Regina Welcomes Canadian Skaters for the 2022 Skate Canada Challenge

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OTTAWA, ONT: Over 300 skaters from across Canada are en route to Regina, Sask., for the 2022 Skate Canada Challenge. The event will take place from December 1 to December 5, 2021, at Evraz Place.  

Skate Canada Challenge is a qualifying event for novice, junior and senior skaters to earn entries to the 2022 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships, taking place in Ottawa, Ont., from January 6 to 13, 2022. Skaters qualified for the 2022 Skate Canada Challenge by advancing through their sectional championships. 

This event will also see the crowning of the 2022 Pre-Novice National Champions in men, women, pairs and ice dance. 

Those watching live through our stream or in person will get to see National team members Nam Nguyen, 23, Ajax, Ont., (senior men); Alison Schumacher, 19, Tecumseh, Ont., (senior women); Lori-Ann Matte, 22, and  Thierry Ferland, 25, Lévis, Que., (senior pairs); and Haley Sales, 24, Kelowna, B.C., and Nikolas Wamsteeker, 25, Langley, B.C., (senior ice dance).    

For more information including schedule, entries and start orders, please click here. All events on all three competition rinks will be live streamed and can be accessed through the event page.

All tickets will be sold on-site at Evraz Place. All-Event tickets will be $50 + applicable fees and taxes, and single day tickets will be sold at $25 + applicable fees and taxes. All ticket holders, over the age of 12, will be required to show proof of double vaccination status for a minimum of 14 days or a negative COVID test, not more than 72 hours prior to entry to the venue. For more information on tickets click here.  

Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Nikolaj Soerensen win bronze at ISU Grand Prix

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SOCHI, Russia – Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Nikolaj Soerensen of Montreal won the bronze medal Saturday in ice dancing to conclude the Rostelecom Cup, the sixth stop on the ISU figure skating circuit.

It was a fourth medal in four competitions this season for the veteran couple. They were also third at their previous Grand Prix assignment at Skate America last month and also won silver medals at two ISU Challenger Series events.

Victoria Sinitsina and Nikita Katsalapov of Russia won the gold medal with 211.72 points. Charlene Guignard and Marco Fabbri of Italy were second at 203.71 and Fournier Beaudry and Soerensen followed at 191.40.

‘’We feel we’ve been improving from competition to competition,’’ said Fournier Beaudry. ‘’We’ve still got little things to work on, but we are happy with the progression. We had five weeks between Grand Prix so that’s been a good measuring stick for us.’’

In men’s competition, Roman Sadovsky of Vaughan, Ont., delivered by far his best performance of the season and was fourth with 253.80. Morisi Kvitelashvili of Georgia won the gold with 266.33, Mikhail Kolyada of Russia was second at 264.64 and Kazuki Tomono of Japan third at 264.19.

Sadovsky was third after Friday’s short program and produced a clean skate in his long. He had slight turns on his opening quad Salchow  and triple Axel landings but would later comeback to land a clean quad Salchow in combination with a triple Salchow.

‘’To beat my season’s best by 30 points is a huge step for me,’’ said Sadovsky, 22, the 2020 Canadian champion. ‘’That was more or less what I wanted to do. I wanted to reflect the changes made since my last competition. I’m just going to keep going from here and keep training. ‘’

It was also a solid event for Madeline Schizas of Oakville, Ont., who placed sixth with a season’s best 192.14. The Russians swept the medals led by Kamila Valieva in first.

‘’My free skate wasn’t exactly what I was hoping,’’ said Schizas, fourth after the short program. ‘’I was happy with the fight I showed through the program. I’ve been really motivated this season by the quality of skating I’ve seen at the senior level.’’

It was another Russian medal sweep in pairs while Kirsten Moore-Towers of St. Catharines, Ont., and Michael Marinaro of Sarnia, Ont., improved from seventh after the short program to fifth with the fifth best free skate.

‘’We definitely have much more than that but it was nice to get some confidence today,’’ said Marinaro. ‘’We still have quite a ways to go to be where we want to be.’’

