Dunedin's Morgan
Figgins, who has been the bright hope of New Zealand figure
skating since the Dunedin Ice Stadium was opened six years
ago, will be challenged by overseas skaters over the next
three days.
The Winter Games three-day figure-skating programme starts
today at the Dunedin Ice Stadium and the finals will be held
on Saturday.
Figgins (19) has dominated New Zealand figure skating over
the last six years and has won four junior and three senior
titles.
Her best score for the short programme is 34.69 points and
48.23 for free skating.
Her best combined total is 74.98 points.
Figgins is expected to play second fiddle to Kwak Min-Jeong
(Korea), who finished 13th at the Vancouver Winter Olympics
last year and is ranked 42nd in the world.
Min-Jeong's (17) best combined score is the 155.53 points she
totalled at the Winter Olympics.
She is one of 23 skaters from overseas who have entered for
the Winter Games figure-skating competition. There are 35
skaters entered.
The other senior women competing are Australians Sydnee
Knight and Zara Pasfield and New Zealanders Millie Campbell
and Melissa Morris.
The pre-event favourite in the senior men's events is
Nicholas Fernandez (Australia), who finished 21st at the Four
Continents event last year and was fourth at the Australian
championships.
His main opponent will be Christopher Boyd, from Queenstown,
New Zealander Cameron Hems and Australian brothers Andrew and
Matthew Dodds.
Figure skating was one of the spectacular events in Dunedin
when the inaugural Winter Games were held two years ago.
The skating will be officially opened at 1pm today with the
short programme for novices and juniors.
Tomorrow the novice and junior free skating and the short
programme for men and women will be held.
The free-skating competition for men and women and juniors
will be held on Saturday.
Dunedin skaters won the overall trophy for the highest points
for the second year running at the South Island championships
in Dunedin last weekend. Canterbury was runner-up and Gore
third.
The programme
Venue: Dunedin Ice Stadium.
Dates: August 11-13.
Number of competitors: Thirty-five (five
countries).
Leading prospects: Nicholas Fernandez (Australia),
Chris Boyd (NZ), Min Jeong Kwak (Korea), Morgan Figgins (NZ),
Leong Ka-Jing (Singapore).
Times: Today (1pm-7.30pm), Friday (1pm to 7.10pm),
Saturday (1pm to 6.30pm).
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