Innholdsfortegnelse for December 2021 i International Figure Skating

For the first time in 21 months, the skating world feels almost “normal” again. We are so happy to finally have an Inner Loop photo spread to share with you all once again, along with full details of two weddings that took place in the summer. With all but two competitions taking place as scheduled — from the very first Challenger Series event, through the Junior Grand Prix Series and the senior B competitions — there has been a lot of skating to watch. That has made for some exciting moments and unexpected results. Nebelhorn Trophy was one of those competitions. With so few places open at the 2022 Olympic Winter Games and so many skaters vying for them, there was bound to be a lopsided mix of those who…

WOMEN USA: Alysa Liu (1st) Poland: Ekaterina Kurakova (2nd) Belarus: Viktoriia Safonova (3rd) Switzerland: Alexia Paganini (4th) Ukraine: Anastasiia Shabatova (5th) Australia: Kailani Craine (7th) MEN: USA: Vincent Zhou (1st) France: Adam Siao Him Fa (2nd) Russia: Mark Kondratiuk (3rd) South Korea: Sihyeong Lee (5th) Azerbaijan: Vladimir Litvintsev (6th) Australia: Brendan Kerry (7th) Canada: Roman Sadovsky (8th) PAIRS: Spain: Laura Barquero/Marco Zandron (2nd) Georgia: Karina Safina/Luka Berulava (3rd) Israel: Hailey Kops/Evgeni Krasnopolski (5th) ICE DANCE Finland: Juulia Turkkila/Matthias Versluis (1st) Georgia: Maria Kazakova/Georgy Reviya (3rd) Armenia: Tina Garabedian/Simon Proulx-Sénécal (4th) Czech Republic: Natálie Taschlerová/Filip Taschler (5th)…

The Japanese pairs team of Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara have been turning heads since they first appeared on the scene in the fall of 2019. Though both had previously competed on the international stages with other partners, neither had enjoyed any meaningful success. In 2019, a coach on the other side of the world thought they would be a good match, and following a brief tryout a new partnership was formed. Just months after teaming up, Riku Miura, a virtual unknown on the pairs scene, and Ryuichi Kihara, who had not competed internationally in a year, finished fifth at 2019 NHK Trophy. While the result itself was not noteworthy, the connection, the energy and the intriguing potential of this team — that seemingly came out of nowhere — was…

Roman Sadovsky needs little time to recall the moment when Olympic dreams first began forming in his head and his heart. The 22-year-old’s memory quickly flashes back to 2006 and the Olympic Winter Games in Torino, Italy, when he witnessed a fellow Canadian figure skater land on the podium. Sadovsky was only 6 years old at the time, just beginning to find his way in the sport, but that Olympic moment provided him with plenty of inspiration. “They were the first Olympics I remember. That’s when Jeff (Buttle) was third. That stood out to me the most because he was Canadian. I also remember Evgeni Plushenko winning that year,” said Sadovsky. “I was just getting into skating back then, and it was a big boost to me to want to…

Elladj Baldé and Michelle Dawley wed in a romantic setting in Southern California on Aug. 8. The couple got engaged in January 2020 and originally planned to marry in May 2021. But with COVID-19 restrictions still in place in the early part of the year, they held off on making any arrangements. “No one was able to plan a wedding to go the way they wanted to go, so we decided to wait it out and just do it when it felt right,” said Baldé. “Then sometime around May or June we started having the conversation that it would be so fun if we just did it. We did not want to wait another year, so we started looking online to see what we could find. At the end of…

On Sep. 20, Kazakhstan’s Elizabet Tursynbaeva announced her retirement from competitive skating due to a congenital spine issue she has had since she was a baby. The condition has gotten progressively worse as she got older and ultimately left her unable to train at an elite level the past two years. Tursynbaeva was scheduled to compete at Rostelecom Cup in November, but said it became clear at the end of summer that this would not be possible, and decided it was time to hang up her skates. Her senior international career began in 2011 and over the next nine seasons, she competed in more than 50 events, capturing 39 medals of varying colors. In her final season on the circuit (2018-2019), Tursynbaeva finished second in five of seven competitions she…

The most anticipated competition of the preseason, 2021 Nebelhorn Trophy — which took place in Oberstdorf, Germany in late September — offered one last opportunity for nations to book a spot at the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing, China. With a greater number of entries than in years past, and with the level of skating at a high standard, earning one of the coveted Olympic berths proved a lot tougher for some than it was four years earlier. With no country exempt from the new Olympic qualification rules, skaters from five of the top six skating nations had to compete in Oberstdorf to earn the remaining berths their respective countries were eligible for, following the 2021 World Championships. Under the old rules, skaters would qualify spots for their nations…

With all competitions canceled in the 2020-2021 season, there was an increased interest in how a new generation of skaters would perform on the Junior Grand Prix circuit this year. Every season, this Series becomes more and more competitive, and this year some of the top juniors are at a standard that would rival and/or overtake many of their senior counterparts. The 2021 Junior Grand Prix Series did not get off to an auspicious start when Canada was forced to cancel the second event. With its international border closed, it was virtually impossible for non-Canadian residents to enter the country. France, the host of the first event, agreed to take on a second and the first two competitions were held in the mountain village of Courchevel. But a problem arose…

CHANGE OF VENUE In mid-September, China advised the International Skating Union (ISU) that it would not host the 2022 Four Continents Championships due to travel restrictions, quarantine requirements, safety concerns and logistical challenges. The decision marked the sixth time since 2018 China had canceled an event: 2018 Shanghai Trophy and Cup of China; 2020 Asian Open Figure Skating Trophy; 2021 World Junior Championships and Cup of China and 2022 Four Continents. The ISU subsequently extended invitations to other member nations to apply to host the competition. In early October, the ISU announced the Estonian Skating Union will host the Four Continents Championships in Tallinn, Jan. 18-23. Estonia is also the host for the 2022 European Championships, which will take place Jan. 10-16 in the same venue. COACHING CHANGE Japan’s Rika…