THE CANADIAN PRESS
LOS ANGELES _ Patrick Chan would prefer that Brian Joubert does his talking on the ice.
The Toronto skater fired back Monday over criticism from Joubert, the former world champion from France, at the lack of quad jumps in male figure skating.
“I think Joubert is constantly, always complaining,” Chan told reporters after practice Monday at the Staples Center. “Because he never has anything else to say.”
Joubert and the 18-year-old Chan are expected to battle for the men’s title at the world figure skating championships that begin Tuesday.
Joubert told the Chicago Tribune recently that he considers American Evan Lysacek his biggest challenge because the U.S. skater has a quad in his program. Chan doesn’t have a quad, yet the score he earned in winning the ISU Four Continents last month in Vancouver was the highest in the world this season.
“I am very disappointed other men do not try them,” Joubert said. “With the new system, you have to be clean, so people make it clean but simple.
“For the future of the sport, we must continue to try quads. In 2002, some skaters did three quads and now (most) think it is difficult to do one, especially in the short program.”
Joubert plans a quad in the short program and could attempt up to three in the long.
Chan has two triple Axels in his long program, and traditionally earns high marks for his footwork, spins and overall presentation.
“Yes, okay, fine, men are doing worse according to (Joubert),” Chan said. “But if you’re going to say, let’s all do quads, then he better have three quads in his program and do them good. Or else he has nothing else to say.
“He just says that because he just wants to have an excuse.”
Chan wasn’t concerned he may have threw fuel on the fire when the two skaters take to the ice.
“I kind of dug myself a grave, huh? We’ll see,” Chan said. “If he’s mad at me he’s mad at me. What am I going to do?”
Chan probably doesn’t have to worry, as Joubert didn’t seem bothered by the comments in the least.
“No, I don’t care,” the Frenchman said after his final practice late Monday night. “… I can understand that figure skating means not only quads and jumps. It’s everything _ choreography, skating, spins, footwork. But I think for the sport, for the audience, for the judges, it’s great to see a quad jump.”
Joubert won the 2007 world championships, but finished runner-up to Canada’s Jeffrey Buttle last year in Sweden. Buttle also didn’t have a quad in his program.
“It’s the total package, the spins and the footwork,” Chan said. “Obviously (Joubert) needs to be focused on things other than just the jumps. I think he can do better in his performance. He can do better in the footwork. He can do better in the spins, for sure.”
Joubert complained after losing to Buttle last year.
“Right after the results, I was very disappointed,” Joubert said at the time “And I am still disappointed because Jeffrey did the perfect competition, he made no mistakes, but he didn’t try the quad jump.”
Chan called it poor sportsmanship.
“I mean, Tiger (Woods) is not going to say (Mike) Weir sucks because he can’t shoot as good as I do, right? Just play a fair game. You don’t talk behind people’s backs like he did at worlds,” Chan said.
“He’s a nice guy to me. But I think when he’s on the ice and he’s got all the cameras around him, he changes personality, which is kind of bad. I think you should be yourself basically, in front the cameras.”
Chan has said he’ll work on his quad over the summer and hopes to have one in his program for the 2010 Olympics.
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With files from The Associated Press.