Inoue and Baldwin land throw triple axel, Olympic berth

0 Comments | AFP, January, 2006

ST. LOUIS, United States (AFP) — Rena Inoue and John Baldwin have landed a sensational throw triple axel and an Olympic berth as they captured the pairs title at the US Figure Skating Championships.

The pair became the first to successfully complete a throw triple axel in competition to vault from fourth after the short programme into first and punch their ticket to next month's Turin Games.

"Rena and I knew what we had to do tonight, and we knew it wasn't going to be easy. And we knew we were going to have to pull off the best performance of our lives," Baldwin said.

The duo had won the US title in 2004, but surrendered it last year to Kathryn Orscher Garrett Lucash.

They reclaimed it in emphatic style, shrugging off an early wobble when Baldwin...