Summary of the 2012 World Figure Skating Championships

The 2012 World Figure Skating Championships was held from March 26 through April 1, 2012 in Nice, France. The event was a competition full of surprises. There were also some disappointments.

• Results: ISU World Figure Skating Championships 2012
• 2012 World Figure Skating Championships - Icenetwork.com event page
• Watch Elite Figure Skating Events, Including the 2012 World Figure Skating Championships, On Universal Sports

In "Figure skating-Sums fail to add up for Davis and White," Philip Hersh of the Chicago Tribune, made the following observation:

"On Thursday, every man, woman and child sitting inside Nice's Acropolis Arena thought the Americans had won. That is everyone except the experts who made up the judging panel."

Sonia Bianchetti Garbato, a former official with the ISU International Skating Union had the following to say in response to Hersh's article:

"I fully agree with this article. Nobody in the arena, including some judges in the panel with whom I talked, could understand how it could happen that Davis and White did not win the dance event. They were just fantastic. Wasn't the new judging system supposed to guarantee fair results? The same question applies to the gold medal of Patrick Chan. No way he should be frst in Nice."

After the men's free skate, a dedicated and longtime fan has decided to stop watching figure skating completely. She made the following statement:

"Well the men's long just ended and I CALLED IT! Chan splatted on his rear and made other errors as well, but still won (over Takahashi who was AMAZING). That's IT for me."

• Figure skating has lost a fan: She didn't like the judging at Worlds 2012 - From Examiner.com

• Ice Dance Results: ISU World Figure Skating Championships 2012
• Men's Results: ISU World Figure Skating Championships 2012

Japan's Daisuke Takahashi, who won the bronze medal at the 2010 Winter Olympics, won silver, and Takahashi’s teammate, Yuzuru Hanyu, performed brilliantly in the free skate portion of the competition and won the bronze. The event marked the first time ever that Japan has had two men on the world figure skating podium.

Japan also won its first ever medal at any World Figure Skating Championships in the pair skating event. Narumi Takahashi and Mervin Tran won bronze. "It's exciting to be the first ones to medal. It's like we're pioneers of something," said Tran.

• Takahashi and Tran Trivia: Mervin Tran is a Canadian. His partner, Narumi Takahashi, was born in Japan and then lived in China. Her family moved to Canada to train with Tran.

Akiko Suzuki of Japan won the bronze medal in the ladies event.

• Japan wins big at World Figure Skating Championships - From Jackie Wong, Figure Skating Examiner

Patrick Chan of Canada won his second consecutive world figure skating title. Olympic and world ice dancing champions, Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir of Canada, also won gold again. The German pair team, Aliona Savchenko and Robin Szolkowy, won another world pair skating title. This was the fourth time Savchenko and Szolkowy have won the world pair skating crown.

Tatiana Volosozhar and Maxim Trankov of Russia were in eighth place after the short program, but pulled up and won silver. They skated a perfect long program.

• Pairs Results: ISU World Figure Skating Championships 2012

For the first time ever, Italy won a gold medal at the World Figure Skating Championships in the ladies event. Carolina Kostner had medaled at "Worlds" before, but had never been at the top of the podium. She was in third place after the short program. In the free skate, she landed five triple jumps. Her total score after the free skate was more than five points higher than Russia’s Alena Leonova, who won the short program. Leonova finished the competition in second place.

• Ladies Results: ISU World Figure Skating Championships 2012

The United States did not do well at the 2012 World Figure Skating Championships. The ice dance event was the only event where U.S. skaters stood on the podium, but in the ladies event, 2012 U.S. Ladies Figure Skating Champion, Ashley Wagner, finished fourth. 2009 and 2011 U.S. Ladies Figure Skating Champion, Alissa Czisny, came in 22nd. Her finish may mean that the United States will only get to send one lady to the World Figure Skating Championships in 2013.

From Philip Hersh, The Chicago Tribune:
• No bad: just good and ugly for U.S. women at world skate
• Truth hurts: U.S. men dismal again at world skate