Chan produces solid third in short program/ Ilyushechkina and Moscovitch a career best sixth at worlds

HELSINKI – Patrick Chan scored a personal best to stand third after the short program in men’s competition while Lubov Ilyushechkina and Dylan Moscovitch were a career-best sixth in pairs.

In the men’s short, two-time defending champion Javier Fernandez of Spain stands first after the short program with 109.05 points. Shoma Uno of Japan is second at 104.86 and Chan posted a personal best 102.13 – the first time he has cracked the 100-point barrier internationally.

Chan, a three-time world champion from Toronto, opened with a quad toe loop- triple toe loop combo and also cleanly executed his triple Axel and triple Lutz.

‘’Breaking 100 points with one quad is huge for me,’’ said Chan. ‘’I didn’t go into it thinking I needed to be first. I just wanted to get the marks I deserved if I put everything on the table.’’

Kevin Reynolds of Coquitlam, B.C., is 12th after producing a clean skate. He opened with a quad Salchow- triple toe combo and followed that up with a quad toe and triple Axel.

‘’I was able to refocus after a not so great warm-up,’’ said Reynolds, who had a 4:20 a.m.  wake-up call for a 6 a.m. practice being in the first group of skaters.  ‘’I trusted my training and turned things around.

‘’I couldn’t be happier with my performance today.’’

In pairs, there was no change in the top-three: Wenjing Sui and Cong Han of China took gold, Aliona Savchenko and Bruno Massot of Germany the silver and Evgenia Tarasova and Vladimir Morozov of Russia the bronze.

Ilyushechkina and Moscovitch remained in sixth spot with a personal best 206.19 points. They were seventh at last year’s worlds and 13th the year before.

‘’We worked hard through that program and the training paid off,’’ said Moscovitch.

‘’We did an amazing job on regrouping and refocusing for this program,’’ added Ilyushechkina. ‘’We were there in moment and worked hard from the beginning until the end.’’

Two-time defending world champions Meagan Duhamel of Lively, Ont., and Eric Radford of Balmertown, Ont., stayed in seventh spot. Radford has been dealing with a hip injury this month.

‘’After the practice this morning I never felt so afraid and unsure,’’ said Radford. ‘’It was very difficult. I was thinking of withdrawing but our team around us gave us the confidence to go out there and try.

‘’Our effort was beyond what we could have expected.’’

Julianne Séguin of Longueuil, Que., and Charlie Bilodeau of Trois-Pistoles, Que., were 11th. Séguin has been dealing with a concussion in the new calendar year.

‘’We felt relief,’’ said Séguin. ‘’We had a really hard year but to finish on a strong note with our program was what we needed.’’

Competition continues Friday with the women’s free skate and the short dance. The men’s free skate is on Saturday.

Full results: http://www.isuresults.com/results/season1617/wc2017/index.htm

Strong start for Canadian women at ISU World Figure Skating Championships

HELSINKI – Canadians Kaetlyn Osmond and Gabrielle Daleman are in medal positions after Wednesday’s women’s short program which opened the 2017 ISU World Figure Skating Championships.

Defending champion Evgenia Medvedeva of Russia stands first with 79.01 points followed by Osmond in second with a personal best 75.98 and Daleman is third at 72.19.

It’s the first time Canada has two skaters in the top three after the women’s short program at worlds.

Both Canadians displayed bright smiles after the completion of their programs, flawlessly executing their required seven elements. Osmond inserted her three jumps (triple combo, triple Lutz and double Axel) in her first four elements before finishing with her spins and step sequences.

“I was just trying to stay calm, just stay over my feet,” said Osmond of Marystown, N.L., at her first worlds since 2014. “I’ve worked hard this year at loving that feeling to compete and perform in front of a crowd. I’ve had a lot of personal bests with this program this year and that’s a great way to finish the season with it.”