Full results: http://www.isuresults.com/results/season2122/gprus2021/CAT004RS.htm

Canadians in Medal Position at ISU Grand Prix

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SOCHI, Russia – Roman Sadovsky of Vaughan, Ont., and Montreal ice dancers Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Nikolaj Soerensen are both in third place after Friday’s short programs at the Rostelecom Cup,the sixth stop on the ISU Grand Prix figure skating circuit.

In men’s competition, Kazuki Tomono of Japan is first after the short with 95.81 points. Morisi Kvitelashvili of Georgia follows closely at 95.37 and Sadovsky, 12th at Skate Canada International last month, earned a season’s best 84.59.

‘’Overall, I am very pleased with what I was able to put out there today,’’ said Sadovksy, 22. ‘’I had a little bit of struggle internationally this year so far. I hope that my efforts and adjustments we did in practice will reflect in my free skate.’’

In ice dancing, world champions Victoria Sinitsina and Nikita Katsalapov of Russia lead after the rhythm dance with 86.81. Charlene Guignard and Marco Fabbri of Italy are second at 79.56 and Fournier Beaudry and Sorensen are third at 76.39.

‘’We felt pretty good today, it wasn’t perfect,’’ said Soerensen, third with his partner Laurence Fournier Beaudry at Skate America, last month. ‘’We improved a lot on the performance and also on the technical side since Skate America.’’

Also in the medal hunt is Madeline Schizas of Oakville, Ont., who is fourth after the short in women’s competition with a season’s best 67.49. Schizas, 18, was eighth at Skate Canada International and ninth at the Finlandia Trophy.

Russia is 1-2 with Kamila Valieva first with 87.42 and Elizaveta Tuktamysheva second at 80.10. Mariah Bell of the U.S. is third at 69.37.
In pairs, Kirsten Moore-Towers of St. Catharines, Ont., and Michael Marinaro of Sarnia, Ont., are seventh after the short.

All four free skates are on Saturday.
Full results: http://www.isuresults.com/results/season2122/gprus2021/CAT004RS.htm

Six Canadian Skaters Travel to Russia to Compete in the 2021 Rostelecom Cup

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OTTAWA, ON: Skate Canada will have four entries for a total of six skaters competing at the 2021 Rostelecom Cup in former Olympic city Sochi, Russia. Canada will have one entry in each discipline – men, women, pairs and ice dance. This is the sixth event in the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating and the event takes place from November 26 to 28, 2021.  

Roman Sadovsky, 22, Vaughan, Ont., will be the only Canadian entry in men.  Recently, Roman placed eigth at Finlandia Trophy and finished 12th  in Vancouver at the 2021 Skate Canada International. He is coached by Tracey Wainman and Grzegorz Filipowski in Richmond Hill, Ont.  

Madeline Schizas, 18, Oakville, Ont., will be the lone entry for Canada in women. Madeline placed eighth at her senior Grand Prix debut in Vancouver at the 2021 Skate Canada International. Earlier this season, she placed ninth at Finlandia Trophy.  Madeline’s coaches are Nancy Lemaire and Derek Schmid. She trains in Milton, Ont.  

Kirsten Moore-Towers, 29 St. Catharines, Ont., and Michael Marinaro, 29, Sarnia, Ont., are the sole Canadian entry in pairs. Their last competition was the 2021 Skate Canada International in Vancouver, where they finished sixth. They are coached by Bruno Marcotte, Alison Purkiss and Brian Shales in Oakville, Ont., and Brantford Ont. 

Laurence Fournier Beaudry, 29, Montreal, Que., and Nikolaj Sørensen, 32, Montreal, Que., are the only Canadian entry in ice dance. They finished second at the 2021 Lombardia Trophy in Bergamo, Italy and most recently placed third at Skate America 2021. They are coached by Marie-France Dubreuil, Patrice Lauzon and Romain Haguenauer in Montreal, Que. 

Mike Slipchuk, Skate Canada High Performance Director will be the Canadian team leader at the event. Patty Klein of Montreal, Que., will be the team official at the event and physiotherapist Mireille Lnady of Toronto, Ont., will the Canadian medical staff on-site.  

