The Japanese pairs team of Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara have been turning heads since they first appeared on the scene in the fall of 2019. Coached by Bruno Marcotte, the duo is making a fast track up the pairs ladder. After spending six months in Japan, training without a coach and waiting for the Canadian border to reopen, Miura and Kihara captured the Autumn Classic title inn mid-September, just one week after their return.
Roman Sadovsky got the job done at Nebelhorn Trophy, securing a second spot for Canadian men at the 2022 Olympic Winter Games. That success has inspired him to work even harder and be one of the men that takes the ice in Beijing.
Nebelhorn Trophy, the final qualifying event for the 2022 Olympic Winter Games, proved to be a tough challenge, with dreams fulfilled for just a handful of competitors who were seeking to book a place for their respective nations in Beijing. With the level of skating at a high standard, earning one of the coveted Olympic berths proved to be a lot tougher for some than it was four years earlier.
With all junior competitions canceled in the 2020- 2021 season, there was an increased interest in how a new generation of skaters would perform on the Junior Grand Prix circuit this year. This year some of the top juniors competed at a standard that would rival and/or overtake many of their senior counterparts.
Vanessa James and Eric Radford caused a stir in the skating world when they announced they had formed a partnership and planned to return to the competitive arena. The duo rode the initial wave of congratulations and criticism, but both said they are doing this for themselves, on their own terms — and no matter where it leads them they are going to enjoy the experience.
Florent Amodio opened his own skating academy in Vaujany, France in 2018. Coaching has now become his full-time career and the 31-year-old said his athletes are now his priority and that he derives a great deal of satisfaction from working with them, helping them to grow and realizing their dreams.
Kazakhstan’s Elizabet Tursynbaeva announced her retirement from competitive skating in September. She explained her decision was due to a congenital spine issue she has had since she was a baby. The condition has gotten progressively worse as she got older and ultimately left her unable to train at an elite level the past two years.
INNER LOOP IS BACK! Check out all the fun images from behind the scenes at the fall competitions.
The draws for the judging panels for the individual competitions and the Team Event at the 2022 Olympic Games took place at Nebelhorn Trophy. Some of the top nations will not have a judge on all panels.
PLUS! FULL DETAILS OF THE WEDDINGS OF ELLADJ BALDÉ AND MICHELLE DAWLEY AND ALEXANDRA PAUL AND MITCHELL ISLAM.
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