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Canadian ice dancers fourth at ISU Junior Grand Prix

BRATISLAVA, Slovakia – Alicia Fabbri of Terrebonne, Que., and Paul Ayer of Brossard, Que., took fourth place in their international debut as a team on Saturday in ice dancing to conclude the first stop on the ISU Junior Grand Prix figure skating circuit.

It was a 1-2 Russian finish with Elizaveta Khudaiberdieva and Nikita Nazarov first with 160.24 points and Elizaveta Shanaeva and Devid Naryzhnyy second at 152.42. Eliana Gropman and Ian Sommerville of the U.S. were third at 148.96.

Fabbri and Ayer, who both skated with different partners last year, produced the sixth best free dance but remained in fourth place in 136.04 less than three points ahead of a French couple.

‘’We showed a bit of stress skating our first free dance together internationally,’’ said Fabbri, 15, whose skates were lost in travel but eventually arrived in time. ‘’We were pleased with the free dance minus one error.’’

The couple says they are pleased with the progress of the partnership.

‘’We connected pretty quickly,’’ said Ayer, 20. ‘’There were so many changes I wasn’t sure initially how we were going to click right off the start but I don’t remember being a time we didn’t click even in the try-out.’’

Nadiia Bashynska of Markham, Ont., and Peter Beaumont of Unionville, Ont., scored the fifth best free dance but remained in ninth at 124.64. The couple remained unfazed after someone threw a toy stuffed animal on the ice in the middle of their performance.

‘’We noticed it right away, said Bashynska. ‘’We talked to each other and guided each other where we were going. It actually happened to us once before so we knew what to do in the situation. Just no matter what, keep calm and do your thing.’’

In women’s competition, Russians were 1-2 again with Anna Shcherbakova first and Anna Tarusina second. Young You of South Korea was third.

Alison Schumacher of Tecumseh, Ont., was ninth.

‘’I feel like it was a good start to my international season,’’ said Schumacher. ‘’I fought through my program today. But I feel I’m ready for the rest of the season.’’

Canada ends the competition with one gold medal earned by 13-year-old Stephen Gogolev in the men’s event on Friday.

The second stop on the circuit runs this Thursday to Saturday in Linz, Austria.

Full results: ISU JGP Bratislava 2018

Canada’s Stephen Gogolev wins gold in junior Grand Prix debut

BRATISLAVA, Slovakia –Thirteen-year-old Stephen Gogolev of Toronto burst onto the international stage in spectacular style Friday as he landed three quadruple jumps en route to a golden performance in men’s competition at the season opening stop on the ISU Junior Grand Prix figure skating circuit.

In his skate to excerpts from the Sherlock Holmes soundtrack Gogolev also became the first Canadian, of any age group, to land a quad Lutz in competition.

Gogolev totalled 226.13 points for the victory with Mitsuki Sumoto of Japan second at 210.31 and Daniel Grassl of Italy third at 199.26.

‘’To land those three quads really brings up my confidence,’’ said Gogolev, who is coached by Brian Orser and Lee Barkell. “I still need to get some runs though done so I can improve the second half of my skate.’’

Aleksa Rakic, also 13, from Burnaby, B.C. was eighth in 180.13.  ‘’I feel really good about how I skated and how I was able to connect with the audience,’’ said Rakic. ‘’I reached my goal to get into the top-10.’’

Russian couples swept the medals in pairs competition. Anastasia Mishina and Aleksandr Galliamov were first, Apollinarria Panfilova and Dmitry Rylov second and Ksenila Akhanteva and Valerii Kolesov third.

Patricia Andrew of London, Ont., and Paxton Fletcher of Rodney, Ont., were fourth with a clean free skate and Brooke McIntosh of Toronto and Brandon Taste of Mississauga, Ont., were fifth.

‘’The Russian pairs were really impressive,’’ said Fletcher. ‘’They were fast with big and strong elements and their style and look was superb. For a young team like ours it’s fun to see what’s possible and it just motivates us to go back and work harder.’’

In ice dancing after the short dance, Alicia Fabbri of Terrebonne, Que., and Paul Ayer of Brossard, Que., are fourth at 58.91 less than two points behind third spot. Nadiia Bashynska of Markham, Ont., and Peter Beaumont of Unionville, Ont., are ninth.

In Thursday’s women’s short program, Alison Shumacher of Tecumseh, Ont., was eighth.

The women’s free skate and the free dance are on Saturday.

