TWO TO WATCH: ON THE WAY TO VANCOUVER? MEISSNER, HUGHES SKATE SOLIDLY IN FIRST OLYMPIC GAMES FOR BOTH.Byline: Paul Oberjuerge Staff Writer TURIN, Italy - Kimmie Meissner Kimberly Claire "Kimmie" Meissner (born October 4, 1989) is an American figure skater. She is the 2007 U.S. National Champion, the 2007 Four Continents Champion, and the 2006 World Champion. and Emily Hughes Emily Hughes (born January 26, 1989) is an American figure skater. She is the 2007 U.S. National silver medalist. She is the younger sister of Sarah Hughes, who won a gold medal at the 2002 Winter Olympics. have now been to the circus. And seen the elephant also known as the Ladies' Figure Skating figure skating Sport in which ice skaters, singly or in pairs, perform various jumps, spins, and footwork. The figure skate blade has a special serrated toe pick, or toe rake, at the front. championship. ``I didn't really understand until I was actually out there,''Meissner said of the pressure of the Olympics. ``Being in the arena,and it's packed and all the cameras are lining up ... ``It's easy to see then that there's a lot riding on this.'' Meissner, 16, finished sixth Thursday and Hughes, 18, was seventh after solid performances in their first Olympics, giving the U.S. hope that it could have two veterans going for gold in Vancouver in 2010. ``Definitely not a bad start, at my first Olympics,'' Hughes said. ``To get a personal best, and skate like I did, I feel like I can be in the competition at the next one.'' Meissner skated second-to-last and had a small shot at a medal if she could land the two triple-triple combinations she had scheduled for the opening minute of her program. However, she two-footed the landing of her first triple, and without momentum, settled for a double on the back end of the combination. After landing a double axel, Meissner almost fell on a triple lutz, and she opted to turn a triple loop into a double. The potential scoring bonanza of two triple-triples was gone, and she finished more than 25 points back of gold-medalist Shizuka Arakawa. ``I was a little bit more tense tonight,'' Meissner conceded. ``I think the excitement and the nerves got to me a little more.'' Hughes - sister of 2002 gold-medal winner Sarah Hughes For the US District Court judge, see . Sarah Elizabeth Hughes (born May 2, 1985 in Great Neck, New York) is an American figure skater and the 2002 Olympic gold medalist. and a late replacement for the injured Michelle Kwan Michelle Wing Kwan (關穎珊) (born 7 July 1980) is an American figure skater and media celebrity who has won nine U.S. championships, five world championships, and two Olympic medals. - fell on a triple loop. She also cut a planned triple flip into a double. But she had several highlights, including a crisp triple lutz-double, toe-double loop combination in the opening minute to finish five points behind Meissner and ahead of veterans such as Carolina Kostner Carolina Kostner (born February 8, 1987 in Bolzano, Italy), is an Italian figure skater. She is the 2007 European champion. Career Kostner was the flag bearer for the host Italian team during the opening ceremony of the 2006 Winter Olympics. , Elena Sokolova Elena Sokolova (Russian: Елена Соколова)(born February 15, 1980 in Moscow) is a Russian figure skater. and Miki Ando Miki Ando (Japanese: 安藤美姫, Andō Miki) (born on December 18, 1987) is a Japanese figure skater. . Hughes also skated with her customary elegance and panache; the fact she landed four triples (the same number Meissner landed) was the surprise. ``I felt I skated better than at nationals,'' she said, referring to her third-place finish Noun 1. third-place finish - a finish in third place (as in a race) finish - designated event that concludes a contest (especially a race); "excitement grew as the finish neared"; "my horse was several lengths behind at the finish"; "the winner is the team with the in St. Louis last month. ``I wasn't happy to fall, but this is the Olympics and you want to go out and have fun.'' Each teenager, upbeat and happy after the competition, said she hoped to be back for another shot at an Olympic medal. ``It's so much fun here, and then being able to skate in front of other people, even if it's a little nerve-racking it's actually a lot of fun,'' said Meissner, a high school junior, ``because when they're cheering for you, it makes you feel really good inside.'' Paul Oberjuerge, (909) 386-3865 paul.oberjuerge(at)sbsun.com CAPTION(S): 2 photos Photo: (1 -- 2 -- color) Kimmie Meissner had a small shot at a medal, but could not land two triple-triple combinations early in her program. Emily Hughes fell on a triple loop, but she had several highlights, including a crisp triple lutz-double, toe-double loop combination. Photos by Associated Press |
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