 

CANADIAN ENTRIES AT ISU GRAND PRIX OF FIGURE SKATING ROSTELECOM CUP – SOCHI, RUSSIA  

MEN 

Roman Sadovsky (22) / Vaughan, Ont. / York Region Skating Club / Coached by Tracey Wainman and Grzegorz Filipowski 

WOMEN 

Madeline Schizas (18) / Oakville, Ont. / Milton Skating Club / Coached by Nancy Lemaire and Derek Schmid 

PAIRS 

Kirsten Moore-Towers (29) and Michael Marinaro (29) / St. Catharines, Ont. and Sarnia, Ont. / Skate Oakville / Coached by Bruno Marcotte, Alison Purkiss and Brian Shales 

ICE DANCE 

Laurence Fournier Beaudry (29) and Nikolaj Sørensen, 32, Montreal, Que. / Town of Mount Royal FSC / Coached by Marie-France Dubreuil, Patrice Lauzon, Romain and Haguenauer 

Gabrielle Daleman Satisfied with Seventh at Warsaw Cup

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WARSAW – Two-time Olympian Gabrielle Daleman of Newmarket, Ont., gained some confidence on Saturday with a seventh-place finish in the women’s competition at the Warsaw Cup, an event on the ISU Challenger Series figure skating circuit.

Maiia Khromykh of Russia won the gold medal with 194.02 points followed by Niina Petrokina of Estonia in second at 188.86 and Ekaterina Kurakova of Poland in third at 187.80.

Daleman, who helped Canada win Olympic gold in the team event in 2018, was fifth after Thursday’s short program.

‘’It was an unusual schedule here, so I was pleased with how I managed everything,’’ said Daleman. ‘’My goal here was just to get out in front of a crowd and judges for only the second this season. My skate wasn’t perfect, but I kept fighting and took it step by step.’’

In ice dancing, Molly Lanaghan, and Dmitre Razgulajevs of Ajax, Ont., produced the seventh best free dance but remained eighth overall. The event was won by Diana Davis and Gleb Smolkin of Russia.

The highlight for Canada here this week was Wesley Chiu of Richmond, B.C., winning the men’s free skate on Friday to jump from 11th to fourth overall.

Full results: https://page.pfsa.com.pl/results/2122/CSPOL21/

Gilles and Poirier Win Silver Medal at ISU Grand Prix

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GRENOBLE, France – Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier of Toronto won the silver medal on Saturday in ice dancing to conclude the fifth stop on the ISU Grand Prix figure skating circuit.

The top three from Friday’s rhythm dance remain unchanged. The 2020 world champions Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron of France took the gold with 221.25 points, Gilles and Poirier followed at 203.16 and Alexandra Stepanova and Ivan Bukin of Russia were third at 200.29.

‘’This week was a success,’’ said Poirier. ‘’We didn’t have our strongest rhythm dance, but we felt like the free was really a great improvement. Our scores were lower this week so we are going to have to really listen to the feedback and see what we can to do raised them.’’

Along with their victory at Skate Canada International last month in Vancouver, Gilles and Poirier can book their ticket for the Grand Prix Final December 9-12 in Osaka, Japan.

‘’Qualifying for the Grand Prix final was very satisfying because that will be an important event for us leading up to the Olympic Games,’’ added Poirier. ‘’It gives us a lot of motivation.’’

In pairs, Canadians Vanessa James and Eric Radford took fourth spot, just over five points from the podium with 196.34, their best score since they formed a new partnership in April and in their four international events this season.

Russia was 1-2 with Aleksandra Boikova and Dmitrii Kozlovskii first at 216.96 and Iuliia Artemeva and Mikhail Nazarychev second at 205.15. Alexa Knierim and Brandon Frazier of the U.S. were third at 201.69.

Third after the short, James and Radford needed to reset at the start of their long when the wrong music started playing. Unbothered, they delivered a scintillating program until near the end when a lift attempt was aborted.

Yuma Kagiyama of Japan maintained his lead in the men’s event to win gold with 286.41. His compatriot Shun Sato was second at 264.99 and Jason Brown of the U.S. was third at 264.20.

Canada’s Keegan Messing maintained his sixth place producing a season best free skate to finish with 253.06. He touched his hand down on his first quad, then successfully landed the second in combination and also landed two triple Axels, also with one in combination.

He is pleased with his progress after a slow start to the season.

