The Ice-Dance Version of a Ballroom, Part 2

Carmen, Notre-Dame de Paris, The Rolling Stones and Man with a Harmonica are just a few of the stories we'll see today in the Ice Dance Final. With skaters such as Virtue/Moir or Bobrova/Soloviev being in top form, it's almost impossible to predict who will win which medal.

  • Colourful costumes for Cathy Reed/Chris Reed. Not a bad program, but not impressive either. They get 75.99 points. Overall: 129.94.
  • Julia Zlobina/ Alexei Sitnikov's music (compositions by Goran Bregovic) is not everyone's favourite piece of cake, but the couple from Azerbaijan sell it well. They mess up the twizzles, but that last lift must have been on the border of what's aloud in competitions. Their score: 83.64. Overall: 141.44.
  • Beautiful program for Isabella Tobias/Deividas Stagniunas. They get the first part of the twizzles wrong, but otherwise show lots of potential, and get 84.52 points. Overall: 141.64.
  • Sara Hurtado/Adria Diaz are the first to show us perfect twizzles today. Their music is an audience-magnet and their original lift (girl lifts boy) is bound to get them some extra points. The score: 78.16. Overall: 131.28.
  • Charlene Guinard/Marco Fabbri's Four Seasons is a sign that the Italian couple is getting better with each season. Very expressive and technically flawless, they get 83.06 points. Overall: 140.95.
  • Pernelle Carron/Lloyd Jones tell the story of two "vieux amants" (old lovers) and .they do a terrific job at it. The program is simply mesmerizing. Their score: 84.40. Overall: 145.98.
  • If they gave medals only for originality and presentation skills, Nelli Zhiganshina/Alexander Gazsi would win this competition. Their zombies are bound to stay in figure skating history for ever. The Germans are simply brilliant. They get 93.68 points. Overall: 154.27.
  • Siobhan Heekin-Canedy/Dmitri Dun's bolero lacked a lot of things today: speed, difficult elements and heart. But the Ukrainians are a very young couple, so they have all the time in the world to improve their skills. The score: 82.68. Overall: 141.88.
  • Piper Gilles/Paul Poirier mess up the twizzles badly, but all in all, their program is very enjoyable to watch and fits their style perfectly. The Canadians get 81.41 points. Overall: 140.02.
  • Ekaterina Riazanova/Ilia Tkachenko deliver a solid performance on the OST of The Godfather. They get 90.26 points. Overall: 149.78.
  • It's a jazzy world for Penny Coomes/Nicholas Buckland, but their last spin is a fiasco. The Britons are far from being the skaters they were at the Europeans. Their score: 82.05. Overall: 145.71.
  • Very controversial 'music' for Elena Ilinykh/Nikita Katsalapov, unless you find skating on Demi Moore's words normal. The Russians mess up their spin, but their skating skills remain some of the finest. If only they stopped choosing daft music! They get 91.45 points. Overall: 157.52.
  • Welcome back, Maia Shibutani/Alex Shibutani, we've missed you! The Americans skate on the OST of Memoirs of a Geisha, and with their Japanese ancestry, the music fits them as a glove. Solid elements, impeccable presentation and every reason to be proud of their performance. Their score: 91.57. Overall: 157.71.
  • Madison Chock/Evan Bates show us an extraordinary version on ice of Dr. Zhivago. And when you add that this is their first World Championship together, they become even more worthy of admiration. Yet, they still have a lot of things to learn. They get 97.19 points. Overall: 163.93.
  • Kaitlyn Weaver/Andrew Poje's costumes don't make much sense until you realise she's supposed to be a statue and that they tell the story of the man who fell in love with his own creation. One word: brilliant! The Canadians have never been better. This program brings tears into one's eyes and it's my absolute favourite free dance of the season. Their score: 98.66. Overall: 166.20.
  • Sexy, dark, intense, Carmen! Tessa Virtue/Scott Moir truly are the best ice dancers. The arena is set on fire, and there really are no words to describe just how good the Canadians were. They get 111.17 points. Overall: 185.04.
  • Must be very hard for Anna Cappellini/Luca Lanotte to skate after Virtue/Moir, especially because they have the same theme. Yet, they stand their ground and do what they do best, although their best cannot be compared to that of the Olympic champions. Their score: 100.11 points. Overall: 168.04.
  • The story of Esmeralda and Quasimodo has never been told better. Meryl Davis/Charlie White's LP is the most beautiful and expressive program they've ever had. Were they better than the Canadians? Hard to say. Do they deserve the gold medal? Oh, yes! And with 112.44 points and an overall of 189.56, they're the new World Champions.
  • Ekaterina Bobrova/Dmitri Soloviev tell another emotional story: that of the woman who fell in love with a sick man and tried to cheer him up, but lost her mind instead. The Russians' change of style could not have come at a better time. Their score: 99.14. Overall: 169.19.
  • You couldn't ask more from Nathalie Pechalat/Fabian Bourzat today, but I'm afraid The Rolling Stones are no match for the powerful programs presented by the Russians, Canadians and Americans. They get only 95.95 points. Overall: 165.60. They deserved higher marks.

Notre-Dame de Paris is the big winner of the night, with Carmen and Man with a Harmonica on second and third place. Congratulations to all the medalists, for they truly delivered impeccable programs. Too bad you can't put two couples on the highest step of the podium.

For full results, go to: http://www.isuresults.com/results/wc2013/

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