was clearly visible on his face when he stepped in the rink. But after a clean program his expression trasfigured into one of the beutiful smile of his own.









Jeremy Abbott

Yes Jeremy, why? Abbott overcooked his opening triple flip-triple toe combination and took a fall early in the program. After recovering with a strong triple axel, he had a second mistake, doubling his solo triple lutz. The fall and the popped lutz were costly...













Kevin Van Der Perren

Kevin deserved a different farewell than the painful one he had in Sheffield. In the last Europeans Kevin Van Der Perren had to withdraw due to injury. I'm happy to see he decided to partecipate at these worlds, even if he was not satisfied with his performance (let's just say his expression at the K&C told a lot!)
Kevin is one of my favourite skaters, even if maybe he's not one of the top skaters. Knowing he wants to turn professional breaks my heart...

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Worlds 2012 - Free Dance and RESULTS

Fourth day of these 2012 World Championships, and we go on with the free dance and the first medals. Tessa Virtue/Scott Moir danced off with the gold medal, capturing their second World title. Defending World Champions Meryl Davis/Charlie White took the silver medal and Nathalie Pechalat/Fabian Bourzat earned the bronze.

Virtue/Moir

Virtue/Moir skated last out of the 20 couples to “Funny Face”, getting into the characters of Audrey Hepburn and Fred Astaire. They completed difficult footwork and lifts, picking up a level four for seven out of eight elements. “It feels amazing. It was a perfect ending of the season for us. It wasn't a magical skate, we kind of had to fight through the elements and really rely on our training. The sweetest part of the season was the ability to train to all our potential. That was our big reward this year, enjoying the training and we did”, Moir said. “To be honest it wasn't the best we've skated this program this season. But that's why we train and that we got all the mileage on the program we can rely on even we didn't feel necessarily a 100 percent. It's great to get the victory. We're thrilled with our season”, Virtue added.



Davis/White

Davis/White produced a dynamic Waltz from “Die Fledermaus” that was highlighted by excellent lifts and fast twizzles. The Grand Prix Final Champions collected a level four for the lifts, spin and twizzles and a level three for the step sequences. “We're a little disappointed because we felt we skated our season best performance and we wanted our season best scores at Worlds. But we skated our hearts out and left it all on the ice today. We’re going home with the silver, but we’re going home with a lot of pride, too, in how we presented ourselves and our programs”, White commented. “It was a great season for us – last year we felt a lot of pressure to make history. The scores weren't what we were looking for but we can't control that and we're satisfied with what we did”, Davis noted.
I think they skated the best performance of the evening, and luckly I'm not alone...

Plus, let's say it: that costume suited White very well... he was a pretty sight!

Pechalat/Bourzat

Pechalat/Bourzat Egyptian themed program “The Pharao and His Mummy” is always funny to see. Five elements garnered a level four and they took their first World medal. “It was our goal to reach a medal. The hardest part about these World Championships was not the competition itself but the last two weeks of preparation, we are very tired now. It was a great competition, especially because we are skating here at home”, Pechalat explained. “We are very satisfied with this performance, we did our very best and could finally show our level, the one we have in practice. I was more nervous than yesterday, but I pushed until the end. Our practice was good all week and this performance was the top of it”, Bourzat offered.



Weaver/Poje

Weaver/poje skated a passionate free dance to “Je suis malade”. To see Weaver hugging Nathalie after the French great performance was really touching...





Cappellini/Lanotte

Couldn't say it better than John Kerr.





Shibutani/Shibutani

They had a disastrous opening to the free dance, completely botching their twizzle sequence. The mistake cost them the value of their entire sequence, which would have been six points.

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Worlds 2012 - Ladies SP

Fourth day of these 2012 World Championships, and we go on with the ladies' SP. Alena Leonova took the lead over the favorites, who made lots of mistakes. Kanako Murakami and Carolina Kostner follow in second and third.
Of the 30 ladies who performed today, only 24 made it to the free Good luck to all the girls for Saturday SP.

Alena Leonova

Leonova skated a strong performance of her “Pirates of the Caribbean” program and nailed a triple toe-triple toe combination, a triple flip and double Axel. Alena picked up a level four for the three spins and the footwork to post a new seasons best of 64.61 points. “Obviously I performed my program at a 100 percent today. I am even more pleased with my jumps and the very high levels I got than with the fact being in first place. This was my best Short Program in this season and probably of my life so far”, she told the post-event press conference.




