News

You could argue Canadian figure skater Patrick Chan reached new heights with a brilliant victory at the Four Continents championships this weekend.

Chan, however, is looking to go higher.

The 18-year-old cruised to a gold medal at the International Skating Union competition at the Pacific Coliseum, leading a cavalry of strong Canadian results. But the skater from Toronto's Granite Club wasn't satisfied with an easy win over a world-class field at the Olympic test event.

Chan won without attempting a quadruple jump. Two skaters landed quads cleanly, and many contenders had the difficult leaps listed in their programs. That got Chan thinking about the 2010 Games, and what it will take to earn gold.

“Going into the Olympics, I want to do a quad and not go into a competition without a quad,” the Canadian champion said. “Even here, it felt weird not doing a quad in practice when everyone else is doing it. It was uncomfortable because I kept wanting to do it. It was so hard to hold back and not try.”

The Ottawa-born Chan bested three former Four Continents champions in winning Saturday. His short program last Thursday received the second highest score in the history of the ISU's new judging system, which replaced the 6.0 scoring system in 2004.

But to hear Chan and his competitors tell it, between now and next February, an arms race of quads is coming. That they will be part of the Olympic competition is unquestioned, but the next Vancouver podium could well be determined by which man has become most consistent at landing quads on the grandest stage.

Evan Lysacek, a U.S. veteran who completed a quad, agreed with Chan: They are not necessary for a skater who can win without them. But the Four Continents silver medalist said quads are stretching the sport's athletic boundaries and improve the show.

“We lost our brand with the 6.0 and that was an important brand for us, and we're trying to rebrand it,” Lysacek said. “The focus is shifting, for some reason, to the men in a lot of countries and that is our new brand.

“We as athletes are pushing ourselves, and our coaches are pushing us to do that element. Do we really want to? It makes our training day a lot more difficult. It makes our competition a lot more stressful. But I don't want to be holding myself back. I want to keep moving forward.

“Trying the element is important. Maybe it is not successful every time, but I think the ISU should be encouraging us to try it just as much as our own coaches.”

Chan's landslide win in Vancouver was accompanied by three Canadian silver medals: Joannie Rochette, pairs Jessica Dubé and Bryce Davison, and ice dancers Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir. The home team reached the podium in all four disciplines at the Four Continents, which hasn't happened since 2004.

All of it bodes well for Canada at the world championships in Los Angeles next month, the final Olympic proportioned test before the 2010 Games.

“One year out, we're thrilled at where we're at,” Skate Canada chief executive officer William Thompson said. “We've gotten to a point where we have medal contenders in four disciplines, and when we deliver, it's outstanding.”

Thompson's only concern was the health of Virtue, who underwent surgery last October on both legs. He said she was not fully healthy and worried she would not have enough time before the world championships, which begin on March 22.

Virtue and Moir were the defending Four Continents champions but have only competed twice this season. She was suffering from a neuromuscular condition that was causing leg pain.