Skate Canada athletes in Japan for ISU Grand Prix Final

OTTAWA, ON: Skate Canada will have four entries, for a total of seven skaters competing at the 2017 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final in Nagoya, Japan. The event takes place from December 7-10, 2017, at the Nippon Gaishi Hall, and includes both the ISU Senior Grand Prix Final and the ISU Junior Grand Prix Final. Canada will have one entry per discipline in senior ladies, senior pairs, senior ice dance and junior ice dance.

World silver medallist Kaetlyn Osmond, 22, Marystown, Nfld./Edmonton, Alta., will be the Canadian entry in the senior ladies category. Last year, she placed fourth at this event. Osmond won gold at Skate Canada International and bronze at the Internationaux de France to qualify for the Grand Prix Final. The three-time Canadian champion is coached by Ravi Walia in Edmonton, Alta.

Two-time world champions Meagan Duhamel, 31, Lively, Ont., and Eric Radford, 32, Balmertown, Ont., will be the Canadian entry in senior pairs. This will be their seventh consecutive appearance at this event, having medalled the past three years and won in 2014. Duhamel and Radford qualified winning the gold medal at Skate Canada International and bronze at Skate America. The six-time consecutive Canadian champions are coached by Bruno Marcotte in Montreal, Que.

Olympic champions and three-time world champions Tessa Virtue, 28, London, Ont., and Scott Moir, 30, Ilderton, Ont., will be the Canadian entry in senior ice dance. They are the defending champions at this event and have medalled in five of six appearances. Virtue and Moir won the gold medal at both Skate Canada International and the NHK Trophy on the ISU Grand Prix circuit this season. The seven-time Canadian champions are coached by Marie-France Dubreuil, Patrice Lauzon and Romain Haguenauer in Montreal, Que.

Canadian junior champions Marjorie Lajoie, 17, Boucherville, Que., and Zachary Lagha, 18, Greenfield Park, Que., will represent Canada in junior ice dance and will be competing at this event for the first time. Lajoie and Lagha won the silver medal in Australia and the gold medal in Croatia on the ISU Junior Grand Prix circuit this season to qualify for the final. They train in Montreal, Que., with coaches Marie-France Dubreuil, Patrice Lauzon, Romain Haguenauer and Pascal Denis.

Mike Slipchuk, Skate Canada High Performance Director, and Andre Bourgeois, Skate Canada NextGen Director, will travel with the team as team leaders. Dr. Lee Schofield of Toronto, Ont., and physiotherapist Agnes Makowski of Toronto, Ont., will be the Canadian medial staff onsite. Leanna Caron of Timmins, Ont., and Jeff Lukasik of Calgary, Alta., will be the Canadian officials at the event.

For results and full entries please click here or visit the official event website.

CANADIAN ENTRIES AT THE 2017 ISU GRAND PRIX FINAL