Tag Archive for: 2015 ISU World Figure Skating Championships

Canada’s Nam Nguyen roars to top-five finish at worlds

SHANGHAI – Nam Nguyen of Toronto surged to a fifth place finish in men’s competition on Saturday at the ISU World Figure Skating Championships.

Javier Fernandez of Spain earned the gold, Yuzuru Hanyu of Japan was second and Denis Ten of Kazakhstan third.

Nguyen, 16, was ninth after the short program.

“In the long program I needed to be more aggressive,” said Nguyen.  “I achieved that today and I’m really happy with myself.”

Jeremy Ten of Vancouver was 22nd.

In women’s competition, Elizaveta Tuktamysheva of Russia won the gold medal, Satoko Miyahara of Japan was second and Elena Radionova of Russia third.

Alaine  Chartrand of Prescott, Ont., was 11th and Gabrielle Daleman of Newmarket, Ont., 21st.

“Pretty much every performance I do I feel I could do better,” said Chartrand, who turned 19 this week.  “But today was not the performance I wanted.  It didn’t flow as well as in the short and that caused some mistakes.”

Canada ends the competition with two medals.  Meagan Duhamel of Lively, Ont., and Eric Radford of Balmertown, Ont., took gold in pairs while Kaitlyn Weaver and Andrew Poje of Waterloo, Ont., won bronze in ice dancing.

Full results: http://www.isuresults.com/results/wc2015/index.htm

Weaver and Poje win bronze at world championships

SHANGHAI – Ice dancers Kaitlyn Weaver and Andrew Poje of Waterloo, Ont., won the bronze medal on Friday at the ISU World Figure Skating Championships.

It was Canada’s second medal of the competition. On Thursday Meagan Duhamel of Lively, Ont., and Eric Radford of Balmertown, Ont., took gold in pairs.

In Friday’s ice dance, Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron of France roared from fourth after the short dance to win the gold with 184.28 points. Madison Chock and Evan Bates of the U.S. took the silver at 181.34 and Weaver and Poje followed at 179.42.

“We were very happy with the performance today, we went out there and gave it all we had,” said Poje. “We were disappointed with our scores because we were aiming for another gold.”

Weaver and Poje entered the worlds undefeated this season. They won three ISU Grand Prix events including the Final, the Canadian championships and the ISU Four Continents.

“This sport is a marathon, not a sprint,” said Weaver. “This is the first year of a four-year Olympic cycle and the momentum will not be lost. It makes us hungrier to work even harder.”

Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier of Toronto were sixth and Alexandra Paul and Mitchell Islam of Barrie,Ont., 13th.

“It’s really great for us to get a season’s best in both programs and improve on our eighth place from last year,” said Poirier. “We just allowed ourselves to relax and let our training do the work for us.”

In the men’s short program, Nam Nguyen of Toronto set a personal best international score to stand ninth while Jeremy Ten of Vancouver is 15th

“It’s really enjoyable to perform in front of a big crowd,” said Nguyen. “It’s very cool for me to communicate my program to them.”

Competition ends Saturday with the men’s and women’s free skates.

Full results: http://www.isuresults.com/results/wc2015/index.htm

World champs! Duhamel and Radford complete perfect season

SHANGHAI – Meagan Duhamel and Eric Radford won Canada’s first world pairs figure skating title in 14 years on Thursday to cap a perfect season.

The Canadians posted the top score in both the short skate and Thursday’s free program, finishing with a total of 221.53 points, a personal best score. Sui Wenjing and Han Cong of China won the silver medal at 214.12 and their compatriots Pang Qing and Tong Jian got the bronze with 212.77.

‘’The dream has become a reality,’’ said Radford. ‘’We had a little error at the start of the program but we recovered and fought till the end.

‘’We are so excited and proud of ourselves. You never know if you’ll be able to stand on top of a world podium no matter how hard you work.’’

This is Canada’s first victory in the pairs event at worlds since Jamie Sale and David Pelletier won gold in 2001.

