Les Supremes of Canada triumph to take second consecutive
World Synchronized title in Lake Placid
It was another day of edge-of-your-seat
competition at the 2023 World Synchronized Championships, held
at the storied Herb Brooks Arena in Lake Placid, as the sport’s
finest teams from all around the globe faced off against one
another in fierce fashion in hopes of clinching big marks and
high placement at this main skating event.
In the final tally, Les Supremes, the
electric Canadian contingent who claimed gold at the 2022 World
Synchronized Championships triumphed once again, winding up at
the top of the 23-team roster leaderboard with the highest marks
of the competition, a 240.98.
Skating to the dramatic operatic theme of
Madame Butterfly as reinterpreted through a compilation of
various selections by Apashe, Tommee Profitt and Karl Hugo, this
troupe was all about heart, energy and technique as they
expressed a victorious final narrative in regard to this
famously tragic story to earn a season’s best of 161.98.
“Our free program this season is Madame
Butterfly,” said Olivia Di Giandomenico, Les Supremes Team
Captain. “So we took the classical story of Madame Butterfly and
we decided to change the ending so that she really fights for
herself and her happiness and thrives at the end.”
The energy and execution by this team was
in fact, so exceptional that it brought virtually all of the
spectators at the nearly packed Herb Brooks Arena to their feet
with near-deafening applause at its finish.
Specifically, their program featured artful
split lifts, fluid death spirals, a lightning-quick and tight
intersection and fast twizzles, counters and brackets and steps
done with speed, excellent body lean and
edges, among other memorable things.
For members of this Montreal-based team, it
was all about preparation and hard work.
“It’s an honor to be on the podium today,”
said Julia Bernardo, Les Supremes Team Captain. “We’ve been
working super hard all season and improving our programs after
every competition. It’s a great reward after a long season.”
Team Helsinki Rockettes of Finland, the
2022 World bronze medalists, scored silver with a 239.56 total
with a stunning free skate to a theme that revolved around
Mozart’s famous dramatic (and final) composition, ‘Requiem in D
Minor.’
Another huge crowd favorite, the Rockettes
racked up a 160.95 for their performance, putting them in third
in this portion of the competition behind Les Supremes and
Finland’s Team Unique, respectively.
This program, which was about energy,
speed, skill, athleticism and artistry, featured many standout
elements including a high-flying lift sequence in which several
skaters did Cirque de Soleil-like backbend moves, synchronized
death spirals from interesting entries, an intricate footwork
sequence and lightning-quick pass through.
For skaters of this team, the goal was to
put out their best performance.
“It feels amazing and it’s an honor,” said
Petra Viitanen, Team Helsinki Rockettes’ Captain. “We have
worked hard and it’s a great achievement to be on the podium.”
Despite a minor slip coming out of a lift,
the Rockette’s performance was so dynamic, powerful, technical
and intricate, it generated a great deal of buzz among
spectators long after the competition had concluded, much like
that of the performances of the other podium finishers, which
certainly spoke volumes about their work.
Team Unique of Finland, meanwhile, secured
bronze with a 237.68.
Skating to selections by Barbara Pravi and
Shigeru Umebayashi, this uber-focused team executed a gorgeous
lift sequence in which they did vertical 180-degree positions,
nice camel spins, fast footwork and a level-four no-hold to earn
a season’s best of 161.55 as well as second place in this
segment of the competition.
“We wanted to really use out strength,
which is our artistry and body movements,” said Jenni Puhakka,
Team Unique Captain.
Puhakka’s teammates agreed.
“We are also very happy,” said Tullia
Niituinpera, Team Unique Captain. “It’s been such a nice journey
this whole season.”
Team Nexxice of Canada earned a 155.91 for
their electric free skate to Ryuchi Sakamoto’s ‘El Mar
Mediterrani’ to clinch fourth with a 228.08 total.
“We built upon last season into this season
and it was really memorable,” said Emma Daigle, Team Nexxice
Captain. “It was amazing being out there, especially seeing all
the Canadian flags.”
The Haydenettes, the Boston-based reigning
U.S. titlists, racked up an impressive fifth-place finish with a
218.32 total.
This renowned synchro faction climbed from
sixth in the short to fifth overall for their incredible free
skate to David Madsen’s ‘Quest for Souls,’ in which they earned
a 153.55.
This program featured a fast and fluid
no-hold element, dramatic death spirals, beautifully extended
lifts and an adrenalized footwork line sequence, among other
things.
“We went out there, did our job and it
really paid off,” said Cameron Feeley, a Haydenettes Captain.
“We were definitely focused, especially on the crowd. Having the
crowd on our side throughout the whole performance made us calm,
but also gave us excitement.”
Feeley’s teammate and fellow Haydenettes
Captain, Autumn Coulthard, agreed.
“It was amazing to be out there,” said
Coulthard. “We were fighting for every element and leaving
everything out there.”
Canada’s Les Supremes soar to first in
short at World Synchronized Championships
Les Supremes, the 2022 International
Skating Union Canadian World gold medalists,
catapulted to first in the short program at the 2023 World
Synchronized Championships in Lake Placid with a rock-solid
short performance for which they racked up a season’s best, a
79.00, edging out the top spot among the 23-team roster by
nearly one point.
Skating to Estrella Morente’s ‘La Di a la
Cazae Alcance,’ this 16-member Montreal-based squad skated in
the manner of top world contenders as they were all about power,
precision and purpose, much to the delight of the packed house
of spectators at the famed Herb Brooks Arena in Lake Placid, New
York that was filled with a sizable Canadian, as well as
American contingent as well.
“It was super fun being out there and after
every element we really felt the energy of the crowd,” said
Julia Bernardo of Les Supremes. “I think the crowd fuels us and
we just love the sport.”
This team executed all of their elements
with strength, aptitude, unity and confidence, particularly the
spirals, twizzles and slide sequence that featured cool slides,
among other things.
“We’re really happy with our skate,” said
Bernardo. “The crowd was super welcoming and it was fun to see
all the Canadian flags with everyone standing and cheering us
on.”
Finland’s Team Helsinki Rockettes scored
the second-highest marks in this portion of the competition, a
78.61, for their high-charged program to Kate Bush’s ‘Breathing’
and Karl Hugo’s ‘Rebirth Breaths.’
Commanding the ice with the confidence of
seasoned global contenders, this team flew around the ice with
power, speed and confidence, earning big scores for all of their
required elements.
In particular, this team’s no-hold pass
through, line step sequence and spirals were notable and also
helped earn them high grade of execution marks.
“It was amazing. We did it together and
felt the team, felt the ice, felt the audience and it was
amazing,” said Petra Viitanen, the Rockette’s Team Captain.
Team Unique of Finland, wearing stunning
red dresses, wowed the Lake Placid crowd with their performance
to ‘I See Red’ and ‘Wicked Ways’ by Everybody Loves An Outlaw
for which they earned a 76.13, a season’s best.
“It was really, really loud and we enjoyed
it a lot,” said Tullia Niituinpera, of Team Unique. “Of course,
it feels really good to reach a new season best in the most
important competition of the season.”
Team Miami University of the U.S. placed an
impressive fifth with a 70.07 for their sensational routine to
the iconic classic rock hit ‘Dream On’ as performed by Cinematic
Pop and Rob Gardner.
Another major crowd favorite (especially
considering they were representing the U.S. here in Lake Placid)
this team resonated of elegance, power and precision and
executed memorable elements such as a wheel featuring a skater
doing a lovely layback spin as well as a fluid step sequence,
among other things.
For the skaters on this team, it was all
about working together and expressing the narrative of the
music, which was inspired by the memorable film ‘Miracle’ that
tells the story of the U.S. hockey team defeating Russia when
they claimed gold at the 1980 Olympics at the Herb Brooks Arena
where this event was being held.
“It was incredible being out there,” said
Brittany Rivelli of Team Miami University. “We just wanted to go
out there and show the world who we are and this music really
resonated with us.”
“We watched the movie ‘Miracle’ last week
and it really inspired us,” said Quintero, whose team scored
silver at the 2023 U.S. Synchro Championships. “Our motto is
grit drives success.”
The Haydenettes, the 2023 U.S. titlists
from Boston, were sixth after the short program with a score of
64.77.
“It was such an incredible experience,
especially during the whole warmup time,” said Cameron Feeley of
the Haydenettes. “Then I think in our opening pose, we felt the
energy and as soon as the music started, we were locked in and
in our zone and the crowd was there giving us energy, but we
made sure to stay in our bubble and stay focused throughout the
whole time.”
2023 World Figure Skating
Championships
Saitama, Japan
21-26 March 2023
By Klaus-Reinhold Kany
WOMEN
Women's Champion Kaori Sakamoto
Women Short Program
The short
program of the 35 women at the World Championships in Saitama,
Japan, had a very good level, although only one skater (Rinka
Watanabe fell) tried a triple
Axel. Quad are not allowed in women’s short programs.
The 2022
World Champion and favorite Kaori Sakamoto from Japan took the
lead with 79.24 points, almost six points ahead of the rest of
the field. All her seven elements were at least excellent,
including a combination of triple flip and triple toe loop in
the second half, which had even one GOE of +5. Her triple Lutz,
her double Axel, her three spins (all Level 4) were excellent as
well. Her step sequence had two GOEs of +5 because her speed and
her skating skills were superior to the other skaters. Her
components were around 9.1. with several 9.5 as highest ones.
She commented, “The first half of the
season my short program was not stable. So there were some
concerns and worries, but I was able to train towards this World
Championships. So all my worries and anxiety changed to
confidence. Today I was able to put everything out there and I
was able to not only have fun but a vigorous program. When I was
in Junior High School, we had a club summer camp and my coach
told me to skate with top speed and to jump without decelerating
the speed. At the time it was really scary for me but I started
to get used to it, and gradually jumping like that gave me great
pleasure and from there I started to wonder and be curious to
what would happen if I jumped like that in competitions. So that
is the beginning and reason why I am able to do such dynamic
jumps now.”
