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World Champions Madison Chock/Evan Bates put Team USA into the lead with a record score in the Rhythm Dance. @ ISU

Performing to “Let’s Dance”, Chock/Bates collected a level four for all four level-elements – the twizzles, midline steps, pattern dance step sequence and their curve lift - to finish first and pocket the maximum 12 points for their team.

ISU Grand Prix Final silver medalist Isabeau Levito and Amber Glenn helped to strengthen Team USA’s lead by coming third (10 team points) and sixth (seven team points) in the Women’s Short Program. Levito put in a solid performance of the Flamenco program, landing a triple flip and double Axel, but underrotating the back end of her triple Lutz-triple toe combination (71.22 points). Glenn also skated well to score 66.55 points.

World bronze medalist Ilia Malinin and Team USA captain Jason Brown then widened the gap in the Men’s Short Program, the last event of the day. Malinin placed first, hitting a quad Lutz-triple toe, quad toe and triple Axel in his passionate performance to “I Put a Spell On You”. He set a new personal best of 105.90 points to earn 12 team points.

Ilia Malinin ended the day by taking maximum points for Team USA with a personal best in his Short Program. @ ISU

Brown’s exquisite performance to “Melancholy” was highlighted by a triple flip, triple Axel and triple Lutz-triple toe combination. He scored a season's best of 95.61 points to come fourth (nine team points).

“I'm just really excited to be here and also to end the season really strongly. Also I'm really proud of my team. What a way to kick off the event,” Brown commented.

“I'm really, really looking forward to cheering everyone on tomorrow. It's going to be [the women’s] free skate and it will be an awesome day. There's nothing like skating in Japan, and getting to do it as a team makes it extra, extra special,” he said.

Team USA captain Jason Brown, firmly in the spirit of the biennial event, added 9 points in the Men's Short Program. @ ISU

“One of the really cool things about our team is that you have kind of almost two generations of athletes coming together as one,” Brown added.

“You have about five of us who have done this event multiple times. This is my fourth World Team Trophy. And then we have Ilia [Malinin] and Amber [Glenn] and Isabeau [Levito] who are all experiencing this for the first time. So I think that's really, really exciting.”

First place for Haein Lee lifts young Koreans into second

ISU World silver medalists Junwhan Cha and Haein Lee led Korea to second place after the first three disciplines.

Lee placed first in the Women’s Short Program with a clean performance to “Storm” that featured a triple Lutz-triple toe and triple flip as well as level-four spins and footwork. The 17-year-old posted a personal best of 76.90 points and secured 12 team points.

Haein Lee (KOR) stormed to victory in the Short Program to pic up 12 points for her young team. @ ISU

ISU Grand Prix Finalist Yelim Kim finished seventh (62.65 points for six team points) in the Women’s Short Program.

In the Men’s Short Program, Cha produced an exciting program to Michael Jackson songs that included a quad Salchow, triple Lutz-triple loop and triple Axel for a personal best of 101.33 points to finish second and earn 11 team points.

Siyheong Lee added three team points by finishing 10th on 77.24 points.

Debuting at senior level in the Rhythm Dance, ISU World Junior silver Ice Dance medalists Hannah Lim/Ye Quan came sixth (69.96 points for seven team points).

Korea captain Junhwan Cha, who added 11 points with second place, praised the efforts of his "passionate, excited" teammates. @ ISU

“It is our first time at the World Team Trophy and before we came here, I asked my teammates what they think about the Team Trophy and we said it’s our first time, let’s enjoy and skate happy,” Team Korea captain Cha said.

“On the first day we nailed that goal and I’m super proud of my team and me. I can’t wait to cheer for the team and the other teams tomorrow.

“Our team is more of a new generation and has young skaters, especially for our ice dance team, it was their senior debut here at the World Team Trophy. I think we are the youngest team at this World Team Trophy and we are young, passionate, excited,” he continued.

