Marjorie Lajoie/ Zachary Lagha Archives

Canadian Pair and Ice Dance Teams Golden again at Cup of China

November 11, 2023/by Skate Canada

Chongqing, China (November 11, 2023) – It was a golden weekend for Canadian ice dance skaters Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier and pair skaters Deanna Stellato-Dudek and Maxime Deschamps who both won gold again at the ISU Grand Prix Cup of China that wrapped up Saturday in Chongqing, China. Both teams also won gold at Skate Canada International in early November.

Marjorie Lajoie and Zachary Lagha also captured silver in the ice dance competition. All three teams have now qualified for the ISU Grand Prix Final which will take place in Beijing, China in early December.

Gilles of Toronto, Ont., and Poirier of Unionville, Ont., were sitting in second behind Lajoie of Boucherville, Que., and Lagha of Saint-Hubert, Que., after the rhythm dance on Friday, but rebounded on Saturday with a strong free dance to score 126.79 points for a total of 207.83 points to win the gold.

“It was an interesting week here,” said Gilles. “The rhythm dance didn’t go as planned which was costly, but I think what we were really going for was stronger energy and a stronger performance – I think I got a little carried away with that and mistakes happened, but I think we’re really proud of what we did overall. There is still more we can do technically to prepare for Beijing but we’re really happy.”

Lajoie and Lagha set new personal best scores for both their rhythm and free skates to total 206.02 points – winning their second silver medal on the ISU Grand Prix circuit this season. Caroline Green and Michael Parsons of the USA took the bronze with a total score of 189.33.

“It was a great week for us,” said Lajoie. “The rhythm dance was pretty amazing, we were very, very happy. The free dance was a bit more challenging but we’re happy with how we handled it. Overall, it was a very good week for us.”

Stellato-Dudek of Chicago, USA and Deschamps of Vaudreuil-Dorion, Que., battled through fatigue to win their third straight gold medal of the season in the pair competition with a total score of 201.48. Rebecca Ghilardi and Filippo Ambrosini of Italy captured silver (191.00), while Cheng Peng and Lei Wang of China took bronze (178.06).

“It’s been a long three weeks, and everything was a fight today. This week was to test our mental and physical strength since I knew it was going to be difficult, and it was,” laughed Stellato-Dudek following the competition.

Madeline Schizas of Oakville, Ont., finished fifth in the women’s competition with a total score of 179.58. Hana Yoshida and Rinka Watanabe of Japan had a battle for gold with Yoshida taking the win after she set a new personal best score in the free skate to take the win by just 0.75 points. Her final total score was 203.97 to Watanabe’s 203.22. Loena Hendrickx of Belgium was in the lead after the short program but fell to third after her free program to end the day with a total score of 201.49.

Next up for Canadian skaters on the ISU Grand Prix circuit is the Grand Prix Espoo taking place in Espoo, Finland from November 17-19, 2023.

For full results please click here: http://www.isuresults.com/results/season2324/gpchn2023/

Lajoie and Lagha win second Grand Prix medal this season

November 13, 2022/by Skate Canada

SHEFFIELD, England (November 13, 2022) – Canadian ice dancers Marjorie Lajoie and Zachary Lagha stepped on the podium for the second time this season on the ISU Grand Prix figure skating circuit finishing third Sunday at the MK John Wilson Trophy.

Charlene Guignard and Marco Fabbri of Italy, the winners at last week’s Grand Prix in France, took the gold again at this week’s fourth stop with 213.74. Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson of Great Britain were second at 205.56.

Lajoie, from Boucherville, Que., and Lagha, from St-Hubert, Que., followed at 198.95. The 2019 world junior champions were less than four points off their international best set earlier this season in one of their two victories on the ISU Challenger circuit.

‘’We are happy with our four Grand Prix performances this season (two short and two free skates),’’ said Lajoie, a bronze medallist with her partner at Skate Canada International last month, their other Grand Prix assignment. ‘’There were some little errors but nothing too costly.’’

Alicia Fabbri of Terrebonne, Que., and Paul Ayer of Brossard, Que., were eighth and Haley Sales and Nikolas Wamsteeker of Langley, B.C., ninth.

Mai Mihara of Japan took the women’s gold with Isabeau Levito of the U.S. second and Anastasiia Gubanova of Georgia third.

Two-time Olympian Gabrielle Daleman of Newmarket, Ont., was eighth.

The fifth stop on the circuit is the NHK Trophy this Friday and Saturday in Sapporo, Japan.

