2017 ISU World Figure Skating Championships

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

March 31, 2017/0 Comments/in News & Press Releases /by Skate Canada

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 12^th 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 13^th 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

March 30, 2017/0 Comments/in News & Press Releases /by Skate Canada

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

March 23, 2017/0 Comments/in News & Press Releases /by Skate Canada

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 12^th 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 11^th. 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

SKATE CANADA NAMES TEAMS FOR 2017 ISU CHAMPIONSHIPS

January 22, 2017/0 Comments/in News & Press Releases /by Skate Canada

OTTAWA, ON: At the conclusion of the senior events at 2017 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships, Skate Canada named the teams for three upcoming ISU Championships. The championships took place in Ottawa, Ont., from January 16-22 at TD Place.