Tag Archive for: 2023 ISU World Figure Skating Championships

Canadian Ice Dancers Gilles and Poirier Win Bronze at ISU World Figure Skating Championships

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SAITAMA, Japan (March 25, 2023) – Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier repeated as bronze medalists in ice dancing Saturday at the 2023 ISU World Figure Skating Championships.

Madison Chock and Evan Bates of the U.S. won their first world title finishing with 226.01 points. Charlene Guignard and Marco Fabbri of Italy followed for the silver at 219.85 and Gilles and Poirier earned 217.48 for Canada’s sole medal of the competition. This marked the first competition in three months for the Canadian Olympians after a wildly successful Grand Prix season, winning both their assignments as well as the Final in December.

‘’This is the best season we’ve ever had,’’ said Gilles. ‘’We medaled at every event we entered and that was really rewarding when we weren’t sure we would continue after last season.’’

Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Nikolaj Soerensen of Montreal, Que., produced the fourth best free skate but remained fifth at 214.04. They also had a fantastic season with two international medals including gold at the NHK Trophy Grand Prix in Japan last November.

‘’We couldn’t have asked for anything more,’’ said Soerensen. ‘’It’s really fun, you can have four minutes and 10 seconds where you can really feel you’re in the present the whole way. It’s such a rare excitement.’’

Shoma Uno of Japan repeated as world champion in men’s competition with 301.14. Junhwan Cha of South Korea took the silver with 296.03 and Ilia Malinin of the U.S. was third at 288.44. Canada’s Keegan Messing took seventh at 265.16 and received a rousing ovation from the Japanese crowd as he completed his fifth and final Worlds.

‘’I’m a little bummed about the two little mistakes I put out there but overall, I feel pretty damn good,’’ said Messing, whose best Worlds result was sixth in 2021. ‘’I’m skating for an experience, not a medal. I was able to recuperate after my two mistakes and felt I could really grasp the crowd again. I couldn’t have asked for a better experience.’’

For full event results, click here.

Three Canadian Pairs in Top-10 After Short Program at ISU World Figure Skating Championships

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SAITAMA, Japan (March 22, 2023) – Led by Canadian champions Deanna Stellato-Dudek and Maxime Deschamps, all three Canadian entries are in the top-10 after Wednesday’s pair short program at the ISU World Figure Skating Championships.

Last year’s silver medalists Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara of Japan are first with 80.72 points, defending champions Alexa Knierim and Brandon Frazier of the U.S. second at 74.64 and Sara Conti and Niccolo Macii of Italy stand third at 73.24. Stellato-Dudek and Deschamps, of Vaudreuil-Dorion, Que., follow in fourth at 72.81. Lia Pereira of Milton, Ont., and Trennt Michaud of Trenton, Ont., are sixth with a season best 65.31 and Brooke McIntosh and Benjamin Mimar of Toronto, Ont., stand 10th also with a SB 63.33.

‘’It wasn’t our strongest performance of the year, but it had some elements that were the best that we’ve done all year,’’ said Stellato-Dudek. ‘’We had sky-high nerves, jet lag, the ice was different so there was a lot of things reminding me of the key words I need to think of.’’

Pereira and Michaud are in their first season together and the Worlds are only their sixth competition as a pair.

‘’We are trying to take every competition as a new experience,’’ said Pereira. ‘’We’re learning and growing as a team, so we are really happy with the performance we put out today.’’

It is also a first Worlds for McIntosh and Mimar who are in their first year competing as seniors.

‘’I felt shaky a bit the first thirty seconds of the program but after it got better,’’ said Mimar. ‘’After nationals (in January) we tried to rebuild a bit and show that we can be very fast on the ice.’’

In the women’s short program, defending champion Kaori Sakamoto of Japan stands first with Haein Lee of South Korea second and Mai Mihara of Japan third. Two-time Canadian champion Madeline Schizas of Oakville, Ont., is 16th.

