GRAZ, AUSTRIA (Nov. 9, 2025) – The Canadian figure skating team’s presence was well felt at the 2025 Icechallenge, which brought together senior and junior athletes this weekend in Graz, Austria. The team won eight medals: three gold, two silver, and three bronze.

Gabrielle Daleman (Newmarket, ON) in senior women, William Chan (Vancouver, BC) in junior men, and Laurence Brière (Carignan, QC) and Julien Lévesque (Boucherville, QC) in junior ice dance all climbed to the top of the podium.

Kaiya Ruiter (Calgary, AB) in senior women, as well as Jamie Fournier (Montreal, QC) and Everest Zhu (Waterloo, ON) in senior ice dance took silver. Grayson Long (Toronto, ON) took bronze in senior men, as did Quinn Startek (Stoney Creek, ON) in junior women, and Ava Kemp (Winnipeg, MB) and Yohnatan Elizarov (Winnipeg, MB) in senior pairs.

The senior women’s competition saw a Canadian one-two finish thanks to the performances of Gabrielle Daleman (181.04) and Kaiya Ruiter (172.86), who finished ahead of Austria’s Olga Mikutina (169.67). The impact of Daleman’s victory went far beyond the gold medal, as the 27-year-old skater explained after the competition.

“I am very proud and happy with how I performed in training and in competition. It feels good to be back after years of injury and two surgeries. Last March, I was learning to walk again, and now I’m back competing internationally. It’s a big step forward for the rest of the season!”

Newcomer to the senior international scene, Grayson Long shone in the men’s event, where he finished third (223.91), one place ahead of his compatriot Keegan Messing (Anchorage, USA, 218.41). Americans Maxim Naumov (246.70) and Jacob Sanchez (235.89) finished first and second, respectively.

“It was so special to have the privilege of skating against one of my idols, Keegan Messing. I learned a lot from him, and even before I started my free skate, I was emotional because it was something special for me. I’m very happy to be making my senior debut,” said the bronze medallist.

Jamie Fournier and Everest Zhu (166.21) finished second in senior ice dance behind Americans Eva Pate and Logan Bye (176.85). The podium was completed by Italians Leia Dozzi and Pietro Papetti (161.15), who finished ahead of Chloe Nguyen (Burnaby, BC) Brendan Giang (Burnaby, BC) who earned 155.19 points.

“We are so grateful to be here and it’s fun to represent Canada on the senior international stage, as this is only our second year in this category,” said Zhu.

In their senior international debut, pair team Ava Kemp and Yohnatan Elizarov (168.24) finished third, while their compatriots Jazmine Desrochers (Mississauga, ON) and Kieran Thrasher (Oakville, ON) placed sixth (143.16). The gold medal went to Americans Chelsea Liu and Ryan Bedard (181.60).

The Canadian athletes also did very well in the junior events, led by William Chan, who dominated the men’s competition. The 16-year-old athlete scored 167.08 points, putting him ahead of Austria’s Maksym Petrychenko (155.83) and Germany’s Robert Wildt (154.82).

Quinn Startek (163.08) posted the highest Canadian result in the junior women’s competition, placing third in her international debut at Icechallenge. While in the junior ice dance event, Laurence Brière and Julien Lévesque led the field from start to finish and won with 140.63 points.

The full results can be found here.