Full results: ISU JGP Bratislava 2018

Canadian skaters in Slovakia to kick off 2018-2019 ISU Junior Grand Prix season

OTTAWA, ON: Skate Canada will have seven entries, for a total of 11 skaters, competing at the first stop on the 2018-2019 ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating in Bratislava, Slovakia. Canada will have two entries per discipline in men, pairs and ice dance, and one entry in ladies at the competition which takes place from August 22-25, 2018.

Stephen Gogolev, 13, Toronto, Ont., is one of two Canadian entries in the men’s discipline. Gogolev placed 10th in senior at the 2018 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships. This will be his first ISU Junior Grand Prix assignment. He is coached by Brian Orser and Lee Barkell in Toronto, Ont.

Canadian novice silver medallist Aleksa Rakic, 13, Burnaby, B.C., will also represent Canada in the men’s category and will also be competing at his first ISU Junior Grand Prix event. He is coached by Joanne McLeod in Burnaby, B.C.

Alison Schumacher, 15, Tecumseh, Ont., will be the only Canadian representative in the women’s category. Last season on the ISU Junior Grand Prix she placed eighth in Latvia and ninth in Italy. Schumacher also placed fifth in junior at the 2018 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships. She is coached by Lee Barkell in Toronto, Ont.

Canadian junior silver medallists Patricia Andrew, 13, London, Ont., and Paxton Fletcher, 19, Rodney, Ont., are the first of two Canadian pairs entries at the event. This will be their first ISU Junior Grand Prix assignment. Andrew and Fletcher are coached by Alison Purkiss in Brantford, Ont.

Canadian novice champions Brooke McIntosh, 13, Toronto, Ont., and Brandon Toste, 15, Mississauga, Ont., will also represent Canada in pairs at their first ISU Junior Grand Prix assignment. They are coached by Andrew Evans in Toronto, Ont.

Canadian novice champions Nadiia Bashynska, 14, Markham, Ont., and Peter Beaumont, 17, Unionville, Ont., are one of two Canadian ice dance teams at the event. This will be their first ISU Junior Grand Prix assignment. Bashynska and Beaumont are coached by Carol Lane, Jon Lane, Juris Razgulajevs and Marc-André Servant in Scarborough, Ont.

Alicia Fabbri, 15, Terrebonne, Que., and Paul Ayer, 20, Brossard, Que., will also represent Canada in ice dance at the event. This will be their first ISU Junior Grand Prix assignment since teaming up in the offseason. They are coached by Julien Lalonde in St. Hubert, Que.

André Bourgeois, Skate Canada NextGen Director, and Nathalie Martin of Montreal, Que., will be the Canadian team leaders at the event. Dr. Lee Schofield of Toronto, Ont., and physiotherapist Mireille Landry of Toronto, Ont., will be the Canadian team medical staff on site. Susan Blatz of Burlington, Ont., and Jérôme Poulin of Montreal, Que., will be the Canadian officials at the event.

For results and full entries please visit www.isu.org. All events on the ISU Junior Grand Prix circuit will be live streamed on the ISU Junior Grand Prix YouTube channel

CANADIAN ENTRIES AT ISU JGP #1 – BRATISLAVA, SLOVAKIA

Discipline Name Age Hometown Club Coach
Men Stephen Gogolev 13 Toronto, Ont. Toronto Cricket, Skating and Curling Club Brian Orser / Lee Barkell
Men Aleksa Rakic 13 Burnaby, B.C. Champs International Skating Centre of B.C. Joanne McLeod
Women Alison Schumacher 15 Tecumseh, Ont. Riverside SC Lee Barkell
Pairs Patricia Andrew / Paxton Fletcher 13/19 London, Ont. / Rodney, Ont. Brant FSC / London SC Alison Purkiss
Pairs Brooke McIntosh / Brandon Toste 13/15 Toronto, Ont. / Mississauga, Ont. Canadian Ice Academy / Toronto Cricket, Skating and Curling Club Andrew Evans
Ice Dance Nadiia Bashynska / Peter Beaumont 14/17 Markham, Ont. / Unionville, Ont. Scarboro FSC / Scarboro FSC Carol Lane / Jon Lane / Juris Razgulajevs / Marc-André Servant
Ice Dance Alicia Fabbri / Paul Ayer 15/20 Terrebonne, Que. / Brossard, Que. CPA Terrebone Inc. / Calalta FSC Julien Lalonde