Haein Lee from South Korea sits second with
73.62 points. Her seven elements were excellent as well and had
mainly GOEs of +3, including the combination of triple Lutz and
triple toe loop and the triple flip. Her components were around
8.5. She said, “I tried really hard to come to this World
Championships, to win my ticket at Nationals. I am really happy
to be here with such great skaters as Kaori and Mai. I was
really happy to be able to put out my best, in this dream stage.
Winning at the Four Continents Championships helped me a lot to
build my confidence, and I was really happy to do that.”
The
second Japanese woman Mai Mihara is on third position with 73.46
points. Six of her elements were at least very good, but the toe
loop of her combination with the triple Lutz got a q because it
was nearly under-rotated. Her components had an average of 8.6.
She explained, “I never thought that I would be the most nervous
throughout the whole season. My legs were shaking going to the
sixth minute warm up, but when my name was called, I looked up
and I saw all these banners and people cheering for me. I almost
had tears in my eyes, and felt how happy I was. And it was a
joyful moment for me. And when I was skating, the tension turned
into very good positive power and energy for me. I was able to
go through the whole program and I really felt relieved. The
crowd was really warm with their cheering. It is true it makes
me nervous, but I’m trying to turn that nervousness into very
good tension for me. And they really pushed me to do well.”
The
new U.S. champion Isabeau Levito placed fourth with 73.03
points. Six elements were excellent, but like Mihara she got a q
for the triple toe loop of her combination. Her components were
around 8.5. She said, “I feel very good about my performance. I
was very interested in how I will do at my first Worlds, and
every arena feels different. It's my first time in Japan and I
really felt it. I am really proud of myself for skating the way
I skated, I am really happy with my score, and I’ve loved this
experience so far.”
Loena
Hendrickx from Belgium is currently on fifth position with 71.94
points. Six elements were excellent or even stellar, the step
sequence even had four GOEs of +5. But she fell on the triple
toe loop in her combination with the triple Lutz. Her components
were around 8.8. She commented, “I had a really rough time going
into the World Championships and my main goal was to enjoy it
today and to regain the joy. This season I was really nervous
all the time so what I tried to do today was just enjoying the
performance. And except that one mistake the rest was really
good and I gave everything in my might. I could be unsatisfied
but I am not despite the fall.”
Nina Petrokina from Estonia came sixth with
68.00 points. Six of her elements were very good, but in her
combination the triple toe loop after the triple flip got a q.
Her commentary, “I’ve worked very, very hard to be able to skate
the short program as clean as I did. I’ll probably change the
short program for next season, and now I have tears of joy and
tears of sadness in my eyes, because this is my favorite program
of all I had.”
Nicole Schott from Germany finished seventh
with 67.29 points after a flawless performance with a good
combination of triple flip and triple toe loop, a good triple
loop and an excellent step sequence. She said, “The World
Championship is my competition. It seems that I first need to
make it to the end of the season to just do it. It just felt
like "finally" because I did it for so long in training and
somehow it never really worked out. Training is one thing, there
are a lot of training world champions, but the ones who perform
consistently in competition are the ones who win medals and this
is just another confirmation that it can work for me.”
Bradie
Tennell finished eighth with 66.45 points. In her combination,
the triple Lutz as well as the triple toe loop got a q, as well
as the triple flip. The other elements were good. The components
had an average of 8.0. She commented, “I was really happy with
my performance, this was a really emotional skate for me. Being
back in Japan after two years, and back at Worlds. My first
Worlds with an audience since the last time I was here in 2019.
The fans are so supportive here, and I cannot express how much
that means coming back from an injury, and a year before with Covid.
It is such a wonderful feeling to have that support from
the fans, it just makes me want to work that much harder, to
give them a better performance. The entire past eight months
were probably some of the most difficult in my life.” Ekaterina
Kurakova from Poland placed ninth with 65.69 points.
The third U.S. skater Amber Glenn is tenth
with 65.52 points. Her combination of triple flip and triple toe
loop was good, her double Axel as well, but she touched down on
the triple loop. Her components were around 7.7. She said, “My
performance today was not terrible. I have had a very difficult
couple weeks just leading in – just out of nowhere accidents and
coincidences that could have prevented me from being here, but I
made it and held myself together pretty well.”
Women Free Skate
The
women’s free program in Saitama had a good level, although
nobody landed a clean triple Axel nor tried a quad. A lot of
skaters got standing ovations. Kaori Sakamoto from Japan
defended her title from last year, this time with 224.61 points.
Skating to “Elastic Heart” by Australian female singer Sia, she
opened her program with a huge double Axel which got four GOEs
of +5. Six triple jumps followed, most of them in an excellent
quality and no jump was under-rotated. But she had no
triple-triple combination because she popped the second flip,
could add, however, a triple toe loop. Her spins were very good
and her two step sequences outstanding. Her components had an
average of 9.2.
She commented, “This time ideally I wanted
to skate clean, and I really wanted to finish with a happy
smile. I really regret making the exact same mistake as four
years ago, but I was able to be calm and do the triple and I was
able to recover. So in that sense I think I feel my growth since
four years ago. The biggest challenge I had to overcome this
season was from getting the medal at the Olympics, then winning
at Worlds last year, and I had to overcome the pressure.
Unfortunately, at the beginning of the season I had many
disappointing experiences. But now that I think of it, that was
part of a good experience for me, when I overcame that at
Japanese Nationals.”
Haein Lee from South Korea won the silver
medal with 220.94 points and the best free program. She did not
pop any jumps and therefore had seven triples, including a
combination of triple Lutz and triple toe loop (which got a q).
Her step sequence and her combination spin were stellar and got
mainly GOEs of +4. Her music was from the musical “The Phantom
of the Opera” by Andrew Lloyd Webber and her components were
around 9.0. She said, “The first half of this season was very
rough to me, but I really tried not to give up and to bring back
myself. I achieved more than I expected. I brought everything to
the audience that I wanted to bring. I have admired Kaori
probably since 2016, especially about her techniques. When
skaters get into the jumps, they often reduce the speed. Their
body gets really tense because of the nerves, but she really
doesn’t show that. So I want to learn that from her. Achieving
the first World Championship medal for Korea ten years after Yuna Kim is such a huge honor to me. Next season I will go for
the triple Axel.”
Loena Hendrickx from Belgium took bronze
with 210.42 points and the fifth best short and the fourth best
free program. She has changed some music pieces several times
during the season and in Saitama used “Poeta” by Roby
Facchinetti and “Fallen Angel” by Karl Hugo. Five triple jumps
were very good, including a combination of triple Lutz and
triple toe loop at the beginning. But she fell on the second
triple Lutz. Two spins were very good, the layback spin and the
two step sequences outstanding. Her components were around 8.8.
She explained, “I really enjoyed the
audience and the atmosphere here. Despite the fall on the Lutz,
I think I had a real strong program and I’m satisfied with it.
It was a stupid mistake on the Lutz because I slipped off my
arm. Usually I jump with two arms up, but this time I didn’t
grip my wrists good enough and I think that was the reason for
the fall. To earn a second World medal for Belgium and myself is
just an amazing feeling. I already know Kaori for so many years.
I think to compete with her is just an amazing feeling. I think
she has so much speed through the programs; the jumps are so
big. I really admire her. For me the pressure was new this
season. It’s amazing to be here in Japan. I think Japanese
people are the best fans and to get another opportunity to skate
in Japan was just amazing. For me I will do a lot of shows this
summer so it’s new and I’m really excited.”
Isabeau Levito of Mount Laurel, NJ,
finished on fourth place with 207.65 points. She fell on her
opening triple Lutz and could not add a triple loop as planned.
Five other triple jumps were good, steps and spins even
excellent and her components had an average of 8.6. She said, “I
am severely disappointed because I’ve been nailing my Lutz-loop
for a really long time and this is the first time I’ve messed it
up in a while. But I’m pretty happy with myself for just
focusing on making the most out of the rest of the program.”
Mai
Mihara from Japan, the 2022 Grand Prix Final Champion, came
fifth with 205.70 points. Only three triple jumps were really
clean and she fell on the second triple Lutz. Other jumps were
under-rotated. Her step sequences were excellent, however.
Chaeyeon Kim from South Korea moved up from 12th place to sixth
overall with 203.51 points after performing the third best and
clean free program with seven triples.
Nicole Schott from Germany finished seventh
with 197.76 points after performing a free program with six
clean triples, good spins, very good steps, an elegant style and
more confidence than ever. For the first time in her long career
she got a standing ovation and two components of 9.0 for
presentation, the average was 8.2. She said, “I already felt
good during training. I’ve never done two clean programs and
this is the best result I’ve ever received in my career. To be
able to pull something like this off at a certain age and to
show others that, as long you continue, you can reach many
things. I really wanted to reach 200 points, just lacking a
little, but it’s O.K. The future is open. The situation is not
great in terms of finances in the German Federation and we have
to see what kind of solutions we have. Otherwise it’s just a
very expensive hobby.”
Kimmy
Repond from Switzerland is eighth with 194.09 points after a
clean program with seven triples. Nina Petrokina from Estonia
dropped from sixth to ninth place with 193.49 total points after
making several mistakes. But she was happy to be in the Top Ten
because this opens a second spot for an Estonian woman next
year. Rinka Watanabe from Japan came tenth with 192.81 points
after falling on a triple Axel, but landing five good other
triples. Nina Pinzarrone from Belgium is 11th in her World debut
and a very promising skater for the future.
The
second and third U.S. skaters were not very good, therefore the
third U.S. spot for next year’s Worlds got lost. Amber Glenn of
Colorado Springs placed 12th with 188.33 points. She had several
health problems before coming to Japan. She tried the triple
Axel again, but under-rotated the jump and almost fell. Three
other triples were good, but three more not clean. She said, “Of
course the free skate wasn’t what I wanted or what I’ve been
training. But I feel that mentally I held myself together.” Bradie Tennell, who trains in France since last summer, dropped
from 8th to 15th total spot with 184.14 points after landing
five jumps not in a clean way. She plans to stay in France next
season.
MEN
World Champion Shoma Uno
Men Short Program
The
short program of the 34 men who participated in the World
Championships 2023 in Saitama, Japan, had a very good level.
