Two-time ISU Four Continents Champions Madison Chock/Evan Bates (USA) danced into the lead in the Rhythm Dance at the ISU Four Continents Championships 2023 in Colorado Springs (USA) Friday.
The reigning ISU World bronze medalists edged Laurence Fournier Beaudry/Nikolaj Soerensen of Canada for a narrow lead in the Ice Dance competition. Marjorie Lajoie/Zachary Lagha, also from Canada, are currently ranked third.
Chock/Bates delivered a smooth performance of their “Let’s Dance” program, executing difficult footwork and an innovative lift. The two-time ISU Four Continents Champions picked up a level four for the twizzles and the curve lift and a level three for the pattern dance step sequence and the midline steps to post a season’s best of 87.67 points.
Chock/Bates' (USA) quest for a third Four Continents title got off to a fine start with a season's best score in the Rhythm Dance © ISU
“We did a lot of the prep work for this competition before we left for Nationals. We were prepared and we let our training carry us into this week,” Chock said.
“Our season’s best is an amazing feeling going into the World Championships. It feels so good to be skating the way we are training and the way we want to perform, so we know we are right on track to achieve the goals we have set for ourselves,” she continued.
Fournier Beaudry/Soerensen’s dance to Rhumba and Samba songs by Gloria Estefan included level-four twizzles and a level-four stationary lift. The midline step sequence was rated a level four and three. The Canadian Champions set a new personal best of 86.28 points.
“We had a great time out there today,” Soerensen said.
“This year, we’ve really been focusing on changing our approach by having a little bit more fun and trying to combat some of the stress that’s inevitable in competition. [We want to] inspire the people who watch skating and make them enjoy it.”
Fournier Beaudry/Soerensen (CAN) had fun with their Latin-inspired Rhythm Dance but are out to win the Free Dance on Sunday © ISU
He made it clear that the couple is going to attack in the Free Dance on Sunday.
“The goal is to win. We have a really strong free dance this year. We really believe in ourselves, we love the material, we have such a great time doing every single element out there, and so I hope we can get carried away by our performance and the story that we’re trying to tell in the free dance.”
Dancing to “Let’s Cha Cha” and the Samba “Mas Que Nada” and “Samba de Janeiro”, Lajoie/Lagha produced level-four twizzles and a level-four rotational lift. However, the midline steps garnered only a level one for her and a level two for him. The 2019 ISU World Junior Champions scored 79.04 points.
Former World Junior Champions Lajoie/Lagha (CAN) are making an impact at the senior level with third place in Colorado Springs © ISU
“There were a few little mistakes [in our performance today] but overall the performance was good. I feel like it was a tough competition because of the stress level but we handled it well and did our job,” Lagha commented.
“We’re really happy because the work that we did all those years, we feel like it’s finally starting to pay off,” he added.
2022 Four Continents bronze medalists Christina Carreira/Anthony Ponomarenko (USA) placed fourth with a seasons best of 76.97 points, followed by 2022 ISU Four Continents Champions Caroline Green/Michael Parsons (USA) on 69.99 points: Parsons fell in the midline steps.
Misato Komatsubara/Tim Koleto (JPN) were sixth (66.72 points) while 2022 ISU Four Continents silver medalists Kana Muramoto/Daisuke Takahashi (JPN) finished seventh on 64.59 points after she went down in the midline step sequence.
Shiyue Wang/Xinyu Liu (CHN) withdrew before the Rhythm Dance citing an injury to Liu.
Schedule of the event
The schedule of the ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships is as follows:
Thursday, February 9: Women’s & Men’s Short Programs
Friday, February 10: Pairs Short Program, Rhythm Dance & Women’s Free Skating
Saturday, February 11: Pairs & Men’s Free Skating
Sunday, February 12: Free Dance & Exhibition Gala
For full entries and results, please see the ISU event page and the official website. Follow the discussion on social media using #4ContsFigure and #FigureSkating.
Where to watch the ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships 2023:
The ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships will be live streamed on the Skating ISU YouTube Channel. Geo-restrictions will apply in markets where TV rights are in place. You will find the full list in the Where to Watch news here.
Subscribe to the Skating ISU YouTube Channel to receive alerts when the live streams start and when new videos are posted.
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