Budapest / Hungary

The ISU World Synchronized Skating Championships 2016 opened in Budapest, Hungary, Friday with the Short Program.

Russia’s Team Paradise skates to the lead in Short Program

Team Russia 1 (Paradise) skated to the lead in the Short Program. Team Finland 1 (Team Unique) edged out Finland 2 (The Rockettes) for second place by less than a point.

Team Paradise continued their strong showing this season with an elegant Short Program to “Meditation” by Jules Massenet. The team from St. Petersburg picked up a level four for the Pivoting Block, the Travelling Wheel and the No Hold Element to score 73.86 points.

Team Unique coincidentally had chosen the same music and earned a level four for two elements and a level three for two others. The Finns received 70.62 points.

Performing to “Schindler’s List”, The Rockettes got a level four for the No Hold Element and the Travelling Wheel like their teammates. The team, that ranked fourth at the ISU World Synchronized Championships 2015, earned 70.03 points.

Team USA 1 (The Haydenettes) are not far behind at 68.09 points followed by Canada 1 (Les Supremes) at 67.33 points and the defending World Champions, Canada 2 (Nexxice) with 67.24 points.

26 teams from 21 ISU members are competing at the ISU World Synchronized Championship 2016. A team consists of 16 skaters (plus up to four alternates). The Short Program consists of five required elements: pivoting element, traveling element, intersection, moves and no hold element (executed in a block configuration including a step sequence feature).

Hungary hosts the ISU World Synchronized Skating Championships for the second time since 2008. The ISU introduced the ISU World Synchronized Skating Championships in 2000.

Finland, Sweden, Canada and the USA are the leading ISU members in Synchronized Skating. Finland has claimed a total of 20 medals in the ISU World Synchronized Skating Championship so far, including eight gold medals. Sweden ranks second with 11 medals (six gold), while Canada has eleven medals (two gold) and the USA collected five medals since the inaugural World Championships in 2000. The only other country in the medal table, Russia, had won their first medal in 2015, the bronze.

The ISU World Synchronized Skating Championships conclude Saturday with the Free Skating.