#2003 worlds

[figureskatingcostumes]

Shae-Lynn Bourne and Viktor Kraatz skating the Austrian Waltz at the 2003 World Championships.

(Sources: 1 and 2)

[mustafinesse]

[thehonoraryamerican]

Was the floor in Montreal tuned incorrectly?

I would’ve posted the link but the article doesn’t seem to work anymore for some stupid reason.

This came up on my Facebook via International Gymnast Magazine. A man by the name of Dr. Bill Sands believes there is a reason there were so many injuries in Montreal. After the 2003 World Championships (where there were also a “rash of Achilles injuries”), Dr Sands took high speed footage of the gymnasts in motion on the floor and slowed it down to analyse it frame by frame. What he discovered was that right before launching off the spring floor for a salto, there was an extra up/down motion in the athlete’s mechanics. It was so small that the gymnasts weren’t even aware of the extra inefficient motion, but it was enough to cause problems with timing and balance.

After finding this motion, he turned his attention to the floor in the same video. He discovered that the floor wasn’t tuned correctly, resulting in a ‘rattle’ that caused an extra hiccup in the gymnast’s motion, and he believes the same thing has occurred in Montreal. He is urging the FIG to launch their own investigation.

[no-chill-gym-broadcast]

I never expected the Russians to put an athlete with so little talent on their team.

Elfi Schlegel during Alexandra Chevtchenkova’s floor routine at the 2003 World Team Final

[figureskatingcostumes]

Joannie Rochette skating her short program at the 2003 World Championships.

(Photos by J.B. Mittan)

[figureskatingcostumes]

Sarah Hughes skating to Rachmaninov's Cello Sonata in G minor for her short program at the 2003 World Championships.

(Photos by J.B. Mittan)

[figureskatingcostumes]

Jessica Huot and Juha Valkama skating the Austrian Waltz compulsory dance at the 2003 World Championships.

(Photos by M. Sawa and Barry Mittan)

[figureskatingcostumes]

Sarah Abitbol and Stéphane Bernadis skating to La Strada for their short program at the 2003 Trophée Lalique and 2003 World Championships.

(Photos by Jacques Demarthon and Andrea Chempinski)