Salt Lake Olympian and OWI skater Anthony Liu has defended his National title for the seventh consecutive year.
Salt Lake Olympian and OWI skater Anthony Liu has defended his National title for the seventh consecutive year.
Anthony, who is currently ranked seventh in the World, withdrew from the Japanese Grand Prix event the week prior to the National Championships due to a niggling knee injury that hindered his approach to his trademark quadruple toe-loop jump.
However, the quad jump was not necessary to his national title defense and he skated a new free program to the music from ‘Gladiator’ to easily secure a berth in the team for the Four Continents Championships in Beijing next February and the World Championships in Washington, USA, in late March.
NSW figure skating champion Bradley Santer won the silver and also secured a place in the World Championship as a result of Anthony's outstanding placement at last year's world titles.
"It was hard going to make it through this new program, but I'm glad that it's been well received by the judges at home," said Liu.
"I'll spend the rest of the week with my mother and friends in Brisbane before heading back to California to prepare for Beijing and Washington, where I hope my father and sisters will be able to watch me compete for the first time in more than ten years."
Anthony will have an x-ray on his knee and consult with sports physician Dr. Simon Locke from the QAS prior to his return to USA.
Miriam Manzano won the Senior Ladies Championship for the second consecutive year, cementing her place as Australia's best-performed lady this season.
Miriam will be Australia's only representative for Ladies at the World Championships, but will be joined at the Four Continents Championship by nationals silver medallist Joanne Carter, who had her best skate since the Nagano Olympics, and by 2002 Olympian Stephanie Zhang.
Anthony, who is currently ranked seventh in the World, withdrew from the Japanese Grand Prix event the week prior to the National Championships due to a niggling knee injury that hindered his approach to his trademark quadruple toe-loop jump.
However, the quad jump was not necessary to his national title defense and he skated a new free program to the music from ‘Gladiator’ to easily secure a berth in the team for the Four Continents Championships in Beijing next February and the World Championships in Washington, USA, in late March.
NSW figure skating champion Bradley Santer won the silver and also secured a place in the World Championship as a result of Anthony's outstanding placement at last year's world titles.
"It was hard going to make it through this new program, but I'm glad that it's been well received by the judges at home," said Liu.
"I'll spend the rest of the week with my mother and friends in Brisbane before heading back to California to prepare for Beijing and Washington, where I hope my father and sisters will be able to watch me compete for the first time in more than ten years."
Anthony will have an x-ray on his knee and consult with sports physician Dr. Simon Locke from the QAS prior to his return to USA.
Miriam Manzano won the Senior Ladies Championship for the second consecutive year, cementing her place as Australia's best-performed lady this season.
Miriam will be Australia's only representative for Ladies at the World Championships, but will be joined at the Four Continents Championship by nationals silver medallist Joanne Carter, who had her best skate since the Nagano Olympics, and by 2002 Olympian Stephanie Zhang.
