Successful Weekend with Four Medals for Canadian Synchronized Skating Teams

Gdansk, Poland/Rouen, France (February 3, 2024) – Canadian synchronized skating teams had a very successful weekend bringing home two bronze medals from the Challenger Series PGE Hevelius Cup in Gdansk, Poland and two silver medals from the French Cup in Rouen, France.

The Nova senior team from St-Hubert, Que., climbed into the bronze-medal winning position at the Hevelius Cup after sitting in fifth position following the short program. Their total score of 216.04 was three points improved from their performance at the Canadian National Championships where they finished second.

“At every practice, we practiced every element to make sure that they were all OK. We know we lost some calls at nationals, and it seems like the hard work really paid off because we got all of those calls this weekend, so we’re really happy about that,” said Leonie Nadeau, co-captain of the Nova team that will have very little rest as they head off to Finland next weekend for the Marie Lundmark Trophy competition in Helsinki.

The NEXXICE senior team from Burlington, Ont., was sitting in third position after the short program, but dropped to finish fourth after their free skate with a total score of 212.70, which was also an improvement from their score at nationals where they finished third.

The Haydenettes from the USA won gold with a total score of 234.66, while the Marigold Ice Unity team from Finland captured silver with a total score of 228.81.

In the junior competition at the Hevelius Cup, Canada captured another bronze medal with the Les Suprêmes junior team from Saint-Léonard, Que., climbing onto the podium with a total score of 196.20. The Gold Ice junior team from Brampton, Ont., finished just behind in fourth with a total score of 162.55 which was a big improvement over their score of 146.20 at Canadian nationals.

“We did exactly what we did in practice and were really proud of both of our skates. We really loved the energy of everyone that was there, and it was definitely a fun experience,” said Victoria Gimenez, co-caption of Les Suprêmes.

Ishani Sama, co-captain for the Gold Ice team, added: “We were very excited for our first international competition. This is such a great opportunity for us, and we worked really hard. As a team collectively, we were hoping to achieve a season’s best in our first international and we did!”

The Elite junior team from the USA won gold with a total score of 205.54, while the Skyliners junior team, also from the USA, took silver with a total score of 202.07.

In the junior competition at the French Cup, the NEXXICE junior team added another silver to Canada’s medal haul for the weekend after winning bronze at last weekend’s Trophy d’Écosse in Great Britain. Their total score of 192.14 was an improvement from their score at nationals where they finished second. They were edged out from the top of the podium by the Fintastic team from Finland who won gold with a total score of 196.10. The Mystique team, also from Finland, rounded out the podium, taking bronze with a total score of 175.94.

“We’re very happy with our two clean performances this weekend. We worked hard during our training camp in Nottingham between our two international assignments and are pleased with our improvement,” said Celina Guo, co-captain of the NEXXICE junior team. Her co-captain Natalya Krywetsky added: “The crowd was electric tonight making it an experience we will never forget!”

The relatively new Elite 12 team from NEXXICE made their international debut at the French Cup and delivered two very strong performances to capture the silver medal as well with a total score of 173.73. The Hayden Select team from the USA won gold with a total score of 197.57, while Team Fusion from Spain took bronze with a total score of 125.45.

Next weekend will see the Nova and Les Suprêmes senior and junior teams competing at the Challenger Series Marie Lundmark Trophy in Helsinki, Finland.

For full results from the Challenger Series PGE Hevelius Cup, please click here.

For full results from the French Cup, please click here.