Thursday, December 31, 2009

Fernandez and Lafuente crowned Spanish champions

Without any other competitors in the senior ranks, the Spanish Figure Skating Championships served as coronations for the two youngsters, Javier Fernandez and Sonia Lafuente, who will be heading to their first Olympics in February.

Lafuente, 18, just missed qualifying for the free skate last season at Worlds, finishing 26th in the short program. But she earned her way to the Olympics earlier this season with her eighth place at Nebelhorn Trophy.

Fernandez’s 19th-place finish at last year’s World Championships was the first top 20 finish by a Spanish male figure skater since Dario Villalba’s 15th-place finish at the 1956 World Championships. As a result of his finish at Worlds, he qualified a spot at the Olympics for his home country. Only 18, Fernandez is already armed with a strong arsenal of jumps, including the triple axel and the quad toe.


www.examiner.com


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