Roman Sadovsky (CAN) shines bright to take the lead at the 2022 ISU Grand Prix MK John Wilson Trophy, in Sheffield, GBR © ISU
Roman Sadovsky of Canada literally skated with the lights out, to take the lead in the Men’s Short Program at the ISU Grand Prix in Sheffield on Friday.
Despite the arena lights dimming unexpectedly during his routine, the Canadian continued unfazed - and his performance shone. “I didn’t even notice,” he said about it later.
Italy’s Daniel Grassl is not far behind in second place, while Latvian Deniss Vasiljevs currently ranks third.
Sadovsky hit a big quadruple Salchow to open his bluesy program to “Cold” by Chris Stapleton. He also completed a triple Axel and two level four spins. He only slightly underrotated the back end of his triple Lutz-triple toeloop combination to score 89.49 points, just below his personal best.
“I'm pleased with my performance, and I'm improving over Skate America. My personal goal is to break that 90 points barrier. I have yet to do it, and I'll see how many more competitions it takes to do it, but hopefully not many,” Sadovsky said.
“I kept my training schedule and goals the same from Skate America going into this. It wasn't a ton of time, and I liked the direction I was going, even from the start of the season. So we kept going with it and I improved my confidence and my ability to put out repetitive, strong short programs,” he continued.
Daniel Grassl produced a quadruple Lutz, triple Axel and a somewhat shaky triple Lutz-triple toe combination – with a slightly underrotated triple toe – in his routine set to “Silhouette” by Aquilo. The 2022 ISU European Championships silver medalist earned 86.85 points.
Daniel Grassl (ITA) is in second place at the 2022 ISU Grand Prix MK John Wilson Trophy, in Sheffield, GBR © ISU
Maybe home-cooking was helpful for the Italian, who returned to Italy after Skate America following several weeks of training in Boston.
“I needed to go back to Italy to see my friends and family, because I really missed them. It was nice that my mum cooked for me again,” he said. “I'm happy with how I've worked - a lot these weeks - because I really wanted to come here and be prepared.”
Deniss Vasiljevs put on an entertaining performance to Sting’s “Englishman in New York” that included a triple Axel, a triple Lutz-triple toeloop combination, as well as an original flying sit spin. The 2022 ISU European bronze medalist picked up 83.01 points, a season's best.
Deniss Vasiljevs (LAT) is in third place at the 2022 ISU Grand Prix MK John Wilson Trophy, in Sheffield, GBR © ISU
Vasiljevs summed up the secret to his success with a quote from Winston Churchill, about the conservation of energy: ‘Never stand up when you can sit down, and never sit down when you can lie down.’
In light of this, “I think I have slightly reformed my approach to my work,” said Vasiljevs. “My work became a little more fun,” the 23-year-old said. “I started to enjoy skating in itself more, when I started to pay attention less to general, but more to specific [things].”
Shun Sato (JPN) placed fourth on 82.68 points followed by Koshiro Shimada (JPN) with 80.84 points. Jimmy Ma (USA) rounds up the top six with 77.72 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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