Shoma Uno from Japan, World Champion 2022, took the lead with
104.63 points, in spite of having some pain in his ankle after a
bad fall in training about ten days before. He opened his
program to “Gravity” by John Mayer with a very good quad flip,
followed by an excellent combination of quad toe loop and double
toe loop. His triple Axel was excellent as well. His three spins
(all level 4) were outstanding like his step sequence (level 3)
for which he got six GOEs of +5 and three GOEs of +4. His
components had an average of 9.4, with two 9.75 as highest ones.
He commented, “I think score wise as well
as the contents, it wasn’t all that bad. Of course I did have
some mistakes in a step and couldn’t get the level (four) I
wanted. And for the triple toe (in the combination), I know it
turned it into a double, but more than that, through the whole
year, I have been working on the short program, there is no
regret. But the past few days, of course with the fall in the
training, I was in a pretty bad shape for about the past ten
days. I was trying to think how I could do that and going into
this with a calm mind was not the answer. So I really pushed
myself to be motivated and in a fighting mode, and with the
strong mind I was able to deliver today so I was more happy than
usually.”
U.S.
champion Ilia Malinin sits second with 100.38 points after
performing a clean short program for the first time this season
and getting more than 100 points for the first time. He skated
to “I Put a Spell On You” by the Canadian singer Garou and
opened the program with a very good combination of quad Lutz and
triple toe loop (with both arms over his head), followed by an
excellent quad toe loop and a no less impressive triple Axel. A
quad Axel is not allowed in the short program as a jump without
combination. His spins and his step sequence (all level 4) were
very good as well and his components around 8.2.
He said, “I’m very satisfied with my
performance. I came here to deliver. I’ve been working the past
couple of weeks just performing and grinding this whole time and
I’m just very grateful to be here in front of the Japanese
audience. I’m so happy that I was able to put out a (clean)
performance. I have been practicing these last couple of weeks
so hard, and with so much effort so I am really glad I was
finally able to pull off this short program. I think it was a
good thing that I didn't put all the load on doing a lot of
jumps during that time. When I got injured I wasn't able to do a
Lutz, we took it out of the program. But I think that when I was
finally able to recover and get back to training, we trained it
a lot more, so that we can start to notice the consistency with
the Lutz.”
Junhwan Cha from South Korea, a student
of Brian Orser for many years, came third with a personal best
of 99.64 points after using a Michael Jackson medley. His quad
Salchow was stellar, his combination of triple Lutz and triple
loop excellent, like his triple Axel, his three level 4 spins
and his step sequence. His components were around 8.9. He
explained, “I'm very happy about my performance, too. I worked
really hard towards this World Championship. And I really
enjoyed skating today. For the past few seasons, and the
beginning of this season, I was really struggling. Even if the
training and the practice went well it didn’t come out of the
competition.”
Keegan Messing from Canada placed
fourth at his last Worlds with 98.75 points to the music “Grace
Kelly” by Lebanese-British singer Mika. His combination of quad
toe loop and triple toe loop was outstanding, his triple Axel
and triple Lutz excellent and his three and very fast rotated
spins. He said, “I feel incredible to finally pull out the clean
short at the World's stage. I have been working for the whole
year for this moment. Well, we started off on the right foot
here. Not to skate for a medal, but to skate for an experience,
and man, that was an experience out there.”
Kevin Aymoz from France is fifth with
95.56 points after performing a showy program. His combination
of quad toe loop and triple toe loop was a bit tight, but the
other six elements at least excellent. His freaky step sequence
even had six GOEs of +5. The student of Silvia Fontana in
Florida commented, “It was again a difficult season. It’s been
two years that I’m fighting and I’ve come to this competition
without any goals. It’s my 23rd year of figure skating and I
just want to be here and enjoy myself and I’ve no regrets after
skating. Worlds in Saitama was my first Worlds four years ago
and I was like, “It’s a comeback, comeback today, reborn.”
U.S. Nationals silver medalist Jason
Brown, who trains in Toronto, placed sixth with 94.17 points. He
no longer tries quads, but his triple Axel was good, his
combination of triple Lutz and triple toe loop excellent and his
triple flip outstanding, like his spins and steps. His change
foot combo spin had seven GOEs of +5, his step sequence six. His
components were around 9.3. with two perfect 10.0. He said,
“This program is all about reflection. The meaning behind it
when I was creating it with my choreographer Rohene (Ward) is
about the different ways that we reflect. Sometimes it’s about
looking at yourself in the mirror and you’re questioning what
you’re seeing. And sometimes it’s about taking off a tinted lens
and removing that film and seeing it more clearly.”
Kazuki Tomono from Japan finished on
seventh place with 92.68 points. His combination of quad toe
loop and triple toe loop and his triple Axel were excellent, but
he fell on the quad Salchow. His components were around 8.7.
Daniel Grassl from Italy is eighth with 86.50 points. His quad
Lutz was not clean, the other elements good, including a
combination of triple Lutz and triple toe loop. But his skating
style did not convince the judges very much. Lukas Britschgi
from Switzerland placed ninth with 86.18 points after a clean
program with quad toe loop and double toe loop. Vladimir
Litvintsev from Azerbaijan came tenth with 82.71 points after a
faultless program with a quad toe loop. The third U.S. skater
Andrew Torgashev ended up 22th with 71.41 points after falling
on the quad toe loop and performing an overturned triple flip
before the triple toe loop. His triple Axel and one spin were
so-so, two spins and the step sequence very good.
Men Free Skate
The men’s free program was the absolute
highlight of the whole World Championships 2023. Many skaters
gave excellent performances with successful quad jumps. The
19.000 spectators in the huge Super Arena in Saitama were
enthusiastic and awarded many standing ovations for very good
programs even if the skaters were relatively unknown to most of
them.
Local
hero Shoma Uno defended his title from last year and won gold
again, this time with 301.14 points. He was a bit injured on his
landing foot. Skating to sacred music by Johann Sebastian Bach
and others in modern versions, he opened his elegant free
program with an excellent quad loop, followed by a quad Salchow
which was stepped out, a stellar quad flip and a very good
triple Axel. Later he had two quad toe loops, both with a q and
the second one with a shaky single toe loop. An excellent
sequence of triple Axel and double Axel was his last jumping
element. His spins and his two step sequences were stellar. The
“normal” step sequence even received eight GOEs of +5. The
components were around 9.3, with one 9.75 as highest one.
He commented, “I’m just honestly happy
about all of this. I did both the short and the free skate
better than I expected. Especially for the free skate there were
little mistakes here and there but I was able to put on the best
performance I could do at this moment. I know I caused a lot of
concerns to everyone around me but I was able to pay them back
and show my gratitude with my performance today.”
Junhwan Cha from South Korea won a surprising silver medal with
296.03 points, many more than he has ever had. During the
pandemic he had stayed and trained in South Korea, either with
his childhood coaches or online with his longtime coach Brian
Orser. This happened often in the middle of the night for the
Canadian coach due to the time change. Skating to a medley of
James Bond soundtracks, Cha began with an outstanding quad
Salchow, followed by an excellent quad toe loop and a very good
combination of triple Lutz and triple loop. Five good or very
good triples came later and his choreographic step sequence had six
GOEs of +5. His components were around 9.1 with one perfect 10.0
for presentation.
He said, “If I think about World
Championships I have always not very good memories, but finally
I made a great memory this time. Last season, I had to withdraw
because of my skate boots (hook broke). And this season, when I
was getting ready for the World Championship, I had to change my
skates right before I came here because it broke again. But that
kind of experience makes me more improve. I can support what Shoma said that we’re all good friends and as human as a skater,
like talking each other. So we’re very like friendly and just
what he said like just fighting with me that’s the most
important part.”
U.S. Champion Ilia Malinin took the bronze
medal with 288.44 points. He used the soundtrack of “Euphoria”
by British singer Labrinth. Like usually in this season, he
began with his trademark jump, the quad Axel, which he landed a
bit shaky, but on one foot. He stepped out of the quad flip,
landed a shaky quad Lutz with a q and an excellent quad Salchow.
Later his second quad Lutz was under-rotated and first part of a
sequence with a triple Salchow. A very good combination of quad
toe loop and triple toe loop and a good combination of triple
Lutz and triple Axe were his last jumps. Because of his
concentration on the jumps he had not much time to show more
difficult linking steps and therefore his components were only
around 8.1.
He commented, “I’m just very grateful for
the performance that I was able to put out. I’ve been putting so
much work and effort into these past couple of weeks and I’m so
glad that I was able to pull it off. With the quad Axel, I’m
really honored that I was able to get the 12.86 points here, it
means so much to me. It’s really hard to go for a lot of risks
but sometimes you get a really good rewards. But I think that
maybe sometimes it’s okay to lower the risks and go for a lot
cleaner skate. I think that it will be beneficial to lower the
standards a bit.”
Kevin
Aymoz from France came fourth with 282.97 points. Skating to the
soundtrack of “Gladiator”, he opened his program with a good
quad toe loop, followed by eight mostly excellent triple jumps.
His outstanding and showy choreographic step sequence included several
elements which the ISU has allowed only recently, like sideward
Saltos and short handstands. After his program he had tears of
emotion as usual.
Jason Brown finished on fifth position with
280.04 points. He did not try any quad, but excelled by many
other qualities. Seven triple jumps were outstanding, the second
triple Axel good. His spins and step sequences were mainly
stellar as well and his elegance and harmony unique. Therefore
he had the highest components of the whole field with an average
of 9.6 and six perfect 10.0, five of them for presentation.
He commented, “I’m so happy about today’s
performance. I did the best I could to just stay in the moment
and stay grounded. I just soaked in the energy of this arena and
the people here, it’s been so special. I’ve been now in Japan
for three weeks and it was like home. And so I’m just so happy
to be out there. I didn’t think at the beginning of the season
that I even would be competing this year, so I’m really touched
to be here.”
Kazuki
Tomono from Japan placed sixth with 273.41 points. He fell on
the second quad toe loop but the rest of his program was
powerful and clean. Keegan Messing from Canada is seventh with
265.16 in his last World Championship. He started with two
excellent quad toe loops, but then popped the triple Axel and
fell on the flying sit spin. He said, “I’m a little disappointed
with the center section but it’s my final Worlds, for the most
part I kept my performance strong. That's my biggest goal for
this year.”