Daleman, from Newmarket, Ont., also opened with her triple toe-triple toe combo with her Lutz and Axel as her fourth and fifth elements.

“You can always improve on the quality of the spins, jumps, footwork and everything in between,” said Daleman, ninth at the worlds last season. “I’m always determined to find the little details where I can improve more. I’ve gained a lot of confidence and I knew just what I wanted to do, completely enjoyed myself and just stayed in the moment.’’

In pairs, Lubov Ilyushechkina and Dylan Moscovitch of Toronto, Ont., are the top Canadians in sixth with 73.14. Two-time world champions Meagan Duhamel of Lively, Ont., and Eric Radford of Balmertown, Ont., are seventh at 72.67 and Julianne Séguin of Longueuil, Que., and Charlie Bilodeau of Trois-Pistoles, Que., are 12th.

Radford is battling a hip injury which struck last week and which he described as “extremely frustrating.” However they went out there and produced a clean skate and expected a better placement. They are just over six points from third place.

“We were a bit surprised with how low the score was,” said Radford. “We anticipated it would be higher after a performance like that. Still it builds confidence for us for the long program.”

Radford said he has never experienced competing while injured.

“It still doesn’t feel 100 percent,” said Radford about the hip. “I was going in with a lot ‘what ifs’ in my head but I thought the way we skated was excellent for the condition I was in.”

Wenjing Sui and Cong Han of China are first at 81.23, Aliona Savchenko and Bruno Massot of Germany second at 79.84 and Evgenia Tarasova and Vladimir Morozov of Russia third at 79.37.

Ilyushechkina and Moscovitch, competing at their third straight worlds, are looking to improve on last year’s seventh place finish. They are only five points back from third.

“We did exactly what we trained to do and came here to do,” said Moscovitch. “We continue to improve every time out. It’s a program we enjoy and it’s great to end it with a season’s best score.”

Seguin and Bilodeau competed for the first time since the Grand Prix Final in December where they placed fifth. Séguin had been dealing with a concussion in the new calendar year.

“We have an overall good feeling about our performance even though there were mistakes,” said Bilodeau. “The short program is more difficult for us right now and we are confident we can manage our free skate a lot better tomorrow (Thursday).”

Competition continues Thursday with the pairs’ free skate and men’s short program. The ladies’ free skate is Friday.

Full results: http://www.isuresults.com/results/season1617/wc2017/index.htm.

Canadian skaters headed to Helsinki for 2017 ISU World Figure Skating Championships

OTTAWA, ON: Skate Canada will send 10 entries, for a total of 16 skaters to the 2017 ISU World Figure Skating Championships. The event takes place from March 29-April 2, 2017, in Helsinki, Finland, at the Hartwall Arena. Canada will have two entries per discipline in men and ladies and three entries per discipline in pairs and ice dance.

Three-time world champion Patrick Chan, 26, Toronto, Ont., is the first of two Canadian men entries. This will be his eighth time competing at this event, having medalled on five occasions. This season, Chan won the silver medal at the Finlandia Trophy, gold medals at both Skate Canada International and the Cup of China, placed fifth at the ISU Grand Prix Final and fourth at the ISU Four Continents Championships. The nine-time Canadian champion is coached by Marina Zoueva, Oleg Epstein and Johnny Johns in Canton, MI, USA.

Kevin Reynolds, 26, Coquitlam, B.C., is the second Canadian men entry. This will be his sixth time competing at this event; his best result came in 2013 when he placed fifth. This season, Reynolds won silver at the Ondrej Nepela Trophy, bronze at Skate Canada International, silver at the 2017 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships, and placed 12th at the ISU Four Continents Championships. He is coached by Joanne McLeod in Burnaby, B.C.