Full results: http://www.isuresults.com/results/season2223/gpgbr2022/

Roman Sadovsky places sixth at ISU Grand Prix

November 12, 2022/by Skate Canada

SHEFFIELD, England (November 12, 2022) – Roman Sadovsky of Vaughan, Ont., placed sixth Saturday in men’s competition at the MK John Wilson Trophy, the fourth stop on the ISU Grand Prix figure skating circuit.

Daniel Grassl of Italy took the gold medal with 264.35 points. Deniss Vasiljevs of Latvia won the silver with 254.56 and Shum Sato of Japan was third with 249.03.

Sadovksy was first after a brilliant short program on Friday but he struggled in his free skate. The 23-year-old Olympian was fifth at the season opening stop at Skate America last month.

In ice dancing, Charlene Guignard and Marco Fabbri of Italy, the winners last week in France, lead after the rhythm dance with 86.30 points.
Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson of Great Britain are second at 85.37 and Marjorie Lajoie of Boucherville, Que., and Zachary Lagha of St-Hubert, Que., are third at 81.09.

Their dance to Cha Cha and Samba included level-four twizzles and a level-four rotational lift.

‘’We were both in the present moment even though we were very stressed,’’ said Lajoie, third with her partner two weeks ago at Skate Canada International.
‘’It was fun and I think the crowd really helped us.’’

Alicia Fabbri of Terrebonne, Que., and Paul Ayer of Brossard, Que., are eighth and Haley Sales and Nikolas Wamsteeker of Langley, B.C., are ninth.

Mai Mahara of Japan is first in the women’s event after the short program. Gabrielle Daleman of Newmarket, Ont., is eighth.

Competition ends Sunday with the women’s free skate and the free dance.
Full results: http://www.isuresults.com/results/season2223/gpgbr2022/

Nine Canadians Make the Trip Across the Pond for the MK John Wilson Trophy

November 8, 2022/by Skate Canada

OTTAWA, ON (November 8, 2022) – After a successful start to the season that saw Canadians win six medals, the ISU Grand Prix now heads to Sheffield, Great Britain from November 11-13, 2022 for the MK John Wilson Trophy. Team Canada will be comprised of nine skaters, including one entry in women, two entries in men and three entries in ice dance.

2018 Olympian and 2022 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships bronze medallist Gabrielle Daleman will be the sole Canadian entry in the women’s discipline. Daleman kicked off her season a few weeks ago at Skate Canada International, where she placed second in the short program and finished 10th overall.

Beijing 2022 Olympian Roman Sadovsky will be competing in his second Grand Prix of the season after putting in a solid performance at Skate America that earned him a 5th place finish. He will be joined by 2022 Skate Canada Challenge bronze medallist Corey Circelli, who will be making his senior Grand Prix debut.

Olympians Marjorie Lajoie and Zachary Lagha will be headlining the Canadian entries in ice dance. Lajoie and Lagha are no strangers to the podium, having won gold at the 2022 Budapest Trophy and the 2022 Ondrej Nepela Memorial, as well as a bronze medal on home ice at Skate Canada International. First-year National Team members Alicia Fabbri and Paul Ayer will be competing at their first ISU Grand Prix after finishing 4th at the 2022 Budapest Trophy. Rounding out the team will be Haley Sales and Nikolas Wamsteeker, who placed 5th at the 2022 U.S. International Figure Skating Classic earlier this season.

Pairs team Lori-Ann Matte and Thierry Ferland were assigned to the event but have pulled out due to injury.

The competition starts on Friday, November 11 with the men and pair short programs. Saturday will see the rhythm dance and women’s short program, as well as the first medals awarded following the men and pair free programs. The event concludes on Sunday with the women’s free program and ice dance free dance.

Team Canada
Name | Age | Hometown | Coach | Training Location

Women
Gabrielle Daleman | 24 | Newmarket, Ont. | Lee Barkell | Toronto, Ont.

Team Leaders – Marie Bowness & Mike Slipchuk
Medical Team – Emma Lis & Lee Schofield
Officials – Glenn Fortin & Patty Klein

For more information about the event and full schedules, click here.

The Skating World Converges in Mississauga for Skate Canada International

October 24, 2022/by Skate Canada

OTTAWA, ON (October 24, 2022) – After a successful weekend at Skate America that saw Canadians win three medals, the ISU Grand Prix series stops in Mississauga, Ontario this week for the 48th edition of Skate Canada International. From October 28-30, some of the best skaters from around the globe will compete for a spot on the podium at the Paramount Fine Foods Centre, including Shoma Uno, Young You, Lilah Fear, Lewis Gibson, Riku Miura, Ryuichi Kihara, plus fifteen of Canada’s top talents.