Lukas
Britschgi from Switzerland placed eighth with 257.34 points. One
quad toe loop and seven triples in his clean program were
excellent. “It was absolutely amazing to skate in Japan in such
a full arena. I’ve never experienced something like this with
this size before and it’s just fun. I was exhausted, but the
audience gave me enough energy to make it to the end.”
Italian champion Matteo Rizzo is ninth with 256.04 points, but
he was not as strong as often before. European champion Adam
Siao Him Fa finished on tenth place with 253.11 points,
but he made several mistakes. Daniel Grassl from Italy came from
Moscow with his new coaches including Eteri Tutberidze, finished
12th with 244.43 points and plans to stay with them. But his
small shape crisis is not yet over. The third U.S. skater Andrew
Torgashev finished only 21st with 210.59 points because he fell
on the downgraded quad toe loop, landed the triple Axel on two
feet and stepped out of the triple flip. Six other triple jumps
were very good, however. He said, “I would have liked better but
I’m so grateful to be here. I really enjoyed this experience so
for me today it was a good performance and what I was able to
manage.”
PAIRS
World Champions Riku Miura & Ryuichi Kihara
Pairs Short Program
The short program of the pairs had a good
level. 23 teams competed, 20 of whom will advance to the free
skating, so five groups of four with two ice resurfacings. The
Japanese pair of Riku Miura & Ryuichi Kihara who have trained
with Canadian coach Bruno Marcotte for several years in
Oakville, Ontario, took a clear lead with 80.72 points. They
used the music pieces “You’ll Never Walk Alone” by Hammerstein
II and Richard Rogers and “Sweet Hope Walk” by Karl Hugo. Six of
their elements were excellent and had mainly GOEs of +4,
including a triple throw Lutz. The triple toe loop was good as
well. Their components were around 9.0 with some 9.5 as highest
ones after showing more emotions than Asian skaters normally
show. While sitting in the kiss-and-cry area, Miura saw the
result of 80 points on the screen in front of her, stood up,
raised her hands and celebrated their points. But the spectators
could not see the points yet and laughed.
She
commented, “I was simply just happy and my happiness just
exploded. I saw the score but I didn’t know that everyone didn't
see the score yet, so I was jumping the gun but I didn’t know
about that.” Kihara added, “We are glad and relieved to finish
our short program today. We were able to deliver everything we
have been working on back in Toronto (Oakville). Our goal for
this season was to get 80 points in the short program, so we are
glad to have achieved our goal at the very end of the season. We
really have been having very good practices after Four
Continents, so we want to perform just like our practices.
Last year’s World Champions Alexa Knierim & Brandon Frazier of
Irvine, California sit on second place with 74.64 points. Six of
their elements were excellent and had mainly GOEs of +4, but
Frazier fell on the triple toe loop. They skated to “Separate
Ways” by Journey & Steve Parry. Their main coach Todd Sand had a
heart attack during Junior Worlds three weeks earlier, but after
two weeks in a Calgary hospital he could travel back to a
California hospital near his home and his wife Jenni Meno, but
he will need many weeks of rehabilitation in California. Instead
for him and his wife, their choreographer Shae-Lynn Bourne
accompanied them in Japan who had been in Japan anyway for
shows.
Frazier, “It was a pleasure to be able to compete again here in
Japan. I am happy overall with our fight today. We did a lot of
good things that we do at home, and in our day to day training.
I am personally disappointed about the jump mistake. It happens,
but I expect more of myself, need and should do better on that.
But as for everything else, I am very proud of us.” Knierim was
asked about the challenges they’ve faced following Todd Sand’s
heart attack, “I think it’s a very deep question because Todd’s
condition is very serious. So it’s difficult to train when you
feel broken inside, when your person is not there. However, that
person is the one who instilled fight in us. So we’re able to
work hard every day to make him proud.”
Sara Conti & Niccolo Macii from Italy are third at their first Worlds
with 73.24 points after competing a clean program to the Tango
“Oblivion”. They had trained for a week in Japan before to adapt
to the time change. Their triple throw loop was good, their
triple Salchow excellent. Their components had an average of
8.2. Conti said in the press conference, “For me, and I think
for us, it’s incredible to stay here with these two incredible
couples. For us it’s the best short program that we’ve skated
ever. We had little mistakes in the throw and in the death
spiral, but we’re so happy. The emotions are so high and the
nervousness is incredible.” Macii added, “We were happy at the
beginning of the season just because we had two Grand Prix
assignments. So that was already an achievement for us. And
every good competition and every result is a new achievement.
Being here today with this small bronze medal is like a dream
coming true, so we are really happy about our season.”
Deanna
Stellato-Dudek & Maxime Deschamps from Canada are on fourth
position with 72.81 points. Their twist and lift were excellent,
the other elements good, and they made no mistake.
Stellato-Dudek said, “It wasn’t our best performance of the year
but it was really strong and had some of our best elements that
we’ve performed in the short throughout the year. The ice is a
little bit different than what I’m used to - I’ve been
over-rotating all of my jumps so I had to make a lot of
adjustments on my landings to make sure that I stayed on my
feet.”
The U.S. team of Emily Chan and Spencer
Akira Howe of Norwood near Boston is fifth with 70.23 points.
Chan landed the triple throw loop on two feet and her triple toe
loop was under-rotated, the other elements were good. Chan
commented, “I actually felt really good before the performance,
I could feel the energy already in my body, ready to give it to
everyone.” Howe added, “I always love coming to Japan, the first
time was amazing, it was in Sapporo and this time in Tokyo
(Saitama). It is amazing, I love absorbing the culture,
especially being half Japanese.”
Lia
Pereira & Trennt Michaud from Canada are currently sixth with
65.31 points. This is only their third international
competition, but they are very promising. All elements were
clean, including a good triple toe loop. Alisa Efimova & Ruben
Blommaert from Germans are on seventh place with 65.23 points.
Efimova fell on the (under-rotated) triple toe loop, but the
other elements were very good, the triple throw loop even
excellent. Maria Pavlova & Alexei Sviatchenko, competing for
Hungary, placed eighth with 64.43 points after making no
mistake. The U.S. team of Ellie Kam & Danny O’Shea is ninth with
63.40 points. Their spin was a bit wobbly, but all other
elements good. Brooke McIntosh & Benjamin Mimar from Canada are
tenth with 63.33 points.
Pairs Free Skate
(24 March 2023) The pairs free
program of Worlds 2023 had a good, but no outstanding level. For
the first time in history, a Japanese pair won the gold medal at
an ISU World Championships, with 222.16 points, Riku Miura & Ryuichi Kihara were first at
the end although they made two mistakes in the free program.
They had been ahead by six points, and the second best free
program was enough to win. They skated to “Atlas, Two” by the
U.S. music project “Sleeping at Last” and to “Shared Tenderness”
by Karl Hugo. Their first three elements were excellent: a
triple twist, a jump combination of triple toe loop, double toe
loop and double Axel and a difficult Axel lasso lift. But then
Miura doubled the Salchow, which he tripled, and later fell on
the triple throw loop. All other elements were outstanding,
including their triple throw Lutz, like their elegance, their
pair skating harmony and emotions. Therefore they had components
of around 9.0, with one 9.75 as highest, higher than the U.S.
team had. But when they left the ice, Miura cried because she
feared she was responsible for missing the title.
Miura commented, “I’m happy that I was
able to come back here again, however I showed my weakness and
there were a few mistakes which is very regrettable. Having the
injury (last summer), I thought I would not be able to come
here.” Kihara added, “One week before we left for this
competition we had a simulation for the competition at our home
rink and coach Meagan was here with her two children, Zoey and
Miya, and she encouraged us a lot so we were very happy. This is
the first gold medal for Japanese pairs, so with this result, it
would be very much appreciated if new boys or girls would want
to take on the challenge to start pairs. I hope more pair
skaters will increase and in 10 or 20 years, people will look
back to this day and say this day was the turning point for the
Japanese pair discipline. I know it wasn’t our best free skate,
but I told Riku we should be proud of ourselves. I told her to
look up at the audience, look at how many people are cheering
for us.”
Last year’s World Champions Alexa
Knierim & Brandon Frazier of Irvine, California won the silver
medal with 217.48 points and the best free program, although
they were not faultless either. Skating to “Sign of the Times”
by Harry Styles and to “Healed Broken Wings” by Karl Hugo, they
opened their free program with a stellar triple twist which even
got three GOEs of +5. But then Frazier’s jump combination was
not triple toe loop, double toe loop and another double toe loop
which Knierim did. The landing of his first toe loop was shaky
and he could add only a single one after performing a
double toe loop as third jump. Later Knierim stepped out of the
triple Salchow, but all other elements were excellent, including
the triple throw loop, the triple throw flip and the three
lifts. Their components were around 8.8.
Frazier said, ”I’m very proud of Alexa’s and my passion
and the way we performed both programs.
We had some mistakes and of course we always want to do better
but, overall, I’m very fulfilled and proud of the fight we
showed this week. We absolutely love performing in Japan,
whether it’s competing or shows. The crowd is awesome and we
felt so much love and support from them.” Knierim added, “This
whole week, this whole time, this program, it was all for our
coach (who had a heart attack on March 2). Figure skating in
general, but specifically pair skating – it takes a long time to
understand how to do it and become good at it. The support and
guidance we’ve received from our federation to keep staying
committed and pursuing our dreams has propelled us forward. If
you look at our journeys individually, it’s been a very long
journey. So yes, Brandon and I have teamed up and it’s been
three short seasons, but it’s from the years and the time and
trust we’ve put into it (with previous partnerships). And I
think that’s what our younger skaters need to understand and
focus on as they develop – that it’s going to take a while.”
Sara
Conti & Niccolo Macii from Italy won the bronze medal with
208.08 points in their very first World championships and it was
the first World medal in pairs for Italy. Skating to the
soundtrack of “Cinema Paradiso”, they made no serious mistake
and most elements were good or very good. Macii only overturned
the first double Axel in their jump combination or triple toe
loop and two double Axels. Their components had an average of
8.5 and like the Japanese pair, they got a standing ovation.
