2022 World Junior Figure Skating Championships

Tallinn, Estonia

The small North European country of Estonia (only 1.3 million people) has been the capital of the figure skating world this season because its capital of Tallinn organized three ISU championships in the Tondiraba ice rink which was built in 2014.  In January the federation started with the European Championships, the week later it organized the Four Continents Championships which China had given back before the Olympic Games. And now in mid-April in the smallest of the three Baltic countries Junior Worlds took place which had been planned in Sofia, Bulgaria in early March. But Bulgaria felt unable because of a high number of Covid 19 cases. And for the fall, Tallinn has applied for a Grand Prix if Russia and China will not hold theirs. 

Like at the Senior World Championships in France, no Russian and Belorussian skaters were allowed to compete due to the world-wide ban because of the war against Ukraine. The Chinese federation did not send any skaters because they are afraid that they might bring new infections into China after coming back from the competition.

Women's Event

Men's Event

Pairs Event

Dance Event 

2022 World Figure Skating Championships

Montpellier, France

U.S. Skaters Turn Their Attention to Worlds

Day 1

Women Short Program Opens World Championships

Pairs Short Program

Day 2

Men Short Program

Pairs Free Skate

Day 3

Dance Rhythm Dance

Women Free Skate

Day 4

Men Free Skate

Dance Free Dance

2022 World Champions

Russian Absence from Worlds Opens Up Medal Possibilities

(5 March 2022)  With skaters from Russia (and Belarus) suspended from international competition and China not entering any skaters in the World Championships, medal opportunities open up in four disciplines, and the chances of some countries to earn three entries for 2023 greatly improve.  In the case of China, all their skaters who competed at the Winter Games were placed into a three week Covid quarantine after the games, and due to the lost training time will not be in condition to compete at Worlds.

In the Women's event, the first, second and fourth place finishers from Beijing will not be at worlds.  This make Kaori Sakamota (JPN) the favorite for gold, and puts Alysa Liu (USA) within striking distance of a medal.  Japan could well end up one-two among the women.  Both the U.S. and Korea are also now in good position to earn three entries for 2023, where that seemed unlikely if the Russian women were competing.

As the Russian men were not contenders at Beijing, their absence from Worlds would not appear to impact the medal possibilities.  The  biggest question is whether Nathan Chen (USA) will actually skate at Worlds.  If he chooses not too, Jason Brown (USA) is first alternate, though he also was ambiguous in Beijing on whether he would compete at Worlds.  Second alternate for the U.S. is Jimmy Ma.  Yuzuru Hanyu (JPN) will also not be competing at Worlds.  That opens up medal opportunities for Junwan Cha (KOR) and Daniel Grassl (ITA).

(15 March 2022) Due what is described as a "nagging injury"  Nathan Chen withdrew from the 2022 World Championships.  He was replaced by third alternate Camden Pulkinen."

Ilia Malinin (USA) who was third at 2022 U.S. Nationals, but was not named to the U.S. Olympic Team, earned his minimum technical score to compete at Worlds at the Challenge Cup in The Hague, Netherlands the last week of February.  There he scored 260.69 points, well below his score of over 300 points at U.S. Nationals.  Most likely, to make the podium at Worlds a skater will need at least 280-290 points.  If Chen and Brown both choose not to compete at Worlds, it is not clear the U.S. will have a strong enough team to earn three entries for 2023.  In that case, strong performances from Vincent Zhou (USA) and Malinin will be needed.

The pairs event at Worlds is shaping up to be a competition of the best of the mediocre.  Between them, China and Russia took the top five places in the pairs event in Beijing.  This puts the U.S. pair teams in the odd position of being contenders for two medals at Worlds, and also pretty much guarantees the U.S. will earn three entries for 2023.

Russia placed second, sixth and fourteenth at the Winter Games in Dance.  If the other entries from Beijing all compete at Worlds, that would make Gabrielle Papdakis & Guillame Cizeron (FRA) most likely to take the gold, and the U.S. silver and bronze.  Charlene Guignard &  Marco Fabbri (ITA) will have to find about 8 points somewhere to challenge for the Bronze.  The absence of the Russian dancers puts Canada in an improved position to earn three entries in dance for 2023.