The men’s team, which will count three entries, will be headlined by veteran and two-time Olympian Keegan Messing. Messing is the current Canadian champion and has gotten off to a stunning start this season, winning gold at the Nebelhorn Trophy. He will be joined by Conrad Orzel, who recently placed 11th at the Finlandia Trophy, as well as Stephen Gogolev, who finished 9th at the U.S. International Figure Skating Classic.

Olympians Madeline Schizas and Gabrielle Daleman will represent Canada in the women’s field. Schizas, the 2022 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships women’s gold medallist, kicked off the competition season with a 5th place at the Nebelhorn Trophy. Teammate Gabrielle Daleman will be competing at her first international event after an excellent domestic season that saw her win gold at the 2022 Skate Canada Challenge and bronze at the 2022 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships.

In the pair discipline, Canada will be sending two young but solid teams, with Brooke McIntosh and Benjamin Mimar setting their sights on the top step of the podium. The pair, who finished third at the ISU World Junior Figure Skating Championships last season, had a breakthrough start to their first senior season, winning bronze at the 2022 Finlandia Trophy earlier this month. Kelly Ann Laurin and Loucas Éthier will also be competing in the event after winning bronze over the weekend at Skate America.

Canada will boast three Olympic teams in ice dance. 2021 Skate Canada International gold medallists Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier will be looking to defend their title after a successful 2021-2022 season that saw the pair claim the Canadian title. Marjorie Lajoie and Zachary Lagha will also be strong contenders for the title, with the team winning two gold medals this year at the Ondre Nepela Memorial and Budapest Trophy. Finally, Marie-Jade Lauriault and Romain Le Gac , who claimed bronze at Skate America, will be replacing Miku Makita and Tyler Gunara due to injury.

Competition starts on Friday, October 28 with every discipline performing their short program/rhythm dance. All medals will be awarded on Saturday, October 29, as all disciplines will perform their free program/free dance. The event concludes on Sunday with the exhibition gala. The event will be live streamed in Canada via skatecanada.ca.

Team Canada

Name | Age | Hometown | Coach | Training Location

Team Leaders – Carolyn Allwright & Cynthia Ullmark
Medical Team – Tatiana Jevremovic & Agnes Makowski
Officials – Andrea Derby, Veronique Gosselin, Janice Hunter & Lorna Schroder

For more information about the event and full schedules, click here. To purchase single-session tickets, visit ticketmaster.ca.

Lajoie and Lagha earn second gold this season on ISU Challenger Series

October 13, 2022/by Skate Canada

BUDAPEST – Canadian ice dancers Marjorie Lajoie and Zachary Lagha connected for gold for the second time this season on Sunday with a victory at the sixth stop on the ISU Challenger Series figure skating circuit.

The 2019 world junior champions cracked the 200-point barrier for the first time on international ice totaling 202.40 points placing first in both the rhythm dance and free dance.

It bettered the 193.35 score they earned in their victory two weeks ago at a Challenger Series event in Czechia. It’s also the third straight Challenger Series event Canada has won gold. Last week in Finland, Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Nikolaj Soerensen of Montreal were first.

As was the case in their previous win Lajoie, from Boucherville, Que., and Lagha, from St-Hubert, Que., weren’t totally satisfied.

‘’The free dance was a little bit too safe,’’ said Lagha, who’ll compete with his partner at Skate Canada International in two weeks. ‘’But it’s OK. Now we go home, work and get the job done again.’’

Evgeniia Lopareva and Geoffrey Brissaud of France were second at 192.85 and Katarina Wolfkostin and Jeffrey Chen of the U.S. were third at 180.46.

Alicia Fabbri of Terrebonne, Que., and Paul Ayer of Calgary took fourth spot with 168.85 in their international season debut. There were 15 entries.

‘’We put out a really strong performance in the rhythm dance and connected with the crowd,’’ said Ayer. ‘’We had an unfortunate mistake in our free dance but before and after that it was solid.’’

The two ice dance teams were the only Canadian entries at the competition.

The Challenger Series provides opportunities for senior skaters to compete at an international level and earn world ranking points.

