Tag Archive for: 2014 Ljubljana Cup

Silver Saturday for Canadian ice dancers at Junior Grand Prix

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LJUBLJANA, Slovenia – Ice dancers Brianna Delmaestro of Port Moody, B.C., and Timothy Lum of Burnaby, B.C., earned their first career medal on the ISU Junior Grand Prix figure skating circuit on Saturday placing second overall.

Daria Morozova and Mikhail Zhirmov of Russia won the gold medal with 131.54 points just ahead of the Canadians at 131.30, a personal best score. Holly Moore and Daniel Klaber of the U.S., took third at 129.26.

‘’It was the presentation that really got us the medal,’’ said Lum, 19. ‘’We showed strong technical skills but it was the performance that made the difference. It feels great and now we can start thinking about potentially going to the Junior Grand Prix final and world juniors.’’

The couple have only been together for just over a year.

‘’We are both committed to the partnership and the programs and those are our strengths,’’ said Delmaestro, 18. ‘’Today we knew that a medal was a possibility if we skated our best.’’

Valerie Taillefer and Jason Chan of Montreal were ninth.

In women’s competition, Selena Zhao of Varennes, Que., took 10th spot overall in her international debut with Julianne Delaurier of Kelowna, B.C., 17th. Serafima Sakhanovich of Russia won the gold medal.

‘’I was O.K. with the performance but I had to fight through everything,’’ said Zhao, 16, seventh after the short program. ‘’I was happy that I didn’t give up. There are a lot of points that have the ability to go out there and get. My goal is to have two solid programs by the end of the season.’’

In Friday’s men’s competition, Anthony Kan of Richmond Hill, Ont., was sixth and Mitchell Gordon of Vancouver seventh.

Kan was third after the short program on Thursday and was hoping to fare better in the final.

‘’The long program didn’t start the way I started and I had a mental blockage from there on in particularly with the jumps,’’ said Kan, 19. ‘’I need to work on improving and refining my presentation and by the end of the season I would like to have a consistent triple Axel and quad toe.’’

Gordon roared from 13th place after the short.

‘’I’m not as comfortable with the short program as the long right now,’’ said Gordon. ‘’It was nice to come back in the long and I really stick with the plan from start to finish. Still, I need to get my triple Axel back working and work harder on that short program.’’

The next stop on the circuit is September 5-6 in Ostrava, Czech Republic.

Full results: http://www.isuresults.com/results/jgpslo2014/index.htm

 

Anthony Kan takes sixth place at ISU Junior Grand Prix

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LJUBLJANA, Slovenia – Anthony Kan of Richmond Hill, Ont., showed great improvement over his previous ISU Junior Grand Prix figure skating result but was probably hoping to fare better than sixth in men’s singles on Friday at the season’s second stop.

Boyang Jin of China took the men’s gold with 220.77 points, Alexander Petrov of Russia was second at 216.33 and his compatriot Dmitri Aliev was third at 185.84.

Kan, in only his second career Junior Grand Prix, was third after Thursday’s short program, but dropped to sixth with the 10th best free skate at 162.52. He delivered an inconsistent performance particularly in the second half of the program. Kan was 12th at his only other Junior Grand Prix appearance in 2012.

Mitchell Gordon of Vancouver did the complete opposite climbing from 13th after the short to seventh overall at 161.85 with an uplifting number to Irish music. It was the fifth best long program and he landed six of his seven triple jumps.

In ice dancing, Brianna Delmaestro of Port Moody, B.C., and Timothy Lum of Burnaby, B.C., are in second spot after the short dance at 49.14. Daria Morozova and Mikhail Zhirnov of Russia are slightly ahead at 49.80.

Canadian novice champions Valerie Taillefer and Jason Chan of Montreal, in their international debut, are ninth.

In women’s competition after Thursday’s short program, Selena Zhao of Varennes, Que., is seventh and Julianne Delaurier of Kelowna, B.C., 13th.

The free dance and women’s free skate are on Saturday.