Kaetlyn Osmond, 21, Marystown, Nfld./Edmonton, Alta., is the first of two Canadian representatives in the ladies’ category. She has previously competed at this event in 2013, placing eighth, and 2014, placing 11th. This season, Osmond won gold at the Finlandia Trophy, silver at both Skate Canada International and the Cup of China, and placed fourth at both the ISU Grand Prix Final, and the ISU Four Continents Championships. The three-time Canadian champion is coached by Ravi Walia in Edmonton, Alta.

Gabrielle Daleman, 19, Newmarket, Ont., will also represent Canada in ladies. This will be her fourth consecutive appearance at the world championships, with her best placement (ninth) coming last season. This season, Daleman won bronze at the Nebelhorn Trophy, placed fourth at Skate America and the Trophée de France, and won silver at the ISU Four Continents Championships. The 2017 Canadian silver medallist is coached by Lee Barkell and Brian Orser in Toronto, Ont.

Two-time consecutive world champions Meagan Duhamel, 31, Lively, Ont., and Eric Radford, 32, Balmertown, Ont., are one of three Canadian entries in the pairs discipline. This will be their seventh time competing at this event, having medalled the past four years. This season, Duhamel and Radford won gold at the Finlandia Trophy, Skate Canada International and the NHK Trophy, won bronze at the ISU Grand Prix Final, and won silver at the ISU Four Continents Championships. The six-time consecutive Canadian champions are coached by Richard Gauthier, Bruno Marcotte and Sylvie Fullum in St. Leonard, Que.

Lubov Ilyushechkina, 25, Moscow, Russia, and Dylan Moscovitch, 32, Toronto, Ont., will be the second Canadian pairs entry. This will be their third time competing at this event; last season they placed seventh. This season, Ilyushechkina and Moscovitch won the silver medal at the Nebelhorn Trophy, bronze at Skate Canada International, bronze at the Cup of China, and bronze at the ISU Four Continents Championships. The two-time Canadian silver medallists are coached by Lee Barkell, Bryce Davison and Tracy Wilson in Toronto, Ont.

Julianne Séguin, 20, Longueuil, Que., and Charlie Bilodeau, 23, Trois-Pistoles, Que., will round out the Canadian pairs teams at the event. They have only competed at this event once in their careers, in 2015, when they placed eighth. This season, the pair won gold at Autumn Classic International and Skate America and placed fifth at both the Rostelecom Cup and the ISU Grand Prix Final. Séguin and Bilodeau are coached by Josée Picard in Chambly, Que.

Two-time world champions Tessa Virtue, 27, London, Ont., and Scott Moir, 29, Ilderton, Ont., will be the first of three Canadian entries in ice dance. They have previously competed at this event seven time, medalling six times. This season, Virtue and Moir have won gold at each of their events: Autumn Classic International, Skate Canada International, NHK Trophy, ISU Grand Prix Final, and the ISU Four Continents Championships. The seven-time Canadian champions are coached by Marie-France Dubreuil and Patrice Lauzon in Montreal, Que.

Two-time world medallists Kaitlyn Weaver, 27, Toronto, Ont., and Andrew Poje, 30, Waterloo, Ont., are the second Canadian entry in ice dance. This will be their ninth time competing at this event, having won the silver medal in 2014 and the bronze medal in 2015. This season, Weaver and Poje won the bronze medal at the Rostelecom Cup, silver at the Cup of China, and fifth at the ISU Four Continents championships. The 2017 Canadian silver medallists are coached by Nikolai Morozov and train in Hackensack, NJ, USA.

Piper Gilles, 25, Toronto, Ont., and Paul Poirier, 25, Unionville, Ont., are the third Canadian entry in ice dance. This will be their fifth time competing at this event; their best placement (sixth) came in 2015. This season, Gilles and Poirier won the bronze medal at the Nebelhorn Trophy, Skate Canada International, and Trophée de France, and placed sixth at the ISU Four Continents Championships. The 2017 Canadian bronze medallists are coached by Carol Lane and Juris Razgulajevs in Scarborough, Ont.