‘’It was a fairly good event for me,’’ said Messing, sixth at the world championships last season. ‘’After Skate Canada my coach and I took a hard look at the long program and decided to switch things around a little bit… and you know what, I think we have a system that will work for the rest of the season.’’

World champion Anna Shcherbakova led Russia to a 1-2 finish with Alena Kostornaia second. Japan’s Wakaba Higuchi prevented a Russian medal sweep moving from sixth after the short for the bronze. There were no Canadian entries.

The next stop on the circuit is this upcoming Friday and Saturday in Sochi, Russia.

http://www.isuresults.com/results/season2122/gpfra2021/

Wesley Chiu Wins Free Skate, Nears Podium in Personal Best Performance at Warsaw Cup

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WARSAW – A great season continued for Richmond, B.C.’s, Wesley Chiu on Friday as he won the free skate and placed fourth overall with a personal best score in men’s competition at the Warsaw Cup, a stop on the ISU Challenger Series.

The 16-year-od Chiu, a gold and bronze medallist on the ISU Junior Grand Prix circuit this season, sparkled against a senior field on Friday roaring from 11th after Thursday’s short program to near the podium with 232.39 points.

‘’It went amazing,’’ said Chiu. ‘’Missing that combination jump in the short really motivated me to go after it on the long program. I came here to get some minimum scores for senior competitions and I definitely achieved that.’’

Sota Yamamoto of Japan was the winner with 247.65, Daniel Grassl of Italy was second at 242.96 and Peter Gumemnik of Russia third at 242.91.

Chiu cleanly landed his seven jumps in his free program. That included back-to-back quads, three combo jumps and the triple Axel. It was the first time he landed two quads in a free skate.

‘’I knew I could do one quad toe so there was no reason why I can’t do a second one,’’ he said. ‘’But it was a tough aspect to learn in practice. Training overall has been going really well leading into this competition.’’

Stephen Gogolev of Toronto was 11th.

In pairs, Russia swept the medals with Evgenia Tarasova and Vladimir Morozov in first. Lori-Ann Matte and Thierry Ferland of Levis, Que., were 10th and Deanna Stellato Dudek and Maxime Deschamps of Vaudreuil-Dorion, Que., 11th.

In the women’s short program, Gabrielle Daleman of Newmarket, Ont., stands fifth at 61.57 just over three points from third place. Maiia Khromykh of Russia leads with 69.24.

In ice dancing after the rhythm dance, Molly Lanaghan, and Dmitre Razgulajevs of Ajax, Ont., are in eighth place with 67.81 and appear on route to improve on their 11th place at last week’s Cup of Austria. Diana Davis and Gleb Smolkin of Russia are the leaders at 81.30.

Competition ends Saturday with the women’s free skate and the free dance.

Full results: https://page.pfsa.com.pl/results/2122/CSPOL21/

Gilles and Poirier Stand Second After Rhythm Dance at ISU Grand Prix

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GRENOBLE, France – In what is their biggest test so far this season, Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier are in second place after the rhythm dance at the 2021 Internationaux de France, the fifth stop on the ISU Grand Prix figure skating circuit.

The Toronto ice dancers, victorious at their first two international events this season including Skate Canada International in Vancouver last month, trail 2020 world champions Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron of France first with 89.08 points.

Gilles and Poirier, the 2021 world championship bronze medallists, earned 81.35 with their skate to Elton John music while Alexandra Stepanova and Ivan Bukin of Russia are third at 79.89.

‘’We are on the mission here this year to qualify for the Grand Prix final,’’ said Poirier. ‘’The changes we made after Skate Canada International seemed to work. The scores are not where we want them to be, but we are looking forward to the free skate.’’

Meanwhile first-year partners Vanessa James of Scarborough, Ont., and Eric Radford of Balmertown, Ont., produced their best short program this season to stand third in pairs with 71.84.

Russia is 1-2 with Aleksandra Boikova and Dmitrii Kozlovskii first at 77.17 and Iuliia Artemeva and Mikhail Nazarychev second at 73.02.

“We made a few changes because we had a problem with how it was laid out,’’ said Radford about the short program. ‘’It’s a little bit more seamless now. The results showed that it was the right choice.”