Full results: http://www.isuresults.com/results/jgpslo2014/index.htm

Canadian Skaters Headed to Slovenia for Second ISU Junior Grand Prix

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OTTAWA, ON: Skate Canada will send eight skaters, for a total of six entries to Ljubljana, Slovenia for the second ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating of the season. Canada will have two entries in men’s, ladies, and ice dance. There will be no pair competition at the event, which takes place from August 27-31, 2014.

Mitchell Gordon, 18, Vancouver, B.C., is the first of two entries in men’s for Canada. Last season, he placed 11th at the ISU Junior Grand Prix in Ostrava, Czech Republic, and also placed 11th at the 2014 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships, competing as a senior. In 2013, he placed 16th at the ISU World Junior Figure Skating Championships. Gordon is coached by Eileen Murphy and Keegan Murphy at the Connaught Figure Skating Club in Richmond, B.C.

Anthony Kan, 19, Richmond Hill, Ont., is the second entry for Canada in the men’s category. This will be his second time competing on the ISU Junior Grand Prix circuit, having placed 12th in Chemnitz, Germany in 2012. Last season, the representative of York Region Skating Academy placed 14th at the 2014 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships, competing in the senior men’s category. He is coached by Heather Austman and Keegan Murphy and trains out of the Connaught Figure Skating Club.

Julianne Delaurier, 16, Kelowna, B.C., is one of two entries representing Canada in the ladies category. Last season, she placed ninth at the ISU Junior Grand Prix in Gdansk, Poland, and won silver in the junior category at the 2014 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships. She is coached by Karen Mongrain and Jason Mongrain at the Kelowna Figure Skating Club.

Selena Zhao, 16, Varennes, Que. – Colorado Springs, USA, will also represent Canada in the ladies division. Zhao will be making her international debut for Canada, representing CPA Varennes. She is coached by Christy Krall and Damon Allen in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Brianna Delmaestro, 18, Port Moody, B.C., and Timothy Lum, 19, Burnaby, B.C., are one of two entries in ice dance for Canada. Delmaestro and Lum placed fifth at both their ISU Junior Grand Prix Assignments last season in Gandsk, Poland, and Tallinn, Estonia. Representing Coquitlam SC and Burnaby FSC, they won the bronze medal in junior ice dance at the 2014 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships. They are coached by Megan Wing and Aaron Lowe at the BC Centre of Excellence.

Valerie Taillefer, 15, Montreal, Que., and Jason Chan, 18, Saint-Laurent, Que., will be competing at their first international assignment, representing Canada in ice dance. The duo from Club de Patinage des Deux-Rives and Saint-Laurent FSC are the 2014 Canadian novice ice dance champions. Taillefer and Chan are coached by Elise Hamel and Shawn Winter at Sportplexe 4 Glaces Pierrefonds.

Petra Burka of Toronto, Ont., will be the Canadian team leader. Dr. Ed Pilat of Winnipeg, Man., and physiotherapist Paige Larson of North Vancouver, B.C., will be the Canadian medical team onsite. Debbie Islam of Barrie, Ont., and Ron Conacher of Toronto, Ont., are the Canadian officials at the event.

The ISU will be live streaming the competition via the ISU Junior Grand Prix YouTube channel.

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

CANADIAN ENTRIES AT ISU JGP #2 – Ljubljana, Slovenia

Discipline Name Age Hometown Club Coach
Men’s Mitchell Gordon 18 Vancouver, B.C. Connaught Figure Skating Club Eileen Murphy / Keegan Murphy
Men’s Anthony Kan 19 Richmond Hill, Ont. York Region Skating Academy Heather Austman / Keegan Murphy
Ladies Julianne Delaurier 16 Kelowna, B.C. Richmond Training Centre Karen Mongrain / Jason Mongrain
Ladies Selena Zhao 16 Varennes, Que. – Colorado Springs, USA CPA Varennes Christy Krall / Damon Allen
Ice Dance Brianna Delmaestro / Timothy Lum 18/19 Port Moody, B.C. / Burnaby, B.C. Coquitlam SC / Burnaby FSC Megan Wing / Aaron Lowe
Ice dance Valerie Taillefer / Jason Chan 15/18 Montreal, Que. / Saint-Laurent, Que. Club de Patinage des Deux-Rives/ Saint Laurent FSC Elise Hamel / Shawn Winter