Abbott, Rochette reign in Canada

KITCHENER, Ontario (AP) -- Gold medals at Skate Canada came from vastly different performances for Joannie Rochette and Jeremy Abbott.

Canada's Rochette, the world silver medalist, won the final Grand Prix series event Saturday, but several missteps showed she still has plenty of work to do.

Alissa Czisny, the U.S. women's champion, was second.

The 23-year-old Rochette won her third women's singles title at Skate Canada, scoring 112.90 points for her free skate to "Samson and Delilah" for a total of 182.90. But the routine was dotted with flaws, including a planned triple lutz that she doubled.

"I know I can do this program much better, but it's really challenging physically to do," Rochette said. "I was really happy to fight for every single element and I'll go home and work really hard on that last minute of the program.

"I think this will be a good one to have in the bag before the (Olympic) Games."

Those games will be in Vancouver, where Rochette will be under a glaring spotlight. But first she has earned a spot in next month's Grand Prix final in Tokyo, and despite the long trip said she'd appreciate getting one more performance under her belt.

"I'm happy to have qualified. It's a prestigious event and I think it's going to be great, especially after this long program," Rochette said. "I'm really excited to have one more chance to do my programs internationally before Olympics."

So is Abbott.

The U.S. champion won the men's event with 232.99 points, landing the only quadruple jump of the night, edging Daisuke Takahashi of Japan (231.31).

"Obviously the Grand Prix final was on the line, but I really wasn't thinking about it while I was out there," Abbott said. "I wanted to put the quad out there for the first time this season, and to keep the rest of my program together."

He did so nicely, and Abbott could be a major factor in Tokyo before he heads to nationals, where the Olympic squad will be decided-and where the competition for the three spots available to the United States will be tight.

I'm pleased," Abbott said. "I was really nervous going into it. I heard Daisuke's score, and it was very big. I just really wanted to keep it together. I wasn't worried about winning."

Daisuke also qualified for the Grand Prix final.

Patrick Chan of Canada, who was runner-up to Evan Lysacek of the United States at this year's world championships, fell three times in his free program to wind up sixth in his season debut.

World champions Aliona Savchenko and Robin Szolkowy skated away with pairs gold with 206.71 points, ahead of Maria Mukhortova and Maxim Trankov of Russia.

Canadian ice dancers Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir skated a world's best with 204.38 points to win the gold. Their stunning performance to "Adagietto" scored 103.12 for the free dance.

Virtue and Moir sat out the entire Grand Prix series last season while Virtue recovered from surgery on both legs to relieve chronic shin pain. They've made a strong comeback, winning Trophee Bombard and Skate Canada to qualify for Tokyo.