ISU Suspends Russia and Belarus Participation in ISU Events

(1 March 2022)  Following the IOC statement of 28 February 2022 concerning the suspension of Russia and Belarus participating in international sporting events, the ISU has suspended the participation of Russia and Belarus skaters and officials in ISU events. The statement from the ISU reads in part:

This includes Worlds and Junior Worlds (if they are held).  What this means for the holding of Rostelcom Cup as part of the 2022 Grand Prix of Figure Skating is unclear.

Also unclear is what this will mean for Russia qualifying entries for 2023 Worlds, if they are allowed to participate next year.  One would hope it means that by not having skaters this year to qualify for entries next year, Russia would be allowed only one entry, if any, in each discipline in 2023.  Further, by not being able to participate in ISU events for the foreseeable future, skaters from Russia and Belarus will not have the opportunity to earn minimum technical scores to enter future Championships until their ability to compete in ISU events is restored.

Business as Usual with Russian Athletics Must End

Raising Women Age Limits, Too Little Too Late

2022 Olympic Winter Games

Beijing, China

February 4 - 20, 2022

View of Bird's Nest and Flame from Medals Plaza

Pairs Medalists: Evgenia Tarasova & Vladimir Morozov, Wenjing Sui & Cong Han, Anastasia Mishina & Aleksandr Galliamov

Grieving Kamila Valieva after Women Free Skate

Women Medalists, Alexsanda Trusova, Anna Shcherbakova, Kaori Sakamoto

Dance Medalists, Sinitsina & Katsalapov, Papadakis & Cizeron and Hubbell & Donohue

Men's Medalists, Yuma Kagiyama, Nathan Chen, Shoma Uno

Coming Up

Saturday, February 18

Beginning at 19:00 (Beijing time) Pairs Free Skate

Successful Four Continents Championships in Europe - Until recently, one would never have believed that a Four Continents Championship would take place in Europe. However, since China already gave back the third ISU competition after the Junior World Championships and the Grand Prix Cup of China 2021 because of the ongoing pandemic and the ISU did not find a replacement host at first, the Estonians stepped in and thus hosted two ISU Championships in a row, another novelty.

It deserves great respect what this small federation with its enthusiastic staff and volunteers achieved. In the end, everyone was exhausted but happy. Everything was well coordinated and ran like clockwork, there were no mishaps. The Estonians proved that it is possible to hold a safe event even without a "bubble." Only one positive Covid case was reported during the week.

As at the European Championships, all accredited persons were tested daily. The spectator attendance was lower than at the European Championships, which is not surprising, because the big stars were missing as almost always in an Olympic year. On the other hand, the competition in such a season is the chance for newcomers and for skaters that are the number two, three or four in their countries, who can prove themselves at an ISU Championship. The athletes all emphasized several times how happy and grateful they were that the "Four Continents" took place. <More>

Exclusive Interview with Caroline Green and Michael Parsons, 2022 Four Continents Ice Dance Champions.

Olympic Winter Games Chen / Hanyu Matchup

Top Ten Picks (plus 2) for Men at Olympic Winter Games

No Cinderella Story for Ilia Malinin at US Nationals - What Was U.S. Figure Skating Thinking? - Bronze medal contender left at home to watch Olympic Winter Games on TV.

2022 European Championships

After holding the European Championships in 2010, 2022 Europeans again take place in Tallinn, the beautiful historic capital of the small country of Estonia, with only 1.3 million people on the Baltic Sea between Russia, Finland and Latvia. It had been part of the Soviet Union until 1991 and then became an independent country again, as it had been before the First World War. About two third of the population are Estonians and one third feels more Russian from the Soviet times.  Today Estonia is part of the European Union and the currency is the Euro.

Because of Covid-19, the Europeans in 2021 were cancelled, so this is the first Europeans after 2020 in Graz, Austria. In an unusual step, due to Covid-19 restrictions in China, the Four Continents Championships will also be held in Tallinn the following week.

