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.”

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.”