Kanako Murakami

Murakami's routine to “Violin Muse” featured a triple toe-triple toe, triple flip, double Axel and level-four spins as well. She had the same elements as Leonova’s short, but Murakami's component marks were slightly lower. “Since I wasn’t skating well on practice since I am in Nice, so I was a little unsure today. I was just glad to perform well and I am very satisfied now”, the 17-year-old commented. “After having bad practice sessions, my coach really encouraged me and helped me to change my mind”, she added.



Carolina Kostner

Performing to an Allegretto by Dmitri Shostakovich, Kostner landed a triple toe-triple toe combination and the double Axel, but doubled the loop. “I have mixed feelings about my performance today. On the whole, it was really good. I had a miskate on a jump that makes me quite angry because it’s a jump I have almost never been missing. Sometimes you just need a mistake like get down to earth again and to stay focused until the end, which I will try to do”, Kostner said.



Mao Asada

Mao Asada fell on a downgraded triple Axel to finish fourth.



Akiko Suzuki

Akiko Suzuki hit a triple toe-triple toe but doubled the Lutz.







Ashley Wagner

Ashley Wagner, stepped out of her opening triple flip, which was to have been in combination with a triple toe. Though she added a double to her solo triple loop, the damage was done early.













Alissa Czisny

Alissa Czisny fell twice, once on her opening triple lutz and again on her solo triple loop. She stepped out of her double axel as well.

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Worlds 2012 - Short Dance

Third day of these 2012 World Championships, and we go on with the Short Dance. Virtue/Moir dance to the lead, while Davis/White and Péchalat/Bourzat follow in second and third.
Of the 25 couples, only 20 made it to the free program. Good luck to all the skaters for Thursday FD.

Virtue/Moir

Tessa and Scott performed a strong program to samba and rhumba rythms, with fast twizzles and a round step sequence and a rotational lift. They earned a level for for the twizzles and the lift while the two Rhumba patterns and the circular steps merited a level three. “We were concerned about the levels, but now we are just happy about our performance. We feel very strong and much more confident now for the free dance”, Virtue commented. “We do have big rivals with Meryl (Davis) and Charlie (White). We are happy with our score and now we are just excited about the free dance, this is our program”, Moir noted.



Davis/White

They executed excellent twizzles (level four), a level-four curve lift and level-three circular footwork. The Rhumba patterns were graded a level three as well. “It felt fantastic out there - the best short dance we've skated all season - but we got three level threes, which was disheartening, simply because we felt we nailed our edges and everything. We love our free dance. We’re very excited to take the energy we put out there today and continue it into tomorrow. It’s a fantastic crowd and they are really behind us. Our training has prepared us for this moment. We’re really looking forward to getting out there”, White said. “We want to go out and skate with the same amount of attack, energy, and excitement that we had today and hopefully nail those levels”, Davis offered.



Pechalat/Bourzat

Pechalat/Bourzat almost did not make it to their home World Championships after Pechalat broke her nose in training two weeks ago. They had drawn to skate last out of the 25 couples, but produced two level-four Rhumba sequences, a curve lift and smooth footwork. “It was crazy, we skated last and we didn't know how our competitors had skated, but we knew it was up to us to do our job. We are relieved. And we never came as close to the top two as now. This gives us hope for tomorrow”, Pechalat said. “We wanted to show our very best, to put out a technically strong short dance. We'll see what happens tomorrow. The free dance is our best program and we feel very confident with it, with the story, with our costume. We'll try to go for more than third place”, added Bourzat.

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Worlds 2012 - Pairs SP

Third day of these 2012 World Championships, and this is turning into one of those strange events where none of the top pairs skated cleanly, with all Russians falling in a quite stupid way... Look at the shocking eighth place of Volosozhar/Trankov and at the as much shocking eleventh place of Kavaguti/Smirnov!
Of the 20 pairs, only 16 made it to the free program. Good luck to all the skaters for Friday FP.

Savchenko/Szolkowy

Savchenko/Szolkowy performed a strong SP, with difficult elements such as a throw triple axel, an element that they have never landed before in competition. Though Savchenko two-footed the landing, and there was a turn-out on Szolkowy’s solo triple toe, their 68.63 is still good enough for first. “We are happy to be here after a long break (from competition). I am quite pleased with the performance but it wasn't a 100 percent yet”, Savchenko commented.



Pang/Tong

Pang/Tong executed a technically strong performance, despite their underrotated side-by-side triple toe. “It was quite okay. After not competing internationally all year we were quite nervous. The couples from Germany and Russia are very strong and we have to show our very best in the free skating”, Pang said. “We had some injuries and needed time to rest, but now we are ready to compete again”, Tong explained when asked about not competing in the Grand Prix series and the ISU Four Continents Championships.



