Tag Archive for: 2017 Croatia Cup

Lajoie and Lagha triumph at ISU Junior Grand Prix

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ZAGREB, Croatia – Marjorie Lajoie of Boucherville, Que., and Zachary Lagha of Greenfield Park, Que., staved off two Russian couples to win the gold medal Saturday in ice dancing at the fifth stop on the ISU Junior Grand Prix circuit.

The Canadians bettered their score from their sixth place finish at the world juniors last year with 150.30 points. Sofia Shevchenko and Igor Eremenko of Russia were second at 145.05 and their compatriots Ksenia Konkina and Grigory Yakushev were third at 143.77.

‘’We just had a super experience overall this week,’’ said Lajoie. ‘’Everything from the practices to the performances went very well.’’

It was a first victory and third medal in five junior Grand Prix career appearances for Lajoie and Lagha. They won silver at the season opening event in Australia and are now qualified for the Grand Prix Final in December.

‘’Our plan here was just to skate for ourselves and not focus on the results,’’ added Lagha. ‘’We went out there to have fun and that’s what worked. For the lead up to the Final our focus will be on the technical aspects and bringing the program to another level.’’

Ellie Fisher of Lower Coverdale, N.B., and Simon-Pierre Mallette-Paque of Laval, Que., moved from sixth after the short dance to fifth.

‘’It’s a satisfying result but not exactly what we wanted,’’ said Mallette-Paque. ‘’We will continue to build on that.’’

It was a first international experience for the couple.

‘Representing Canada was pretty cool,’’ said Fisher.

It was Canada’s second medal of the competition. On Friday Joseph Phan of Laval, Que., took the silver in men’s competition.

Full results: ISU JGP Croatia Cup 2017

Canada’s Joseph Phan wins silver at ISU Junior Grand Prix

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ZAGREB, Croatia – Joseph Phan of Laval, Que., won the silver medal Friday in men’s competition at the fifth stop on the ISU Junior Grand Prix figure skating circuit.

Alexei Krasnozhon of the U.S. was the victor with 225.48 points followed by Phan at 221.07 and Makar Ignatov of Russia third at 219.22.

‘’I’m super happy about the performance,’’ said Phan, 16, fourth at the season opening Junior Grand Prix in Australia. ‘’I stayed focused throughout my long and thought about one thing at a time.’’

In pairs, Evelyn Walsh of London, Ont., and Trennt Michaud of Strathroy, Ont., soared from seventh after the short program to fourth overall with 150.32 points.

Polina Kostiukovich and Dmitrii Ialin of Russia took the gold with 165.48, Yumeng Gao and Zhong Xie of China were second at 164.96 and Aleksandra Boikova and Dmitrii Kovlovskii of Russia third at 163.21.

‘’The short program didn’t go as planned but we knew we had a strong long,’’ said Walsh, 16. “We just got to keep working on the connections and making sure the audience and judges are feeling the same way about it.’’

‘’We just took our time in the long and tried to do it like we do at home,’’ added Michaud, 21. ‘’We love this program and we just want to showcase it to everybody.’’

Olivia Boys-Eddy and Mackenzie Boys-Eddy of Brampton, Ont., were 10th and Chloe Choinard of Frankford, Ont., and Mathieu Ostiguy of Granby, Que., were 12th.

In ice dancing after the short dance, Marjorie Lajoie of Boucherville, Que., and Zachary Lagha of Greenfield Park, Que., are in first place with 62.89. Ksenia Konkina and Grigory Yakushev of Russia stand second at 60.16 and their compatriots Sofia Shevchenko and Igor Eremenko are third at 59.97.

Ellie Fisher of Lower Coverdale, N.B., and Simon-Pierre Mallette-Paque of Laval, Que., are sixth.

Full results: ISU JGP Croatia Cup 2017

Canadian junior skaters prepared for fifth event of ISU Junior Grand Prix

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OTTAWA, ON: Skate Canada will have seven entries, for a total of 12 skaters at the fifth event of the 2017 ISU Junior Grand Prix circuit. Canada will have one entry per discipline in ladies and men, three entries in pairs and two entries in ice dance at the competition taking place from September 27-30, 2017.