Thursday’s victory capped a perfect season for Duhamel, from Lively, Ont., and Radford, from Balmertown, Ont. They won three Grand Prix events including the Grand Prix Final as well as the Four Continents championships and Canadian championships.

Duhamel left the ice unsure how the judges would score their program.

‘’All I knew is that we had given everything we had,’’ she said. ‘’Ironically this season we wanted to put the focus on enjoying our skating and we started to win.’’

World junior silver medallists Julianne Séguin of Longueuil, Que., Charlie Bilodeau of Trois-Pistoles, Que., were eighth and first-year partners Lubov Iliushechkina and Dylan Moscovitch of Toronto 13th.

“It’s our first international competition at the senior level and we are proud of our performances,” said Séguin. ‘’We reached our goals and learned a lot.’’

In women’s competition after the short program, Alaine Chartrand of Prescott, Ont., is 10th and Gabrielle Daleman of Newmarket, Ont., 21st.

Russians Elizaveta Tuktamysheva and Elena Radionova are 1-2.

“It was quite the experience,” said Chartrand celebrating her 19th birthday. “I had a good skate and to get close to my personal best at worlds is very satisfying.”

Daleman dislocated her knee two weeks ago.

“That wasn’t a good skate,” she said. “I was proud though that I fought through it and I know I can get it back together for the free skate.”

Competition continues Friday with the men’s short and free dance featuring Kaitlyn Weaver and Andrew Poje of Waterloo, Ont., who are second after Wednesday’s short dance.

Full results: http://www.isuresults.com/results/wc2015/index.htm

Canadians in gold medal hunt at worlds

SHANGHAI – Meagan Duhamel and Eric Radford are in first place after Wednesday’s pairs short program at the world figure skating championships.

Meanwhile Kaitlyn Weaver and Andrew Poje of Waterloo, Ont., stand second after the short dance.

The Canadians earned 76.98 points followed by Chinese pairs Qing Pang and Jian Tong at 72.59 and Wenjing Sui and Cong Han at 71.63.

Duhamel of Lively, Ont., and Radford of Balmertown, Ont., had drawn to skate last out of the 19 couples.

Performing to “Un peu plus haut” by Ginette Reno, the reigning ISU Grand Prix Final Champions hit a triple twist, side by side triple Lutz and throw triple Lutz.

The two-time World bronze medalists collected a level four for the side by side spin, the lift, footwork and death spiral to set a new personal best.

“We are at one of the biggest competitions of our career and we’re heading into the long program for the very first time at worlds in first place,” said Radford. “Having a great skate in the short helps us feel more relaxed and also our scores allow us more freedom. Overall we feel very confident going into the free.”

World junior silver medallists Julianne Séguin of Longueuil, Que., and Charlie Bilodeau of Trois-Pistoles, Que., are 10th and Lubov Iliushechkina and Dylan Moscovitch of Toronto 11th

In ice dancing, Madison Chock and Evan Bates of the U.S. lead with 74.47 points. Weaver and Poje follow ed with a personal best 72.68 and Anna Cappellini and Luca Lanotte of Italy are third at 72.39.

Weaver/Poje’s passionate performance to “La Virgen de Macarena” was highlighted by fast twizzles, precise footwork and a rotational lift.

The reigning World silver medalists picked up a level four for four elements but the first Paso Doble sequence was graded a level two.

“We put pressure on ourselves in practice since Four Continents to improve our technical mark since this was our weakness in the last competition,” said Weaver.

“Today we did much better, we were able to focus and we were in the zone. We feel like we are in a good place and we’re look forward to the free dance on Friday.”

Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier of Toronto are seventh and Alexandra Paul and Mitchell Islam of Barrie, Ont., are eighth.

“This was a great way to start our last competition of the season,” said Poirier. “It’s a program that’s really challenging and we have grown into it.”

“We reached levels that we hadn’t attained all year,” said Paul. “To skate our best at worlds is really satisfying.”

Competition continues Thursday with the pairs free skate and the women’s short program.

