Ohio’s Czisny Spins Up to Second Place

Alissa Czisny must return to school to take a French exam on Monday. She passed a different kind of test Saturday by finishing an impressive second in the Skate America Grand Prix event, emerging as a contender for the U.S. Olympic team at the Turin Games.

Czisny, 18, became a purple blur as she performed an array of innovative spins in a charming routine to “La Bayadere” at Boardwalk Hall. Although she fell on a triple flip, she earned a personal-best 106.48 points for her long program, 1.4 points more than Russia’s Elena Sokolova but not enough for her to erase the deficit she’d faced after the short program.

Sokolova, skating to “Romeo and Juliet,” won with an overall total of 163.02. Czisny had 159.30, overtaking Japan’s Yoshie Onda, who had 150.98.

Beatrisa Liang of Granada Hills was fourth with 133.00 points and Emily Hughes of Sands Point, N.Y., rebounded from a shaky short program to finish fifth with 126.78 points.

The sensation of the day was Czisny, a late replacement here for the injured Sasha Cohen.

“My sister and I used to spend sessions making up spins and having competitions,” said Czisny, who is from Sylvania, Ohio, and is on an academic scholarship at Bowling Green, taking four courses this semester. “We would see who could spin the longest and who could make up the coolest spin.

“I was very excited when I saw those marks. I definitely felt like I skated very well.”

With nine-time U.S. champion Michelle Kwan idled because of a strained hip ligament and two-time world silver medalist Cohen hampered by hip and back pain, the three U.S. women’s berths at Turin appear to be up for grabs. “My goal is to make the Olympic team,” Czisny said, “and for me it doesn’t matter who else is competing.”

Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto’s spirited flamenco free dance enabled them to sweep all phases of the ice dance competition and win their third straight Skate America title. The Michigan residents totaled 190.45 points, ahead of the 184.47 points earned by Isabelle Delobel and Olivier Schoenfelder. Oksana Dominina and Maxim Shabalin of Russia came in third.

In the pair finale, Dan Zhang and Hao Zhang of China performed a stunning routine highlighted by difficult throws and intricate lifts to clinch the title, finishing with 179.14 points. Rena Inoue and John Baldwin Jr. of Santa Monica placed second and Julia Obertas and Sergei Salvnov of Russia were third.