Takahashi/Tran

The surprise of the day is the third place of the Japanese pair, a slight foot down on their throw triple salchow being their only error. They seem a good pair toghether, but if they want to compete at Sochi Olympics, Tran will have to chose between his two nationalities, Canadian and Japan, because the Japan Federation does not allow his Olympic skaters to have double nationalities. “We scored a seasons best and it was a very good performance. We challenged everything that we were supposed to do. We gave a clean performance at the most important time”, Takahashi told the press.



Bazarova/Larionov

They had messy side-by-side triple toes but recovered with a strong triple twist. But they took a stupid fall on their ending pose (I was like: "They just fell like that?? Can't believe it!"), though it did not cost them any deduction because it happened after the program ended.









Volosozhar/Trankov

Volosozhar's and Trankov's expression was heartbreaking as they saw their score after two errors in their short program. Volosozhar two-footed her throw triple flip and then, near the end, Trankov lost his pivot on the death spiral (A/N: see minute 3:00) making them both to fall.



Berton/Hotarek

A good performance for our Stefania and Ondrej! Also John Kerr noticed it.

Kavaguti/Smirnov

They took a fall on the exit of their lift. I noticed Sasha grew a beard... Can't decide how I like him better, if with or without it...

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Worlds 2012 - Men's preliminary round

Second day of these 2012 World Championships, and we go on with the men's preliminary round. Of the 27 men who performed today, only 12 made it to the short. Good luck to all the skaters for Friday SP.

Nan Song

Performing to “Hungarian Rhapsody”, Song hit four triple jumps including a triple Axel but crashed on two quadruple toeloops. He earned 130.75 points. “Considering my condition right now I think it was pretty good. I was sick with a fever at the Four Continents and it took me a long time to recover”, the 2010 World Junior silver medalist said. “Each time you compete is an experience. Maybe I was a little nervous today. Now I have to get ready for the short program, this is really important and I will have to give my very best”, he continued.

Sergei Voronov

Voronov's routine to “Pagliacci” was highlighted by two triple Axels, four more triples and two level-four spins, but he doubled a flip. The National bronze medalist earned 128.47 points. “I think skating in the preliminaries was a good start for me, I could try the ice here. And I enjoyed my skating today. I think first of all because of the others who came to support me, and obviously the audience. Even the Prince of Monaco was here”, the 24-year-old said. “Actually this is a costume for my short program. The design is made by my girlfriend. I wanted to try it before wearing it in the short program”, he explained when asked about wearing a different costume.

Maciej Cieplucha

Cieplucha completed a triple Lutz-triple toe and five more triple jumps as well as two double Axels in his routine to “Brazil” to collect 126.50 points. “Altogether it was great. At the beginning I got too close to the boards, but the program was very good. I lost my passport and only arrived here yesterday (coming from Canada), I still have jetlag, but well, maybe I should always come just one day before competing from how everything went today”, the Polish Champion offered.

If some charitable soul will upload some homemade videos of the preliminary rounds, I'll post them. So, stay tuned!

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Worlds 2012 - Ladies' preliminary round

Second day of these 2012 World Championships, and we go on with the ladies' preliminary round. Of the 33 ladies who performed today, only 12 made it to the short. And our Valentina Marchei is among them! Good luck to all the ladies for Thursday SP.

Jenna McCorkell

Skating to “Where Have All the Flowers Gone”, McCorkell landed a triple Lutz, Flip, toe and loop. She only touched down with her hand on the second triple toe. The British Champion scored 95.63 points, a seasons best. “I'm really pleased to show almost all I can do and am happy to qualify. Now I just want to skate to my ability well enough to make myself and my team proud”, McCorkell said. “I skated to this music when I was 11 years old in a little white dress. My choreographer was Lorna Brown and I went back to her to choreograph this program. I've come full circle choosing to skate it today. I know that Katarina Witt skated to this music (in 1994) and I loved it back then”, she added when asked about her music choice.

Elena Glebova

Glebova's routine to “Spartacus” featured four clean triples as well, but she stepped out of the triple Lutz. The Estonian picked up a seasons best of 92.52 points. “I am very satisfied. The first mark is very high, the second is not as good, but I understand, that it's just a qualifying round, it should be higher in the final. As for my performance, it was good, I enjoyed my skating. All the trainings went smoothly for me”, Glebova commented.

Sonia Lafuente

Lafuente completed four triple jumps to score 91.84 points. “It was really great, better than I was expecting because my warm-up wasn't the best, but it went really well. I was very happy because it is my best (free skate) score of the season. Last year (at Worlds) I fell on the loop in the short program and didn't qualify for the free skating. This year I will try to be in the final and in the first 18 so next year I don't have to do qualifying”, the Spanish Champion noted.