In the men’s short program, Yuma Kagiyama of Japan dominated the field with 100.64 points. Only 5.29 points separate second from seventh. Deniss Vasiljevs of Latvia is second at 89.76 and Jason Brown of the U.S. third at 89.39.

Canada’s Keegan Messing didn’t land his quad toe or tripe-triple combo cleanly and stands sixth at 85.03, still within striking distance of the podium.

‘’It was a tough go of it, my legs felt a little bit shaky out there,’’ said Messing, at his third international event this season and second Grand Prix. ‘’I fought for every point and focused on continuing the performance. All in all, I can walk away with my head held high and I’ll get them in the long.’’

Russians stand 1-2-3 after the women’s short program. World champion Anna Shcherbakova is first, Alena Kostornaia second and Kseniia Sinitsyna third. There are no Canadian entries.

Competition ends Saturday with all four free skates.

http://www.isuresults.com/results/season2122/gpfra2021/

Canada Sends Nine Skaters to the 2021 Warsaw Cup

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OTTAWA, ON: Skate Canada will have six entries for a total of nine skaters at the 2021 Warsaw Cup in Warsaw, Poland this week. Canada will have two entries in men, one entry in women, two entries in pairs, and one entry in ice dance. Warsaw Cup is the penultimate event in the 2021-2022 Figure Skating Challenger Series and takes place from November 18 to 21, 2021. 

Wesley Chiu, 16, Richmond, B.C., will be the first of two Canadian entries in the men discipline. Most recently Chiu won gold at ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating in Courchevel, France and bronze at the ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating in Krasnoyarsk, Russia. Chiu is coached by Keegan Murphy and Eileen Murphy in Richmond, B.C. 

Stephen Gogolev, 17, Toronto, Ont., will be the second Canadian entry in the men discipline. In 2019, Gogolev won a silver medal at the ISU Junior Grand Prix Event in Lake Placid, USA. Gogolev is coached by Rafael Aruntyunyan and Lee Barkell in Irvine, California, and Toronto, Ont. 

Gabrielle Daleman, 23, Newmarket, Ont., will be the lone entry in women. She finished eighth in the 2021 Autum Classic International and won a gold medal in the team event for the 2018 winter Olympic games. Daleman is coached by Lee Barkell in Toronto, Ont.   

Thierry Ferland, 24, Levis, Que., and  Lori-Ann Matte, 22, Levis, Que., will be one of two Canadian entries in pairs. The pair team finished seventh at both the 2021 Skate Canada International and 2021 Autum Classic International. They are coached by Ian Connolly in Levis, Que.  

Deanna Stellato Dudek, 38, Park Ridge, USA., and Maxime Deschamps, 29, Vaudreuil-Dorion, Que., are the second Canadian entry in pairs. The pair team came fourth at the 2021 Autum Classic International missing the podium by only a point. They are coached by Ian Connolly in Vaudreuil, Que.     

Molly Lanaghan, 22, Doncaster, UK., and Dmitre Razgulajevs, 24, Ajax, Ont., will be the lone entry in ice dance. In 2020 they finished fifth in the Bavarian Open in Obertsdorf, Germany. They are coached by Carol Lane, Juris Razgulajevs and Jon Lane in Scarboro, Ont.  

André Bourgeois, Skate Canada NextGen Director is the Canadian team leader at this event. Sylvia Ciurysek of Berwyn, Alta., will be the Canadian medical staff on-site. Guylaine Seguin of Sherbrooke, Que., will be the Canadian official attending the event.  

 

CANADIAN ENTRIES AT THE 2021 WARSAW CUP – WARSAW, POLAND 

 

MEN 

Wesley Chiu (16) / Richmond, B.C. / Connaught Skating Club / Coached by Keegan Murphy and Eileen Murphy 

Stephen Gogolev (17) / Toronto, Ont. / Granite Club / Coached by Rafael Aruntyunyan and Lee Barkel  

WOMEN 

Gabrielle Daleman (23) / Newmarket, Ont. / Granite Club / Coached by Lee Barkell   

PAIRS 

Lori-Ann Matte (22) and Thierry Ferland (25) / Levis, Que. / Levis, Que. / CPA St. Romuald St. Jean Levis / Coached by Ian Connolly  