Full results: http://hunskate.hu/external/mukorcsolya/2022_2023/BPTrophy/index.htm

Lajoie and Lagha win gold at ISU Challenger Series event

October 1, 2022/by Skate Canada

BRATISLAVA, Slovakia (October 1, 2022) – Canadian ice dancers Marjorie Lajoie and Zachary Lagha won their first international senior event Saturday at the Nepela Memorial figure skating competition, a stop on the ISU Challenger Series circuit.

The 2022 Olympians posted an ISU event personal best score 193.35 points bettering the 192.11 they skated at the 2020 Four Continents meet.

Eva Pate and Logan Bye of the U.S. were second at 178.69 and Marie Dupayage and Thomas Nabais of France third at 165.78.

For their first senior victory, Lagha, from St-Hubert, Que., and Lajoie, from Boucherville, Que., the 2019 world junior champions, weren’t screaming off the rooftops.

‘’It was O.K. for a first skate despite a little mistake,’’ Lagha, 23. ‘’We don’t want to do mistakes anymore.’’

Lajoie, 21, was happy to return to competition.

‘’It was a long time since we competed,’’ she said. ‘’You have to get use to that feeling again and for us, we wanted to skate very good and have a good result. But there is a lot to improve.’’

Lajoie and Lagha were the only Canadians at the event.

Full results: Challenger Series Ondrej Nepela Memorial 2022

Two Canadian Skaters to Compete at Ondrej Nepela Memorial 2022

September 23, 2022/by Skate Canada

OTTAWA, ON (September 23, 2022) – The senior figure skating season is well underway after a successful stop in the United States that saw Team Canada finish just shy of the podium. Two Canadian athletes, Ice Dance team Marjorie Lajoie and Zachary Lagha, now travel to Bratislava, Slovakia for the Ondrej Nepela Memorial 2022, taking place from September 29 – October 1, 2022.

Olympians Marjorie Lajoie and Zachary Lagha will lead the Canadian contingent in ice dance. Lajoie and Lagha had a breakthrough 2021-2022 season, winning bronze at the 2022 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships and placing 13th at the 2022 Beijing Olympic Games.

Friday, September 30th will see the men complete their short program and ice dancers perform their rhythm dance. The competition concludes on the following day with the free dance and the men’s free program. For more information regarding the event, click here.

Team Canada

Name | Age | Hometown | Coach | Training Location

Team Leader – Mike Slipchuk
Medical Team – Karen Seymour
Officials – Laura Carr & Leslie Keen

Lajoie and Lagha Produce Season Best Performance in Fifth Place Finish at NHK Trophy

November 13, 2021/by Skate Canada

TOKYO –Marjorie Lajoie and Zachary Lagha completed a season’s best performance Saturday in their free dance to finish fifth in ice dancing for Canada’s top result at the NHK Trophy, the fourth stop on the ISU Grand Prix figure skating circuit.

World champions Victoria Sinitsina and Nikita Katsalapov of Russia won the gold medal with 215.44 points. Madison Chock and Evan Bates of the U.S. were second at 210.78 and Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson of Great Britain third at 191.91.

Lajoie and Lagha were in a three-way battle for the bronze and produce the fourth best free dance on Saturday but remained fifth overall at 187.38. Their rhythm dance, free dance and total score were all season’s best amongst their four competitions so far.

‘’This is a great way to finish this section of the season,’’ said Lagha, from St-Hubert, Que. ‘’It was like we learned to stay calm while we skated and with the crowd and everything it was a great week overall.’’

The pairs event was won by Russia’s Anastasia Mishina and Aleksandr Galliamov with 227.28. Their compatriots Evgenia Tarasova and Vladimir Morozov took second with 213.27.

Evelyn Walsh of London, Ont., and Trennt Michaud of Brantford, Ont., remained sixth with 167.98, which was more than 20 points better than their score in an eighth-place result at Skate America last month.

‘’Things that we worked on since Skate America definitely got better,’’ said Michaud. ‘’But there’s still a lot we want to keep working on. There were some different mistakes this time and we are still not where we need to be.’’

Shoma Uno of Japan took the men’s crown for his first top-level international figure skating title in nearly three years, distancing American Vincent Zhou in a battle of Olympic medal contenders.

Two-time Canadian champion Nam Nguyen of Ajax, Ont., remained in 10^th spot.

‘’It was a tough week,’’ he admitted. ‘’I’d been working really hard since Skate America leading into this event but unfortunately it didn’t reflect too well this week. When I get back home there’s about 90 percent of the free program I need to deal with.’’

