Sports

Cranston's Castelli Takes Bronze in Four Continents Championships

The Cranston native and champion pairs figure skater took home the bronze medal at the 2013 Four Continents Championships in Osaka, Japan.

After winning the U.S. Figure Skating Championship, Cranston native Marissa Castelli and her partner, Simon Shnapir, are returning from Osaka, Japan, with bronze medals after coming in third at the 2013 Four Continents Championships.

According to the International Skating Union, Castelli and Shapir skated to "Stray Cat Strut" and "Pink Panther" featuring a triple twist and side-by-side triple Salchow. The pair lost points when Castelli fell on a throw triple Salchow and scored 53.06. Winners Meagan Duhamel and Eric Radford won the program with a score of 70.44.

"We were too laid back today," Castelli said. "It wasn't our best performance, but it's a lesson learned, and we are ready to go again. We are satisfied with our side-by-side jumps and we did a good job getting back into the program after my fall (on the throw)."

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"The fans are great here," Shnapir said. "We didn't quite have the skate we were looking for, but we are hoping to push forward for worlds. It was not our best, but we will not let it get in our way."

The duo eked out their third place finish by a mere .08 points behind fellow American skaters Felicia Zhang and Nate Bartholomay, who won bronze in the U.S. Championships.

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The world championships are next month.

More at www.icenetwork.com


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