Deanna Stellato Dudek (38) and Maxime Deschamps (29) / Chicago and Vaudreuil-Dorion, Quebec / CPAR Vaudreuil / Coached by Ian Connolly and Josee Picard 

ICE DANCE 

Molly Lanaghan (22) and Dmitre Razgulajevs (24) / Doncaster, UK. And Ajax, Ont. / Scarboro FSC / Coached by Carol Lane, Juris Razgulajevs, Jon Lane   

Five Canadians Set to Participate in the Fifth ISU Grand Prix Event

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OTTAWA, ON: Skate Canada will have three entries for a total of five skaters competing at the 2021 Internationaux de France in Grenoble, France. Canada will have one entry in men, one entry in pairs and one entry in ice dance. This is the fifth event in the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating and the event takes place from November 19 to 21, 2021.    

Keegan Messing, 29, Girdwood, Alaska, USA will be the lone Canadian entry in men. Messing finished fourth at the 2021 Finlandia trophy and recently placed fifth at the 2021 Skate Canada International. He is coached by Ralph Burghart in Anchorage, Alaska, USA. 

National pairs team, Vanessa James, 34, Scarborough, Ont., and Eric Radford, 36, Balmertown, Ont., will be the only Canadian entry in pairs. They finished fourth at the 2021 Skate Canada International and garnered a silver medal at the 2021 Autumn Classic International. This is their first season competing together internationally. They are coached by Julie Marcotte in Montreal, Que. 

Ice dance team Piper Gilles, 29, Toronto, Ont., and Paul Poirier 30, Unionville, Ont., will be the sole Canadian entry in ice dance. So far in 2021, they have placed first in both the 2021 Skate Canada International and 2021 Autumn Classic International. They are coached by Carol Lane, Juris Razgulajevs and Jon Lane in Scarborough, Ont.   

Dr. Shae Zukiwsky, Senior Director, Performance Excellence and Manon Perron, Skate Canada High Performance Advisor will be the team leaders at the event.  Dr. Lee Schofield of Toronto, Ont., and physiotherapist Mike McMurray of Oak Bluff, Man., will be the medical staff onsite. Cynthia Benson of Quispamsis, N.B., and Nicole LeBlanc-Richard., of Dieppe, N.B., will be the Canadian officials for the event.  

 

CANADIAN ENTRIES AT INTERNATIONAUX DE FRANCE 2021 – GRENOBLE, FRNACE 

MEN 

Keegan Messing (29) / Girdwood, Alaska, USA / Ice Palace FSC / Coached by Ralph Burghart 

PAIRS 

Vanessa James (34) and Eric Radford (36) / Scarborough, Ont., and Balmertown, Ont. / EPJM and C.P.A. Saint Leonard / Coached by Julie Marcotte 

ICE DANCE 

Piper Gilles (29) and Paul Poirier (30) / Toronto, Ont. / and Unionville, Ont. / Ice Dance Elite, Scarboro FSC / Coached by Carol Lane, Juris Razgulajevs, Jon Lane 

Fournier Beaudry and Sørensen Win Silver Medal at Cup of Austria

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GRAZ, Austria – Despite a lack of sleep, Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Nikolaj Sørensen of Montreal won the silver medal on Sunday in ice dancing to conclude the Cup of Austria, an event on the ISU Challenger Series circuit.

Charlene Guignard and Marco Fabbri of Italy took the gold with 208.88 points followed by the Canadians with a season’s best 194.67 and Olivia Smart and Adrian Diaz of Spain in third at 189.88. Fournier Beaudry and Sorensen, chasing a first career Olympic berth this season, were third after Saturday’s rhythm dance.

That rhythm dance finished late Saturday night and the free dance was early Sunday. That left only about 12 hours between performances which also included a practice.

‘’It was great to be able to perform under those conditions,’’ said Sørensen. ‘’We finished late last night and started early today so we didn’t get much sleep. We were really happy with what were able to produce today and happy to see the program is heading in the right direction.’’

It was a third medal in three competitions for the Canadians. They also took bronze at Skate America earlier this month and silver at the Lombardia Trophy. They ended last season placing eighth at the world championships.

‘’Today actually felt normal because our practice was closer to the competition,’’ said Fournier Beaudry. ‘’It was yesterday (Saturday) that we really had to properly manage our time because we skated so late at night.’’

