Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier (CAN) have a four-point lead after the Ice Dance Rhythm Dance at Skate Canada International in Vancouver, Canada. © ISU
Piper Gilles/Paul Poirier of Canada are on track for gold at their home Grand Prix, after finishing first in the Rhythm Dance at Skate Canada International.
The 2023 World Championship bronze medalists put out a confident performance to “No More I love You's” and “Addicted To Love” that featured intricate footwork and a level-four rotational lift. The Pattern Dance type step sequence, the twizzles and Poirier’s part of the midline steps were also rated a level four, as the due collected 87.55 points.
ISU European silver medalists Lilah Fear/Lewis Gibson of Great Britain ranked second, followed by Lithuania’s Allison Reed/Saulius Ambrulevicius.
Gilles was pleased with their performance.
“I think the program went really well today. I felt like we were very present in the elements. I think we weren’t fully involved in the performing part, which I think was okay for a day like this. It really gives us room to grow, but I'm really proud that we just enjoyed every step of that program.”
Skating to “Sweet Dreams”, Fear/Gibson’s dance showcased their fast twizzles and rotational lift. While the Pattern Dance type step sequence and the midline steps only garnered a level one and two, they posted a season best score of 83.51 points.
Great Britain's Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson compete in the Rhythm Dance at Skate Canada International in Vancouver, Canada, on Friday. © ISU
“We had a lot of fun out there,” Fear said.
“The crowd was energetic and so supportive and warm and it's always an honor to perform for a crowd and we really feed off of that energy. I feel we improved a lot from our last competition. We've done a lot of work over the last couple of weeks that we showed today so I'm very proud of that.”
Reed/Ambrulevicius selected “Welcome to the Jungle” and “Paradise City” by Guns n’ Roses for their dance. They picked up a level four for their twizzles, while the rotational lift was graded a level three. The couple established a season’s best with 75.60 points and find themselves in a medal position for the first time at an ISU Grand Prix.
Lithuania's Allison Reed and Saulius Ambrulevicius are third after the Rhythm Dance at Skate Canada International in Vancouver, Canada. © ISU
“It's very exciting,” Ambruvelicius said.
“We've been slowly getting to this point where we are, and every single time we come and skate we feel very proud of what we do. At this stage of our career, we're feeling very happy and (we are happy) to skate in the Skate Canada Grand Prix. Canada has given us a lot already and to be able to achieve what we achieve right now in this country is very fulfilling.”
The team trains in Montréal, Canada.
Three U.S. couples placed fourth to sixth: 2022 ISU World Junior Champions Oona Brown/Gage Brown (73.91), Emilea Zingas/Vadym Kolesnik (72.25) and Eva Pate/Logan Bye (72.12).
Oona Brown and Gage Brown (USA) were fourth ahead after the Rhythm Dance at Skate Canada International in Vancouver, Canada. © ISU
The ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Series consists of six events: Skate America, Skate Canada International, Grand Prix de France, Cup of China, the Grand Prix Espoo (FIN) and NHK Trophy(JPN). Skaters collect points to qualify for the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final 2023/24 in Beijing (CHN).
The General Announcement of the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Series is available here on the ISU website. The individual announcements are published on the ISU Event section under each dedicated Grand Prix event (filter with the relevant Event Series).
For full entry lists and further information regarding the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Series please visit here.
All Media Accreditation details and deadlines for the Grand Prix of Figure Skating Series can be found here.
Where to Watch
The ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating events will be live streamed on the official ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating 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:
20 - 22 Oct, 2023 Skate America, Allen, Texas (USA)
27 – 29 Oct, 2023 Skate Canada International, Vancouver (CAN)
3 - 5 Nov, 2023 Grand Prix de France, Angers (FRA)
10 - 12 Nov, 2023 Grand Prix Cup of China, Chongqing (CHN)
17 - 19 Nov, 2023 Grand Prix Espoo, Espoo (FIN)
24 - 26 Nov, 2023 NHK Trophy, Osaka (JPN)
7 - 10 Dec, 2023 Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final, Beijing (CHN)
About ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating
The ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Series started in 1995 (previously known as 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 events towards the qualification for the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final. Only the top six Skaters / Couples in each discipline qualify for the Final.
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