Weir wins Gold at NHK;
Sokolova wins Bronze

Nov. 7, 2004

Johnny Weir won his first ever Grand Prix event and Elena Sokolova also medaled at the NHK Trophy this weekend at Nagoya, Japan.

Weir, the defending U.S. Champion, won the free skate and the short program.

“I think this proves how strong U.S. men are now," said Weir. “We've been down for awhile but I think this shows how far we've come, and it's exciting for us to be in this position even though it’s early in the season.”

Weir was coming back from an injured ankle suffered before his first competition of the season.

“Their were a lot of firsts today,” Weir told the media. “To have them all wrapped into one is pretty amazing.”

The firsts for Weir included setting his standard for personal best score (220.35), personal best score short program (74.05) and personal best score free skating (146.20) under the new ISU scoring system.

Sokolova appears to be skating strong again with her third place finish. Sokolova was second after the short program but fell a notch after the free skate.

She had her car stolen in August and had to break in a new pair of boots for the competitive season.

ESPN will televise the NHK Trophy on November 15 from 9-11 p.m.