Tag Archive for: Gabrielle Daleman

Three medals for Canada at ISU Four Continents

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GANGNEUNG, South Korea – World champions Meagan Duhamel of Lively, Ont., and Eric Radford of Balmertown, Ont., and Lubov Ilyushechkina and Dylan Moscovitch of Toronto won silver and bronze in pairs and Gabrielle Daleman of Newmarket, Ont., added a silver in women’s singles on Saturday at the ISU Four Continents figure skating competition.

In pairs, Wenjing Sui and Cong Han of China took the gold with 225.03 points. Duhamel and Radford followed at 212.23 and Ilyushechkina and Moscovitch were third at 205.31.

Duhamel and Radford started their free skate with an impressive triple twist but their side-by-side, throw quad Salchow and throw triple Lutz were not as smooth.

‘’It was one of those fighting skates for us which has been a theme for us this season,’’ said Radford. ‘’But considering how we were feeling coming into this long program we are both very proud of ourselves and did some pretty good things.

‘’It’s always an up and down through the season and we’ll take this as a step up towards the world championships in March.’’

Ilyushechkina and Moscovitch were on fire in their free skate landing a triple twist, side-by-side triple toe-double toe, side-by-side triple Salchow and throw triple flip. The only glaring mishap was Ilyushechkina falling on a throw triple loop near the end of the program.

‘’It got rough near the end and some spots were sticky but we got through it,’’ said Moscovitch. ‘’Each event this season we have been improving and we’ve worked very hard to keep moving in the right direction.’’

Kirsten Moore-Towers of St. Catharines, Ont., and Michael Marinaro of Sarnia, Ont., were seventh.

In women’s competition, Mai Mihara of Japan moved from fourth after the short program to top spot with 200.85. Daleman followed in second – a career-best international result – at 196.91, Mirai Nagasu of the U.S. was third at 194.95 and Kaetlyn Osmond of Maystown, N.L. fourth at 184.17.

Daleman produced a strong start and ending with a little blip in the middle on which she stepped out of a jump and put her hand down after landing a double Axel.

‘’I’d never been at a big championship leading after the short so it was a whole new experience,’’ said Daleman. ‘’It’s wasn’t my best skate at all but I’m happy to be leaving here with an international medal.’’

Daleman and Osmond were 1-2 after Thursday’s short program. In her free skate, Osmond struggled after opening with a powerful triple flip-triple toe and double Axel-triple toe combos.

‘’The beginning went super well,’’ she said. ‘’I’ve been getting a lot better and being able to refocus after I miss an element and today that just didn’t happen.’’

Alaine Chartrand of Prescott, Ont., climbed from 14th to 11th after producing the eighth best free skate.

Competition ends Sunday morning with the men’s free program (9 p.m. Saturday evening EST on cbc.ca)

Full results: ISU Four Continents Championships 2017

Canadian records for Gilles/Poirier and Daleman at Skate Canada Challenge

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PIERREFONDS, Que. – Gabrielle Daleman of Newmarket, Ont., as well as ice dancers Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier of Toronto broke Canadian records in golden performances Sunday at the Skate Canada Challenge.

In ice dancing, Gilles and Poirier tabulated a national mark 196.58 points. Carolane Soucisse of Chateauguay, Que., and Shane Firus of Barrie, Ont., were second at 167.78 and Haley Sales of Burnaby, B.C., and Nicolas Wamsteeker of Langley, B.C., third at 147.72.

“We made a lot of improvements,” said Gilles. “We wanted to build our confidence going into nationals and it was mission accomplished. The Canadian record in just icing on the cake.”

The couple feel they have chance to make a big step this year.

“We have so much confidence,” said Poirier. “We are just really proud of the material we’ve been able to put together and we’ve prepared ourselves well for success this season. We’ve learned so much from the previous seasons that it’s just allowed us to present our best selves. The programs will just grow even more.”

In women’s competition, Daleman tabulated 208.85 for a national record with Sarah Tamura of Vancouver second at 166.45 and Alicia Pineault of Varennes, Que., third at 147.72.

“There’s still so much that be can be improved going into nationals and that’s a great feeling,” said Daleman. “I focused on this being the final stage before the Canadian championships to determine what’s good and what needs to be improved on.”

The competition attracted over 500 skaters from across Canada with competition also being held in the novice and pre-novice categories. Skate Canada Challenge is the sole qualifying event for novice, junior, and senior skaters to earn entries to the 2017 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships January 16-22 in Ottawa.

