ST. JOHN'S, Newfoundland (AP) — Everybody knows who Alissa Czisny is now.
The new American figure skating sensation won her first gold medal at the senior level by winning Skate Canada on Saturday.
Top-seeded Carolina Kostner of Italy, the 2005 world bronze medalist, was the flop of the event in winding up seventh. Canada's Emanuel Sandhu, sixth after the short program Thursday, blew away his rivals with a stellar free-skating routine to take the men's event.
Czisny was seventh at the U.S. nationals last winter, which brought her little attention. Canadian fans first got a look at her at the world junior championships in Kitchener, but she got little media play in finishing sixth.
The spotlight found her last week when, as a substitute for the injured Sasha Cohen, she won silver at Skate America in Atlantic City, N.J. Now this.
"I'm accomplishing what I set out to do and I guess people might know who I am now," said the 18-year-old native of Bowling Green, Ohio.
Czisny says the difference in her skating that has led to success comes from learning to put on ice during competitions what she habitually accomplishes in practices.
"I've figured out how to focus on my jumps," she said.
She cleanly landed six triple jumps and her total score of 168.32 was a personal best, nine points better than her Skate America total when she finished behind Elena Sokolova of Russia. She also earned $18,000 with her victory.
Her results from the first two meets of the six-meet Grand Prix circuit give her a lock on a berth in the six-skater GP Finals in Tokyo in December.
Canadian champion Joannie Rochette also is well on her way to earning a trip to Tokyo. The 19-year-old singled on a scheduled triple flip, but that was the only significant mistake. She landed five triples and her 158.30 total was 10 below the personal best she earned in winning a GP meet in France a year ago.
"I don't want to be 100 percent here," she said. "The main focus is the Olympics and the second part of the season, but this is a good start."
Japan's Yukari Nakano landed a rare triple axel and amassed 149.54 points in winning her first senior Grand Prix medal.
Kostner looked nothing like the Olympic medal hope that Winter Games host Italy is promoting.
"I had this kind of feeling in myself that stopped me from doing the things I know I can do," she said. "This is my first competition of the season and I'll do better.
"Now I know what I have to work on."
Fumie Suguri of Japan, a former world bronze medalist, self-destructed and finished eighth. She'd been worried about aggravating a groin injury.
Sandhu usually is so inconsistent that one knows what to expect. His best world championship showing was seventh last March. He's rarely put together two winning programs at the same meet.
Such was the case again at Skate Canada. At the same meet last year, Sandhu, 24 came from seventh after the short to win gold.
"We're talking Olympic medal," coach Joanne McLeod said of the possibilities should he ever match a great short program with a superb free skate.
"I've been called a lot of things," Sandhu replied when asked if he should be dubbed "Comeback Kid."
"If anybody wants to call me 'The Comeback Kid,' that's fine by me."
Canadian champion Jeffrey Buttle went into the free skate show with the lead, but made too many mistakes, including cutting the inside of his right thigh with a skate blade and ripping his pants from crotch to knee. The 23-year-old world silver medalist was left with silver.
Buttle fell twice, including on a quad attempt, and cleanly landed only two triple jumps. Sandhu landed six and eked out an overall points win of 201.85 to 201.19.
Nobunari Oda of Japan won bronze.
American champion Johnny Weir sprained his left ankle when he crashed trying to land a jump. He'd been second after the short program, but wound up seventh overall with 177.59 points.
In ice dance, Elena Grushina and Ruslan Goncharov of Ukraine (87.44 points) edged ahead of Marie-France Dubreuil and Patrice Lauzon (87.11). Melissa Gregory and Denis Pethukhov of the United States were third (78.50).