Sakamoto leads Team Japan into third

For Team Japan, World Champion Kaori Sakamoto ranked second in the Women’s Short Program to pick up 11 team points. Skating to a Janet Jackson medley, the Olympic bronze medalist landed a double Axel and triple Lutz, but fell on her combination (72.69 points).

World Champion Kaori Sakamoto (JPN) ranked second in the Women's Short Program to lift the hosts into third place. @ ISU

ISU Grand Prix Final Champion Mai Mihara struggled with her triple flip and her combination to come fifth (66.85 points for eight team points).

In the Rhythm Dance, 2022 ISU Four Continents Ice Dance silver medalists Kana Muramoto/Daisuke Takahashi finished fourth with 78.38 points to score nine points for the team.

Kazuki Tomono and Shun Sato were seventh and 11th in the Men’s Short, contributing six and two team points respectively.

“This season all our team members were at the World Championships and took part at Stars on Ice [tour] and I know everybody is really tired,” captain Sakamoto told the press.

“But I think they were able to put out near-best performances today. All the hard training they put in during the season paid off. The excitement of the Team Trophy event is nice and we want to go and enjoy the next two days.”

Team Japan captain Sakamoto vowed to enjoy the excitement of the Team Trophy as it continues through the weekend. @ ISU

France, Italy and Canada complete the line-up

France sits in fourth place with 34 points. Captain Kevin Aymoz was the top scorer for his team, putting out an excellent Short Program to earn a personal best of 100.58 points and 10 team points. 2023 ISU European Champion Adam Siao Him Fa and Ice Dancers Evgeniia Lopareva/Geoffrey Brissaud placed fifth in their segment to add eight team points each.

Italy stand fifth on 28 points with their top scorers World silver Ice Dance medalists Charlene Guignard/Marco Fabbri earning 11 points for their team by finishing second in the Rhythm Dance. The European Champions turned in an energetic performance to Gloria Estefan songs, picking up a personal best of 90.90 points.

Canada is currently ranked sixth with 26 points. 2023 ISU World Ice Dance bronze medalists Piper Gilles/Paul Poirier achieved the best result for their team by coming third in the Rhythm Dance with their upbeat program to “Do What I Do”. They set a new personal best of 88.37 points (10 team points).

Competition format and qualifying

The ISU World Team Trophy format is based on a competition consisting of the six best national teams from ISU Members with a special provision for the host ISU Member to be included. Each team will be composed of two Men, two Ladies, one Pair Skating couple and one Ice Dance couple, i.e. a total of eight skaters per team.

The team event consists of two phases of competition, the Short Program/Rhythm Dance and the Free Skating/Free Dance. Teams are awarded 12 to 1 team points (12 points for first place, 1 point for 12^th place) for Men and Ladies and respectively 12 to 7 points for Pairs and Ice Dance couples in the Short Program/Rhythm Dance and in the Free Skating/Free Dance. The standings are calculated according to the sum of the team points achieved in each phase of the event. Several tie breakers are in place.

The teams qualified based on a scoring scale used for the ISU World Standing points are scored by their best two Women and Men, their best Pair and best Ice Dance couple primarily at the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating events and Final season 2022/23 and the ISU World Figure Skating Championships 2023, plus possibly the ISU European Figure Skating Championships 2023, ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships 2023, the ISU World Junior Figure Skating Championships 2023 and ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating season 2022/23.

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).

 

Schedule of the event

The schedule of the ISU World Team Trophy is as follows:

Thursday, April 13:                   Rhythm Dance, Women & Men’s Short Program
Friday, April 14:                        Pairs Short Program, Free Dance & Women’s Free Skating
Saturday, April 15:                   Pairs & Men’s Free Skating
Sunday, April 16:                     Exhibition Gala

 

For full entries and results, please see the ISU event page. Follow the discussion on social media using #WTTFigure and #FigureSkating. 

 

Where to watch the ISU World Team Trophy 2023:

The ISU World Team Trophy 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.