Full results: 2017 Skate Canada Challenge

Daleman stands second at Trophee de France

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PARIS – Gabrielle Daleman of Newmarket, Ont., posted her personal best score in the women’s short program to stand in second place at the Trophée de France, the fourth stop on the ISU Grand Prix figure skating circuit.

World champion Evgenia Medvedeva of Russia is in first place with 78.52 points, Daleman follows at 72.70 and Maria Sotskova of Russia is third at 68.71. Daleman eclipses her previous best of 67.38 set at the world championships this past March where she placed ninth.

In ice dancing after the short dance, Piper Gilles of Toronto and Paul Poirier of Unionville, Ont., are in fourth place at 64.74 points less than four points from second spot.

World champions Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron of France are first at 78.26, Elena Ilinykh and Ruslan Zhiganshin of Russia second at 68.72 and Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donohue of the U.S. third at 66.77.

Canada has no entries in men’s competition or pairs.

All four free skates are on Saturday.

Full results: ISU GP Trophée de France 2016

Canadians continue on ISU Grand Prix circuit in France

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OTTAWA, ON: Skate Canada will have two entries, for a total of three skaters, competing at the 2016 Trophée de France. The event takes place from November 11-13, 2016, at the AccorHotels Arena in Paris, France. Canada will have one entry in ladies and one entry in ice dance.

Gabrielle Daleman, 18, Newmarket, Ont., will be the Canadian entry in ladies. Last season, she placed sixth at this event. This season, Daleman won bronze at the Nebelhorn Trophy and placed fourth at her first ISU Grand Prix event of the season, Skate America. The 2016 Canadian silver medallist is coached by Lee Barkell and Brian Orser in Toronto, Ont.

Canadian silver medallists Piper Gilles, 24, Toronto, Ont., and Paul Poirier, 25, Unionville, Ont., will be the Canadian entry in ice dance. They have previously competed at this event three times, winning the silver medal in both 2014 and 2015, and placing sixth in 2012. This season, Gilles and Poirier won the bronze medal at the Nebelhorn Trophy and also won bronze at their first ISU Grand Prix assignment, Skate Canada International. They are coached by Carol Lane and Juris Razgulajevs in Scarborough, Ont.

André Bourgeois, Skate Canada NextGen Director, will be the Canadian team leader at the event and physiotherapist Shirley Kushner of Westmount, Que., will be the Canadian medical staff onsite. Jodi Abbott of Edmonton, Alta., will be the sole Canadian official at the event.

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

CANADIAN ENTRIES AT 2016 TROPHÉE DE FRANCE

Discipline Name Age Hometown Club Coach
Ladies Gabrielle Daleman 18 Newmarket, Ont. Toronto Cricket, Skating and Curling Club Lee Barkell / Brian Orser
Ice Dance Piper Gilles / Paul Poirier 24/25 Toronto, Ont. / Unionville, Ont. Scarboro FSC / Scarboro FSC Carol Lane / Juris Razgulajevs

Canadian skaters begin 2016 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating at Skate America

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OTTAWA, ON: Skate Canada will send three entries, for a total of four skaters to Skate America, the first event on this season’s ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating. Canada will have one entry per category in men’s, ladies, and pair. The competition, which is the first of six ISU Grand Prix stops, will take place from October 21-23, 2016, at the Sears Centre Arena in Chicago, IL, USA.

Nam Nguyen, 18, Toronto, Ont., is the Canadian entry in men’s. He previously won bronze at this event in 2014. Last season, Nguyen placed fifth at Skate Canada International, seventh at the Rostelecom Cup, 27th at the ISU World Figure Skating Championships and fourth at the 2016 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships. This season, he placed fifth at the 2016 U.S. International Figure Skating Classic. He is coached by David Glynn in San Jose, CA, USA.

Gabrielle Daleman, 18, Newmarket, Ont., will be the Canadian entry in ladies and will be competing at this event for the first time. Last season, she placed fifth at Skate Canada International, sixth at Trophée Éric Bompard, ninth at the ISU World Figure Skating Championships and won silver at the 2016 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships. Daleman won bronze at her first competition this season, the Nebelhorn Trophy. She is coached by Lee Barkell and Brian Orser in Toronto, Ont.

Julianne Séguin, 19, Longueuil, Que., and Charlie Bilodeau, 23, Trois-Pistoles, Que., will be the Canadian pair entry at the event. Last year, they won the bronze medal at this event. Séguin and Bilodeau also won bronze at Trophée Éric Bompard, placed fourth at the ISU Grand Prix Final and won the silver medal at the 2016 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships last season. This season, they won gold at their first event, the 2016 Autumn Classic International. Séguin and Bilodeau are coached by Josée Picard in Chambly, Que.

