Canadian junior skaters in Bulgaria for the 2018 ISU World Junior Figure Skating Championships

OTTAWA, ON: Skate Canada has seven entries, for a total of 11 skaters competing at the 2018 ISU World Junior Figure Skating Championships, taking place in Sofia, Bulgaria, from March 5-11. Canada will have two entries per discipline in men, pairs and ice dance, one entry in ladies. Competition begins Wednesday, March 7, with the short dance and pairs short program.

Joseph Phan, 16, Laval, Que., is the first of two Canadian entries in men’s. Phan placed fourth in Australia and won silver in Croatia on the ISU Junior Grand Prix this season. He is coached by Yvan Desjardins in Rosemère, Que.

Conrad Orzel, 17, Woodbridge, Ont., will be the second Canadian entry in men. Orzel placed seventh in Austria and won the bronze in Poland on the ISU Junior Grand Prix circuit this season. He is coached by Eva Najarro and trains in Richmond Hill, Ont.

Aurora Cotop, 15, Toronto, Ont., will represent Canada in ladies. This season, she placed seventh in Australia and ninth in Poland on the ISU Grand Prix. Cotop is coached by Jonathan Mills and Myke Gillman in Thornhill, Ont.

Evelyn Walsh, 16, London, Ont., and Trennt Michaud, 21, Trenton, Ont., are one of two Canadian pairs competing at this event. This season, they won the bronze medal in Latvia and placed fourth in Croatia on the ISU Junior Grand Prix. Walsh and Michaud are coached by Alison Purkiss and Margaret Purdy, and train in London, Ont.

Canadian junior champions Lori-Anne Matte, 18, Lévis, Que., and Thierry Ferland, 20, Lévis, Que., are the second Canadian pairs entry at the event. Matte and Ferland placed eighth in Belarus and 12^th in Poland on the ISU Junior Grand Prix this season. They are coached by Richard Gauthier and Bruno Marcotte in St. Leonard, Que.

Canadian junior champions Marjorie Lajoie, 17, Boucherville, Que., and Zachary Lagha, 18, Greenfield Park, Que., are the first of two Canadian ice dance entries. This season on the ISU Grand Prix circuit, Lajoie and Lagha won the silver medal in Australia, gold in Croatia and placed sixth at the ISU Junior Grand Prix Final. They train in Montreal, Que., with coaches Marie-France Dubreuil, Patrice Lauzon, Romain Haguenauer and Pascal Denis.

Canadian junior silver medallists Olivia McIsaac, 16, Burlington, Ont., and Elliott Graham, 19, Angus, Ont., are the second Canadian ice dance entry at the event. McIsaac and Graham placed fourth at the ISU Junior Grand Prix in Poland this season. McIsaac and Graham are coached by David Islam in Barrie, Ont.

André Bourgeois, Skate Canada NextGen Director, and Khorana Séa-Alphonse, Skate Canada NextGen Coordinator, will be the Canadian team leaders at the event. Dr. Ghislaine Robert of Montreal, Que., and physiotherapist Mireille Landry of Toronto, Ont., will be the Canadian medical staff onsite. Karen Butcher of Greely, Ont., will be the sole Canadian official at the event.

For results and full entries please visit www.isu.org.

CANADIAN ENTRIES AT THE 2018 ISU WORLD JUNIOR FIGURE SKATING CHAMPIONSHIPS