Macii explained, “We shared the podium even
in the Grand Prix Final, so we are really happy to be here with
them. The skate today was not our best, our legs were stiff, and
we were really tense. We felt that we could have lost third
place, but we fought, and we are very happy how we fought for
it. It's a great achievement for our nation, for our team. I
think this gives a lot of push to the Italian movement, even for
the kids. For us it's the first time in Japan, so it's an
amazing experience. When we finished it, I was trying to breathe
after the program and Sara was talking to me so I turned around
and saw all these people standing around us.”
Deanna
Stellato-Dudek & Maxime Deschamps from Canada finished on fourth
position with 199.97 points in their first Worlds. Most elements
were good, the lifts and twist even excellent, but
Stellato-Dudek fell on the triple Salchow which he doubled. And
Deschamps stepped out of the double toe loop of their jump
combination. She said, “It was pretty rough, not a great
performance for us, we are pretty disappointed. I didn't really
want to end my season like this again.”
The
second U.S. pair of Emily Chan & Spencer Akira Howe came fifth
with 194.73 points, also in their first World Championship. Chan
fell on the double Axel of their combination, she doubled the
toe loop, which he performed with three rotations. She landed
the triple throw loop on two feet, but all other elements were
good. Lia Pereira & Trennt Michaud from Canada finished on sixth
position with the fourth best free skate and 193.00 total
points. Except from her almost falling on the triple Salchow and
him stepping out, they performed a clean program with many very
good elements. Maria Pavlova & Alexi Sviatchenko, skating for
Hungary, are seventh with 190.67 points. They had many very good
elements, but their components were relatively low.
Anastasia Golubeva & Hektor Giotopoulos Moore from Australia are
eighth with 189.47 points after executing the fifth best free
program with excellent throws and only one mistake. Annika Hocke
& Robert Kunkel from Germany finished ninth with 184.60 points
with an almost faultless free program. The second German pair of
Alisa Efomiva & Ruben Blommaert sits tenth with 184.46 points.
The third U.S. pair of Ellie Kam & Danny O’Shea ended up twelfth
with 175.59 points. Kam fell on the triple Salchow and during
the beginning steps of the death spiral, the other elements were
at least good.
Ice Dance
World Champions Madison Chock and Evan Bates
Rhythm Dance
The Rhythm Dance of the 33 ice dance
couples, 20 of whom reached the final, had an excellent level.
Madison Chock & Evan Bates took the lead with 91.94 points.
Dancing to two Sambas and one Rhumba from “Let’s Dance” by David
Bowie in a Remix by Ben Liebrand, they began their routine with
an outstanding twizzle sequence (level 4 for both skaters) which
had four GOEs of +5. Next was an excellent midline step sequence
(also level 4 for both) which had GOEs of +4 from all nine
judges. The stellar pattern dance type step sequence had a level
3, the curve lift (level 4) had two GOEs of +5 and the
level-free choreographic rhythm sequence had five GOEs of +5.
Their components had an average of 9,7, with mainly 9.75, but
nobody had a 10.0.
Chock commented, “It was an incredible
energy in the arena today. Looking around and seeing all the
thousands and thousands of fans that came out to support us and
cheer us on was just breathtaking and magical. It was such an
honor to perform in front of that audience – they really
propelled us through the program and gave us so much energy.
Having a big training group (in Montreal) that you train with
regularly and the strong support system of coaches is integral
to longevity, success and the happiness that you feel every
day.” Bates added, “The World Championships seem to be very
competitive across all disciplines.”
Charlène Guignard & Marco Fabbri from Italy
sit second with 88,21 points. They danced to a Samba and a
Rhumba by Grace Jones and the Salsa “Cuba” by the Gibson
Brothers. They were the only team to get a level 4 for the
pattern dance type step sequence and had mainly level 4 for the
other elements, but their GOEs were a bit lower than those of
the Americans. They performed a new lift. Their components were
around 9.3. Fabbri commented, “As Madison said, it was a great
crowd today, it was a great atmosphere, so skating has been
pretty easy for us tonight. We can say that sharing your
everyday practices with somebody makes it much easier. When we
started skating together, we were basically alone because we
were almost the first couple Barbara (Fusar Poli) had.”
Piper Gilles & Paul Poirier from Canada
placed third in the Rhythm Dance with 87.34 points. It was their
first competition after the Grand Prix Final in December because
Gilles had an appendectomy surgery in December and they could
not train for several weeks. Their levels were a bit lower
(midline steps level 3 and pattern dance sequence level 2), but
their GOEs was mainly +4 and some +5 and their components were
around 9.5. Poirier stated, "I think continuing to applaud the
amazing crowds that we had today, I think just performing today
is so special and so much fun as it is special with the view.
Like clapping rhythms where all of the programs were so much
fun. I couldn’t practice, especially after not competing in
three months. It just so nice to be back out of competition ice.
So while we haven’t competed in a while we also had more
opportunities to get some rest since the Grand Prix.”
Lilah Fear & Lewis Gibson from Great
Britain came fourth with 86.56 points. Dancing to a Merengue by
Marc Anthony and two Chachas by Jennifer Lopez, they also had
five excellent elements with mainly GOEs of +3 and +4 and their
components were around 9.2. Fear said, “It was everything we
wanted, we wanted to put out our best rhythm dance of the
season, we did exactly what we trained, and regardless of where
we are and all the pressure that comes with that, we delivered.
We’ve competed a lot this season and this was the longest chunk
of time we had at home to just train, and we really wanted to
make the most of that and gain momentum coming into Worlds.”
Canadians Laurence Fournier Beaudry &
Nikolaj Soerensen took fifth place with 85.59 points. Their five
elements mainly had GOEs of +3, their levels were high as well
and their components around 9.2. Soerensen said, “The crowd is
just amazing. Getting standing ovations, show dances are always
fun, see the all Canadian flags, just really try to be what we
achieve this season, and so grateful to be here.”
The second U.S. team of Caroline Green &
Michael Parsons, who had won Four Continents in February,
finished on sixth position with 78.74 points. They had the same
levels as Gilles & Poirier and five very good elements, but
their GOEs were mainly +2 and +3 and their components around
8.6. Parsons explained, “I feel like I’m living like a dream
right now. This is my first Worlds, it’s in Japan and we just
skated the best we possibly could. I’m so happy what we’ve done
with our coaches. I’m really, really proud with how we skated
today. We’ve changed probably 75 % of our entire rhythm dance
after Four Continents. That was definitely our best skate of the
season.”
Allison Reed & Saulius Ambrulevicius from Lithuania, who train
in Montreal, are seventh with 78.70 points. They had five very
good elements and components of around 8.4. Reed said, “For me
it’s very special here in Japan, my mother is from here and it’s
part of who I am and it’s really special to skate on the ice
that my siblings competed in.” Juulia Turkkila & Matthias
Versluis from Finland came eighth with 76.97 points. Their
twizzles were a bit shaky, but the other elements very good and
their components around 8.5. Turkkila stated, “It was not the
easiest program, feeling wise. But the atmosphere was so great.
Help to push true.”
The
Czech brother and sister team of Natalie Taschlerova & Filip
Taschler are currently on ninth place with 76.56 points. They
had only a level 1 on the pattern step sequence, but presented
all five elements very well and in an unusually high speed.
Taschler said, “We had the first time in our lives standing
ovation, so it means a lot. Natalie told me in the end, “Look
they are standing!”, and then I started to cry a little bit, it
was amazing.”
The third U.S. team of Christina Carreira & Anthony Ponomarenko sit
tenth with 75.24 points. They came as alternates for Kaitlin
Hawayek & Jean-Luc Baker who pause at the moment. Carreira &
Ponomarenko train with Scott Moir in London, Ontario, had good
levels, five very good elements with mainly GOEs of +2 and
components of around 8.1. Carreira said, “We’re really happy
with how today went and I think probably the best performance of
the season.”
Kana
Muramoto & Daisuke Takahashi from Japan came 11th with 72.92
points. Takahashi, who had been men’s world champion in 2010,
admitted he lost count on the twizzles and made one turn more
than Muramoto, but the rest was good.
Free Dance
The
Free Dance at the World Championships 2023 in Saitama had a high
level, and the 19,000 spectators gave many standing ovations,
but no couple had any component of 10.0. Madison Chock and Evan
Bates are the new World Champions with 226.01 points. All their
elements were outstanding, but they had a short fall near the
end in a linking step. Dancing to “Souffrance” by the French
band “Orange Blossoms” and to “Les Tectoniques” by Quebec singer
Jorane, they had chosen to perform one combination of two curve
lifts and one short lift instead of three short lifts. The
combination lift and the straight line lift had mainly GOEs of
+4. All level elements had a level 4. The choreographic spinning
movement and the dance spin had seven GOEs of +5. Their
components had an average of 9.5 with many 9.75. After their
Grand Prix which were not so successful, they had changed the
whole concept of the free dance and it looked more convincing
now.
Chock said, “It feels like this has been a
really big goal for us for such a long time and it's such an
incredible experience to have accomplished this goal here in
Saitama amongst the incredible crowd. And today especially they
were literally to the roof of the arena. It was incredible to
look up and see everyone supporting us all and cheering us on.
This season has certainly unfolded in many unpredictable ways,
but all paths seemingly have led to this moment. We learned a
lot this season about ourselves, about we want to accomplish and
what it takes to achieve that. We really had to dig very, very
deep many times this year. That little blip in the middle was so
fast and so unexpected I surprised myself. I was really enjoying
every second of being out on the ice with Evan and our
connection and our training has led us to recover quickly so it
was a very small blip in what was otherwise a very fun and
emotional performance.” Bates added, “We haven't really made an
official decision about next season, we are planning to do World
Team Trophy and to do some shows this spring and summer.”
Charlene Guignard & Marco Fabbri from Italy won the silver medal
with 219.85 points. Their one foot turns sequence had a level 3
for both partners, all other level elements had a level 4. All
elements were excellently executed and GOEs of +4 dominated,
four of them had some GOEs of +5. Their components were also
around 9.5. Their music pieces were “My Love Will Never Die” by
Claire Wyndham, the soundtrack of “Mephisto’s Lullaby” by Yair
Albeg Wein & Or Kribos and “Eden” by Spanish-Mexican pop singer
Belinda. Fabbri commented, “This medal for us means so much,
it’s an incredible reward for many years of hard work, of
difficult moments, ups and downs. We still have to process this
moment because we still can't believe that we achieved this
silver medal here at Worlds but it feels really great. After
World Team Trophy we're going to have some rest, we will think
about many things and then we'll take a decision.”