Kaori Sakamato successfully defended her women’s title on Saturday, with a season-best 223.34. Japanese compatriot Mana Kawabe, who started the day 2.68 points back in second, totalled 205.44 to take silver, with South Korea’s You Young rounding out the podium a further 1.84 points behind.

There were no Canadian entries in the women’s event.

The fifth stop on the circuit goes this upcoming Friday and Saturday in Grenoble, France.

http://www.isuresults.com/results/season2122/gpjpn2021/

Lajoie and Lagha Within Striking Distance of Podium ay NHK Trophy

November 12, 2021/by Skate Canada

TOKYO – Ice dancers Marjorie Lajoie and Zachary Lagha are less than two points from third place after Friday’s rhythm dance to highlight Canadian performances Friday at the NHK Trophy, the fourth stop on the ISU figure skating circuit.

World champions Victoria Sinitsina and Nikita Katsalapov of Russia are first at 86.33, Madison Chock and Evan Bates of the U.S. second at 86.02 and Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson of Great Britain third at 76.43.

Three teams are in a heated battle for that third spot. Sara Hurtado and Kirill Khaliavin of Spain scored 76.40 for fourth and Lajoie and Lagha are fifth at 74.45.

It was a season best score for the Canadians competing for the fourth time this season. They were fourth at the Autumn Classic International, seventh at Finlandia Trophy and sixth at Skate Canada International two weeks ago.

In men’s competition, Japan’s Shoma Uno capitalised on injured Olympic figure skating champion Yuzuru Hanyu’s absence to lead after the short program with 102.58 points. Vincent Zhou of the U.S. who has won his three previous events this season, is second at 99.51 and Junhwa Cha of South Korea third at 95.92.

Two-time Canadian champion Nam Nguyen of Ajax, Ont., stands 10^th. His first jump, a quad Salchow – triple toe loop combination did not go as planned as he doubled the Salchow.

In pairs, Russian world champions Anastasia Mishina and Aleksandr Galliamov lead after the short program with 78.40, ahead of compatriots Evgenia Tarasova and Vladimir Morozov at 75.78.

Evelyn Walsh of London, Ont., and Trennt Michaud of Brantford, Ont., are sixth at 56.97, over two points better than their score at Skate America in October.

In women’s competition, Japan’s Kaori Sakamoto leads after the short program ahead of compatriot Mana Kawabe and South Korea’s You Young. There are no Canadian entries.

Competition ends Saturday with all four free skates.

http://www.isuresults.com/results/season2122/gpjpn2021/

Five Canadians are Heading to Japan for the 2021 NHK Trophy

November 9, 2021/by Skate Canada

OTTAWA, ON: Skate Canada will have three entries for a total of five skaters competing at the 2021 NHK Trophy in Tokyo, Japan. Canada will have one entry in men, one entry in pairs and one entry in ice dance. This is the fourth event in the 2021/2022 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating and the event takes place from November 12 to 14, 2021.

Nam Nguyen, 23, Ajax, Ont., will be the lone Canadian entry in men. Nguyen finished second at the 2021 Skate Canada Challenge and finished eighth at Skate America 2021. He is coached by Robert Burk, Danielle Rose and Ken Rose in Richmond Hill, Ont.

Evelyn Walsh, 20, London, Ont., and Trennt Michaud, 25, Trenton, Ont., will be the only Canadian entry in pairs. Walsh and Michaud placed eighth at Skate America 2021. They are coached by Alison Purkiss, Andrew Evans and Paul Macintosh in Brantford, Ont.

Marjorie Lajoie, 20, Boucherville, Que., and Zachary Lagha, 22, Saint-Hubert, Que., will be the lone ice dance entry representing Canada. Lajoie and Lagha finished sixth at the 2021 Skate Canada International and placed fourth at the 2021 Autumn Classic International., They are coached by Marie-France Dubreuil, Patrice Lauzon, Romain Haguenauer, Pascal Denis and Josée Piche in Montreal, Que.

Mike Slipchuk, Skate Canada High Performance Director will be the team leader. Dr Daphne Anderson of Calgary, Alta., and physiotherapist Meghan Buttle of Toronto, Ont., will be the Canadian medical staff onsite. Debbie Islam of Barrie, Ont., and Janice Hunter, Vancouver, B.C., will be the team officials attending the event.

