Move over Europeans, Kyoko Ina and Jason Dungjen have Olympic medals on their minds. And they just might have the goods to get the gold.
Ina and Dungjen won their second straight U.S. pairs title Friday with a program that's as difficult as anyone across the Atlantic has seen. They had the soaring lifts, the huge jumps and the spectacular throws - and in the end, 5.8's and 5.9's across the board."The first year at the Olympics, we were just hoping to skate well," Dungjen said. "This year, we're going with the intention of medaling, and we feel if we can do a performance like tonight, we don't see why we shouldn't."
Difficult program or no, Ina and Dungjen didn't really have any com-petition. Two-time national champions Jenni Meno and Todd Sand withdrew from the competition 30 seconds before they were supposed to skate because of an ankle injury Meno suffered during an afternoon practice.
The duo, in second place after Wednesday's short program, is two-time world bronze medalist and was given an injury bye to the Olympic team.
Meno sprained her right ankle on a throw triple salchow, and Sand had to carry his wife out of the arena. They went back to their hotel for medical treatment but returned to the arena for their event.
Meno looked shaky during warmups, stepping gingerly onto the ice, and she was favoring her ankle throughout the six-minute warmup. She went over to coach John Nicks several times but kept returning to the ice. Finally, after a wobbly landing on a throw triple salchow, Meno went to Nicks, who hugged her and urged her to come off the ice.
With her shoulders heaving, she grabbed her skate guards and walked off.
"They're the athletes, and they ultimately make the decisions. But tonight she took my advice," Nicks said. "When you throw a lady so many feet across the ice, there's some risk involved. She actually warmed up not too badly, but on the throws, she was not sure about the landings."
Dungjen said Meno and Sand's withdrawal didn't affect them at all.
"We did our job, which was to skate the best we can," he said. "It doesn't matter who we're competing against."
Ina and Dungjen didn't leave anything out, starting off with a huge throw triple salchow that Ina landed straight and sure with her silver skate blade gripping the ice. They followed a split triple twist with a throw triple loop - incredibly difficult moves that Dungjen made look as easy as throwing a ball.
They flew across the ice on their lifts, with Dungjen twirling Ina's body above his head like it was a baton.
Even before their music started, the two knew they had something special. They looked at each other several times with smiles of satisfaction, and Dungjen looked like he was having a blast with a minute left.
They finished with a dramatic rollout that left Ina only inches from the ice, and the crowd rose to its feet. As the music ended, Dung-jen pumped his fist and Ina kissed Dungjen's cheek. They stood at center ice for nearly a minute, waving to the crowd.
"Just with all the excitement, it felt really great," said Ina, who was born in Japan and was a junior singles champion there. "We're really excited we performed as well as we did tonight. I think it was almost a perfect night."
Not so for Shelby Lyons and Brian Wells. Though they finished second, they were left off both the Olympic and world teams in favor of Meno and Sand. Carolyn Kruse, chairwoman of the U.S. Figure Skating Association's International Committee, said the vote by the 22-person group wasn't unanimous, but no breakdown was given.
Only the U.S. champion is guaranteed a spot on the Olympic team. To fill any additional spots, the committee considers results of the nationals and international competition in the past two years and any extenuating circumstances, such as injuries.
Danielle and Steve Hartsell finished third.
"I prepared them for this. They understand the politics of the sport," said Kathy Casey, Lyons and Wells' coach. "Whatever the rules are, we have to live by them."