Italy’s Charlene Guignard/Marco Fabbri danced with ease to their second ISU Grand Prix gold medal in as many weeks while Lilah Fear/Lewis Gibson of Great Britain claimed their second silver on the circuit this season. Canadians Marjorie Lajoie/Zachary Lagha picked up the bronze.
Charlene Guignard and Marco Fabbri of Italy land the gold in the Ice Dance Free Dance in Sheffield (GBR) © ISU
Guignard/Fabbri produced an emotional performance to “My Love Will Never Die”, capturing the spooky mood of the music perfectly and showing off intricate footwork and impressive lifts. The two-time ISU European bronze medalists collected a level four for their lifts, dance spin and twizzles, as well as a level three for the circular step sequence, to set a new personal best with 127.44 points. The Italian Champions widened the gap between their competitors and won with eight points to spare at 213.74 total points.
Guignard and Fabbri had to skate right after the home crowd favorites Fear/Gibson, but they remained calm and confident.
“Now we are an experienced couple and we don’t really let everything around disturb us. We try to create our own bubble and focus on our performance. It’s not been that hard. The crowd was supportive as well with the other skaters,” Fabbri said.
Guignard remembered that 10 years ago, the couple competed in their first ISU European Championship in Sheffield, and had finished 11th.
“It was our first Europeans here 10 years ago, it was our first big competition. There were a lot of nice memories,” she said.
With their victories at the Grand Prix de France and the MK John Wilson Trophy, the Italians qualified for the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating final in their home country.
Fear/Gibson got the crowd going at Ice Sheffield with their upbeat dance to “Born This Way” by Lady Gaga. Their spectacular lifts drew extra applause.
Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson of Great Britain take silver in the Ice Dance Free Dance in Sheffield (GBR) © ISU
The Skate Canada silver medalists earned a level four for their lifts, twizzles and dance spin. However, Gibson stumbled on the choreographic twizzles. The British Champions scored 120.19 points for their Free Dance for a total of 205.56 points.
“We are very proud of what we did here. We are just so excited to come here and skate in front of our home crowd. It lived up to and surpassed our expectations. Of course, I would have liked not to have that little mistake, but it is what it is,” Gibson said.
“It was a memory and experience that we will not forget. We are just so appreciative to have had the opportunity to skate at the Grand Prix in Great Britain,” Fear added.
Fear/Gibson have two silver medals from Skate Canada and the MK John Wilson Trophy, which should get them to the final for the first time in their career.
“It’s something that in the last couple of seasons we’ve really tried to push for. We’re both very excited about the opportunity and it’s another goal achieved for us,” Gibson said.
Lajoie/Lagha’s balletic dance to “Nureyev” from the “White Crow” soundtrack was highlighted by five level-four elements. The 2019 ISU World Junior Champions picked up 117.86 points to take home their second ISU Grand Prix bronze medal with 198.95 points.
Marjorie Lajoie and Zachary Lagha of Canada compete in the Ice Dance Free Dance in Sheffield (GBR) © ISU
“It was very good for us. There were very little mistakes, but we are very happy with the performance we did,” Lajoie said.
Lajoie/Lagha have two bronze medals from their Grand Prix events in Canada and Great Britain and will have to wait and see if that is enough to get to the final.
Christina Carreira/Anthony Ponomarenko (USA) finished fourth with a smooth performance to “Summertime” at 187.42 points. Natalie Taschlerova/Filip Taschler (CZE) came fifth (177.89 points) ahead of 2020 ISU World Junior silver medalists Maria Kazakova/Georgy Reviya (GEO) with 176.71 points.
Schedule of the event
The schedule is as follows:
Friday, November 11: Pairs & Men’s Short Program
Saturday, November 12: Women’s Short Program, Rhythm Dance, Pairs & Men’s Free Skating
Sunday, November 13: Women’s Free Skating, Free Dance, Exhibition Gala
The MK John Wilson Trophy in Sheffield (GBR) November 10-13, 2022, is the fourth of six events in the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Series. Great Britain hosts an ISU Grand Prix (senior level) event for the first time.
More than 150 Skaters/Couples representing 29 ISU Members have been invited to the Series. The maximum number of entries for each event is 12 Ladies, 12 Men, 8 Pairs and 10 Ice Dance couples.
The General Announcement of the 2022/23 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Series is available here. The individual announcements are published under the respective events. Full entry lists and further information are available on the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Series page.
Selection Criteria
In order for a Skater/Couple to be eligible to compete at an ISU Grand Prix event, a minimum total score must have been achieved in the 2021/22 or current 2022/23 season in an ISU event (Grand Prix, Junior Grand Prix, Championships) or a Challenger Series event. Exceptions apply to host country Skaters, previously ranked Skaters or split ranked Couples who return with new partners. The minimum total score is 3/5 of highest score per discipline at the ISU World Figure Skating Championships 2022 and are as follows: Women: 141.65, Men: 187.49, Pairs: 132.65, Ice Dance: 137.89.
Following the IOC recommendation and in order to protect the integrity of ice skating competitions and for the safety of all the participants of international ice skating competitions, the ISU Council based on Article 17.1.q)i) of the ISU Constitution, agreed that with immediate effect and until further notice, no Skaters belonging to the ISU Members in Russia (Russian Skating Union and the Figure Skating Federation of Russia) and Belarus (Skating Union of Belarus) shall be invited or allowed to participate in International ice skating competitions including ISU Championships and other ISU Events. The same applies to Officials listed in the respective ISU Communications and/or Regulations under Russia and Belarus (see ISU Communication 2469).
Grand Prix Standings
Men Women Ice Dance Pair Skating
Where to Watch
The ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating events will be live streamed on the official ISU YouTube Channel in most countries. Find out where to watch the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating competitions.
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ISU Grand Prix Schedule
The schedules of each ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating events are available below:
21 - 23 Oct, 2022 Skate America, Norwood (USA)
28 – 30 Oct, 2022 Skate Canada International, Mississauga (CAN)
04 - 06 Nov, 2022 Grand Prix de France, Angers (FRA)
11 - 13 Nov, 2022 MK John Wilson Trophy, Sheffield (GBR)
18 - 20 Nov, 2022 NHK Trophy, Sapporo (JPN)
25 - 27 Nov, 2022 Grand Prix Espoo, Espoo (FIN)
08 - 11 Dec, 2022 Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final, Torino (ITA)
About ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating
The ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Series started in 1995 (previously known a s the ISU Champions Series) and consists of six invitational international senior events and the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final. The top six of the past World Championships are seeded. Competitors collect points in their Grand Prix events towards the qualification for the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final. Only the top six Skaters / Couples in each discipline can qualify for the Final.
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