Skate Canada High Performance Director Mike Slipchuk will be the team leader along with Cynthia Ullmark of Canmore, Alta. Dr. Laura Cruz of Toronto, Ont., and physiotherapist Mike McMurray, of Oak Bluff, Man., will be the Canadian medical staff at the event. Leanna Caron of Timmins, Ont., Jeff Lukasik of Calgary, Alta., Sally Rehorick of Vancouver, B.C., and Nicole Leblanc-Richard of Dieppe, N.B., will be the Canadian officials at the event.

Emma Bowie, Skate Canada Communications Manager, will be the media contact at the event. She can be reached by email at [email protected] or by phone at 613-914-2607.

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

CANADIAN ENTRIES AT 2017 ISU WORLD FIGURE SKATING CHAMPIONSHIPS

Discipline Name Age Hometown Club Coach
Men Patrick Chan 26 Toronto, Ont. Granite Club Marina Zoueva / Oleg Epstein / Johnny Johns
Men Kevin Reynolds 26 Coquitlam, B.C. Vancouver SC Joanne McLeod
Ladies Kaetlyn Osmond 21 Marystown, Nfld. & Edmonton, Alta. Ice Palace FSC Ravi Walia
Ladies Gabrielle Daleman 19 Newmarket, Ont. Toronto Cricket, Skating and Curling Club Lee Barkell / Brian Orser
Pairs Meagan Duhamel / Eric Radford 31/32 Lively, Ont. / Balmertown, Ont. CPA Saint-Léonard / CPA Saint-Léonard Richard Gauthier / Bruno Marcotte/ Sylvie Fullum
Pairs Lubov Ilyushechkina / Dylan Moscovitch 25/32 Moscow, Russia / Toronto, Ont. Toronto Cricket, Skating and Curling Club / Toronto Cricket, Skating and Curling Club Lee Barkell / Bryce Davison / Tracy Wilson
Pairs Julianne Séguin / Charlie Bilodeau 20/23 Longueuil, Que. / Trois-Pistoles, Que. CPA Longueuil / CPA Chambly Josée Picard
Ice Dance Tessa Virtue / Scott Moir 27/29 London, Ont. / Ilderton, Ont. Regroupement élite de patinage artistique de Montréal / Regroupement élite de patinage artistique de Montréal Marie-France Dubreuil / Patrice Lauzon
Ice Dance Kaitlyn Weaver / Andrew Poje 27/30 Toronto, Ont. / Waterloo, Ont. Sault FSC / Kitchener-Waterloo SC Nikolai Morozov
Ice Dance Piper Gilles / Paul Poirier 25/25 Toronto, Ont. / Unionville, Ont. Scarboro FSC / Scarboro FSC Carol Lane / Juris Razgulajevs

Canadian athlete Paul Poirier looks to secure seat on ISU Athletes’ Commission

Next week will mark a competition of a different sort for Canadian ice dance star Paul Poirier.

Poirier, the charismatic five-time Canadian medallist with partner Piper Gilles, is looking to land a spot on the ISU Athletes’ Commission when secret-ballot voting takes place at the ISU World Figure Skating Championships in Helsinki.

Announced last fall, the Commission will be made up of five athletes – one each from singles/pair, ice dance, synchronized skating, short track and long track speedskating disciplines.

Poirier will be one of the three names on the ice dance ballot.

“This is something I am extremely passionate about,” says Poirier. “I want to promote the dialogue and listen to my fellow athletes around the world to help advance our sport. We need that dialogue to be more open and consistent throughout the year.”

If elected, Poirier says he will have regular conversations with his follow Commission members to discuss issues relating to ice dance, and the sport in general. He will also serve as a liaison between the athletes and the Technical Committee when addressing rules and competition matters.

“I believe we need to do more to leverage our sport,” he adds. “We need to be more engaged with the practitioners – the athletes, the coaches, the choreographers – and allow them to create their best work. Right now, all everyone is doing is trying to maximize points, and it’s why so many programs look the same.”

