There is something about Japan that brings out the best in Canadian champion Jeffrey Buttle.
The 24-year-old from Sudbury, Ont., earned a rare standing ovation from a capacity crowd known for its restraint after he finished second in the men's short program at the world figure skating championships on Wednesday.
Buttle blasted his previous personal best mark, chalking up 79.90 points, second only to Brian Joubert's 83.64 points, also a best for the French champion, who is a two-time world silver medalist. Joubert isn't interested in the silver this time, but neither is Buttle.
Buttle said Japan has been good to him. He competed at his first world championship in Japan. He scored his first international win in Japan. And he landed his first quad in Japan. "I always enjoy coming back,'' he said.
Skating in front of his home crowd, Daisuke Takahashi of Japan was third with 74.51 points.
Canadian silver medalist Christopher Mabee of Tillsonburg, Ont., competing at his first world championship, made it a memorable one with a stunning performance that earned him seventh place and 71.33 points, the best short program marks of his career.
Two-time world champion Stephane Lambiel of Switzerland, who competed internationally only once this season, crumpled on the marbly ice surface at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium, falling on his triple Axel and scaling down a quad-double combination to a simple triple toe loop — double toe loop. Lambiel, one of the most artistic of skaters, fell to sixth place, and would have fallen further if not held up by presentation marks that were higher than Buttle's.
Joubert was one of only two skaters among a handful that intended to land quads yesterday, and he opened up with the daunting quad-triple toe loop, landing it with ease.
"I was very nervous,'' Joubert admitted. "I saw Stephane Lambiel just before me and that he did mistakes. He did nto have a good short program and it gave me more confidence. He helped me a lot.''
He added that he hopes he will win, but acknowledged that Buttle is very strong.
"It's going to be difficult,'' Joubert said. "I know what I have to do. I'll have to focus on my jumps.''
Former Canadian champion Emanuel Sandhu of Richmond Hill, Ont., decided to ditch his quad-triple combination after seeing Lambiel fall on his.
Sandhu landed a triple flip — triple toe loop combination instead but fell on his triple Axel, pitching him to 11th place among 42 skaters.
Coach Joanne McLeod said it was an odd night. "There were a lot of mistakes that guys did that they don't usually do,'' she said.
McLeod told Sandhu not to focus on his placing, but on the points. There are still only about five points separating Sandhu from the third-place finisher. "That's one triple jump,'' she said. Without the fall, Sandhu could have been second, she said.
She might have been talking about Nobunari Oda of Japan, who finished fourth at his debut at the world championships last year. Oda, perhaps distracted by a few fans before he started his program, shocked the crowd by failing to do his triple Axel, opening up in the air to do nothing, and then turning out of a triple flip. He's only 14th.
U.S. champion Evan Lysacek stumbled out of his quad-triple combination, but he was also attempting it in the short program for the first time, taking a huge risk. He's in fifth place behind fellow American Johnny Weir.
