Brendan Kerry in action at the World Championships © Michael Santer/Oz Skater Magazine Australian Men’s Figure Skating champion and OWIA athlete Brendan Kerry stood up to the pressure-cooker short program at the World Figure Skating Championships in Boston, USA this morning, delivering a personal best score of 71.04.
He has also called for the quad jump to be a required element in men’s figure skating.
Kerry, who trains with coach Tammy Gambill in Los Angeles, has easily qualified to the top 24 and final Free Program after placing in 17th in the short, performing a quad toe, triple/triple jump combo and effortless triple axel.
“The short program felt awesome,” Brendan said from Boston. “For me the hardest thing about competing is that I always forget how much I love going out in front of a crowd and trying my best until I’m actually out there doing it.”
His controlled, smooth delivery to ‘Blue Drag’ was only marred by a hand down on the opening quad toe in an otherwise masterful skate by the 21-year-old Sydney-sider.
“My approach to this event was that it didn’t have to be perfect every day – it had to be my best in the moment. I had a week where I didn’t miss and it stressed me out. The I did make a mistake and felt relieved knowing I can make that error and still keep it together.”
Scoring a personal best did not figure in his mental preparation for the World Championships.
“I wasn’t too focussed on a personal or season’s best. I’ve been training harder than ever since Four Continents last month. I went out there knowing I had a job to do and that was to make sure I gave it all I could. I knew I was well prepared – sick, injured or half asleep. I was going to make it happen and get my job done.”
Men’s skating has never been this good
The pressure of the quad jump in men’s figure skating has lifted the bar across the board and soon a quad will be essential just to make the final Kerry says. Of the top 20 in the short program, 14 went after quads. Or as another stat, almost 50 per cent in the 30-strong field.
“Any year now a quad jump will be a must-have. The quad isn’t a choice. If you want to be competitive at all, you need multiple quads as well as the whole package. Men’s skating has never been this good. It’s exciting, exhausting, nerve wracking and it’s what the sport needs,” he said.
“I think at the senior men’s championship level, that a quad should be a requirement.”
Sochi Olympic Champion Yuzuru Hanyu proved again why he has been in a class of his own all season, setting record after record and establishing that his greatest competitor is himself.
Skating to Chopin, Hanyu was the only top contender to lay down a flawless two quad program, scoring 110.56, twelve points ahead of defending Spanish World Champion and training mate, Javier Fernandez who fell on the quad salchow, earning 98.52. Canada’s Patrick Chan, the three-time former world champion came to grief on the triple axel, and had to be satisfied with 94.84.
The Men’s Free Program will be live on Saturday, 2 April on SBS TV from 9.45am until 2pm (AEDT).
The ladies event gets underway tomorrow (Friday morning AEDT). Australian Champion Kailani Craine has drawn to skate her short program in 10th position. Coach Tiffany Chin said from Boston today that “Kailani is fighting fit” and raring to go.
Article Courtesy: Belinda Noonan/Burwood Scene
He has also called for the quad jump to be a required element in men’s figure skating.
Kerry, who trains with coach Tammy Gambill in Los Angeles, has easily qualified to the top 24 and final Free Program after placing in 17th in the short, performing a quad toe, triple/triple jump combo and effortless triple axel.
“The short program felt awesome,” Brendan said from Boston. “For me the hardest thing about competing is that I always forget how much I love going out in front of a crowd and trying my best until I’m actually out there doing it.”
His controlled, smooth delivery to ‘Blue Drag’ was only marred by a hand down on the opening quad toe in an otherwise masterful skate by the 21-year-old Sydney-sider.
“My approach to this event was that it didn’t have to be perfect every day – it had to be my best in the moment. I had a week where I didn’t miss and it stressed me out. The I did make a mistake and felt relieved knowing I can make that error and still keep it together.”
Scoring a personal best did not figure in his mental preparation for the World Championships.
“I wasn’t too focussed on a personal or season’s best. I’ve been training harder than ever since Four Continents last month. I went out there knowing I had a job to do and that was to make sure I gave it all I could. I knew I was well prepared – sick, injured or half asleep. I was going to make it happen and get my job done.”
Men’s skating has never been this good
The pressure of the quad jump in men’s figure skating has lifted the bar across the board and soon a quad will be essential just to make the final Kerry says. Of the top 20 in the short program, 14 went after quads. Or as another stat, almost 50 per cent in the 30-strong field.
“Any year now a quad jump will be a must-have. The quad isn’t a choice. If you want to be competitive at all, you need multiple quads as well as the whole package. Men’s skating has never been this good. It’s exciting, exhausting, nerve wracking and it’s what the sport needs,” he said.
“I think at the senior men’s championship level, that a quad should be a requirement.”
Sochi Olympic Champion Yuzuru Hanyu proved again why he has been in a class of his own all season, setting record after record and establishing that his greatest competitor is himself.
Skating to Chopin, Hanyu was the only top contender to lay down a flawless two quad program, scoring 110.56, twelve points ahead of defending Spanish World Champion and training mate, Javier Fernandez who fell on the quad salchow, earning 98.52. Canada’s Patrick Chan, the three-time former world champion came to grief on the triple axel, and had to be satisfied with 94.84.
The Men’s Free Program will be live on Saturday, 2 April on SBS TV from 9.45am until 2pm (AEDT).
The ladies event gets underway tomorrow (Friday morning AEDT). Australian Champion Kailani Craine has drawn to skate her short program in 10th position. Coach Tiffany Chin said from Boston today that “Kailani is fighting fit” and raring to go.
Article Courtesy: Belinda Noonan/Burwood Scene
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