“We at Skate Canada couldn’t be more honoured to endorse Paul’s bid for a seat on the ISU Athletes’ Commission,” says Debra Armstrong, Skate Canada’s Chief Executive Officer.

“Paul is a world-class athlete and a tremendous ambassador for our sport, here in Canada and around the world.  We have no doubt Paul will excel in this role if he is elected, and will do everything he can to promote our athletes and our sport.”

Their artistic flair and exceptional ability to connect with the audience have made Gilles and Poirier undeniable crowd-pleasers in recent years. In fact, the step-sequence from their 2015-16 short dance will be added to the ISU repertoire as a new compulsory dance after the 2018 Olympic Winter Games.

If he is elected to his new position, Poirier wants to get to work right away.

“I want to encourage decision-making that will allow athletes to create their best work,” adds Poirier. “I’ve always tried to be vocal when it comes to the public decisions of the sport. I hope my fellow athletes see I want to be part of that dialogue.

“What do we all want ice dance to be? We need to have those conversations to answer that question.”

“This isn’t about what I think will make the sport better. It’s about what we, as athletes, believe will make the sport better.”

Canadians to celebrate part of national identity with Canada 150 Skating Day

OTTAWA, Ont. –  It will be a day to embrace what skating means to Canadians.

Whether in an arena or on a backyard rink, pond, canal or river, skating is tightly woven into the social fabric of Canada and part of who we are. On December 10, 2017, Canada 150 Skating Day will offer a unique opportunity for all Canadians to unite and celebrate this timeless piece of our nation’s culture and heritage.

The Government of Canada and title sponsor Rogers Communications teamed with Skate Canada at historic Rideau Hall on Saturday to officially unveil Canada 150 Skating Day.

The Governor General of Canada, His Excellency David Johnston, was joined by Official Ambassadors of Canada 150, representatives from Skate Canada and Rogers Communications along with hundreds of dignitaries and guests to officially unveil the December 10th event.

The announcement included a demonstration by skaters from Minto Skating Club as well as a free public skate on the Rideau Hall ice rink.  Also joining the festivities were children from the Ottawa Boys and Girls Club, Catholic Centre for Immigrants (CCI Ottawa) and Refugee 613, an Ottawa organization assisting Syrian refugees.

 

Canada 150 Skating Day will be one of the final events in the year-long celebration marking Canada’s 150th anniversary of Confederation.

To promote the diversity, inclusion and healthy lifestyle that skating represents, an integral piece of the Canada 150 Skating Day legacy will be the introduction of community skate banks, allowing children without equipment the opportunity to take part – not only on December 10th, but for years to come. These skate banks will exist in communities right across the nation, providing helmets and skates to children who may not otherwise have the opportunity to learn to skate.

“We would like to thank the Government of Canada and Rogers for supporting Canada 150 Skating Day, and for helping establish skate banks at our Skate Canada clubs in communities across the country,” said Skate Canada CEO Debra Armstrong. “These skate banks will touch Canadians in communities from coast to coast to coast who may not have equipment to learn to skate, allowing them to embrace the joy of skating.”

“Skating is an iconic winter activity that is part of our country’s sporting heritage,” stated The Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Canadian Heritage.

“On December 10, 2017, let’s glide in to winter by skating together! Embrace the cold with your family and friends and participate in Canada 150 Skating Day. I also challenge all municipalities to join the celebration and host a Canada 150 Skating Day for everyone to take part in!”

On December 10th, Canadians are encouraged to participate in Canada 150 Skating Day on rinks, canals, rivers and ponds across the country as communities come together to celebrate this unique part of our national and cultural identity.

More information on Canada 150 Skating Day will be released as the event approaches.