If some charitable soul will upload some homemade videos of the preliminary rounds, I'll post them. So, stay tuned!

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Worlds 2012 - Kavaguti/Smirnov and Bazarova/Larinov collided during practice

Russians Kavaguti/Smirnov and countrymen Bazarova/Larinov collided on Monday, during an official practice session in Nice.

Luckly, no one was injured: they collided, fell, but got up again, said the R-Sports correspondent. So both pairs will compete on Wednesday for their short program.

 

Source: R-Sports

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Worlds 2012 - Brian Joubert: "It's just practice for Sochi"

After posting some pics of Brian's practice of yesterday, I bring you an interview he gave during the Press conference with the French team.

By Titanilla Bőd
Photos © Titanilla Bőd

For a long time he said he would end his career after his home World Championships in Nice. Now, however, he is determined to continue until Sochi. He is so focused on this goal that he even takes these Worlds as just practice for the Olympics. Brian Joubert, the French star, is prepared for the challenge.

How do you feel before the World Championships in your home country?

I feel confident. We worked a lot; we had a lot of discussions with my coach trying to fix some things before these Worlds. I feel okay, I just want to fight and show a good side of me.

In the past you’ve stated several times that there’s extra pressure on you when competing in France. Do you feel that pressure now?

I don’t feel any pressure; I just want to have fun. We are very lucky to have this competition in France and I will enjoy the event as much as I can.

You won the Challenge Cup, where you landed two quads in the short program: a toeloop and a Salchow. Will you do it in Nice as well?

I don’t know, but I want to do two clean programs and I don’t want to make any mistakes. I know that I don’t perfectly control the two quads in the short program, so I probably won’t take this risk. Mentally it’s difficult; it’s such a big risk for this competition. At the Challenge Cup I tried it just for fun and to prepare for next season.

You used to say that these Worlds would be your last competition, but you recently revealed that you want to continue until Sochi. When and why did you change your mind?

I never changed it, I always thought I wanted to go to Sochi; I just didn’t talk about it. I don’t want to stop like this; I really want to go to the next, for me the last, Olympic Games.

So far you’ve had such bad luck at the Olympics…

I just have to work to be in good condition and get ready for the Olympic Games. I’m starting to prepare now. Even if this is a World Championship, it’s just practice for Sochi.

You have a new assistant coach, Patrick Gueppe. What’s the collaboration with him like?

He is the second coach in Poitiers. Before this season I’d never worked with him. But now I wanted to work with two coaches, because I’d like to hear two different opinions on my practice. They both focus on everything: technique, my programs, the spins… I spend more time with Veronique (Guyon – Brian’s main coach), she knows me the best, but I need to see other coaches. I want to take the best from each coach. I’m 27 years old, I have a lot of experience and I know what’s good and bad, but I want to discuss it with my coaches as well.

One last question: there was a video clip about your animals and your house is like a zoo! Who takes care of your pets when you and your mum are at competitions?

My dad and my sister :)

More photos on my Facebook Page.

Source: Absolute Skating

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Worlds 2012 - Joubert's practice

For all my Babou's fans, here for you some pics of his practice on March 26, for these World Championships in Nice. This evening men will compete their preliminary round, and on Friday we'll see them in their SP.

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Worlds 2012 - Dance peliminary round

First day of these 2012 World Championships, and we go on with the dance preliminary round. Of the 23 couples, only 10 made it to the short. And our Lorenza and Simone are among them! Good luck to all pairs for Wednesday SD.

Anna Nagornyuk and Viktor Kovalenko (UKZ) arrived at the arena from the airport only ten minutes prior to their skate, having missed their connection due to visa issues. They even missed the warm-up, but still qualified.

Ilinykh/Katsalapov

Ilinykh/Katsalapov delivered a solid performance of their “Ave Maria” free dance. The reigning European bronze medalists picked up a level four for the three lifts and the twizzles while the circular footwork and the combination spin were graded a level three. The Muscovites earned 92.40 points. “We skated quite well, but it was just the qualifying round. It was more like a practice run-through for us. We put the accent on the elements. We found out after Europeans that we have to do the qualifying round, but I think it is useful for us”, Katsalapov explained.

Huang/Zheng

Dancing to a Tango medley, Huang/Zheng picked up a level four for four out of the seven elements. However, Huang wobbled on the twizzles. The Chinese scored 79.69 points. “I made a mistake on the twizzles at the beginning of the program but the rest of the performance went well and we are satisfied with it”, Huang said. “Competing in the Preliminaries is a little tiring, but on the other hand it helps us for the next parts of the competition”, her partner added.