Piper Gilles & Paul Poirier from Canada won the bronze medal with
217.88 points. During the Grand Prix, they looked like future
world champions. But after the Grand Prix Final, which they won,
they had to pause for more than two months because Gilles had to
undergo appendectomy surgery. The students of Carol Lane and
Juris Razgulajevs danced to the soundtrack of “Evita” about the
life of former Argentinian president Evita Peron and her
boyfriend Che Guevara. Their components were also around
9.5 and the majority of their elements had GOEs of +4. Gilles
said, “I think we're really proud of ourselves after a
performance like that. We really didn't know what to expect
after a couple of months being off. The moment we stepped on the
ice even yesterday and today we just felt really calm and we did
everything that we could to be here in this moment. It really
helped to have a crowd again.”
Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson from Great
Britain finished on fourth place with 214.73 points after being
sixth last year. They train in the Ice Acedemy of Montreal, they
chose two songs of Lady Gaga dancing in a very modern way. Their
elements also had more GOEs of +4 than +3, their choreographic
character steps even seven GOEs of +5 and their components
around 9.3. Fear explained, “It was so much fun. The balance
between being focused on our job and also letting in the amazing
experience and it felt like we did both and really had a blast
especially in the choreographic steps. I’m so overwhelmed right
now, we had a beautiful experience here.” Gibson added, “Getting
a standing ovation in both programs was just out of this world.”
Laurence Fournier Beaudry & Nikolaj Soerensen from Canada had
represented Denmark until January 2018, but then switched to
Canada because Fournier Beaudry could not get Danish citizenship
which she would have needed for the Olympic Games. They were
ninth at the Games of 2022 for Canada and came fifth in Saitama
with 214.04 points with the fourth best free dance to a medley
of Mexican and Western soundtracks. Their choreographic
character steps had eight GOEs of +5, the other elements mainly
+3 and +4 and the components around 9.4.
The second U.S. team of Caroline Green &
Michael Parsons placed sixth at their first world championships
with 201.44 points. Dancing to “Rhapsody in Blue” by George
Gershwin, they also had only excellent elements with mainly GOEs
of +3, a bit lower levels and components of 8.9. Parsons stated,
“It felt amazing. All the credit goes to our coaching team for
having us super prepared. Both days here we just got on the ice
and did our jobs to the best of our ability.”
Allison Reed & Saulius Ambrulevicius from Lithuania, who train
in Montreal and skated to “Insomnia” by “Faithless”, are seventh
with 199.20 points. All their elements were excellent as well
and had mainly GOEs of +3, the non-level choreographic elements
even had some +5. Reed, who is American, said, “The audience was
really in it from the start and that gives some extra boost for
the whole program and it’s great to start off that way and we
really felt it today. The lift to start is the hardest element
we have, so once that’s out of the way, we’re like, “YES!”
Nathalie Taschlerova & her brother Filip Taschler from the Czech
Republic finished on eighth place with 196.39 points. Their
elements were mainly rewarded with GOEs of +3 and their
components were around 8.6. European bronze medalists Juulia
Turkkila & Matthias Versluis from Finland placed ninth with
193.54 points. They danced in an elegant way which make elements
look easy. Both skaters stumbled a bit on the twizzle sequence,
but the other elements were excellent.
The
third U.S. team Christina Carreira & Anthony Ponomarenko train
in London, Ontario and finished tenth with 190.10 points. They
danced to the soundtrack of “Backbone” and to “Summertime” by
George Gershwin. Their elements had GOEs of mainly +2 and +3 and
their components were around 8.3. Carreira said, “I think it was
our best one all season – maybe one of the best times we’ve ever
skated – so we’re really proud of what we put out this week.”
Interview with Sophia Baram and Daniel Tioumentsev, 2023
World Junior Pair Champions
Interview with Emily Chan and Spencer Howe
2023 World Junior Figure Skating Championships
Calgary, Canada
Text by Klaus-Reinhold Kany
The 2023 ISU World Junior Championships took place in the
Winsport Arena in Calgary which has around 3,000 seats and is
situated about eight miles west of downtown. Calgary is
Alberta’s biggest and a fast growing city of almost 1.5 million
people and is the center of the Canadian oil industry.
The Arena is situated in a huge multisport center which was
built in 2011-2013 near the ski jump venue in the Olympic park
which were used during the Calgary Olympic Games of 1988. The
whole area is called Olympic Park.
There are four ice rinks in this building. Like during the
whole season, skaters competing for Russia were banned, but a
number of Russians or former Russians took part who competed for
other countries.
The number of spectators was disappointing. During the week
about 200 per day and on the weekend around 500, thought the
women's final drew nearly 700. There were also a large
number of credentialed persons in the audience, for perhaps and
additional 100 spectators, with athletes from many teams
cheering on their conpatriots.
Japan won two gold medals, the USA and the Czech Republic one
each.
Men
The men’s event at Junior
Worlds 2023 in Calgary had a good, but not outstanding level. 42
young men competed. 17-year-old Kao Miura from Japan trains in
Yokohama near Tokyo and won the event with 264.74 points and a
huge distance of 44 points to the rest of the field. He had been
fifth at the Grand Prix Final in December and won the Four
Continents Championship in February. In Calgary, he opened the
short program to two tangos by Astor Piazzolla with an excellent
triple loop, followed by an impressive triple Axel. In his
combination, the triple toe loop after the triple flip was a bit
shaky. Quads are not allowed in a junior’s short program. The
three level 4 spins were good, the step sequence very good and
the components around 8.1. He commented, “All season long
I've been skating the programs with the senior program
requirements and because of the junior requirements being
different, I was nervous for all the elements. But somehow I
managed it and so I'm really happy about that.”
His free program to the soundtrack of “The Beauty and the
Beast” got 38 more points than the second best free program. His
first element was an outstanding combination of triple Axel,
Euler and triple Salchow, followed by a deeply landed quad toe
loop and a very good quad Salchow. The second triple Axel and
the second quad toe loop (with a triple toe loop) were
excellent, a triple flip as well, he only stepped out of the
triple loop near the end. His spins and step sequences
were good and his components had an average of 8.4. He said,
“Today I was able to get a pretty good performance. Especially
in the second half of the program I was able to land the
combination of the quad & triple. I would like to be able to
participate next season in the Senior World Championships and
really bring up the level of my performances. Having become the
Four Continents champion added a lot of pressure for me coming
into this competition.”
The silver medal for
16-year-old Naoki Rossi from Switzerland, winning 220.68 points,
was a big surprise. He has Japanese and Swiss parents and trains
now in Egna, Northern Italy, in the school of Lorenzo Magri.
Several Swiss skaters have improved much this season because
they could take profit from the pandemy. All Swiss rinks had
been closed for the public and for hobby skaters for months. But
skaters of the national team were allowed to train and had much
more training time than before. Rossi performed his short
program to three flamenco-style music pieces by Ikuko Kawai.
After a good triple Axel, his triple loop was O.K. and his
combination of triple Lutz and triple toe loop a bit wobbly. His
spins and his step sequence were excellent, his components were
around 7.3. He explained, “I'm really glad with my program.
Never ever in a million years have I ever thought that I was
going to be third. Last year I missed a (jump) combo and lost
lots of points and I was really devastated after the short
program. I especially worked on condition training.”
He opened his free program to three pieces of “Eternal
Eclipse” with a good combination of triple Axel and double toe
loop, followed by a second triple Axel. Four other clean triples
came later and the loop was double. He only got an edge call on
the triple flip. Two of the three spins were excellent and he
really interpreted the music very well and had components of
7.6. Later he stated, “I'm actually really speechless right now.
I never expected to be on the podium. I'm very glad about my
performance today. Well I could have maybe done it a little
better since I popped a loop today, but I still focused on the
next jump and never gave up until the end of the program. When I
realized I was on the podium in the kiss and cry I got a bit
emotional.”
The second Japanese Nozomu Yoshioka won bronze with 217.79
points after being seventh in a clean short program with
excellent triple Axel, good triple loop, very good combination
of triple Lutz and triple toe loop, but less convincing spins
and not much interpretation. In his free program to “Pirates of
the Caribbean”, his combination of quad toe loop and triple toe
loop was almost clean, but he stepped out of the second quad toe
loop. Four other triples were clean and the flip got an edge
call. He explained, “Today in my performance I was able to get
very tight rotations on all of my jumps until the end. But I did
make many small and costly mistakes so that was a little bit
disappointing. But this result at such a very big competition is
very satisfying to me.”
Italian skater Nikolaj
Memola finished on fourth position with 216.44 points. His
triple Axel and his triple loop in the Rakhmaninov short program
were very good, but in his combination he almost fell on the
triple toe loop after performing the triple Lutz. In his free
program, four triples were good, but he doubled the first Axel
which was planned triple, fell on the second triple Axel and the
last three triples were technically not perfect. He is Italian
alternate for Senior Worlds and the World Team Trophy, therefore
he has to stay in shape.
Wesley Chiu from Canada came
fifth with 213.88 points. His triple loop, triple Axel and spins
in the short program were excellent, but he touched down on the
triple Lutz in his combination. In the free program, he dropped
from second to fifth place because he popped the two planned
quad toe loops and stepped out of the triple Axel. Hyungyeom Kim
from South Korea placed sixth with 213.56 points. In the short
program, the triple Axel and the combination of triple Lutz and
triple toe loop were good, but the loop got a q. In the free
program, only three triples were good, but four other either had
a q or were stepped out.
U.S. skater Lucas Broussard
of Seattle finished seventh with 209.47 points. In the short
program to a piano version of the Tango Adios Nonino, he stepped
out of the triple Axel and touched down, the other elements were
very good. In the free program, he went down on the quad toe
loop and the triple Axel. His camel spin got no points, but five
triples were good, the choreographic steps even outstanding. Yudong
Chen from China is eighth with 205.12 points. His triple Axel in
the short program was good, but he fell on the triple Lutz and
therefore had no combination. He began his free program with a
very good quad Salchow, but missed the quad toe loop and the
triple Salchow of his combination with a triple flip and an
Euler.