Mike Slipchuk, Skate Canada High Performance Director, will be the Canadian team leader and physiotherapist Scott Fraser of Kingston, Ont., will be the Canadian medical staff onsite. André-Marc Allain of Gatineau, Que., and Cynthia Benson of Quispamsis, N.B., will be the Canadian officials at the event.

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

CANADIAN ENTRIES AT 2016 SKATE AMERICA

Discipline Name Age Hometown Club Coach
Mens Nam Nguyen 18 Toronto, Ont. Toronto Cricket Skating & Curling Club David Glynn
Ladies Gabrielle Daleman 18 Newmarket, Ont. Toronto Cricket, Skating and Curling Club Lee Barkell / Brian Orser
Pair Julianne Séguin / Charlie Bilodeau 19/23 Longueuil, Que. / Trois-Pistoles, Que. CPA Longueuil / CPA Chambly Josée Picard

Silver for Lubov Ilyushechkina and Dylan Moscovitch at Nebelhorn Trophy

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OBERSTDORF, GERMANY: Lubov Ilyushechkina, 24, Moscow, Russia, and Dylan Moscovitch, 31, Toronto, Ont., won the silver medal in pair at the Nebelhorn Trophy in Oberstdorf, Germany. The team scored 118.42 in the free for an overall score of 184.40.

“We felt pretty good about our program. We are very happy with how it went. It went from the beginning to the end with one smooth motion and we kept the chemistry and togetherness throughout the whole performance,” said Ilyushechkina.

Aliona Savchenko and Bruno Massot of Germany won gold with 203.04 points and their teammates Mari Vartmann and Ruben Blommaert won the bronze with 162.38 points.

In women’s, Gabrielle Daleman, 18, Newmarket, Ont., won the bronze medal after scoring 60.15 in the short and 115.25 in the free for a total of 175.40.

“I am very happy with how it went. No matter what happened it was my third full long I’ve done since I have been back, due to injuries this summer. I didn’t give up the program one bit, I kept the story and the skating going. It went much better than I could have imaged and I am happy to start off my season like this,” said Daleman.

Mai Mihara of Japan won gold with 189.03 points and Russia’s Elizaveta Tuktamysheva claimed the silver with 185.93 points.

On Friday, Piper Gilles, 24, Toronto, Ont., and Paul Poirier, 24, Unionville, Ont., won the bronze medal in ice dance and Liam Firus, 24, North Vancouver, B.C., placed fifth in men’s.

Team Canada won the Fritz Geiger Memorial Trophy, which is presented to the country with the highest placements across all disciplines. The US was second and Russia third.

Full results: http://www.deu-event.de/results/Nebelhorn_2016/index.html

Canadian skaters in Germany for Nebelhorn Trophy

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OTTAWA, ON: Skate Canada will send four entries, for a total of six skaters to Oberstdorf, Germany, for the Nebelhorn Trophy, the third stop on the 2016-2017 ISU Challenger Series. Canada will have one entry in each discipline (men’s, ladies, pair and ice dance) at the event which takes place September 22-24, 2016.

Canadian silver medallist Liam Firus, 24, North Vancouver, B.C., is the Canadian entry in men’s. In 2014, he placed ninth at this event. Last season, the representative of Vancouver SC won the Triglav Trophy, placed seventh at the Finlandia Trophy, eighth at the Golden Spin of Zagreb, and 13th at the ISU Four Continents Championships. Firus is coached by Bruno Marcotte in Sainte-Julie, Que.

Gabrielle Daleman, 18, Newmarket, Ont., will be the Canadian entry in ladies and will be competing at this event for the first time. Last season, she placed fifth at Skate Canada International, sixth at Trophée Éric Bompard, ninth at the ISU World Figure Skating Championships and won silver at the 2016 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships. Daleman is coached by Lee Barkell and Brian Orser at the Toronto Cricket, Skating and Curling Club.

Lubov Ilyushechkina, 24, Moscow, Russia, and Dylan Moscovitch, 31, Toronto, Ont., are the Canadian pair entry, and will also be competing at this event for the first time. Last season, they placed seventh at the Cup of China, fifth at the NHK Trophy, fifth at the ISU Four Continents Championships and seventh at the ISU World Figure Skating Championships. The two-time Canadian medallists are coached by Lee Barkell, Bryce Davison and Tracy Wilson at the Toronto Cricket, Skating and Curling Club.

