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| A new personal best and a podium finish at home for Bella Gamez and Aleksandr Korovin. PHSU |
MANILA--Behind a new personal best in the short program event, the Filipino tandem of Bella Gamez and Aleksandr Korovin captured the bronze medal in the Asian Open Figure Skating Trophy over the weekend at the SM Mall of Asia Skating Rink in Pasay.
Gamez and Korovin was even on track of getting a better record than Asian Winter Games silver medalists Ryom Tae-Ok and Han Kum-Chol of North Korea before settling for third place.
On Sunday night, Gamez and Korovin, behind a near-flawless performance, tallied 55.69 points in the short program, getting a headstart over Ryom and Han, who tallied 51.18.
However, in the free skating round the night later, the North Korean pair bounced back mightily and tallied 99.96, enough to overtake the Filipino duo, who scored 87.8 in the said round, for the silver.
Ryom and Han combined for 151.14, while Gamez and Korovin ended up with 143.49.
Despite eventually missing out on a better finish, Gamez and Korovin are still satisfied with their homecoming stint.
"It's not too bad. It's not perfect, but it's a good start for the season," Gamez said.
"It's not working yet, but it's okay," added Korovin.
They also downplayed getting the better of their North Korean counterparts in the short program, saying, "We just came here to skate. We want to show our programs, get feedback, and start this season."
They also said playing at home is also an honor considering the Philippines is not known for having a winter season.
"For me and Aleksandr, it means so much when we come home and we get to compete and perform. We bring awareness of figure skating in a tropical setting," Gamez further said.
It is even more special for Korovin, a Russian by birth but was naturalized during the Christmas season.
"It's very nice," said Korovin, who got huge pops from the fans during their performance.
The Chinese pair of Zhang Jiaxuan and Huang Yihang dominated the pairs category and won the gold with a total score of 190.23 points.