Photo Credits:  MCpl Vincent Carbonneau, Rideau Hall, OSGG

Canada’s Les Suprêmes win silver at Budapest Cup synchronized skating competition

BUDAPEST – Overall standings remained the same after Saturday’s long program as Les Suprêmes from St-Léonard, Que., won the silver medal at the Budapest Cup synchronized skating competition.

Team Paradise from Russia won the gold medal with 210.42 points followed by the Canadians at 188.39 and Team Passion from Hungary at 135.58.

Les Suprêmes free skate included music by Sia and represented a pursuit of a dream.

‘’We made some errors in the long program and we need to correct those to gain more ground on the Russians for the world championships,’’ said Les Suprêmes team co-captain Claudia Sforzin.  ‘’Our short program was very strong and that gave us a lot of confidence.’’

Skating for Les Suprêmes, tuning-up for the ISU World Championships April 7-8 in Colorado Springs, were:  Rebecca Allaire, Katherine Beaucage, Alexandra Bernardo, Audrey-Anne Blouin, Joannie Brazeau, Marie-Ève Comtois, Emma Maria Corona, Alessandra Criscuolo, Laura Désilets, Molly Katherine Farber, Sora Hatano, Ditte Rosa Miranda Louhikoski, Dana Malowany, Agathe Sigrid Merlier, Christina Morin, Alessia Malissa Polletta, Geneviève Rougeau, Claudia Sforzin, Sofya Squalli and Hélène Stojanovski.

Les Suprêmes want to improve on last year’s fifth place finish at worlds.

‘’We’ve got another couple of weeks to work on the areas we need to improve,’’ said co-captain Laura Désilets. ‘’Our programs are very unified right now and it’s really the technical details we need to fine-tune.”

This season, Les Suprêmes also won the bronze medal at the 2017 Leon Lurje trophy in Sweden and the silver medal at the 2017 Canadian championships.

The representatives of CPA Saint-Léonard are coached by Marilyn Langlois, assisted by Pascal Denis and Amélie Brochu.

Full results: BUDAPEST CUP 2017_ISU

Lajoie and Lagha reach new heights at ISU World Juniors

TAIPEI CITY – Marjorie Lajoie of Boucherville, Que., and Zachary Lagha of Greenfield Park, Que., showed a giant improvement from one year ago in their sixth place finish in ice dancing on Saturday to conclude the ISU World Junior Figure Skating Championships.

Rachel Parsons and Michael Parsons of the U.S. won the gold medal with 164.83 points, Alla Loboda and Pavel Drozd of Russia were second at 164.37 and Christina Carreira and Anthony Ponomarenko of the U.S. were third at 154.68.

Lajoie and Lagha, fifth after the short dance on Thursday, earned a personal best 148.26. They improved from a 13th place finish last year.

‘’It was something special to warm up with the final group of skaters and we felt we did our job,’’ said Lagha. ‘’We wanted to show that we deserved to be among the top teams.’’

‘’We are super happy, we really managed our stress levels and produced a strong skate,’’ added Lajoie.

Ashlynne Stairs of Calgary and Lee Royer of St. Albert, Alta., were 14th.

‘’Our technical scores weren’t what we wanted them to be,’’ said Stairs. ‘’So that’s something we really want to improve upon. We got a great idea this week of what we need to strive for in the future.’’

‘’The biggest improvement we need to make is on our turns and our flow on the ice,’’ added Royer. ‘’The best teams here were a lot faster.’’

In women’s competition, Alina Zagitova of Russia won the gold ahead of Japanese skaters Marin Honda in second and Kaori Sakamoto in third.

Sarah Tamura of Burnaby, B.C. gained two spots in the standings for 17th place.

‘’It definitely wasn’t my best but I’ll take this experience and learn from it,’’ said Tamura. ‘’To compete against the best in the world, you can’t make any mistakes in your program.’’

Canada was shutout of the medals at the world juniors this week. The best result was a fifth place finish for Evelyn Walsh of London, Ont., and Trennt Michaud of Strathroy, Ont., in pairs on Friday.