Full results: http://www.isuresults.com/results/wc2015/index.htm

Strong Canadian Bond between Duhamel/Radford and Weaver/Poje heading into the World Championships

Fate and destiny have bought Canada’s top two upwardly mobile duos to much the same place, on the same path, so much so, it’s almost chilling to behold.

Never have Canadian doublets been in such step as pair skaters Meagan Duhamel and Eric Radford and their ice dancing counterparts Kaitlyn Weaver and Andrew Poje.

At every bend this season, they have been matching steps to the ISU World Figure Skating Championships where both are favoured to win gold. And it would be a first if they did. Although Canadian skaters have won double-gold at world championships before (Donald Jackson and Maria and Otto Jelinek in 1962, Kurt Browning and Isabelle Brasseur and Lloyd Eisler in 1993, and Patrick Chan and Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir in 2012), it’s never happened to two Canadian twosomes.

Partway through the season, both noticed the similarity of their journeys. “After the NHK Trophy, we had both won the event, and we looked at each other and said: ‘Wait a second. We’re the exact same right now. We’re three for three;” Weaver said.

Last fall, Duhamel and Radford and Weaver and Poje both scored victories in early season internationals in Barrie, Ont. and Obertsdorf, Germany for win No. 1. Afterwards, they never competed apart. They were assigned to the same Grand Prix events, and swept them all. Then they both won gold at the Grand Prix Final (four for four); gold at the Canadian championships (five for five); then gold at the Four Continents Championships (six for six.). In Shanghai, China next week, they’ll go for seven, a lucky number that signifies divine perfection, completeness, something that is finished.

Both didn’t have their best Olympics in Sochi last February. Both realized that they had to do their jobs on their own terms, for the joy of it. Not training in a relaxed way (“We’re exhausted after every practice,” Weaver said), but shutting out the distractions of opinion and result.

“We both feel the same pressure,” Weaver said. “To have someone else to share that with, not only with your partner, but another team altogether, has been really fun and enlightening.”

“I feel like we are sharing this special journey with them,” said Duhamel, who will room with Weaver in Shanghai. “I think we share a really special energy between the four of us.”

In Barcelona, Duhamel and Weaver started a tradition together: finding a yoga class when they first get to an event. The texts fly back and forth. Last Monday, Weaver texted Duhamel: “Last Monday of the regular season of training!”

“Yay,” Duhamel said in return. “She’s always checking up on me to see how things are going.”

They find that they share the same feelings, the same trouble getting their feet under them after a trip, the same jetlag, the same ease that things have settled back to normal at the same time. “Every time she texts me about something, we’re both feeling the same way, or our energies are the same,” Duhamel said.

Ditto for Radford and Poje, who roomed together in Barcelona. “At every competition, I think there is an unspoken connection and feeling because we’re both in the exact same situation,” Radford said. “And it’s comforting and nice to know in those really high intense moments of pressure, when you’re feeling nervous, we have teammates that are in the exact same situation. And they are still alive. And they survived. And they are doing an amazing job. It gives us confidence to know we are going through the same situation with some of our best friends.”

It’s not as if they are forged from the same pieces of clay. They are in different disciplines for Pete’s sake: pairs with their fearlessness, ice dancers with their twizzles and emotion. They have decidedly different personalities, all of them.

“What’s neat is that you get to see how someone else handles the situation,” Weaver said. “I really admire Meagan’s tenacity and I love her aggressiveness when she skates. So we can learn from each other in that way.”

If Weaver and Poje arrive to the rink after a pair practice, they’ll ask how Duhamel and Radford fared. They’ll say (so many times this year): “Awesome!”

“And you know what? We can have awesome practices, too,” Weaver said. “They are very confident and we feed off each other in that way. I think we are all very different personalities, but we are able to come together and know that we are all feeling the same thing.”

Case in point: In Barcelona both wanted to do so well and Duhamel was feeling butterflies about it all. Weaver advised her that they do the same program every time, the same quads, the same twizzles, the same lifts. Nothing changes from one competition to another. “We both really kind of hung onto that,” Weaver said. “We have that little reminder for each other every time we go out.” They both won gold at the Grand Prix Final – quite decisively.