Canadian silver medallists Piper Gilles, 24, Toronto, Ont., and Paul Poirier, 24, Unionville, Ont., will be the Canadian entry in ice dance. This will be their first time competing at this event. Last season, they won bronze at Skate America, silver at Trophée Éric Bompard, placed fifth at the ISU Four Continents Championships and eighth at the ISU World Figure Skating Championships. The representatives of Scarboro FSC are coached by Carol Lane and Juris Razgulajevs.

Skate Canada High Performance Director Mike Slipchuk will be travelling with the Canadian team as team leader and Shirley Kushner of Westmount, Que., will be the Canadian medical staff onsite. Reaghan Fawcett-Fortin of Aurora, Ont., and Leslie Keen of Vancouver, B.C., will be the Canadian officials at the event.

For results and full entries please visit 2016 Nebelhorn Trophy.

CANADIAN ENTRIES AT 2016 NEBELHORN TROPHY

Discipline Name Age Hometown Club Coach
Mens Liam Firus 24 North Vancouver, B.C. Vancouver SC Bruno Marcotte
Ladies Gabrielle Daleman 18 Newmarket, Ont. Toronto Cricket, Skating and Curling Club Lee Barkell / Brian Orser
Pair Lubov Ilyushechkina / Dylan Moscovitch 24/31 Moscow, Russia / Toronto, Ont. Toronto Cricket, Skating and Curling Club / Toronto Cricket, Skating and Curling Club Lee Barkell / Bryce Davison / Tracy Wilson
Ice Dance Piper Gilles / Paul Poirier 24/24 Toronto, Ont. / Unionville, Ont. Scarboro FSC / Scarboro FSC Carol Lane / Juris Razgulajevs

Skate Canada Announces 2016-2017 National Team

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OTTAWA, ON: Skate Canada is pleased to announce the 2016-2017 National Team. The team is comprised of 28 senior members, which includes five men, five women, four pair teams and five ice dance teams.

To be named to the National Team a skater must finish in the top five in senior singles, pair and ice dance disciplines at the Canadian Tire National Skating Championships, or be added at the discretion of the Skate Canada. These skaters may be considered to represent Canada at international competitions.

Their appointment to the national team is effective from June 1, 2016 through to April 30, 2017. Skate Canada also announced the three teams that will make up the Skate Canada Synchronized Skating National Team.

MEN
Patrick Chan, 25, Toronto, Ont.
Liam Firus, 23, North Vancouver, B.C.
Kevin Reynolds, 25, Coquitlam, B.C.
Nam Nguyen, 18, Toronto, Ont.
Nicolas Nadeau, 18, Boisbriand, Que.

WOMEN
Alaine Chartrand, 20, Prescott, Ont.
Gabrielle Daleman, 18, Newmarket, Ont.
Kaetlyn Osmond, 20, Marystown, Nfld. & Sherwood Park, Alta.
Véronik Mallet, 22, Sept-Iles, Que.
Michelle Long, 24, Newmarket, Ont.

PAIR
Meagan Duhamel, 30, Lively, Ont. & Eric Radford, 31, Balmertown, Ont.
Julianne Séguin, 19, Longueuil, Que. & Charlie Bilodeau, 22, Trois-Pistoles, Que.
Lubov Ilyushechkina, 24, Moscow, Russia & Dylan Moscovitch, 31, Toronto, Ont.
Kirsten Moore-Towers, 24, St. Catharines, Ont. & Michael Marinaro, 24, Sarnia, Ont.

ICE DANCE
Kaitlyn Weaver, 27, Waterloo, Ont. & Andrew Poje, 29, Waterloo, Ont.
Piper Gilles, 24, Toronto, Ont. & Paul Poirier, 24, Unionville, Ont.
Élisabeth Paradis, 23, Loretteville, Que. & François-Xavier Ouellette, 23, Laval, Que.
Alexandra Paul, 24, Midhurst, Ont. & Mitchell Islam, 26, Barrie, Ont.
Tessa Virtue, 27, London, Ont. & Scott Moir, 28, Ilderton, Ont.

SYNCHRONIZED SKATING
Les Suprêmes, of CPA Saint-Léonard
NEXXICE, of the Burlington Skating Centre
Meraki, of the Leaside Skating Club

Team North America Ready to Compete at the 2016 KOSÉ Team Challenge Cup

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SPOKANE, WASHINGTON, USA: For the first time ever, skaters from Skate Canada and U.S. Figure Skating will come together to compete as Team North America at the inaugural KOSÉ Team Challenge Cup. The event will be held April 22-24 at the Spokane Arena in Spokane, Washington, USA.