‘’Our long program is our absolute favorite,’’ said Michaud, who joined forces with his partner less than a year ago. ‘’Even in training we enjoy showing it off so we just wanted to do the same here. We were really calm and relied on each other the entire time.’’

‘’We’ve been in a fast lane learning curve and it’s been super fun,’’ added Walsh.

Full results: http://www.isuresults.com/results/season1617/wjc2017/index.htm

Skating Community Mourns the Passing of Donald Gilchrist

OTTAWA, ON: It is with a heavy heart that Skate Canada says goodbye to cherished Hall of Famer Donald Gilchrist. He passed away peacefully at age 95 on Tuesday, March 14, 2017. Gilchrist of Toronto, was a champion for figure skating and synchronized skating throughout his life.

His skating career began as a national and international competitor and then went on to become a judge. He began officiating at the international level in 1951 and judged several world championships and Olympic Games over his career. His technical expertise filled a tremendous need in the growing years of figure skating in Canada. Gilchrist was the first Canadian delegate to participate at the 1951 International Skating Union (ISU) Congress.

For the next 40 years Gilchrist was active in every technical aspect of the highest-ranking skating competitions. An event referee at countless competitions, he was made an honorary member of the ISU when he retired in 1992. Gilchrist was inducted into the Skate Canada Hall of Fame in 1996 and was induced into the World Figure Skating Hall of Fame in 2006.

Skate Canada offers its sincere sympathies to Gilchrist’s family and friends.

Walsh and Michaud crack top-five at ISU World Junior Championships

TAIPEI CITY – Evelyn Walsh of London, Ont., and Trennt Michaud of Strathroy, Ont., climbed to fifth place in pairs on Friday for Canada’s best result so far at the ISU World Junior Figure Skating Championships.

Ekaterina Alexandrovskaya and Harley Windsor of Australia didn’t win either the short or long programs but emerged with the gold medal with 163.98 points. Aleksandra Boikova and Dmitrii Kozlovskii of Russia, first after the short, were second at 161.93 and Yumeng Gao and Zhong Xie of China third at 161.09.

Walsh and Michaud improved their personal best score to 150.74.

Lori-Ann Matte and Thierry Ferland of Lévis, Que., were ninth.

In women’s competition, Alina Zagitova of Russia is first after the short program with Marin Honda of Japan second and her compatriot Kaori Sakamoto third.

Sarah Tamura of Burnaby, B.C., is 19th in her second career appearance at the world juniors.Competition ends Saturday with the free dance and women’s free skate.

Full results: ISU World Junior Figure Skating Championships 2017

Canadian ice dancers in medal contention at ISU World Junior Championships

TAIPEI CITY – Marjorie Lajoie of Boucherville, Que., and Zachary Lagha of Greenfield Park, Que., are in the medal hunt standing fifth after Thursday’s short dance at the ISU World Junior Figure Skating Championships.

‘’It went super well, we were really well focused on the ice,’’ said Lajoie, 13th with her partner at last year’s world juniors. ‘’To be fifth right now is better than we expected but it’s not going to affect how we prepare for the free skate. We are going keep the same plan and not worry about results.’’

Alla Loboda and Pavel Drozd of Russia are first at 67.59, Rachel Parsons and Michael Parsons of the U.S. second at 67.29 and Anastasia Skoptcova and Kirill Aleshin of Russia third at 63.38. Lajoie and Lagha notched 60.79.

Ashlynn Stairs of Calgary and Lee Royer of St. Albert, Alta., are 12th.

‘’We put out our best and that’s what we wanted to do,’’ said Stairs. ‘’Everything was clean and done to the best ability that we could. It gives us a lot of confidence that we can do the same in the free skate.’’

In men’s competition, Vincent Zhou of the U.S. prevented a Russian medal sweep taking the gold with 258.11. Dmitri Aliev was second at 247.31, Alexander Samarin third at 245.53 and Alexander Petrov fourth at 243.47.

