Tag Archive for: ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships

Ice Dancers Collect Two More Medals for Canada at ISU Four Continents Championships

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COLORADO SPRINGS, USA (February 12, 2023) – Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Nikolaj Soerensen took the silver medal and Marjorie Lajoie and Zachary Lagha followed with a bronze in ice dancing Sunday as Canada concluded the ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships with four medals.

Madison Chock and Evan Bates of the U.S. won the ice dance gold medal with 220.81 points followed by Montreal’s Fournier Beaudry and Soerensen at 214.08, a personal best score. Lajoie and Lagha, from Boucherville, Que., and St-Hubert, Que., collected 200.00 to finish third.

‘’We keep improving and we are really pleased with how we performed here,’’ said Soerensen, headed to next month’s world championships with his partner. ‘’We have the experience to know how to pace ourselves and we really pulled it off today.’’

Lajoie and Lagha complete their season with podium finishes in their five international assignments.

‘’It feels amazing,’’ said Lajoie. ‘’We really wanted to get on the podium in our last event. The next challenge for us is to find a program that we’ll enjoy even more.’’

Marie-Jade Lauriault and Romain Le Gac of Ste-Anne-des-Plaines, Que., moved from eighth after the rhythm dance to sixth overall with 171.35

Canada’s other medals were earned on Saturday. Keegan Messing took the silver in the men’s event and Deanna Stellato-Dudek and Maxime Deschamps of Vaudreuil-Dorion, Que., added a bronze in pairs.

 For full results, click here.

Canada Wins Silver and Bronze at ISU Four Continents Championships

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COLORADO SPRINGS, USA (February 12, 2023) – Keegan Messing won the silver medal and Deanna Stellato-Dudek and Maxime Deschamps added a bronze in pairs in a double medal performance for Canada on Saturday at the ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships.

Kao Miura of Japan took the men’s crown with 281.53 points followed Messing who finished with a career best 275.57. Shun Sato of Japan was third at 259.14. In other Canadian results, Conrad Orzel of Woodbridge, Ont., was eighth and Stephen Gogolev of Toronto, Ont., 13th.

‘’I was dying out there,’’ said Messing about competing at altitude. ‘’I really had to pace myself. I had some great training after nationals but when I got here, I was tired all over again. I kept the focus on the breathing and the training.’’

In pairs, Stellato-Dudek and Deschamps of Vaudreuil-Dorion, Que., took the bronze medal with 193.84. It was the fourth medal in five international events this season for the Canadian champions who set a personal best international score for their free skate with 125.45. Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara of Japan won the gold with 208.24 and Emily Chan and Spencer Akira Howe of the U.S. were second at 201.11.

‘’It was a good stepping stone for us towards the worlds,’’ said Stellato-Dudek. ‘’We’re just trying to improve our skates going into the world championships.’’

First-year pairs Lia Pereira of Milton, Ont., and Trennt Michaud of Brantford, Ont., remained fourth with a personal best 186.33, while Kelly Ann Laurin of St-Jerome, Que., and Loucas Ethier of St. Adolphe, Que., were seventh at 167.67, an international best.

Competition ends Sunday with the free dance. Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Nikolaj Sorensen of Montreal, Que., and Marjorie Lajoie of Boucherville, Que., and Zachary Lagha of St-Hubert, Que, are second and third after Friday’s rhythm dance.

 For full results, click here.

Canadians in Medal Hunt in Three Events at ISU Four Continents

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Colorado Springs, USA (February 11, 2023) – Canadians are in the medal hunt in three events after the first two days at the ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships.

The first medals were handed in the women’s event Friday with South Koreans Haein Lee and Yelim Kim placing 1-2. Mone Chiba of Japan took the bronze. Sara-Maude Dupuis of Montreal, Que., was the top Canadian in ninth with a personal best 170.67 points. Canadian champion Madeline Schizas of Oakville, Ont., was 10th and Justine Miclette of Chambly, Que., was 11th.

‘’I was at home on the ice,’’ said Dupuis, fourth at the Canadian Championships last month. ‘’I never expected to do this. I never seek perfection in my free program because it makes me more nervous but today, I exceeded my expectations.’’

In ice dancing, Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Nikolaj Soerensen of Montreal, Que., are second after the rhythm dance with 86.28, while Marjorie Lajoie of Boucherville, Que., and Zachary Lagha of St-Hubert, Que., are third at 79.04. Marie-Jade Lauriault and Romain Le Gac of Ste-Anne-des-Plaines, Que., sit in eighth place.

‘’We put the focus on quality and levels,’’ said Fournier Beaudry, who won two international medals and a Canadian title with her partner this season. ‘’We knew we had a lot of hard work to do. So, for this event we are not touching too much, just minor tweaks to make it as smooth as possible.’’

