Madison Chock/Evan Bates (USA) take gold at the ISU Grand Prix in Espoo, Finland © ISU
ISU World Champions Madison Chock/Evan Bates (USA) bagged another ISU Grand Prix gold in their distinguished ice skating career as competition concluded at Grand Prix Espoo Saturday in Espoo (FIN) with the Free Dance. The Grand Prix Espoo is the fifth of six events in the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating series 2023/24 . The series features the best Figure Skaters of the world who compete and collect points towards the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final 2023/24 in Beijing (CHN) on December 7-10.
Chock/Bates (USA) take sixth ISU Grand Prix title
Two-time and reigning ISU World Champions Madison Chock/Evan Bates (USA) claimed their sixth ISU Grand Prix gold medal in Espoo. Canadians Laurence Fournier Beaudry/Nikolaj Soerensen picked up their second ISU Grand Prix silver medal this season. Finland’s Juulia Turkkila/Matthias Versluis made the home crowd happy by earning the bronze.
Chock/Bates put on an intriguing dance to “Time”, “Breathe” and “Eclipse” by Pink Floyd that was highlighted by innovative lifts and intricate footwork. The 2023 ISU Four Continents Champions collected a level four for their lifts and the dance spin, while the diagonal step sequence was rated a level three. Chock was somewhat shaky on the twizzles, which garnered a level three for her and a level four for him.
“It's a huge honor to be on a podium at a Grand Prix event,” said Bates. “The best skaters in the world come here to put out their best performances. We're proud of the performances that we put out this week and the programs that we've created this season. They're challenging. They're complex. They might not have been mistake-free today, but I think the risks that we're taking are going to pay off in the end.”
On comparing their six Grand Prix victories, Chock said: “I think it's difficult to compare each one, they're each their own experience with different moments that are very special scattered within.
“It's definitely a fun feeling to be able to return to a Grand Prix that you've been to and have a new experience, but also carrying the memories from previous competitions.
"We've been in this rink many times for Finlandia Trophy, but never for the Grand Prix, but we have many fond memories here and we worked through many challenges here as well.
“It's been very fulfilling and it feels like a full circle moment when you get to come back and create new experiences in a place that you've been before.”
The U.S. Champions scored 123.85 points and racked up 209.46 points.
Fournier Beaudry/Soerensen gave an emotional performance to “Notre Dame de Paris”, completing four level-four elements. The step sequences were rated a level three for her and a level two for him.
Fournier Beaudry/Soerensen (CAN)in the Free Dance at the ISU Grand Prix in Espoo, Finland © ISU
“Winning a Grand Prix medal means a lot for us too; it’s something that we've been wanting since the day we started skating together,” said Soerensen.
“You look up to figure skaters when you're a young man, you see them at the podium at Grand Prix and so it's really quite special to be sitting here today with our consecutive silver medal this year at a Grand Prix again.
“Just really proud and grateful for being able to skate the way we did here this weekend. Really happy with just building on our performances from competition to competition this year and hopefully we can keep building on that momentum.”
The Canadian Champions earned 123.70 points and 206.32 points overall.
Dancing to “Mass (Re-Imagined)” and “Loss”, Turkkila/Versluis (FIN) showcased excellent skating as well, picking up a level four for their lifts and twizzles.
Juulia Turkkila/Matthias Versluis (FIN) in the Free Dance at the ISU Grand Prix in Espoo, Finland © ISU
“We're very proud and happy that we were able to achieve our second Grand Prix medal,” said Verslius. “It's always nice to be able to compete against the best in the world.”
The 2023 ISU European bronze medalists achieved a season’s best with 118.15 points for a total of 195.80 points.
Christina Carreira/Anthony Ponomarenko (USA) remained in fourth place with their dance to “Perfume – The Story of a Murderer” on 188.76 points. Emilea Zingas/Vadym Kolesnik (USA) took on the role of “The Beauty and the Beast” and came fifth (183.78 points). Yuka Orihara/Juho Pirinen (FIN) moved up from seventh to sixth place with their entertaining program to “Chicago” (176.73 points).
Full results of the ISU Grand Prix Espoo see here.
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 towards 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 Accreditations 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 with English commentary 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)
03 - 05 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)
07 - 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 can qualify for the Final.
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