Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier (CAN) win gold during the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating at Espoo (FIN) © ISU
Piper Gilles/Paul Poirier of Canada, 2021 ISU World bronze medalists, continued their success this season with another Grand Prix gold medal. Kaitlin Hawayek/Jean-Luc Baker (USA) claimed their second Grand Prix silver medal this season and will go together with the Canadians to the ISU Grand Prix Final next month. To the delight of the home crowd, Finland’s Juulia Turkkila/Matthias Versluis moved up to take the bronze, the first ISU Grand Prix medal for a Finnish Ice Dance team.
Gilles/Poirier looked like they could not set a foot wrong in their fluid and intensely expressive dance to “Evita”. The Canadians executed difficult footwork and lifts effortlessly, collecting a level four for five elements and a level three for two more. The Canadian Champions posted a personal best score of 131.69 points and totaled 219.49 points.
“Going into our program today, we were a little bit tired,” Gilles admitted. “We're learning that it's OK to perform under any circumstances. Something we've learned over the past couple of years is trusting our training, and don't skate any more than we have that day. But we're really proud of our performance. We definitely felt that it was a step up from Skate Canada.”
Poirier added: “We don't have a lot of time before the Final, as this is the last Grand Prix, so the next two weeks will really be about managing our energy and making sure that we're not too tired, as we head into the Grand Prix Final, so that we can have strong performances there.”
Hawayek/Baker’s emotional dance to “Requiem” and “Sofia” by Askjell Solstrand included beautiful lifts and excellent twizzles. The Skate America silver medalists picked up a level four for their curve-curve lift and the twizzles, while the one foot step sequence was rated a level four for him, and a level three for her.
The 2018 ISU Four Continents Champions were awarded 121.53 points for their Free Dance which added up to 202.46 points overall.
Kaitlin Hawayek and Jean-Luc Baker (USA) take silver during the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating at Espoo (FIN) © ISU
“For us, it was a very good performance,” Hawayek said. “There's moments when you skate where things feel effortless and things feel almost like you're in a trance, in a magical moment, and then there's other days where it feels like constant micro refocuses and work.
“Today was one of those where we felt like there were many moments where we had to really zone in on each other, and focus our energy and be really intentional with each other. And that's OK, too. Both produce really good performances. They don't necessarily have the same emotional reaction at the end, when we finished.
“But it was one of those programs where we felt really proud of just being able to stand out there, execute and continue to show the improvement that we've made this season,” she said.
Turkkila/Versluis stood in fourth place following the Rhythm Dance and knew they had a chance to get on to the podium. The Finnish Champions put on a strong performance of their romantic dance to “4 Impromptus” and “Piano Sonata No. 20” by Franz Schubert. Their lifts and dance spin merited a level four and the team set a personal best of 116.73 points. Overall they accumulated 191.79 points.
Juulia Turkkila and Matthias Versluis (FIN) take bronze during the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating at Espoo (FIN) © ISU
“It felt like a long day today and we felt a bit tired, but the home crowd gave us a lot of energy to skate through the free program, and we felt very ‘in the moment’ and tried to enjoy every second of the skate,” Versluis said.
The team feels very motivated, having won their first ISU Grand Prix medal and the first for Finnish Ice Dance.
“It gives us a lot of confidence. We know what we are capable of and we want to achieve more. This I just the beginning,” Turkkila said.
Christina Carreira/Anthony Ponomarenko (USA) gave a solid performance to “Summertime”, but nevertheless slipped to fourth place with 188.80 points. Natalie Taschlerova/Filip Taschler (CZE) came fifth on 186.39 points, followed by Carolane Soucisse/Shane Firus (CAN) with 175.63 points.
Schedule of the event
The schedule is as follows:
Friday, November 25: Pairs, Women’s & Men’s Short Programs, Rhythm Dance
Saturday, November 26: Pairs, Women’s & Men’s Free Skating, Free Dance
Sunday, November 27: Exhibition Gala
The Grand Prix Espoo in Espoo (FIN) November 25-27 is the sixth and last event in the 2022/23 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Series.
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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