Ladies

Pl.	Name	Nation	Points	SP	FS
1	Mao ASADA	JPN	181.76	2	1
2	Julia LIPNITSKAIA	RUS	177.92	1	2
3	Kiira KORPI	FIN	169.86	4	3
4	Mirai NAGASU	USA	163.46	3	4
5	Zijun LI	CHN	160.06	5	5
6	Amelie LACOSTE	CHN	135.46	6	9
7	Joshi HELGESSON	SWE	134.43	7	7
8	Ying ZHANG	CHN	130.65	9	6
9	Sofia BIRYUKOVA	RUS	127.36	8	8
w	Bingwa GENG	CHN		10

Men

Pairs

Dance

(4 November 2012) Shanghai, China.

Machida Tatsuki is First Man to Qualify for 2012 Grand Prix Final

1. Overall 236.92;  2.SP 83.48(44.16+39.32);  1.FS 153.44(76.66+77.78-1)

Machida Tatsuki won the first grand prix of his career in Shanghai.  He previously won the bronze medal in Skate America two weeks ago, so with winning here he became the first man single skater to qualify for the grand prix final in Sochi. "I am surprised that I have a chance to make the Grand Prix Final, because it is in Sochi, so I think it should be a meaningful competition for me. Although it’s not Olympic Games, but I still think that’s a big honor to performance there. To be honest I was looking forward to Sochi GPF at the very beginning of this season, but I also knew that it was difficult for me. There is one month left before Sochi and I want to work hard to improve the program, and give a better performance then." he said.

With the music of F.U.Y.A, Machida showed a totally clean program. He landed a beautiful triple Axel and got a 2.14 GoE with this jump. His combination jump was triple flip triple toe loop, but in Skate America, the triple Flip got a wrong edge mark, but he did not make same mistake this time.  This combination earned him 1.2 GoE points. His last jump is placed in the beginning of the second half, the triple Lutz, worth 7.7 points. The spin and step sequence improved a lot compared with Skate America.  All of the spins and steps got level 4. Machida got 83.48 points which is personal best in the Short Program.

In his long program, set to "Firebird," he fell on his second jump, a quad toe loop, and turned around after landing the triple Axel, which is his first jump in the second half. The other jump just went like he planned. His first step sequence got level 3 which is the same as Skate America, but the change foot camel spin only got level 1, for 2.29 points this time. His components scores are all under 8, the highest is the interpretation at 8 points. "I knew my sales point is my jump, but for the performance, I think I should improve more."

2. Overall 231.75; 1.SP 84.79(41.90+42.89);  2.FS 146.96(65.30+85.66-1)

This was Daisuke Takahashi’s first Cup of China, he withdrew from the 2008 Cup of China because of his injury. It seems that his training hasn’t gone well after he worked with Nikolai Morozov again, who was his coach from 2005 to 2008.

Takahashi worked with Abe Nanami on his Short Program with his music from "Rock'n'Roll Medley (Hard Times)" by Noble Watts, the "Stroll" by Lawson Haggart Rockin' Band, and "Rudy's Rock" by Bill Haley & The Comets. This is their first time working together.  Abe worked as Hanyu Yuzuru’s coach and choreographer until the World Championships 2012.  Takahashi landed quad toe two on two feet and this jump was also under-rotated, and only scored 4.34 points. His second jump sequence was triple Lutz - triple toe. He put triple Axel in the second half, and this jump earned him 11.49 points.

Shae-Lynn Bourne choreographed Takahashi’s free program this season, set to "I Pagliacci." Takahashi planed to do two quad toe loops, the second one is a combination, but the first one was under-rotated and the second was down grade.  Both of them were landed on two feet. According to the new rules, landing with two feet will get bigger minus point on GoE from this season. So the first quad only got 2.10 points, and the combination only got 5.17 points. For the second half, he turned around on his triple Axel, and then fell down on triple loop get GoE of -2.10. But all of his spins got level 4 and also the first (leveled) step sequence.

‘The training doesn’t go well these days, I can’t make the training like before, so I felt very nervous here. I think I should work hard to improve myself,’  he said.  Takahashi will take part in NHK Cup in three weeks, and will compete with Hanyu Yuzuru and Javier Fernandez then.  "I haven’t got so much time to prepare for the NHK, but I will try my best to make the program better," he said.

3. Overall 217.61;  3.SP 73.58(39.44+34.14);  3.FS 144.03(73.59+70.44)

This is the second time Sergei Voronov won a grand prix medal during his career.  The last time he won a medal in a grand prix event was also in Cup of China in 2009.  "I am very happy that I could make the podium here, and this win gave me chance to go to the grand prix final which I expect so much."

Voronov is the only skater who landed a quad jump in the Short Program at Cup of China.  His quad toe loop -  double toe loop combination earned 11.74 points.  He also landed his triple Axel and triple loop.  His flying camel spin and change foot combination spin got level 3, while the step only got level 2. He said, "It’s my first competition after the my injury.  I think everything went well today, I did all the elements I planed to do."

For the Free Skating, Voronov also did basically what he planed, with only very small mistakes with the jump landings, and a triple filp marked with a wrong edge.  "I am very happy for making the podium here.  The bronze medal gives me a chance to go to the grand prix final.  I think I will worker hard to improve and perform better next time.’  In recalling the collision between Nan Song and Adam Rippon during the warm up he said, "It just happened in front of me, it made me feel nervous."

4. Overall 205.48;  4.SP 71.81(35.77+37.04 -1);  4.FS 133.67(61.81+71.86)

This was Adam Rippon’s first ISU competition since he left Sato Yuka, and started to train with Rafael Arutunian this season.  He collided with China's Nan Song in the warm-up before the Free Skate, which made Nan Song quit from this competition.  Rippon said, "I kind of turned around to go into a jump and I think when Nan Song and I saw each other we both tried to avoid each other, but we went in the same way and we went head first into each other."

Rippon’’s Short Program, set to Nessun Dorma, was started with a change foot camel spin which was marked level 4. He fell on his triple Axel, and only earn 5.5 points on this jump. He landed triple flip - triple toe loop nicely fort 10.10 points on this jump combination, and then did a tano triple Lutz but was under-rotated. His change foot combination spin got level 3, while the other two spins were level 4, as was as his step sequence.

The warm-up was interrupted by the collision of Rippon and Nan Song.  Song was sent to hospital and withdrew from the competition.  Rippon said the accident made him lose concentration.  In his performance he did a single Axel - double toe loop at the beginning of his long program, which was planned to be triple Axel - triple toe loop. In the second half, he stepped out of a downgraded triple Lutz with two hands up over his head, for only got 1.41 points.

Rippon apologized to Nan Song during the after-party of Cup of China in front of all the skaters and officials saying,  "I want to say sorry to Nan Song , hope you can recover soon and get back to competition."

Brian Joubert withdrew from the Men's event Saturday morning citing illness.  He finished 7th in the Short Program.  According to the medical bulletin, Joubert is suffering from abdominal pain and fever. He started to feel unwell five days ago.“I started to feel unwell last Sunday after the gala in Nice, I got cold there and then I felt really bad at the airport and on the plane. The Short Program didn't make sense at all, it was a disaster, I want get better soon.'