Fans make winner out of Sasha Cohen
BOSTON (AP) – Sasha Cohen won over the judges and the fans at the Marshalls Challenge. In its second year, the Marshalls Challenge gives fans the opportunity to vote for the winners through in-arena keypads, phone calls or the Internet.
A panel of three judges also unanimously voted for Cohen over Johnny Weir and defending champion Kimmie Meissner.
Cohen received 53 percent of the fans’ votes to Weir’s 33 percent.
“I love the fans, they’re so sweet, they’re so supportive,” Cohen said.
“I think it’s a huge reason that I’m here and I do these things.”
Since winning the 2006 national championship, finishing third at the 2006 world championships and taking silver at the 2006 Olympics, Cohen hasn’t competed in a big event. She skipped the Grand Prix of Figure Skating Series, which leads up to nationals, to concentrate on skating exhibitions and acting, and still hasn’t announced if she’ll compete at the 2007 nationals.
But she showed no rust Sunday, completing two solid routines in which she landed a double axel and triple salchow in each.
If Cohen does compete at nationals, she’ll have to raise the difficulty of her routine from two jumps to seven for her free skate.
“I remember where I was in this event last year and I was not in good shape,” Cohen said. “I was just making new programs, I was injured. And I got ready within a month. So I know how to get ready, that’s not a problem.”
The 2007 national championships will take place Jan. 21-28 in Spokane, Wash., and Cohen said she planned to decide soon on whether to attend.
Cohen beat a mixed field of eight entries – four women skaters, two men, a pairs team and an ice dancing team – that was broken off into two groups for the opening round.
The top two skaters from each group advanced to the finals.
Cohen, Weir, Meissner and pairs team Rena Inoue and John Baldwin advanced to the final round, with Meissner and Inoue and Baldwin falling in their second routine.
After unanimously winning his bracket in the first round by completing four triple jumps, Weir had a solid second performance in which he landed a triple toe and triple flip.
“I’m still surprised that as many people voted for me as they did,” Weir said. “Even though I got second, I was still pretty close to Sasha, and she’s like the darling of American figure skating now.”
Weir, the three-time defending men’s national champion, is attempting to become the first men’s skater to win four consecutive national titles since Brian Boitano from 1985-88.