Team North America will consist of four Canadian and six American entries for a total of 10 entries and 14 skaters in total.

TEAM NORTH AMERICA – 2016 KOSÉ TEAM CHALLENGE CUP

Discipline Name Hometown Training Town Country
Ladies Gabrielle Daleman Newmarket, Ontario Toronto, Ontario CAN
Ladies Gracie Gold Hermosa Beach, California El Segundo, California USA
Ladies Ashley Wagner Alexandria, Virginia Los Angeles, California USA
Men Jason Brown Highland Park, Illinois Monument, Colorado USA
Men Nam Nguyen Toronto, Ontario Toronto, Ontario CAN
Men Adam Rippon Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania Los Angeles, California USA
Pairs Meagan Duhamel / Eric Radford Lively, Ontario / Balmertown, Ontario Montreal, Quebec CAN
Pairs Alexa Scimeca / Chris Knierim Addison, Illinois / San Diego, California Colorado Springs, Colorado USA
Ice Dance Madison Chock / Evan Bates Redondo Beach, California / Ann Arbor, Michigan Novi, Michigan USA
Ice Dance Kaitlyn Weaver / Andrew Poje Kitchener, Ontario Bloomfield Hills, Michigan CAN

An ISU-sanctioned event, the Team Challenge Cup will feature 42 figure skaters competing in a continental team competition (Team Asia vs. Team Europe vs. Team North America). Each Team will consist of three ladies, three men, two pairs teams and two ice dance teams. ISU World Standings (as of Jan. 1, 2016) and the Captain’s Pick Fan Vote were used to determine Team Challenge Cup athletes.

Each team will have a Team Captain, a legend of the sport, who will not compete but help determine team strategy. Team North America will be captained by American Kristi Yamaguchi, the 1992 Olympic champion. Great Britain’s Christopher Dean, the 1984 Olympic ice dance champion with partner Jayne Torvill, will captain Team Europe and Japan’s Shizuka Arakawa, the 2006 Olympic champion, will captain Team Asia.

The Team Challenge Cup will feature two days of competition, opening Friday night with the singles competition as the ladies and men compete in head-to-head matchups for more than $100,000 in prize money. Saturday’s Team Competition (all disciplines) will feature an aggregate scoring format to determine the 2016 Team Challenge Cup winner with a prize purse of nearly $500,000, for a total prize purse of $617,000 (US Dollars).

For more information, please visit 2016 KOSÉ Team Challenge Cup.

World title for Meagan Duhamel and Eric Radford

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BOSTON – Meagan Duhamel of Lively, Ont., and Eric Radford of Balmertown, Ont., struck gold for the second straight year in pairs on Saturday at the ISU World Figure Skating Championships.

It is first time Canada has repeat champions in pairs since Barbara Wagner and Robert Paul won four straight from 1957-1960.

Duhamel and Radford posted a personal best 231.99 with Wenjing Sui and Cong Han of China second at 224.47 and Aliona Savchenko and Bruno Massot of Germany third at 216.17.

“We are so happy and so proud to come here and deliver the performances that we worked so hard for,” said Duhamel. “We believed in ourselves and we knew this result was possible.”

While on paper it appears the Canadians enjoyed a strong season with two gold and silver on the Grand Prix circuit and a national title, it wasn’t as smooth as the previous winter.  They felt that made them underdogs in Boston.

“We weren’t considered as strong contenders as compared to last season,” said Radford. “It feels great because it is difficult not to doubt yourself when everybody else has that expectation of you. As long you can believe you can do it, you can make it happen.”

Lubov Iliushechkina and Dylan Moscovitch of Toronto were seventh at 199.52 and Kirsten Moore-Towers of St. Catharines, Ont., and Michael Marinaro of Sarnia, Ont., followed in eighth at 190.90. It was also personal bests for both.

“It was a bit of work but a lot of fun,” said Moscovitch. “We did a great job of working our way through the program. We kept our focus on the choreography and enjoyment of the program and that really pulled us through.”

Moore-Towers and Marinaro climbed form 10th after the short.

“With two personal best performances here it sets us up well for next season,” said Moore-Towers. ” I’m thrilled.”

