Team Japan won the women's competition when Americans Kimmie Meissner and Sasha Cohen missed triple jumps on Sunday in the US Figure Skating Campbell's Cup.
Team USA won the men's title and Team Canada took the pairs/dance event on Sunday.
Japan's Mao Asada, Mai Asada and Miki Ando swept the women's segment as Olympic silver medalist Cohen and world champion Meissner missed the triples, costing them valuable points.
PHOTO: AP
"I was a little disappointed," said Cohen, the defending US champion. "I popped my flip. I'm just happy to be on my feet."
Meissner said she missed some jumps, but performed well.
"To me, it was more like a show," she said. "It was fun."
Also competing against Japan, Team USA won two of three portions of the men's program.
Johnny Weir, the three-time US champion, got his team rolling by winning the short program.
"It was OK," said Weir, who was battling a case of flu. "It was kind of slow."
American Scott Smith won the free skate.
Two-time world bronze medalist Evan Lysacek said he enjoyed teaming up with Weir.
"It's an awesome way to start the season," Lysacek said. "I'm sure he'll want to beat me, and I'll want to beat him, but it's nice to be on a team rooting for each other. It's a long, difficult season, and it's nice to have a fun one to kick it off."
The winning teams in each of the individual competitions won US$60,000 and the losing teams received US$30,000.
In the pairs and ice dancing competition between Canada and the US, the Canadian team won US$40,000 and Team USA received US$20,000.
Team Canada won both the short program and free skate in pairs, and the free dance event. Olympic silver medalists Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto took the original dance for the US.
Jean-Sebastian Fecteau teamed with Utako Wakamatsu to capture the free dance.
"Canada has always had three or four what I call world-level teams," Fecteau said. "I've always said ... that it's tougher to get [into international competition] than it is to finish in the top 10 in the world."
Four-time NBA all-star DeMarcus Cousins arrived in Taiwan with his family early yesterday to finish his renewed contract with the Taiwan Beer Leopards in the T1 League. Cousins initially played a four-game contract with the Leopards in January. On March 18, the Taoyuan-based team announced that Cousins had renewed his contract. “Hi what’s up Leopard fans, I’m back. I’m excited to be back and can’t wait to join the team,” Cousins said in a video posted on the Leopard’s Facebook page. “Most of all, can’t wait to see you guys, the fans, next weekend. So make sure you come out and support the Beer
Revelations of positive doping tests for nearly two dozen Chinese swimmers that went unpunished sparked an intense flurry of accusations and legal threats between the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the head of the US drug-fighting organization, who has long been one of WADA’s fiercest critics. WADA on Saturday said it was turning to legal counsel to address a statement released by US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) CEO Travis Tygart, who said WADA and anti-doping authorities in China swept positive tests “under the carpet by failing to fairly and evenly follow the global rules that apply to everyone else in the world.” The
Taiwanese judoka Yang Yung-wei on Saturday won silver in the men’s under-60kg category at the Asian Judo Championships in Hong Kong. Nicknamed the “judo heartthrob” in Taiwan, the Olympic silver-medalist missed out on his first Asian Championships gold when he lost to Japanese judoka Taiki Nakamura in the finals. Yang defeated three opponents on Saturday to reach the final after receiving a bye through the round of 32. He first topped Laotian Soukphaxay Sithisane in the round of 16 with two seoi nage (over-the-shoulder throws), then ousted Indian Vijay Kumar Yadav in the quarter-finals with his signature ude hishigi sankaku gatame (triangular armlock). He
Rafael Nadal on Wednesday said the upcoming French Open would be the moment to “give everything and die” on the court after his comeback from injury in Barcelona was curtailed by Alex de Minaur. The 22-time Grand Slam title winner, back playing this week after three months on the sidelines, battled well, but eventually crumbled 7-5, 6-1 against the world No. 11 from Australia in the second round. Nadal, 37, who missed virtually all of last season, is hoping to compete at the French Open next month where he is the record 14-time champion. The Spaniard said the clash with De Minaur was