In pairs, Canadian champions Deanna Stellato-Dudek and Maxime Deschamps of Vaudreuil, Que., are second after Friday’s short program with 68.39. Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara of Japan lead with 71.19 and Emily Chan and Spencer Akira Howe of the U.S. are third at 66.96. Stellato-Dudek and Deschamps are finding their chemistry again after she battled a lengthy illness through December and January.

‘’Max is the one who has needed to adjust to me because I was at 80 percent for so long,’’ said Stellato-Dudek. ‘’We’re on the right trajectory to Worlds. Today could have gone better especially with the throw and side-by-side spins but we’re happy overall.’’

Lia Pereira of Milton, Ont., and Trennt Michaud of Brantford, Ont., are fourth with a personal best 65.16 and Kelly Ann Laurin of St-Jerome, Que., and Loucas Ethier of St. Adolphe, Que., are sixth at 59.12, an international best.

In the men’s short program which took place on Thursday, Canadian champion Keegan Messing was second, Conrad Orzel of Woodbridge, Ont., seventh and Stephen Gogolev of Toronto, Ont., 11th.

Competition continues Saturday with the men’s and pair free skates. For full results, click here.

Eighteen Athletes to Represent Canada at the ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships

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OTTAWA, ON (February 2, 2023) – A solid team of eighteen skaters will be competing from February 7-12, 2023 at the 2023 ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships®, set to take place in Colorado Springs, USA. Canada will count a total of three entries in each of the women’s, men’s, pair and ice dance disciplines.  

In the women’s field, the team will be led by two-time national champion and Golden Spin of Zagreb bronze medalist Madeline Schizas. She will be joined by Sara-Maude Dupuis, who recently placed third at the Skate Canada Challenge – Junior/Senior and fourth at the Canadian Tire National Skating Championships, as well as the 2022 junior national champion Justine Miclette. 

Two-time Olympian and 2023 national champion Keegan Messing will have his sights set on the podium as he competes in his final season. National Team member and Canadian Tire National Skating Championships silver medalist Conrad Orzel will be competing alongside him, as well as Stephen Gogolev, who placed fourth at the same event.  

In the pair discipline, Grand Prix de France gold medalists Deanna Stellato-Dudek and Maxime Deschamps will be looking to add to their growing medal collection after the duo recently won their first national title. The newly formed team of Lia Pereira and Trennt Michaud will also be competing in the event after placing first at the Skate Canada Challenge – Junior/Senior and third at nationals. Rounding out the team will be Skate America bronze medalists Kelly Ann Laurin and Loucas Éthier. 

Canadian ice dance teams are expected to be very competitive, with all three teams winning medals on the Grand Prix circuit this season. 2023 national champions and Grand Prix finalists Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Nikolaj Soerensen will be among the top contenders, with the duo winning their first Grand Prix event last November. Skate Canada International and MK John Wilson Trophy bronze medalists Marjorie Lajoie and Zachary Lagha are also on the watch list, as are Skate America bronze medalists Marie-Jade Lauriault and Romain Le Gac. Unfortunately, Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier have withdrawn in order to prioritize training and recovery leading up to the ISU World Figure Skating Championships. 

The competition kicks off Thursday, February 9, with the women’s and men’s short programs, followed by the pair short program, rhythm dance and women’s free program on Friday. The pair and men’s medals will be awarded the following day, while ice dancers will conclude the event with the free dance on Sunday, February 12.  

Women 

Sara-Maude Dupuis | 17 | Montreal, Que. | Stéphane Yvars & Françoise Parisé | Boucherville, Que.
Justine Miclette | 16 | Chambly, Que. | Stéphanie Fiorito & Ian Connolly | Chambly, Que.  
Madeline Schizas | 19 | Oakville, Ont. | Nancy Lemaire & Derek Schmidt | Milton, Ont.    

Men 

Stephen Gogolev | 18 | Toronto, Ont. | Rafael Arutyunyan & Lee Barkell | Irvine, USA
Keegan Messing | 31 | Girdwood, USA | Ralph Burghart | Anchorage, USA
Conrad Orzel | 22 | Toronto, Ont. | Ravi Walia | Edmonton, Alta. 

Pair 

Kelly Ann Laurin | 16 | St-Jérôme, Que. & Loucas Éthier | 22 | Deux-Montagnes, Que. | Stéphanie Valois | Rosemère, Que.  
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.    
Marjorie Lajoie | 22 | Boucherville, Que. & Zachary Lagha | 23 | Saint-Hubert, Que. | Romain Haguenauer | Montreal, Que.
Marie-Jade Lauriault | 26 | Ste-Anne-Des-Plaines, Que. & Romain Le Gac | 27 | Laval, Que. | Marie-France Dubreuil & Patrice Lauzon| Montreal, Que.     

Team Leaders – Manon Perron & Mike Slipchuk
Medical Team – Cole Beavis & Mike McMurray
Officials – Andrea Derby, Lynne Dey, Leslie Keen & Nicole Leblanc-Richard  

For more information about the event, click here.