Chock and Zuerlein break into top 10 in latest icenetwork.com world skater rankings

The ice dancing team of Madison Chock and Greg Zuerlein used the titles they won at the 2009 World Junior Figure Skating Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria, as springboards to each move up six places in the latest icenetwork.com World Figure Skater Rankings.

 Caroline Zhang’s silver medal elevated her to No. 8 in the rankings. World Junior ladies champion Alena Leonova of Russia entered the rankings at No. 15. Fellow Russians Lubov Iliushechkina and Nodari Maisuradze took the pairs title in Sofia and jumped two places to No. 7.

Ladies

Leonova followed up a strong fourth-place showing at the 2009 European Figure Skating Championships with a 2 ½-point win in Bulgaria despite winning neither the short program nor the free skate. This is her first appearance in the rankings. Zhang rebounded from a subpar short program, in which she placed 10^th, to win the free skate and capture the silver, her third career World Junior medal. Ashley Wagner’s bronze medal – the second of her career at this event – moved her three spots to No. 14.

Pairs

Iliushechkina and Maisuradze put the finishing touches on an undefeated junior season this weekend, as they won both of their Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating Series events as well the Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final. The pair, which earned the silver at the 2008 World Junior Championships, placed third, fourth and fifth in their three senior events in 2008-09.  Silver medalists Anastasia Martiusheva and Alexei Rogonov of Russia sit just outside the rankings, in 21^st.

Ice Dancing

Chock and Zuerlein went 5-for-5 this season, winning both of their Junior Grand Prix Series events, the Junior Grand Prix Final, the U.S. junior championship and the World Junior crown. So dominant were they that they failed to finish first in just one segment all year – the compulsory dance at the JGP event in Great Britain. Their ranking gives the United States four of the world’s top 10 teams, a quartet that includes Meryl Davis and Charlie White (No. 3), Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto (No. 5), and Emily Samuelson and Evan Bates (No. 9). World Junior silver medalists Ekaterina Riazanova and Jonathan Guerreiro of Russia reside just outside the top 20, at No. 22.

More information about the rankings can be found on icenetwork.com.

Rankings as of March 2, 2009:

Ladies