Daleman shines in women’s final

Evgenia Medvedeva of Russia won the gold medal in the women’s free skate with 223.86 points. Ashley Wagner of the U.S. followed at 215.39 for silver and Anna Pogorilaya of Russia was third at 211.29.

Gabrielle Daleman of Newmarket, Ont., completed an impressive showing finishing ninth. She smashed her personal best earning 195.68 points.

“I was very nervous going in and I decided I was skating for myself and country,” she said. “I just stayed in the moment throughout and took one element at a time.”

Canadian champion Alaine Chartrand of Prescott, Ont., was 17th.

Full results: ISU World Figure Skating Championships 2016

Weaver and Poje place fifth at ISU World Championships

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BOSTON – Kaitlyn Weaver and Andew Poje of Waterloo, Ont., took fifth place in ice dancing on Thursday at the ISU World Figure Skating Championships.

Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron of France successfully defended their world title winning the gold medal with 194.46 points. Maia Shibutani and Alex Shibutani of the U.S. followed for silver at 188.43 and Madison Chock and Evan Bates of the U.S. were third at 185.77.

Weaver and Poje, third at last year’s worlds, earned a season’s best 182.01. It was the first time in 10 years Canada’s has not reached the world podium in ice dancing.

“We felt really prepared for the competition,“ said Poje. “But that didn’t come through in the performance. We are still proud of the effort we put into it and the growth we still have to push into the future.”

Weaver says the couple must keep pushing the envelope.

“It took us a long time to master (the free dance),” she said. “Unfortunately the past two outings we haven’t shown what we are capable of. These are the programs that will push us to a new level and make us even better next year.”

Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier of Toronto were eighth, with a personal best 173.07.

“We gave it a little too hard at the beginning and we both felt tired at the end,” said Poirier. ‘’We are so proud how we’ve been able to push the programs the last few weeks and to finish the season with two personal bests is really exciting.’’

In women’s competition after the short program, Gracie Gold of the U.S. is first at 76.43, Anna Pogorilaya of Russia second at 73.98 and her compatriot Evgenia Medvedeva third at 73.76.

Gabrielle Daleman of Newmarket, Ont., produced a clean program and is eighth at 67.38.  It wasn’t as smooth for Alaine Chartrand of Prescott, Ont., who ranked 17th at 55.67.

The 18-year-old Daleman raised her arms triumphantly after her performance.

“I’ve had trouble with my short program this season,” said Daleman, a 2014 Olympian. “Just to finally lay a clean short program and doing it that well I was so overwhelmed.  On the ice, I just told myself: breathe, confident and comfortable.”

Chartrand, the Canadian champion, didn’t mince words with her performance. She stumbled on the second part of her opening combo jump and fell on the all-important double Axel.

“I just rushed it a little bit, got ahead of myself,” said Chartrand, 20, about her fall. “It was a costly mistake. Things were going pretty good up to that point. I wasn’t satisfied with my combo either. I did a perfect one in the warm-up. It should be an easy combination.”

Competition continues Friday with the pairs short program and men’s free skate.

Full results: ISU World Figure Skating Championships 2016

MEET CANADA’S WORLD TEAM: LADIES

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Alaine Chartrand

Alaine Chartrand 

A year ago, Alaine came achingly close to her first national title, finishing less than two points behind Gabrielle Daleman. In 2016, she turned the tables, edging Daleman in Halifax for the Canadian championship. Alaine spends most of her week training in her hometown of Prescott, Ont. before travelling to the Toronto area to train on weekends. The travelling has paid off, as the powerful jumper can now add Canadian champion to her growing resume. Although she says she was too young to remember, Alaine has been told she landed her first axel when she was just six years old.

“I don’t know if my mindset is any different,” Alaine says of attending her first worlds as Canadian champion. “I definitely gained a lot of confidence from my performances at nationals. I know I can do two clean programs in one competition and that’s one thing I’ve struggled with in the past.”

FUN FACT: On long skating trips, Alaine often rides in the family RV. In her younger years, Alaine’s father racked up more than 500,000 km on his six-seat pickup truck.

Gabrielle Daleman

Gabrielle Daleman

After what she referred to as an “extremely disappointing” short program at the Canadian Tire National Skating Championships, Gabrielle bounced back in a big way in the free to win silver, coming up just short in her bid for a second straight national title. At just 16 years of age, Gabrielle was the youngest member of the entire Canadian Olympic Team at the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi. A former gymnast, “Gabby”, uses her lightning speed as the springboard for her powerful jumps.

FUN FACT: Gabby always has to have her special travel companion with her when she is on the road: her purple blanket.