Despite two falls during his free skate Friday in Ontario, Patrick Chan’s record setting short program two nights earlier helped him hang on for his third straight world figure skating title.
“I am angry at myself,” Chan said afterward. “I am mad because I didn’t skate well for this audience. I am sorry I didn’t skate better for them.”
“Maybe I’m saving it up for Sochi.”
The hometown hero finished with a combined score of 267.78 to scrape out a one-point victory over Denis Ten of Kazakhstan, whose flawless long routine brought the Canadian crowd to their feet for a thunderous standing ovation.
“It’s my best performance of the year,” Ten said. “And maybe of my skating career.”
Ten, 19, easily earned the highest score of the night despite being considered by many to be the wild card of these championships, and his silver medal is a loud statement with the Olympics less than a year away. Quad King Javier Fernandez of Spain rounded out the podium in third place.
U.S. champ Max Aaron skated an entertaining, solid set right up until landing one of his leaps into the wall. He recovered quickly to finish seventh and ensure the Americans will get two spots in Sochi. They couldn’t earn a third, however, as Ross Miner’s three falls kicked him down to fourteenth place.
