Patrick Chan switches focus to Sochi Olympics

TOKYO (AFP) –

Canada’s Patrick Chan performs in the men’s short program at the World Team Trophy figure skating competition in Tokyo, on April 11, 2013. Chan hopes moving his training base will be the key to Olympic success next year after falling on the ice several times at Tokyo’s event.

Three-time world figure skating champion Patrick Chan hopes moving his training base will be the key to Olympic success next year after falling on the ice several times at Tokyo’s World Team Trophy.

The 22-year-old will bid for his first Olympic medal in the Russian resort of Sochi at the 2014 Winter Games and is banking on a switch in his preparation venue from Colorado Springs to Detroit to help secure the elusive accolade.

“Hopefully I can start the season well by training in an environment where I’m happy and that will be in Detroit,” Chan said after falling on three occasions during his free skate at the World Team Trophy which ended Saturday.

“A very positive environment is going to help my training. I don’t think there is anything new I need to do technically.

“Really all the work is done and it’s just really about competing and repetition and consistent training,” Chan, who was fifth in his Olympic debut in Vancouver 2010, added.

Chan started the 2012-2013 season in October by falling four times in free-skate jumps at the Japan Open to finish last out of six.

His Grand Prix results were erratic, finishing second at Skate Canada, winning Skate America and losing his Grand Prix Final title.

Chan cited the difficulty of starting the season with a new coach as a factor in the disappointments but decided to change his training schedule.

Canada’a Patrick Chan (C) looks dejected after his performnce in the men’s free skating event at the World Team Trophy figure skating competition in Tokyo, on April 12, 2013. Despite Chan’s tumbles at the tournament, he still managed to finish second overall behind Grand Prix Final winner Daisuke Takahashi of Japan thanks to a solid performance in the short programme.

In the three weeks to March’s World Championships in London, Ontario, Chan worked out at the Detroit Skating Club — away from Colorado Springs where he had been training for nearly two years.

Chan said he had enjoyed the camaraderie at the club between himself and top US skaters Jeremy Abbott and Alissa Czisny as well as his teammates and ice-dancers Kaitlyn Weaver and Andrew Poje and junior ice-dancers.

The switch paid off and Chan won the world title with a world record short-programme score, narrowly beating rising Kazak star Denis Ten, leading him to decide to permanently move his rink.

“It’s very motivating to get off the ice after hard practice and have fun and laugh and joke about whatever and hang out on weekends,” he said.

“So next year, it’s going to be great because I’ll be in Detroit longer and hopefully get more quality training throughout the season.”

Chan has been quoted as saying something was “wrong” with the Colorado environment but he wasn’t specific.

Despite Chan’s tumbles at the World Team Trophy he still managed to finish second overall behind Grand Prix Final winner Daisuke Takahashi of Japan thanks to a solid performance in the short programme.

The result helped Canada finish runners-up to the United States in the six-nation event viewed as a dry run for a similar team competition due to make its Olympic debut in Sochi.