Shtork/Rand

Shtork/Rand's dance to “The Story of Mikhail Strogoff” featured four level-four lifts and a level-four spin. The Estonian Champions collected 79.17 points. “We skated well, completed all the elements. Plus we improved our personal best, so we are really satisfied”, Shtork commented. “It was a really hard season for us. I have counted, that we've had eight competitions. It's really difficult to compete both at the junior and senior level, especially now, when the programs are so different. Yes, the season was hard, but we have to keep it up and do our best till the end”, Rand noted.

Nagornyuk/Kovalenko

Anna Nagornyuk/Viktor Kovalenko (UZB) arrived straight from the airport just ten minutes before they had to compete in the Ice Dance Preliminary Round and finished in 9^th place. Kovalenko commented “Anna received her French visa on the 19th but I for some reason got it only this morning. We flew out of Moscow at 13.30 but we missed our connection in Munich".

If some charitable soul will upload some homemade videos of the preliminary rounds, I'll post them. So, stay tuned!

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Worlds 2012 - Pairs' preliminary round

First day of these 2012 World Championships, and we start with the pairs' preliminary round. Of the 11 pairs, only 8 made it to the short. And our Nicole and Matteo are among them! Good luck to all pairs for Wednesday SP.

Sui/Han

Sui/Han put out a solid performance to a Flamenco medley, landing a quadruple twist, a throw triple Salchow and throw triple flip, but she fell on an underrotated side by side triple toe. The reigning Four Continents Champions scored 116.57 points. “We were a little nervous because we are competing in our first World Championship. This is a big senior event. Maybe nerves played a role there”, Sui said, referring to the fall. “It was a little hard, as we had one training yesterday and competition today, it is only our second day here”, Han commented.

James/Cipres

Skating to “Nostalgia” by Yanni, James/Cipres produced a double twist, throw triple loop and side by side double Axel. However, James put down her hand on the side by side triple toe. The French earned 96.48 points. “I'm happy about this performance and now I'd like to progress and improve (in the next round), fix what I didn't do (in this Preliminary Round). If we skate clean programs we have a chance to be top 10 and that is our goal here”, James told the press.

Vartmann/Van Cleave

Vartmann/van Cleave's routine to “The Holiday” soundtrack included a double twist and throw triple Salchow, but she fell on the throw triple loop. The couple picked up 90.68 points. “After Europeans, we were concentrating on our technique. Here, we want to skate as well as we did at Europeans, simply show what we can do in training. Unfortunately, we didn't do that today”, Vartmann noted.

If some charitable soul will upload some homemade videos of the preliminary rounds, I'll post them. So, stay tuned!

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Worlds 2012 - Good luck guys!

First of all, I want to start with a good news for all Péchalat/Bourzat fans: the french pair have arrived in Nice and confirmed that they will compete.



Then, being a true fan, and being Italian, how could't I cheer for our guys? Go team Italy!!!

And here the blue carpet to main arena.

The French team is ready and smiling.

Weaver/Poje and Valentina Marchei had a nice flight to Nice and now are ready to fight!

 Volosozhar/Trankov are in Nice too, and went on the seaside... lucky you, gays!

  

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Focus on Volosozhar/Trankov - Waiting for Worlds...

The main contenders to the world title are without doubt the Russians Tatiana Volosozhar/Maxim Trankov and Germans Aliona Savchenko/Robin Szolkowy. At the European Championships in Sheffield, the Germans withdrawed because of Aliona's injury.

Pan Qing/Tong Jian, missed the Grand Prix series, but also the Chinese pair can aim high. And we shouldn't forget Russians Yuko Kawaguchi/Alexander Smirnov, who did not compete at the European Championships because of Alexander's surgery.

But I'm not here to make some preview, I don't like them very much. I'm here to not let you annoy while waiting for the start of these 2012 Words, in Nice.

So, while we wait, I'm going to post some photos from Tatiana Volosozhar and Maxim Trankov's last year photoshoot for proSport. Photos are from the making of the photoshoot itself, and also the result of it.

Girls need a bit of makeup to shine!

But not only girls...

...am I right, Tatiana?

Maxim, stop teasing poor Tatiana and go working!

Ready guys? We start with the photo session!

“That's what friends are for”, right?

Already tired guys? Come on! We still have a lot of work to do!

That's it!

Ah ah, I've got you! Stop making fun of me, guys! And no, I don't make *that* face when I'm cross! Pff!

All photos on my Facebook Fanpage.

Source: proSport

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