CANADIAN ENTRIES AT THE 2021 NHK TROPHY – TOKYO, JAPAN

MEN

Nam Nguyen (23) / Ajax, Ont. / Richmond Hill Training Centre / Coached by Robert Burk, Danielle Rose, and Ken Rose

PAIRS

Evelyn Walsh (20) and Trennt Michaud (25) / London, Ont., and Trenton, Ont. / Brantford Skating Club and Trenton Skating Club / Coached by Alison Purkiss, Andrew Evans and Paul Macintosh

ICE DANCE
Marjorie Lajoie (20) and Zachary Lagha (22) / Boucherville, Que. and Saint-Hubert, Que. / CPA Boucherville and CPA Saint Lambert / Coached by: Marie-France Dubreuil, Patrice Lauzon, Romain Haguenauer, Pascal Denis and Josée Piche

Gilles and Poirier Take the Road to Gold at Skate Canada International

October 31, 2021/by Skate Canada

VANCOUVER – The long and winding road led to gold for Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier as they won the ice dance competition on Saturday at Skate Canada International, the second stop on the ISU Grand Prix circuit.

Skating to the Beatles classic, the Toronto duo enthralled the crowd at UBC totalling 210.97 points less than four points off their personal best set in a bronze medal performance at the world championships in March. Charlene Guignard and Marco Fabbri of Italy were second at 200.05 and Olivia Smart and Adrian Diaz of Spain third at 192.83.

‘’The free dance was a little more shaky than our short program,’’ said Poirier. ‘’We have some nerves to work through, but this is really a big step forward moving through the rest of the Grand Prix season.’’

Marjorie Lajoie of Boucherville, Que., and Zachary Lagha of St-Hubert, Que., were sixth and Haley Sales and Nikolas Wamsteeker of Langley, B.C. 10^th.

‘’We didn’t get the score we wanted but that ovation from the crowd at the end that for me was really awesome,’’ said Lajoie.

In pairs, Canadians Vanessa James and Eric Radford came within less than two points from the podium finishing fourth with 187.92 points.

Wenjing Sui and Cong Han of China took the gold with 224.05, Daria Pavliuchenko and Denis Khodykin of Russia were second at 193.08 and Ashley Cain -Gribble and Timothy Leduc of the U.S. climbed from sixth after the short to third with 189.90.

First year partners James and Radford were less than three points off their best score set earlier this month at the Finlandia Trophy.

‘’Aspects of our program grew and improved, aspects of certain elements that we focused on after Finlandia improved but certain other elements need improvement,’’ said Radford.

‘’This is a step up,’’ added James. ‘’A lot of the transition elements are better, but we are still working on getting that clean program.’’

Kirsten Moore-Towers of St. Catharines, Ont., and Michael Marinaro of Sarnia, Ont., were sixth and Lori-Anne Matte and Thierry Ferland of Levis, Que., were seventh.

In men’s competition, Nathan Chen of the U.S. was the only skater in the top group to deliver a clean program and he won the gold outright landing four quads and totalling 307.18 points. Jason Brown of the U.S. was second at 259.55 and Evgeni Semenenko of Russia moved from fifth to third with 256.01.

Canada’s Keegan Messing struggled in his free skate and dropped from third to fifth overall with 238.34. Conrad Orzel of Woodstock, Ont., couldn’t gain ground with the sixth best free skate and remained ninth and Roman Sadovsky of Vaughan, Ont., was 12^th.

‘’I was pretty disappointed I wasn’t able to give the performance I wanted to today,’’ said Messing, sixth at the world championships this past March. ‘’After my fall I felt a bit shaky but I tried to forget about it. I’m just going to put my best foot forward towards the next competition.’’

Orzel was determined to bounce back after a subpar short.

‘’I was disappointed about my short program, so it was great to come back in the long and do two quad toes in the free skate,’’ said Orzel, 21, in his season debut. ‘’Although there were some mistakes, I was happy with the general performance.’’

Russia swept the medals in women’s competition with Kamila Valieva first, Elizaveta Tuktamysheva second and Alena Kostornaia third.

Madeline Schizas of Oakville, Ont., was eighth, Emily Bausback of Vancouver 11^th and Alison Schumacher of Tecumseh, Ont., 12th.

‘’I was really happy with my free program today,’’ said Schizas, 18, 13^th at the 2021 worlds. ‘’My coaching team and I made a lot of changes since my last competition to make the second half of the program more successful and that reflected in my performance today.’’

Full results: http://www.isuresults.com/results/season2122/gpcan2021/