Arlet Levandi from Estonia came ninth with 204.73 points. He
has no triple Axel, but his double Axel in the short program was
excellent. He stepped out of the triple loop, but because of his
excellent choreography he had the third highest components and
in the free even the second highest components of around 7.7.
The second American Daniel Martynov of Coral Springs, Florida,
came tenth with 204.67 points. His short program was faultless
with a good triple Axel and he had also two good triple Axels in
his free program, but the other triples were not as good. The
third U.S. skater Michael Xie of Oakland, California did not
reach the final. Instead, he ended up only 34th with 53.46
points after falling on the triple Axel, again on the triple
loop and stepping out of the triple Lutz in his combination.
Dance
The ice dance competition of Junior Worlds in Calgary,
Alberta, had a good level although nobody was outstanding. 30
couples competed, 20 of whom reached the free dance. There were
only two falls in the Rhythm Dance and one in the free dance.
The gold medal winners Katerina Mrazkova (16) & Daniel Mrazek
(19) made history because they were the first Czech ice dance
team ever to win a medal at an ISU championships. They collected
177.36 points and had taken a narrow lead in their dynamic
Rhythm Dance to the Tango “A Evaristo Carriego” and to the Paso
Doble “Espana Cani”. They were the only team to meet all eight
key points in the two Tango sections. The rotational lift was
excellent and had a level 4 and in their good twizzle sequence
she had level 3 and he level 4. In their midline step sequence,
she had level 3 and he level 2. Their components were around
7.9. Mrazek commented, “There were some mistakes but it was
still great performance so we're happy.”
In their free dance to the soundtrack of “The Man In the Iron
Mask”, the brother-and-sister team excelled again by their high
speed and expansive steps. All eight elements of the students of
young Italian coach Matteo Zanni, who works with them mainly in
Bolzano in Northern Italy, were excellent and had mainly GOEs of
+3 and +4. Three level elements had a 4 for both dancers, the
three others a 3 for both and their components were around 8.3,
with one first 9.0 in their career for skating skills. They are
ice dancers only for two and a half years and rose very quickly
to a top team.
Mrazek had competed at two Junior Grand Prix in singles in
2018 and commented, “The rhythm dance for us was not so great
because we were nervous, we scared to do a mistake. So we tried
to be more chill in the free dance and I think we did it better
today. We started single skating when we were young - our coach
was our mom. We were no really good jumpers, but our mother
taught us how to skate very well. I had an injury and realized
that I would not be the best in single skating anymore. So I
decided to start an ice dance career. I asked my sister if she
wanted to skate with me and she said yes.” When he said that
everybody in the press conference room around laughed because it
sounded as if he had asked her to marry him. Mrazkova added, “We
always wanted to have a gold medal from Junior Worlds -- it was
one of our goals. We plan to move up to seniors.”
Canadians Hannah Lim & Ye Quan, skating for South Korea, the
former home country of their parents, won silver with 174.39
points and are the first South Korean ice dancers to win a medal
at an ISU championships. They train in the Ice Academy in
Montreal. In their Rhythm Dance to the Milonga “Primavera
Portena”, they had a level 4 for four elements and a level 2 for
the first tango section. Their components were around 7.8. Lim
explained, “We were able to achieve our goals that we set. We
connected really well and we performed to the audience, which is
really fun for a tango program.”
In their free dance to the classical “Danse Macabre” by
Camille Saint-Saens, most elements were excellent and had GOEs
of mainly +3. The one foot turn sequence was good and their
components around 8.0. Lim said, “I'm really proud that we were
able to work super hard the whole season and at the end, when we
were able to get a medal, it was just a celebration. I'm really
glad that we were able to get our first medal for Korea. My
parents are both Korean and when they first asked me if I wanted
to represent Korea I wanted to as a thank you present for them
because of all the support that they put into skating and it was
not easy. We're a bit nervous to go to seniors because we have a
lot of amazing senior skaters in our school, but we have to
move. We can look up to them - they're always pushing us.”
Nadiia Bashynska & Peter Beaumont from the school of Carol
Lane in Scarborough near Toronto, Canada, took bronze with
169.13 points. In the Rhythm Dance to the Spanish Waltz “Espana”
and the “Tango Grande” from the film “The Great Gatsby”, three
elements had a level 4 and the two Argentine Tango sections
levels 1 and 2. The twizzles and the rotational lift were
excellent, the other elements good and the components had an
average of 7.8. In their free dance to “The Red Violin” and to
“Oh Sweet Springtime From Long Ago” by Jules Massenet, they
moved up from fourth to third place with very good elements and
components of around 7.8. A highlight was their outstanding
combination lift for which they earnt 13.78 points. They will
age out of Juniors and Beaumont said, “I am getting old, but I'm
looking forward to a bit of Samba and '80s music next year.”
Phebe Bekker & James Hernandez from Britain train with Penny
Coomes and Nicholas Buckland in Aston, Pennsylvania. They
finished fourth with 169.07 points, just .06 points behind the
bronze medal. In the Rhythm Dance to two Flamencos and one
Tango, they had high levels and met seven of the eight key
points of the two Tango sections. Their components were around
7.6. In their free dance to Vivaldi’s “Four Seasons”, they had
good levels again. But the excellent lift combination was more
than 12 seconds long and cost them bronze because one point has
to be deducted for an extended lift. Their luggage with their
skates had not arrived with them. Therefore they missed some
practice. They will also move up to seniors.
Leah Neset & Artem Markelov
of Colorado Springs are the best U.S. team placing fifth with
162.59 points. The students of Elena Dostatni had mixed levels
and performed five good elements in the Rhythm Dance to
Flamenco, Tango and Paso Doble. In their free dance to the
soundtrack of “Pirates of the Caribbean”, they moved up from
seventh to fifth place, performing very good elements. Their
highlights were the choreographic sliding movement and the
choreographic
character step sequence. Celine Fradji & Jean-Hans Fourneaux
from France came sixth with 156.92 points. Their Rhythm Dance
had outstanding twizzles, but in the free dance, their levels
were lower.
Sandrine Gauthier & Quentin Thieren from Canada and the
academy of Montreal placed seventh with 156.65 points after
performing eight good elements in the free dance. Canada may
send three teams to next year’s Junior Worlds again.
The second U.S. team of Jenna Hauer & Benjamin Starr of
Simsbury, Connecticut, came eighth with 154.12 points and helped
to allow the USA to send three dance teams to Junior Worlds 2024
in Taipeh. The third U.S. team of Helena Carhart & Volodymyr
Horovyi of Marina Zueva’s school in Estero, Florida, finished on
ninth position with 149.87 points, ahead of Angelina
Kudriavtseva & Ilia Karankevich who skate for Cyprus, left
Russia in December and now train in Italy.
Darya Grimm & Michail Savitskiy from Germany performed a very
good Rhythm Dance and finished there on sixth place. But the
next day Grimm had a stomach virus with fever and they had to
withdraw.
Sofiia Beznosikova & Max Archadi Brunovitch Leleu, who
compete for Belgium, had big travel problems because Beznosikova
is Russian and got a visa for Canada only in the last minute.
She arrived from Israel in Calgary after four flights and just
three hours before the Rhythm Dance. But they did not qualify
for the free dance.
Women
(4 March 2023)
The women’s event of the 2023 Junior Worlds had a high level,
even without Russian competitors. All six top skaters come from
East Asia, the best European woman was seventh and the best
North America eighth. 47 skaters competed.
14-year-old Mao Shimada from the school of Mie Hamada in Kyoto,
Japan, celebrated a run-away victory with 224.54 points, 18 years
after her idol Mao Asada, whom her parents named her after, had
won Junior Worlds also in Canada, in Kitchener, Ontario. In a
close decision with a distance to .59 points to the second
placed South Korean skater Jia Shin, Shimada won the short
program. She skated to the soundtrack of “Lion King” and fought
like a lioness. Triple Axels and quads are not allowed in junior
ladies short programs. Therefore Shimada’s and all top skaters’
most difficult element was a combination of triple Lutz and
triple toe loop, in Shimada’s case very good, like her required
triple loop and the double Axel. The layback spin was
outstanding (eight GOEs of +4) and the stellar change foot
combination spins had even six GOEs of +5. The remaining two
elements were excellent and her components 7.8.
She
commented, “In practice my jumps were not going well, but today
during the warm up I felt my body was moving well. I really
worked hard on the elements, other than the jumps, to be able to
do them more beautifully. I’m trying hard, so people can see the
lioness in me. I’ve worked on my expression and to maximize each
element. As this is my last time performing this SP I wanted to
give it my all and I think I did that! My favorite scene of the
“Lion King” is when Rafiki holds up Simba. I hope people see me
as a lioness as I try to represent it in my program.”
Performing to “Passepied” by Jean-Michel Blais and to “Wild
Swans Suite” by Daniel Hope, she opened her spectacular free
program with an excellent triple Axel, followed by the only quad
toe loop of the day which got a q for being nearly
under-rotated. Seven other very good triples and outstanding
spins followed, plus an impressive choreographic step sequence. Her
components were around 8.5. She said, “This medal is full of
emotions, I felt a lot of happiness after landing the triple
Axel and quad toe, but I told myself there was a lot of
difficulties still to come and I had to concentrate. There were
many competitions where I couldn’t land these jumps in the past
and that scared me. But it was never an option for me not to do
it.” Because of the new age rules, she is not allowed to move to
seniors until after the next Olympic Games.
Jia Shin from South
Korea won the silver medal with 201.90 points. Her short program
to “The Giving” by Michael Smith with the same excellent
elements as Shimada was flawless as well. Her GOEs were just a
little bit lower, but her components even a bit higher. She
explained, “I was nervous today, but I tried to pull out my confidence and
to do my best so I feel very happy it went well. After Nationals
I had a small ankle injury and I was off the ice for a week.
