Tag Archive for: 2017 ISU Grand Prix Final

Virtue and Moir stand second after short at ISU Grand Prix Final

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NAGOYA, Japan – Canada’s Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir are in a big battle for the ISU Grand Prix Final ice dance title. The 2010 Olympic and three-time world champs stand second after Thursday’s short dance.

Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron of France are in first place with 82.07 points. Virtue and Moir, undefeated since returning to competition last season, follow at 81.53 and Maia Shibutani and Alex Shibutani of the U.S. are third at 78.09.

‘’The plan is to peak in February (at the Olympics) and we are on track,’’ said Virtue, from London, Ont. ‘’Our performance was a step up from what we did this season on the Grand Prix circuit.”

The veteran Canadian skaters don’t seem too worried about placement.

‘’Hopefully we can have another great skate Saturday and build our confidence for the Olympics,’’ said Moir, from Ilderton, Ont.

In pairs, two-time Canadian world champions Meagan Duhamel and Eric Radford are fifth after the short program at 72.18 in a competition that’s too tight to call heading into Saturday’s free skate.

‘’Having those little bobbles can detract a bit and that affected our second mark,’’ said Radford, from Balmertown, Ont.

The pair made a mistake on their side-by-side triple Lutz and throw triple Lutz.

‘’The throw was a little bit stuck on take-off which resulted in not the same flow when I came out,’’ said Duhamel, from Lively, Ont. ‘’Still, we were committed to our performance and we felt pretty good about it.’’

Aljona Savchenko and Bruno Massot of Germany are first after the short program with 79.43 points. Defending champions Evgenia Tarasova and Vladimir Morozov of Russia follow at 78.83 and world champions Wenjing Sui and Cong Han of China are third at 75.82.

Competition continues through to Saturday.

Full results: Grand Prix Final 2017 Senior and Junior

Skate Canada athletes in Japan for ISU Grand Prix Final

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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

Discipline Name Age Hometown Club Coach
Senior Ladies Kaetlyn Osmond 22 Marystown, Nfld. & Edmonton, Alta. Ice Palace FSC Ravi Walia
Senior Pairs Meagan Duhamel / Eric Radford 31/32 Lively, Ont. / Balmertown, Ont. CPA Saint-Léonard / CPA Saint-Léonard Bruno Marcotte
Senior Ice Dance Tessa Virtue / Scott Moir 28/30 London, Ont. / Ilderton, Ont. Montreal International Skating School / Montreal International Skating School Marie-France Dubreuil / Patrice Lauzon / Romain Haguenauer
Junior Ice Dance Marjorie Lajoie / Zachary Lagha 17/18 Boucherville, Que. / Greenfield Park, Que. CPA de Boucherville / CPA St. Lambert Marie-France Dubreuil / Patrice Lauzon / Romain Haguenauer / Pascal Denis

Skate Canada Qualifies Four Entries for the ISU Grand Prix Final

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OTTAWA, ON: Skate Canada has qualified four entries for a total of seven skaters for the ISU Grand Prix Final of Figure Skating in Nagoya, Japan from December 6-10, 2017. The ISU Senior Grand Prix Final will be held jointly with the ISU Junior Grand Prix Final.

The Canadian team at the 2017 ISU Grand Prix Final:

SENIOR WOMEN
Kaetlyn Osmond

SENIOR PAIR
Meagan Duhamel / Eric Radford

SENIOR ICE DANCE
Tessa Virtue / Scott Moir

JUNIOR ICE DANCE
Marjorie Lajoie / Zachary Lagha

The ISU Senior Grand Prix Final is the concluding event of the ISU Senior Grand Prix of Figure Skating circuit.  The series hosts six stops: Russia (Rostelecom Cup), Canada (Skate Canada International), China (Cup of China) and Japan (NHK Trophy), France (Internationaux de France), and the United States (Skate America). Skaters are awarded points based on their placements at their assigned two events and the top six in each of the four disciplines advance to the Final.

Similar to the senior qualification, juniors are assigned two events on the seven-event series. Only the top six in each category advance to the Final.

For results and full entries please visit the ISU website.