Danielle O’Brien and Greg Merriman have further stamped their names in the history books, securing a record seventh consecutive national ice dancing title.

The pair from Sydney have been competing together since 1998 and won their first senior national title in 2007. Seven years later and they are stronger than ever and en route to their debut Olympic Winter Games.

“It felt really good out there today, a lot better than our short dance yesterday,” 23-year-old O’Brien said.

“I really noticed the crowd a lot more, I could feel their energy and I was able to use it in my performance.”

O’Brien and Merriman’s free routine, based around circus elements, perfectly captures the natural larrikinism the pair embodies on and off the ice.

Nineteen-year-old Brendan Kerry entered the long program as the second-ranked athlete behind David Kranjec who touched him out for the top spot in the short by 0.42 points. Kerry got the better of him in the free skate however, taking out the national title ahead of Kranjec.

It was Kerry’s second senior title, having also won in 2011, but importantly it was his first chance to debut his Olympic free skate routine in competition.

“My coaches won’t be too happy with it,” Kerry said. “I popped a few jumps which is not okay, I was a bit lazy and missed some of my steps.”

After securing Olympic qualification, Kerry and his coaches decided to put together a new free skate with more difficult technical elements including two quad jumps.

Although he popped the quad jump today, Kerry was happy to have put together his new routine giving him vital competition practice ahead of the Four Continents and Olympics.

For the first time, Kerry has also brought character to his free performance – something he finds more difficult than the technical elements of the skating itself. Kerry will be channelling a French waiter in his program.

“It doesn’t come naturally to me,” he said of the performance aspect of his routine. “I would rather go out there and be serious and just skate, but I know it’s important so I’m working on it.”

And how will he be working on it? French restaurants will be an important feature. Along with watching some famous movies recommended by his choreographer for him to really get into character.

Representing Victoria, Brooklee Han won her first senior national title, grabbing top spot in the senior ladies’ event with a combined score of 161.42.

“It’s really exciting,” 18-year-old Han said. “It’s my first national title so I’m happy with that.”

After falling on her first jump, Han recovered to put together a strong free skate to earn 102.81.

“Overall it was not perfect,” she said. “I’ve been training it much better and it went a lot better this morning in practice. But there were parts of it that I was very happy with. After falling on the first [jump] I was happy to get the second one down in combination.”

Falling is a part and parcel of figure skating, but how the athlete recovers is paramount to their overall performance.

“Sometimes it can be tough,” Han said. “There’s a quote from another skater that I like to think of though – ‘Every program begins again with every new element’. If you make a mistake, it’s in the past and you have to move on.

“I have a lot to take with me from this competition. I am trying to push myself faster into jumps. This was a nice event and different to others I have skated in. I hope to take the positive energy from the crowd home with me for the rest of the season.”

All four national champions will now return to their training bases in the USA as they prepare for their next big competition, the Four Continents Championships taking place in Taipei from 20 – 26 January.

Alice Wheeler | sochi2014.olympics.com.au

With just 65 days to go until the Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, the first athletes have today been officially selected to the Australian Team.

Figure skaters Brendan Kerry, Danielle O’Brien and Greg Merriman were welcomed to the Team by Chef de Mission Ian Chesterman at an event in Melbourne this morning.

“We are looking to send our biggest and best-credentialed team ever to Sochi, and it is really great to have the first of those athletes officially named today,” Chesterman said. “Figure skating is one of the most popular and highest rating sports at the Winter Olympics and we are proud to be fielding a team of vibrant young athletes who will do their country proud.”

For the ice dancing pair of O’Brien and Merriman, being selected to their first Olympic Team is the realisation of a life-long dream and years of dedication to the sport they love.

“It’s always been a huge dream to make an Olympic Team,” 23-year-old O’Brien said.

“It feels like all the hard work, sacrifice and big moves we have made in the last few years have been worth it. Being selected today is the icing on the cake.”

O’Brien and Merriman, both hailing from Sydney’s western suburbs, have been friends since they were kids, and have been ice dance partners since 1998.

In the lead up to the Vancouver 2010 Games, the pair was on track to make their Olympic debut until a sudden shocking illness put Merriman out of action on the eve of the Olympic qualification tournament.

Disappointment turned to determination as they set their sights four years into the future, on a berth at the Sochi Games.

The demons of their Olympic qualification were put to rest in September this year, when O’Brien and Merriman put together two strong performances in Oberstdorf, Germany to finish sixth overall and book their Olympic tickets.

“We have improved our technical and performance aspects since Oberstdorf,” O’Brien said. “We’re happy with our strength which is a result of our training and we are aiming to keep that momentum going through to the Games.

“Our goal for Sochi is to make the free dance, which means we need a top-20 result in the short dance. With this goal in mind we have been really focusing on our short dance so that we can put ourselves in the best possible position to qualify.

“Then we just want to have a fun and great performance in the free because this will combine with our technical strength to give us a great result. Making the top 15 to 20 is a realistic goal for us.”

Putting the figure skating world on notice at the Oberstdorf tournament was Brendan Kerry, also from Sydney.

Despite a broken wrist, Kerry delivered two impressive performances to finish fourth out of the athletes seeking Olympic qualification and with the top six qualifying, booked his ticket to Sochi.

He also ensured a unique family history would continue to be written - his mother Monica MacDonald competed in the ice dancing at the 1988 Calgary Olympics and his younger sister Chantelle was Australia’s figure skating representative at the inaugural Winter Youth Olympics last year in Innsbruck.

Of the 30 men contesting the individual program, Kerry will likely be one of the younger athletes in Sochi next year, but his trajectory of improvement throughout this season hints at big things for the 19-year-old skater.

Australia will also field a competitor in the ladies’ individual event for Sochi, with the athlete set to be named later this year.

Today’s selection event provides the perfect preview to the Australian Figure Skating Championships which will take place on Thursday 5 and Friday 6 December at the Icehouse in Melbourne.

Australia expects to send a team of between 55 and 60 athletes to the Games, across 11 disciplines, making it Australia's biggest team ever. The final team will be known in late January.

Alice Wheeler | sochi2014.olympics.com.au