Nicolas Nadeau of Boisbriand, Que., was 12th, Conrad Orzel of Woodbridge, Ont., 13th and Roman Sadovsky of Vaughan, Ont., 17th.

‘’I’m proud of what I’ve done at my first junior worlds,’’ said Orzel, a two-time silver medallist this season at international junior events. ‘’I did everything I planned and delivered my best skate of the season. I was a bit star truck this week with the great skaters here and the whole experience was very inspiring.

‘’I’ve learnt I can deal with the biggest worlds stage pressure and can adapt to situations even though it’s not perfect.’’

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

Full results: ISU World Junior Figure Skating Championships 2017

Les Suprêmes Synchronized Skating Team in Hungary for 2017 Budapest Cup

OTTAWA, ON:  Canada will have one team competing at the 2017 Budapest Cup in Budapest, Hungary from March 16-19, 2017, at the Tüskecsarnok arena. Les Suprêmes will represent Canada in the senior category at the competition.

This season, Les Suprêmes won the bronze medal at the 2017 Leon Lurje trophy in Sweden and won the silver medal at the 2017 Canadian championships, qualifying for the ISU World Synchronized Skating Championships® 2017 in Colorado Springs, CO, USA. Last season, they won the silver medal at the Neuchâtel Trophy, placed fourth at the French Cup, won the gold medal at the 2016 Canadian championships, and placed fifth at the ISU World Synchronized Skating Championships® 2016. The representatives of CPA Saint-Léonard are coached by Marilyn Langlois, assisted by Pascal Denis and Amélie Brochu.

Susan Morriss of Victoria, B.C., will be the sole Canadian official at the event.

For more information on the event please visit www.isu.org.

Canadians need to play catch-up at ISU World Junior Championships

TAIPEI CITY – Evelyn Walsh of London, Ont., and Trennt Michaud of Strathroy, Ont., were the top Canadians Wednesday standing sixth after Wednesday’s short program in pairs at the ISU World Junior Figure Skating Championships.

Aleksandra Boikova and Dmitrii Kozlovskii of Russia lead with 61.27 points, Yumeng Gao and Zhong Xie of China are second at 59.97 and Ekaterina Alexandrovskaya and Harley Windsor of Australia third at 59.82.

Walsh and Michaud totalled 51.93 while Lori-Ann Matte of and Thierry Ferland of Lévis, Que., follow in seventh at 50.78.

“That was our best score internationally so we are very pleased about that,” said Michaud. “It’s a great way to go into our free program which we are really excited about and been skating well in practice.”

In men’s competition, Dmitri Aliev of Russia is first after the short program at 83.48, Jun Hwa Cha of South Korea second at 82.34 and Alexander Samarin of Russia third at 82.23.

All three Canadian men executed clean programs.

Nicolas Nadeau of Boisbriand, Que., is seventh with 77.20, Roman Sadovsky of Vaughan, Ont., is ninth at 76.27 and Conrad Orzel of Woodbridge, Ont., is 18th.

“I felt my short program was very good and for me it’s a good way to end the season with this program,” said Nadeau, last year’s silver medallist. “My goal coming into this event is to do two clean skates.”

Sadovsky wasn’t feeling 100 percent confident heading into his short program.

“I had a rough practice this morning so my expectations weren’t high,” said Sadovsky. “I just stepped on the ice wanting to prove I could skate and do well, so to go out and do a clean short is pretty satisfying.”

For Orzel, the competition is a learning experience and he scored a personal best 66.21.

“I executed all my jumps well and I achieved my goal with a personal best score,” said Orzel. “It’s a good stepping stone for next year but there is still a lot to work on. It’s a good way to start my final event of the season.”

Competition continues Thursday with the men’s free program and short dance.

Full results: ISU World Junior Figure Skating Championships 2017