NOT wanting to disappoint hometown fans, Filipino figure skating pair Isabella Gamez and Aleksandr Korovin came up with a big show despite the risks of competing at the not-so-ideal conditions at the SM Mall of Asia skating rink late Sunday night.
In the end, the predominantly Filipino gallery got what they wanted, with Gamez and Korovin coming through with a solid performance to finish second with a score of 55.69 points in the short program of the Asian Open Figure Skating Trophy.
The Chinese duo of Jiaxuan Zhan and Yihang Huang led the way with 63.70 points while the North Korean tandem of Tae Ok Rom and Kum Chol Han, who took the pair skating bronze in the last Harbin Asian Winter Games in February, were third with 51.17 points.
“Our performance was not bad but there is still so much room for improvement. It is just the start of the season,” noted Gamez after the session that was delayed as the ice had to be retouched manually with the breakdown of the ice machine.
“The performance was a bit tough because of the change in the schedule. Not that all good but still fine,” said the Russian-born Korovin, who became a naturalized Filipino last December.
Gamez, the grandniece of basketball great and former senator Freddie Webb, said more than the actual performance, “What is important is that we were able to bring pair figure skating to the country, and we are thankful for skating president Nikki Cheng for that.”
“The response here has been nothing short of amazing and is good in raising the profile of the sport in our country,” added the skater of the event backed by the ISU Development Commission, Philippine Sports Commission and Milo.
In the women’s single short program, Cathryn Limketkai, Maxine Bautista and Sofia Frank finished ninth, 10th and 11th with scores of 36.42, 35.82 and 34.93 points, respectively.
Beijing Winter Games Olympian Zhu Yi led the way in the short program with 61.94 points, compatriot Zhang Rui Yang was second (58.61) while Hong Kong’s Chan Tsz Ching (49.23).