What I most like are the jumps because the feeling of
achievement when I succeed each jump makes me very happy.” In
her free routine to the “Trees of Life” suite by Roberto Cacciapaglia,
she had seven triples, mostly very good, but no
triple Axel and no quad. Her only mistakes was a small fall on a
step right after the choreographic sequence. Her components were around 7.7.
She said, “I’m happy to win another medal at Junior Worlds.
I felt David Wilson's
choreography style fits my skating and my choreography ability,
therefore I worked with him. My most memorable competition was
the Junior Grand Prix Final -- I was able to deliver two clean
programs. For next season I want to conquer my weaknesses.”
Ami Nakai from Chiba in Japan won the bronze medal with 197.40
points. Skating the same short program elements as the top two
skaters, her GOEs were mainly +2 and +3 and she made no mistake
either. She interpreted “I Got Rhythm” by George Gershwin. She
said, “I did a
clean short program, and so I’m very happy with my performance.
I worked to get my jumps consistent and to have more flow in my
skating. What I really
enjoy the most is performing freely in front of a lot of people.
My strength would be giving a lot of expression
in my steps.” In her free program to
“Miss Saigon” by Claude-Michel Schoenberg, she fell on the
triple Axel, but all seven other triple jumps were impressive,
her spins and chore step sequence as well. She commented, “I
was happy to get a medal on this big stage. When I was
attempting my triple Axel I was able to tighten my arms and I
thought I was doing it exactly the same as usual, but somehow I
missed the landing.”
Yujae Kim from South Korea placed fourth with 193.62 points. In
her short program, she performed the same elements as the top
three skaters, but a bit less strong. Her triple loop got a q
and her components were around 7.0. She opened her free program
to a strange soundtrack of “Aida” by Elton John with an
excellent triple Axel, followed by five good other triples and a
triple loop which was a bit under-rotated. The spins were good,
the choreographic steps excellent. Minsol Kwon, also from South Korea,
finished on fifth position with 191.06 points. Her triple flip
in the short program got a q, everything else was very good. In
her free program, six triples were good, only the triple Lutz
got an edge call. Xianhyi An from China is sixth with 183.94
points. Her short program with a combination of two triple toe
loops was faultless, but in her free program four triples were
not clean. She said that her initial goal was to reach to top
24, so this result is beyond her imagination. She also practices
gymnastics.
Kimmy Repond from Switzerland, who had been third at Europeans
in January, is seventh with 180.32 points after being tenth in
the short program. There, three jumps were more or less
under-rotated, because she had been a bit sick before. But in
the free program, six of her triple jumps were at least good,
only the triple Lutz got an edge call. She rotates extremely
quickly.
The best U.S. skater was Clare Seo of Colorado Springs who came
eighth with 172.62 points. The student of Tammy Gambill skated a
double Lutz instead of a planned triple one as first part of her
combination and almost fell on the triple toe loop. The other
elements were good. Four
triple jumps in her free program were good, but both triple
flips were not and she explained, “I
have a few regrets about the program, but I am happy I didn’t
fall.” Inga Gurgenidze from Georgia is ninth with 172.50 points
after landing two triple Axels in the free and moving up from 19th
place. Kaya Ruiter from Canada finished tenth with 169.65
points.
The two other U.S. skaters did not have good days. Soho Lee of
Anaheim, California is 15th with 149.16 points after
falling on the loop in the short program and under-rotating two
more jumps. In her free program she made five mistakes.
Josephine Lee of Lakewood, California, ended up 19th
with 138.22 points. In her short program she fell on the triple
flip and therefore had no combination. In her free, six of the
seven jump elements went wrong.
Pairs
(3 March 2023) 14
pairs competed at Junior Worlds 2023 in Calgary. The general
level was mixed. Only two pairs had more than 170 points
and five more than 150.
During the championships the ISU
organized a small pair coach meeting to discuss the age problem
which three pairs at Junior Worlds (the winners from the USA,
the Japanese and one German pair) will have next season, and
potentially a few others.
This problem occurred becausethe ISU
raised the required minimum age of girls for seniors at the
ISU congress 2022, decided mainly because of the Valieva case.
This new rule said that from the 2023/24 season on girls may
skate in seniors only if they have their 16th birthday before
July 1, 2023 and in the season 2024/25 only if they have their
17th birthday before July 1 2024. But the maximum age for junior
men in pairs is 21 at these dates. If the men are older, they
are no longer allowed to skate in juniors and the girls are too
young to skate in seniors This would mean the pairs
with conflicting dates cannot skate internationally at all.
But the ISU needs more pairs. Therefore
some federations could ask the ISU council, which meets
almost every month, to allow those pairs who have done
international junior competitions this season to continue
provisionally in juniors next season even if the man is too old,
and the next congress in 2024 could be asked to decide to
raise the age limit for junior men in pairs from 21 to 23 years
and for women in pairs from 19 to 21 years.
In the meantime, the resolution for the affected teams is yet
to be decided.
New
Junior World Champions with 184.47 points is the U.S. team of
Sofia Baram & Daniel Tioumentsov from the school of Jenni Meno
and Todd Sand in Irvine, California. They had been second in the
Junior Final in December and fourth at U.S. senior Nationals.
They had to skate their free program under difficult
circumstances because in the night between the short and the
free program coach Todd Sand had a heart attack in his hotel
room and had to be transported to a hospital in Calgary around 5
a.m. Sofia Baram’s mother had traveled with the pair. She and
the U.S. team leader cared about the pair in the morning
practice and the free program.
In
their faultless short program to “Bla Bla Bla, Cha Cha Cha” by
the Japanese women duo Petty and Booka (which is often used in
ice dance), their triple twist, their reverse lasso loop lift
and their step sequence (all with level 4) were excellent. The
double Axel and the triple throw toe loop were very good, the
required backward inside death spiral and the side by side spin
good. Their components were around 7.0 and they had 66.95
points, six more than the French pair on second place. “We're so
proud we've accomplished the throw triple toe loop in our
program for the first time, especially in competition,”
Tioumentsev said.
In
their free program to “Pilgrims On a Long Journey” by Coeur de
Pirate and to “Primavera“ by Ludovico Einaudi, their best
element was the twist again which had six GOEs of +3 and three
of +2. Lifts and step sequence were very good, but Baram stepped
out of the triple throw loop and her triple toe loop was a bit
shaky. Her difficult jump combination of triple Salchow, double
Axel and another double Axel as well as a double throw Lutz were
good and their components around 7.2.
Tioumentsov said, “We found out this
morning (about Todd Sand being hospitalized). It was a definite
down-turn for me and Sophia. We skated for Todd and for everyone
that has helped us through the season. It was very hard and we
tried to remember what Todd told us – to stay in the moment. And
we tried to remember what kind of corrections he gave us. We've
been skating together for just over two years now and definitely
the gold medal is a huge achievement for us. Even if the age
rules don’t change, we plan to stay together and compete
nationally.” Baram added, “It is such a good feeling to win. We
are sending a lot of prayers to Todd. We love you, Todd.”
Anastasia Golubeva & Hector Giotopoulos
Moore from Australia won the silver medal with 170.36 points
after winning the Junior Final in December. In their short
program to “Architect of the Mind” by Kerry Muzzey, the triple
throw toe loop was excellent, five other elements at least good,
but they missed the death spiral after he could not skate a
correct entrance. He explained, “I feel my heel hit an edge and
I slipped off my the edge and couldn't hold it.” In their free
program to “Sing, Sing, Sing” by Louis Prima and to “Summertime”
by Ella Fitzgerald, the two triple throws and the lifts were
excellent, five other elements, including a triple Salchow, good
and their twist a bit shaky. But Giotopoulos Moore fell on the
third part of their jump combination which was planned a triple
toe loop, another triple toe loop (which he singled) and a
double toe loop. Giotopoulos Moore said, “This is amazing, we
couldn’t be happier. I’m still shocked a bit. This is a huge
achievement for us and we are very happy. Our next goal is going
to Senior Worlds. I think we belong there.”
The Ukrainians Violetta Sierova & Ivan
Khobta, who had been ninth at the European (senior)
Championships in January, won bronze with 159.39 points. Lift
and triple twist were excellent, the other elements good,
including the double loop and the double throw Lutz. In their
free program, the twist was excellent, most other elements good,
only in their jump combination they were a bit out of sync.
Khobta commented, “We are excited to represent Ukraine. We feel
all the support of the Ukrainian diaspora in Canada and that
gave us strength.” Sierova added, “I am so happy we did two
clean programs.” After the beginning of the war last year they
had fled with their coach from their country to Germany and will
train for Senior Worlds there. In the last two weeks they had
prepared for Junior Worlds with Bruno Marcotte in Oakville,
Ontario.
Haruna
Murakami & Sumitada Moriguchi from Japan mainly train with Bruno
Marcotte in Canada and finished fourth with 154.71 points. Their
spin and steps in the short program were outstanding, four other
elements good and the death spiral only got the basic level. In
their free program they made several small mistakes. Olympic
Champion Bruno Massot’s French pair of Oxana Vouillamoz &
Flavien Giniaux were second after a very good short program with
a triple throw flip and an excellent reverse lasso lift. For the
first time they had more than 60 points. But in the free they
dropped to fifth place with 153.59 points after making three big
mistakes on the triple throw and the jump combination. But they
nevertheless made huge progress since last year when they had
finished last at Junior Worlds with 103.92 points.
Ava
Kemp & Yonathan Elizarov from Canada placed sixth with 149.03
points. They made no real mistake in the short program, but Kemp
fell on the triple throw Salchow in the free and the individual
jumps were a bit shaky. The second U.S. pair of Naomi Williams &
Lachlan Lewer of Colorado Springs, coached by Drew Meekins and
Natalia Mishkutienok, is on seventh position with 145.05 points.
They got the necessary minimum points for Junior Worlds at their
very first international competition, the Bavarian Open in early
February, where they won the junior event. In Calgary, their
short program was without big mistakes, but Williams went down
on the triple toe loop in the free and some other elements were
a bit shaky. The second Canadian pair of Chloe Panetta & Kieran
Thrasher finished eighth with 135.73 points, ahead of the Czech
team of Barbora Kucianova & Lukas Vochozka (132.15 points) and
the Chinese team of Yixi Yang & Shunyang Deng (131.97 points).