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October 12th, 2008
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The iceman cometh

Tomáš Verner wins country's first European championship in 16 years

By František Bouc
Staff Writer, The Prague Post
January 30th, 2008 issue

ISIFA
Verner's second-place finish at the European Championships in Warsaw last year gave him an edge at this year's competition in Zagreb.
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When figure skater Tomáš Verner arrived in Prague Jan. 28, fresh from his stunning victory at the European Championships in Zagreb, Croatia, he didn’t want to miss the opportunity to thank his coaches, friends and family for their contribution to his gold-medal win.
“Without them, I would not be where I am now,” the happy skater repeated multiple times, smiling broadly.
Despite his obvious effort not to omit anyone, the 21-year-old Verner did forget someone. Only later did he realize that he should have started his round of thanks with his old schoolmate Štěpánka, who attended kindergarten with him.
“I liked her and she attended skating classes,” Verner recalled. “Since our mothers knew each other, they suggested I attend with her.”
While his friend stopped skating after a few years, Verner did not. And, Jan. 24, the five-time national champion became the Czech Republic’s first European figure-skating champion in 16 years.
Playing it safe
While Verner’s win in Zagreb was a surprise, he became a favorite by dominating the competition’s beginning. In the championship’s first part, the short program, he had a flawless performance that lifted him into the lead. In contrast to his main rivals, French skaters Brian Joubert and Stéphane Lambiel, Verner did not attempt a quadruple toe loop in his program. He saw the struggles his opponents were going through and opted against it.
“When I saw that they were making mistakes, I decided to bet on certainty,” Verner said.
Before the free program, Verner knew he had to take a risk and include the quadruple toe loop. However, he was unable to jump it during warm-ups. For a while, it seemed as if memories from last year’s European Championships in Poland haunted him. There, Verner also led after the short program, but he faltered in the free program and finished second. That experience played in his favor this time, he said.
“I learned how it feels to fight for a major title,” Verner said. “Although I still was not as calm as I would’ve wished in Zagreb, the experience from Warsaw was invaluable.”
In the Zagreb free program, Verner made seven triple jumps and executed a quadruple toe loop, though he did touch the ice with his hand after landing. After finishing his routine, Verner was confident he’d make the podium. But he didn’t dare dwell on whether he’d keep the lead.
“It was only when I saw the final marks that I knew no one could get ahead of me,” Verner said.
Against his expectations, Verner was not moved to tears on the podium.
“I would’ve thought I would shed some tears in such a situation, but they didn’t come,” Verner said.
As the European champion, Verner said he could eventually start making some money through the sport. “So far, I’ve been glad to cover all my expenses,” he said.
In contrast with other figure skaters in the Czech Republic, Verner practices here and also in Germany, where he skates with female European champion Carolina Kostner.
“It motivates me when I see what she can do on the ice,” Verner said.
In order to further improve, Verner and Kostner will travel to Canada in February to consult with the elite choreographer Lori Nichol.
“Her advice could help me repeat my success in the World Championship in Gothenburg in March,” Verner said.
The win in Zagreb earned Verner $20,000 (358,000 Kč). The young skater admitted the prize money could help him kill some boredom when he has to log lots of overseas air mileage.
“I’d like to spend a small part of the prize money on a PlayStation. That’d keep me busy on long flights,” he said.

František Bouc can be reached at fbouc@praguepost.com


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