Sunday, Nov. 1, 2009

BEIJING (Kyodo) Nobunari Oda produced a winning double for Japan after retaining his lead from the short program en route to winning his second consecutive Grand Prix title at the Cup of China on Saturday.

On a roll: Nobunari Oda earns his second consecutive Grand Prix title, scoring 239.58 points to win the Cup of China men's program on Saturday in Beijing. AP PHOTO

Oda came first in the free skate, collecting a total of 239.58 points at the third event of the Grand Prix series. He also booked his spot in the Grand Prix final to be contested by the top six figure skaters at Yoyogi National Gymnasium on Dec. 3.

World champion Evan Lysacek of the United States placed second with a score of 232.17, while Sergei Voronov of Russia came third with 220.39.

"I'm not satisfied with my performance but I'm happy to get my second straight title. I'll be able to compete strongly in the Grand Prix final," said Oda, who won the season-opening Trophee Bompard and holds the most Grand Prix titles by a Japanese male with five.

"I'll shoot for a spot on the medals podium at the Grand Prix final. I'd like to execute a quadruple jump since Japan is hosting the event," he said.

Earlier in the day, Akiko Suzuki came from behind to win her first Grand Prix title in the women's competition.

Suzuki, fourth after the short program, produced a sparkling free skate to finish with a personal best score of 176.66 points at the third event of the Grand Prix series.

Finland's Kiira Korpi was second with 163.27 and was followed in third by 2008 world silver medalist Joannie Rochette of Canada with 163.18.

"That was a better skate than I expected. I can't really believe it," said Suzuki. "This could lead to a place in the Grand Prix Final but I can't afford to get too carried away."

Sixteen-year-old American Mirai Nagasu, who topped the short program, settled for fifth, while Fumie Suguri was seventh.

"I had a few things happen during my preparations and lacked practice," said Suguri. "It's never easy but if I can get through my struggles now then it will be easier when the Vancouver Olympics come around."

It was the fifth time that Japanese skaters have won a Grand Prix double. Medal winners at the Grand Prix final will be vying for a spot in the Vancouver Winter Olympics next February.

For China, meanwhile, Shen Xue and Zhao Hongbo looked as if they'd never been away.

Winning form: Akiko Suzuki performs during the women's free skate in the Cup of China on Saturday in Beijing. Suzuki scored a personal-best 176.66 points to win her first Grand Prix title. KYODO PHOTO

China's pre-eminent pair dominated in their first competition since retiring after winning the 2007 world title, finishing almost 10 points ahead of Ukraine's Tatiana Volosozhar and Stanislav Morozov in the short program a day earlier. (Complete results were unavailable at press time.)

Shen and Zhao dazzled the judges in front of a roaring crowd. They've lost none of their athleticism — their triple twist was huge, and they did nice side-by-side triple toe loop jumps — and their passion could be felt throughout the arena.

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