And what if they both were to win in Shanghai? The thought gives Weaver chills up her sparkly arm.

“It would be monumental for sure,” Poje said. “It would be such a powerful message for Canada to be able to display those two champions. We both have to go out there and do our jobs and make sure that we put everything we can out there.

“But it’s a wonderful picture to think about and to be able to share the same memories and the same moment with them, coming from the same country and hearing the same anthem. It would be amazing.”

Weaver says she rarely misses watching Duhamel and Radford skate, at least for the long program. She thinks she’s seen them five out of six times, perhaps all of them. “I’m very proud to witness their growth and the incredible strides that they have made as a team, especially with that long, which is gorgeous,” she said.

And what if there is an incredible double-barrelled win, two golds for two teams?

“It would mean a lot of champagne for Team Canada,” Weaver said.

Canadian team heads to Shanghai for 2015 ISU World Figure Skating Championships

OTTAWA, ON: Skate Canada will send 10 entries for a total of 16 skaters to the 2015 ISU World Figure Skating Championships in Shanghai, China, from March 23-29. Canada will have two entries per category in men’s and ladies and three entries per category in pair and ice dance.

Leading the Canadian pair entries are Olympic silver medallists (team) Meagan Duhamel, 29, Lively, Ont., and Eric Radford, 30, Balmertown, Ont. The four-time Canadian champions have won two consecutive bronze medals at this event (2013 and 2014). Duhamel and Radford won gold at each of their events this season: Skate Canada International, NHK Trophy, ISU Grand Prix Final and Four Continents Championships. The representatives of Walden FSC and CPA Saint-Léonard are coached by Richard Gauthier, Bruno Marcotte, and Sylvie Fullum at CPA Saint-Léonard.

Lubov Ilyushechkina, 23, Moscow, Russia, and Dylan Moscovitch, 30, Toronto, Ont., will be Canada’s second pair entry, competing together in this event for the first time. In their first season together, the representatives of the Toronto Cricket Skating and Curling Club won gold at the Warsaw Cup, silver at the 2015 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships, and placed fourth at the Four Continents Championships. Ilyusheshkina and Moscovitch are coached by Lee Barkell, Bryce Davison, and Tracy Wilson.

Canadian bronze medallists Julianne Séguin, 18, Longueuil, Que., and Charlie Bilodeau, 21, Trois-Pistoles, Que., will be the third Canadian pair entry at this event. This will be their first senior international assignment. On the junior international circuit this season, Séguin and Bilodeau won gold at their junior grand prix assignments in Czech Republic and Germany, gold at the ISU Junior Grand Prix Final, and silver at the World Junior Championships. They are coached by Josée Picard in Chambly, Que.

World silver medallists Kaitlyn Weaver, 25, Waterloo, Ont., and Andrew Poje, 28, Waterloo, Ont., are the first of three Canadian entries in ice dance. This will be their seventh time competing at this event. This season, they won gold at each of their events: Skate Canada International, NHK Trophy, ISU Grand Prix Final and Four Continents Championships. Representing Sault FSC and Kitchener-Waterloo SC, the 2015 Canadian champions are coached by Pasquale Camerlengo and Angelika Krylova in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan.

Canadian silver medallists Piper Gilles, 23, Toronto, Ont., and Paul Poirier, 23, Unionville, Ont., will also represent Canada in ice dance. Last season, they placed eighth at this event. Earlier this season, they won silver at Skate Canada International and Trophée Eric Bompard, placed fifth at the ISU Grand Prix Final, and placed fourth at the Four Continents Championships. The representatives of Scarboro FSC are coached by Carol Lane, Juris Razgulajevs, Jon Lane, and Roy Bradshaw at Ice Dance Elite in Scarborough, Ont.