‘’I’m happy with the fight I showed after the fall but not super happy with the score,’’ said Schizas. ‘’I landed the triple-triple combo which is a make-or-break jump for me here, but I came here to get a top-10.’’

Competition continues Thursday with the pair free skate and the men’s short program. The event is available for Canadian viewers on the CBC Sports website. For full results, click here.

Canadian Athletes Ready to Shine in Japan at 2023 ISU World Figure Skating Championships®

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OTTAWA, ON (February 13, 2023) – Thirteen Canadian athletes are gearing up for the biggest competition of the year after a standout season that saw senior skaters win 35 medals on the international stage. The ISU World Figure Skating Championships®, scheduled to take place from March 20-26, 2023, in Saitama, Japan, will feature one woman, two men, two ice dance teams and three pair teams. 

Two-time national champion and Golden Spin of Zagreb bronze medalist Madeline Schizas will be competing in the event for the third time and will be the sole skater to represent Canada in the women’s category.  

The competition will mark the end of an era for two-time Olympian Keegan Messing who will be competing at his final World Championships after a long and illustrious career. The 2023 national champion recently scored a career-best at the 2023 ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships®, earning his first silver medal at the event. He will be joined by National Team member and Canadian Tire National Skating Championships silver medalist Conrad Orzel. 

In the pair discipline, Grand Prix de France gold medalists Deanna Stellato-Dudek and Maxime Deschamps will have their sights set on the podium following another breakthrough performance at the 2023 ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships®. 2022 NHK Trophy bronze medalists Brooke McIntosh & Benjamin Mimar will be competing alongside them, as well as the newly formed team of Lia Pereira and Trennt Michaud who placed third at nationals and fourth at the 2023 ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships®. 

Canadian ice dance teams are returning in full force, with Grand Prix Final gold medalists Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier leading the way. The duo will be competing for the first time since overcoming an injury earlier this year. They will be among the favourites after winning both of their Grand Prix assignments this season. 2023 national champions and Grand Prix finalists Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Nikolaj Soerensen will also be top contenders in this category. 

The competition kicks off on Wednesday, March 22, with the pair and women’s short programs, followed by the pair free program and men’s short program the following day. On Friday, ice dancers will tackle the rhythm dance, while the women’s medals will be awarded. The event concludes on Saturday, March 25 with the free dance and men’s free program. 

Team Canada 

Name | Age | Hometown | Coach | Training Location 

Women 

Madeline Schizas | 19 | Oakville, Ont. | Nancy Lemaire & Derek Schmidt | Milton, Ont.   

Men 

Keegan Messing | 31 | Girdwood, USA | Ralph Burghart | Anchorage, USA 

Conrad Orzel | 22 | Toronto, Ont. | Ravi Walia | Edmonton, Alta. 

Pair 

Brooke McIntosh | 18 | Toronto, Ont. & Benjamin Mimar | 22 | Terrebonne, Que. | Andrew Evans & Alexander Sheldrick | Toronto, Ont. 

Lia Pereira | 18 | Milton, Ont. & Trennt Michaud | 26 | Trenton, Ont. | Alison Purkiss & Nancy Lemaire| Milton, Ont.   

Deanna Stellato-Dudek | 39 | Chicago, USA & Maxime Deschamps | 31 | Vaudreuil-Dorion, Que. | Josée Picard | Vaudreuil-Dorion, Que.    

Ice Dance 

Laurence Fournier Beaudry | 30 | Montreal, Que. & Nikolaj Soerensen | 33 | Montreal, Que. | Marie-France Dubreuil & Patrice Lauzon | Montreal, Que.     

Piper Gilles | 30 | Toronto, Ont. & Paul Poirier | 30 | Unionville, Ont. | Carol Lane & Juris Razgulajevs | Scarborough, Ont. 

Team Leaders – Mike Slipchuk & Shae Zukiwsky 

Medical Team – Sylvia Ciurysek & Erika Persson 

Judges & Officials – Leanna Caron, Laurene Collin-Knoblauch & Beth Crane  

For more information, please click here.