Russian Pairs Sweep European Championships

Mark Kondratiuk Takes European Men's Title

Sinitsina and Katsalapov Take European Dance Title

© International Skating Union (ISU)

Russian Women Sweep European Championships

© International Skating Union (ISU)

2022 U.S. Nationals Reports and Photos

Premiere U.S. Skaters Light Up Nashville

Ilia Malinin Triple Axel: WOW

Jason Brown Triple Axel + Double Toe Loop Slideshow on YouTube

Senior Women medalists (left to right):  Karen Chen, Mariah Bell, Isabeau Levito, Gabriella Izzo

Senior Men medalists (left to right):  Ilia Malinin, Nathan Chen, Vincent Zhou, Jason Brown

Senior Pairs medalists (left to right):  Jessica Calalang and Brian Johnson, Ashley Cain-Gribble and Timothy LeDuc, Audrey Lu and Misha Mitrofanov, Emily Chan and Spencer Howe

Senior Ice Dance Medalists (left to right):  Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donohue, Madiosn Chock and Evan Bates, Kaitlin Hawayek and Jean-Luc Baker, Caroline Green and Michael Parsons

Tennell Withdraws from U.S. Nationals

(30 December 2021)  Bradie Tennell has withdrawn from the 2022 U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Nashville, Tennessee.  No reason has been provided at this time.

Tennell withdrew from the 2021 Skate America Grand Prix earlier in the season due to a foot injury.  She subsequently withdrew from the Grand Prix of Italy and the CS Cup of Austria.

U.S. skaters have been named to international teams in the past without having competed at U.S. Nationals, but having missed her entire season, it is unlikely she would be named to the Olympic Team even if she were fit to skate prior to the Games. Nevertheless, she has petitioned to be named to the team.  The women members of the team will be selected following the conclusion of the Women's event in Nashville, based on results at Nationals and previous competition results.

Is Hanyu Quad Axel Quest a Fool's Errand?

by George S. Rossano

(26 December 2021)  Yuzuru Hanyu won his sixth Japanese national title with 322.26 points. In his free skate he attempted the first quad Axel in competition, a jump he has set his sights on for several years, and a goal that has cost him injury and missed competition this season in the ISU Grand Prix.  His attempt in Saitama was missing more than one-half rotation and was landed  on two feet.  A downgraded quad Axel with a GoE of -5 has a value of 4.00 points, less than a base value triple toe loop.

The attempt is the first jump in his free skate program

In In Search of the Quad Axel we discuss the height and rotation requirements to successfully fully rotate a quad Axel.

Playing the above competition video at one-quarter speed and measuring the time in the air several times, we come up with a time in the air of 0.75 seconds.  This is about as much time in the air that elite skaters ever achieve.  To fully rotate an attempt with that time in the air requires an average rotation rate in the air of 6.0 rotations per second and a peak rotation rate of nearly 7 rotations or more, which is where the attempt comes far short.

The average rotation rate of this attempt is 5.3 rotations per second, well above what is typical for a triple Axel, but far short of what is needed for a quad Axel; in other words, not even close.

Breaking this down a little further, Hanyu's rotation rate is significantly greater on the first half of flight (takeoff to peak of the jump) and well over 6 rotations a second, but much slower on the second half.  So the problem is not a lack of torque and initial angular momentum on the takeoff.  Rather the problem is control of the moment of inertia in the air.  That is, the main flaw in this attempt is the air position that slows the rotation.

In this attempt, there is too much "light" between the legs, which are not perfectly straight and the elbows stick out too far with the arms not tight against the torso - with a look we refer to as "helicopter arms."  These three position defects increase the moment of inertia and slow the rotation rate.

Comparing Hanyu's air position to Nathan Chens' there is a significant difference in technique between the two.  Chen uses flat palms against the chest with forearms fully in contact with the torso.  Hanyu uses a fist into palm, in front of the sternum.  Hanyu's position leaves the elbows farther from the rotation axis than Chen and allows the elbows to more easily open outwards away from the rotation axis.  Chen's position is more stable and resistant to "helicopter arms" in the air.

Getting more takeoff angular momentum for this jump is probably not obtainable, so to get this jump to full rotation would require reducing the moment of inertia by 12% or more.  Whether Hanyu can improve the position enough to get there remain to be seen, but given how long he was worked on this jump and how far off the mark it still is dynamically, it seems unlikely.

The question we asked earlier in the season remains.  Does Hanyu want to be a three time Olympic Champion, or does he want to be the first skater who attempted a quad Axel at the Olympics and lost.

Interview with Charlene Guignard and Marco Fabbri, Italian Ice Dance Champions

Bradley Lord’s 1961 U.S. Gold-Medal Winning Performance

A Template for the Ages

by Liz Leamy

(7 May 2021)  In light of the fact that this past winter marks the 60-year anniversary of the 1961 U.S. World figure skating team who tragically lost their lives on the Sabena Flight 548 crash near Brussels, Belgium on route to the World Figure Skating Championships that February, it is enlightening, inspirational and gratifying to learn about the incredible depth and talent, as well as the touching personal stories of those individuals who had been on that flight.