Alexandra Paul, 23, Midhurst, Ont., and Mitchell Islam, 25, Barrie, Ont., will round out the Canadian entries in ice dance. Last year, they placed 10th at this event. This season, Paul and Islam placed fifth at the Cup of China, sixth at Trophée Eric Bompard, and sixth at the Four Continents Championships. The representatives of Barrie SC train at the Detroit Skating Club with coaches Pasquale Camerlengo, Angelika Krylova, and Natalia Deller.

Canadian champion Nam Nguyen, 16, Toronto, Ont., is the first of two Canadian entries in men’s. Last year, Nguyen placed 12th at this event. This season, he won bronze at Skate America, placed fourth at the Cup of China, and placed 11th at the ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships. The 2014 world junior champion is coached by Brian Orser and Ernest Pryhitka at the Toronto Cricket Skating & Curling Club.

Jeremy Ten, 26, Vancouver, B.C., will be the second Canadian entry in men’s. Ten previously competed at this event in 2009, placing 17th. This season, the representative of Grandview Skating Club placed eighth at the NHK Trophy, 10th at the Rostelecom Cup, and 12th at the Four Continents Championships. The 2015 Canadian silver medallist is coached by Joanne McLeod and Neil Wilson at the Champs International Skating Centre.

Gabrielle Daleman, 17, Newmarket, Ont., is one of two Canadian entries in ladies. The 2015 Canadian champion placed 13th at this event last year. This season, the representative of Richmond Hill FSC placed fifth at the Cup of China, sixth at the NHK Trophy, and seventh at the Four Continents Championships. Daleman is coached by Andrei Berezintsev and Inga Zusev and trains at the Richmond Training Centre in Richmond Hill, Ont.

Canadian silver medallist Alaine Chartrand, 18, Prescott, Ont., will be Canada’s second entry in the ladies category. This will be her first time competing at this event. This season, she won bronze at the Rostelecom Cup, placed seventh at Skate Canada International, and placed tenth at the Four Continents Championships. Chartrand is coached by Michelle Leigh and Brian Orser and represents the Nepean Skating Club.

Skate Canada High Performance Director Mike Slipchuk will be the team leader with Carolyn Allwright of Kitchener, Ont. Dr. Marni Wesner of Edmonton, Alta., and physiotherapist Agnes Makowski of Toronto, Ont., will be the Canadian medical staff travelling with the team. Beth Crane of Burnaby, B.C., and Karen Howard of Regina, Sask., will be the Canadian officials at the event.

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

CANADIAN ENTRIES AT 2015 ISU WORLD FIGURE SKATING CHAMPIONSHIPS

Discipline Name Age Hometown Club Coach
Mens Nam Nguyen 16 Toronto, Ont. Toronto Cricket Skating & Curling Club Brian Orser / Ernest Pryhitka
Mens Jeremy Ten 26 Vancouver, B.C. Grandview SC Joanne McLeod / Neil Wilson
Ladies Gabrielle Daleman 17 Newmarket, Ont. Richmond Hill FSC Andrei Berezintsev / Inga Zusev
Ladies Alaine Chartrand 18 Prescott, Ont. Nepean Skating Club Michelle Leigh / Brian Orser
Pairs Meagan Duhamel / Eric Radford 29/30 Lively, Ont. / Balmertown, Ont. Walden FSC / CPA Saint-Léonard Richard Gauthier / Bruno Marcotte / Sylvie Fullum
Pairs Lubov Ilyushechkina / Dylan Moscovitch 23/30 Moscow, Russia / Toronto, Ont. Toronto Cricket, Skating and Curling Club / Toronto Cricket, Skating and Curling Club Lee Barkell / Bryce Davison / Tracy Wilson
Pairs Julianne Séguin / Charlie Bilodeau 18/21 Longueuil, Que. / Trois-Pistoles, Que. CPA Longueuil / CPA De Drummondville Inc. Josée Picard
Ice Dance Kaitlyn Weaver / Andrew Poje 25/28 Waterloo, Ont. / Waterloo, Ont. Sault FSC / Kitchener-Waterloo SC Pasquale Camerlengo / Angelika Krylova
Ice Dance Piper Gilles / Paul Poirier 23/23 Toronto, Ont. / Unionville, Ont. Scarboro FSC / Scarboro FSC Carol Lane / Juris Razgulajevs / Jon Lane / Roy Bradshaw
Ice dance Alexandra Paul / Mitchell Islam 23/25 Midhurst, Ont. / Barrie, Ont. Barrie SC / Barrie SC Pasquale Camerlengo / Angelika Krylova / Natalia Deller

