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Eight qualify for Grand Prix Final
// USOC Media Services // January 30, 2007
U.S. athletes enjoyed a successful weekend on snow and ice with many victories, podium finishes and best-ever finishes. Kimmie Meissner and Evan Lysacek each won their first U.S. Figure Skating national titles, while Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto won their fourth U.S. national ice dancing titles.
Grand Prix Final
Eight U.S. skaters qualified for the International Skating Union (ISU) Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final, the most U.S. skaters to ever qualify for the competition in a single year. The U.S. team qualified more skaters than any other country in the competition, including Japan, with five athletes. Canada, China, France and Russia brought four skaters each.
The United States was the only country to have competitors qualified in at least three of the four disciplines.
U.S. skaters won the most medals throughout the six Grand Prix Series events this season with 15. Among those were three golds: Rena Inoue and John Baldwin took the pairs prize at Skate America, Lysacek placed first at the Cup of China, and Belbin and Agosto won a gold medal at the Cup of Russia. Each of the U.S. finalists went home with two medals, as did second ladies alternate Meissner. Japan came in second place with 14 medals, and Russia finished a distant third, with eight.
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