Canada’s other two entries also gained a spot in the standings. Alicia Fabbri of Terrebonne, Que., and Paul Ayer of Calgary were fifth while Dmitre Razgulajevs of Ajax, Ont., and Molly Lanaghan of Scarborough, Ont., took 11th.

All the other free skates were on Saturday. (https://skatecanada.ca/2021/11/fournier-beaudry-and-sorensen-on-track-for-a-third-medal-this-season-at-cup-of-austria/)

For the women, Emily Bausback of Vancouver was seventh and Allison Schumacher of Tecumseh, Ont., moved from 17th after the short program to 13th.

In men’s competition, Corey Circelli of Toronto moved from 14th to 10th and Beres Clements of Gibson, B.C., was 16th.

In the junior event Canada won two medals.

Natalie D’Alessandro and Bruce Waddell of Toronto won gold in ice dancing and Aleksa Rakic of Burnaby, B.C., took silver in the men’s event.

Full results:

Junior: http://skateaustria.vs91-250-98-130.cloud-he.de/img/competition/7.2021_22/031/index.htm

Challenger Series: http://skateaustria.vs91-250-98-130.cloud-he.de/img/competition/7.2021_22/030/index.htm

Fournier Beaudry and Sørensen on Track for a Third Medal this Season at Cup of Austria

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GRAZ, Austria – Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Nikolaj Sørensen of Montreal are on track for a third international medal this season as they stand third after the rhythm dance in ice dancing at the Cup of Austria, a stop on the ISU Challenger Series.

Charlene Guignard and Marco Fabbri of Italy are first with 82.78 points, Olivia Smart and Adrian Diaz of Spain second at 78.53 and the Canadian ice dancers follow at 77.38, a season’s best score.

Fournier Beaudry and Sørensen also took bronze at Skate America earlier this month and silver at the Lombardia Trophy.

Alicia Fabbri of Terrebonne, Que., and Paul Ayer of Calgary are sixth and Dmitre Razgulajevs of Ajax, Ont., and Molly Lanaghan of Scarborough, Ont., are 12th.

In the men’s event, Nika Egadze of Georgia rocketed from 12th after the short program to win the gold medal. Lucas Honda of Japan was second and Ilia Malinin of the U.S. jumped from 13th to third.

Corey Circelli of Toronto moved from 14th to 10th and Beres Clements of Gibson, B.C., was 16th.

Wakaba Higuchi of Japan hung on to gold in the women’s event despite the fourth best free skate with Yeongjeong Park of South Korea second and Niina Petrokina of Estonia third.

Emily Bausback of Vancouver was seventh and Allison Schumacher of Tecumseh, Ont., moved from 17th after the short program to 13th with the eighth best free skate.

Competition ends Sunday with the free dance.

Gold and silver medals for Canada in the Junior Event

The Cup of Austria also featured a junior competition which concluded Saturday. The big news for Canada was a victory for Natalie D’Alessandro and Bruce Waddell in ice dancing on Saturday. It was a second victory this season after they won an ISU Junior Grand Prix event in September.

‘’There were lots of positives but also a couple of negatives we weren’t as happy about,’’ said Waddell. ‘’But that’s super necessary for us to happen in order to realise the difference between this and an amazing performance.’’

‘’There are a lot of things we want to change and improve when we get home,’’ added D’Alessandro.

Sandrine Gauthier of Saint-Constant, Que., and  Quentin Thieren of Mont-Saint-Hilaire, Que., were ninth.

Aleksa Rakic of Burnaby, B.C., nearly grabbed another victory for Canada in the junior men’s event. He took the silver medal with 180.04 points with the winner Naoki Rossi of Switzerland first with 180.82.

Rose Théroux of Ste-Victoire-de-Sorel, Que., won the women’s junior short program but couldn’t duplicate that performance in the free skate and placed fourth overall less than three points from the podium.

Full results:

Junior: http://skateaustria.vs91-250-98-130.cloud-he.de/img/competition/7.2021_22/031/index.htm

Challenger Series: http://skateaustria.vs91-250-98-130.cloud-he.de/img/competition/7.2021_22/030/index.htm