Skate Canada names teams for ISU Junior and Senior Worlds and Four Continents

KINGSTON, ON – At the conclusion of the highly successful 2015 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships Skate Canada named the teams for three upcoming ISU Championships.

ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships – Seoul, Korea – February 9 – 15, 2015

Men
Nam Nguyen, 16, Toronto, Ont.
Jeremy Ten, 25, Vancouver, B.C.
Liam Firus, 22, North Vancouver, B.C

Ladies
Gabrielle Daleman, 17, Newmarket, Ont.
Alaine Chartrand, 18, Prescott, Ont.
Véronik Mallet, 20, Sept-Îles, Que.,

Ice Dance
Kaitlyn Weaver, 25, Waterloo, Ont. / Andrew Poje, 27, Waterloo, Ont.
Piper Gilles, 23, Toronto, Ont. /Paul Poirier, 23, Unionville, Ont.
Alexandra Paul, 23, Midhurst, Ont. / Mitchell Islam, 24, Barrie, Ont.

Pair
Meagan Duhamel, 29, Lively, Ont. / Eric Radford, 29 Balmertown, Ont.
Lubov Ilyushechkina, 23, Moscow, Russia, Dylan Moscovitch, 30, Toronto, Ont.
Kirsten Moore-Towers, 22, St. Catharines, Ont. / Michael Marinaro, 23, Sarnia, Ont.

ISU Junior World Figure Skating Championships – Tallinn, Estonia – March 2-8, 2015

Men
Roman Sadovsky, 15, Vaughan, Ont.
Nicolas Nadeau, 17, Boisbriand, Que.

Ladies
Selena Zhao, 16, Varennes, Que. – Colorado Springs, USA
Kim DeGuise-Léveillée, 16, Sorel-Tracy, Que

Ice Dance
Mackenzie Bent, 17, Uxbridge, Ont./ Garrett MacKeen, 20, Oshawa, Ont.
Madeline Edwards, 18, Port Moody, B.C./ ZhaoKai Pang, 19, Burnaby, B.C.

Pair
Julianne Séguin, 18, Longueuil, Que. / Charlie Bilodeau, 21, Trois-Pistoles, Que.
Mary Orr, 18, Brantford, Ont. / Phelan Simpson, 18, Lunenburg, N.S.,
Shalena Rau, 15, Waterloo, Ont. / Sébastien Arcieri, 20, Montreal, Que.

ISU World Figure Skating Championships – Shanghai, China – March 23-29, 2015

Men
Nam Nguyen, 16, Toronto, Ont.
Jeremy Ten, 25, Vancouver, B.C.

Ladies
Gabrielle Daleman, 17, Newmarket, Ont.
Alaine Chartrand, 18, Prescott, Ont.

Ice Dance
Kaitlyn Weaver, 25, Waterloo, Ont. / Andrew Poje, 27, Waterloo, Ont.
Piper Gilles, 23, Toronto, Ont. /Paul Poirier, 23, Unionville, Ont.
Alexandra Paul, 23, Midhurst, Ont. / Mitchell Islam, 24, Barrie, Ont.

Pair
Meagan Duhamel, 29, Lively, Ont. / Eric Radford, 29 Balmertown, Ont.
Lubov Ilyushechkina, 23, Moscow, Russia, Dylan Moscovitch, 30, Toronto, Ont.
Julianne Séguin, 18, Longueuil, Que. / Charlie Bilodeau, 21, Trois-Pistoles, Quebec