Joseph Phan, 16, Laval, Que., will represent Canada in men’s. Phan placed fourth at his first ISU Junior Grand Prix this season, in Australia. He is coached by Yvan Desjadrins in Rosemère, Que.

Canadian junior silver medallist Emily Bausback, 15, Vancouver, B.C., will be the Canadian entry in ladies. Last season on the ISU Junior Grand Prix circuit, she placed 10th in Japan and 13th in Estonia. Bausback is coached by Joanne McLeod at the Champs International Skating Centre.

Canadian junior champions Evelyn Walsh, 16, London, Ont., and Trennt Michaud, 21, Strathroy, Ont., are one of three Canadian junior pairs competing at this event. This season, they won the bronze medal in Latvia at their first ISU Junior Grand Prix assignment. Walsh and Michaud are coached by Alison Purkiss and Margaret Purdy, and train in London, Ont.

Chloe Choinard, 15, Brossard, Que., and Mathieu Ostiguy, 20, Granby, Que., will also represent Canada in pairs. Earlier this season they placed seventh at their first ISU Junior Grand Prix, which took place in Latvia. Choinard and Ostiguy are coached by Bruno Marcotte, Richard Gauthier, Sylvie Fullum and Cynthia Lemaire in Saint-Léonard, Que.

Canadian junior bronze medallists Olivia Boys-Eddy, 14, Brampton, Ont., and Mackenzie Boys-Eddy, 19, Brampton, Ont., round out the Canadian pairs entries at the event. This will be their first international assignment. They are coached by Ashley Greenhalgh in Brampton, Ont.

Canadian junior champions Marjorie Lajoie, 16, Boucherville, Que., and Zachary Lagha, 18, Greenfield Park, Que., are the first of two Canadian ice dance entries. Lajoie and Lagha won the silver medal at their first ISU Junior Grand Prix of the season, in Australia. They train in Montreal, Que., with coaches Marie-France Dubreuil, Patrice Lauzon, Romain Haguenauer and Pascal Denis.

Ellie Fisher, 16, Lower Coverdale, N.B., and Simon-Pierre Malette-Paquette, 19, Laval, Que., will be the second Canadian ice dance entry at the event. This will be their first international assignment. Fisher and Malette-Paquette are coached by Marie-France Dubreuil and Patrice Lauzon in Montreal, Que.

André Bourgeois, Skate Canada NextGen Director, and Cynthia Ullmark of Canmore, Alta., will be the Canadian team leaders at the event. Dr. Ed Pilat of Winnipeg, Man., and physiotherapist Scott Fraser of Kingston, Ont., will be the Canadian medical staff onsite. Véronique Gosselin of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que., and Leslie Keen of Vancouver, B.C., will be 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 JUNIOR GRAND PRIX #5 – ZAGREB, CROATIA

Discipline Name Age Hometown Club Coach
Men Joseph Phan 16 Laval, Que. CPA Laval Yvan Desjardins
Ladies Emily Bausback 15 Vancouver, B.C. Champs International Skating Centre Joanne McLeod
Pairs Evelyn Walsh / Trennt Michaud 16/21 London, Ont. / Strathroy, Ont. London SC / Prince Edward SC Alison Purkiss / Margaret Purdy
Pairs Chloe Choinard / Mathieu Ostiguy 15/20 Frankford, Ont. / Granby, Que. CPA St. Léonard/ CPA Saint-Césaire Bruno Marcotte / Richard Gauthier / Sylvie Fullum / Cynthia Lemaire
Pairs Olivia Boys-Eddy / Mackenzie Boys-Eddy 14/19 Brampton, Ont. / Brampton, Ont. Skate Canada Brampton-Chinguacousy / Skate Canada Brampton-Chinguacousy Ashley Greenhalgh
Ice Dance Marjorie Lajoie / Zachary Lagha 16/18 Boucherville, Que. / Greenfield Park, Que. CPA De Boucherville / CPA St. Lambert Marie-France Dubreuil / Patrice Lauzon / Romain Haguenauer / Pascal Denis
Ice Dance Ellie Fisher / Simon-Pierre Malette-Paquette 16/19 Lower Coverdale, N.B. / Laval, Que. CPA Lorraine / CPA Lorraine Marie-France Dubreuil / Patrice Lauzon