Bradley Lord, in particular, was a driven and talented 21 year-old top American contender who represented the Skating Club of Boston at the 1961 U.S. Championships in Colorado Springs where he famously clinched his first U.S. title with a remarkable free skate that still stands in terms of its choreography, execution and overall layout.

Lord, who had been second in the figure portion of that competition, held at the original Broadmoor World Arena, triumphantly pulled up to the first place overall with his electric program, edging out his talented rival, Gregory Kelley, a 16 year-old Newton, Massachusetts native who was the 1959 U.S. junior champion who wound up claiming silver at the 1961 U.S. Championships to earn a spot on that U.S. World team.

Skating to an operatic medley of Pagliacci, La Taviata and Sleeping Beauty, with visible determination, command and strength, Lord, who came from a family of Italian descent and lived in Swampscott, a North Shore coastline town nearly 15 miles north of Boston, demonstrated astonishing technical and artistic aptitude as well as notable speed and energy throughout his entire program, performing every primary turn and step including rockers, counters, loops, Mohawks and Choctaws performed in both directions, among other notable things.

At the same time, Lord does some show stopping moves, including a back-to-front pivot with a complete change of direction, clockwise-direction split jump (he is a counter-clockwise jumper and spinner) and double loop landed on a left-back inside edge, all of which generated thunderous applause from the packed crowd at the Broadmoor arena.

For Lord, it was all about doing his best.

“After I had skated, I felt I did the best I could,” said Lord, who attended Boston University and had wanted to eventually pursue a career in commercial art. “As long as I had done [my] best, I was happy. I knew Greg [Kelley] was a strong free skater and it all depended on how I did.”

Although this program dates all the way back from 1961, and Lord’s technical content consisted of double jumps (all of which were high, fast and technically solid), his components were dazzling on all counts and could still stand in competition today.

Specifically, his connecting steps were rich and complex, his skating skills were superior and his choreography and presentation is intriguing, full of depth and clear, powerful and effective in terms of its narrative and messaging, rendering this program as a true template for much of what the International Judging System stands for today.

Lord, who had placed fourth at the 1960 U.S. Championships and sixth at that year’s World Championships, was coached by Montgomery ‘Bud’ Wilson, a Canadian Olympic bronze medalist (who was awarded the Bronze Star for heroic military efforts as an artillery officer during World War II) at the Skating Club of Boston, who also did the choreography for this program as well.

Known as a ‘great guy and friend’ among his peers at the storied Skating Club of Boston venue where he trained all the way from the group lesson level up through the National and World Championship level, Lord had faced some struggles throughout his competitive career.

For one, he was said to have worked extremely hard to pay for his skating expenses, and had taken several aside jobs to help cover costs.

Further, Lord labored extremely hard to get through the challenging eight U.S. Figure Skating school figure tests, most of which did not come easy to him (or most anyone else, for that matter).

At the same time, Lord worked dogmatically to prepare to face off against Gregory Kelley, the formidable young American international contender who was fifth at the 1960 U.S. Championships and ninth at the1960 Worlds.

Known for his terrific speed and high jumps, Kelley, like Lord, had worked with Montgomery Wilson for many years at the Skating Club of Boston, but had made a coaching change several years prior to the 1961 U.S. Championships so he could train with Eduard ‘Edi’ Scholdan, an Austrian figure skater and coach at the Broadmoor Arena in Colorado Springs.

Somehow, all of these challenges only seemed to motivate Lord in his pursuit of winning the 1961 U.S. title, something that was evident in his victorious free skate performance.

Ultimately, his impact among those who knew him, just as like his skating, was potent and still resonates to this day.

“Bradley was so nice. He would always come by to chat to see how we were all doing,” said Nancy Madden Leamy, a U.S. national coach based in Greenwich, Connecticut who trained with Lord at the Skating Club of Boston growing up. (She was also coached by Montgomery Wilson.) “We all worked hard at the club and then many of us would then go out to eat afterward and would sit together and just talk and laugh. It was a lot of fun and we had a good time.”

Certainly, the legacy of all the talented and fascinating members of the 1961 U.S. World team, as illustrated in the work and story of Bradley Lord, has had a great effect on so many and continues to serve as a powerful prototype and means of inspiration today for those who comprise the domestic and global skating world in terms of their skating, determination and perhaps more than anything, heart.