Japanese superstar Daisuke Takahashi graces the October 2018 cover. After a four-year hiatus, the 32-year-old is returning to competition. His motivation to return is not fueled by money or fame, but a desire to close out his career on his own terms.
Making a comeback after a long absence from the competitive scene is a risky move for anyone, but even more so for someone who was a skating superstar not only in his nation, but also around the world.
Daisuke Takahashi is aware of the risks of returning to competition after a four-year hiatus, but his reasons for coming back are strictly personal. This time, he is skating for himself.
On July 19, 2018, the world learned the tragic news that Kazakhstan’s Denis Ten had been murdered in his hometown of Almaty. The global skating community went into a state of shock and disbelief. Who and why were the questions everyone was asking.
Four years after their Olympic triumph in Sochi, Tatiana Volosozhar and Maxim Trankov of Russia have settled into a new life as parents, show performers and most recently, he as a coach.
Canadian-born Laurence Fournier-Beaudry and Nikolaj Sørensen of Denmark had represented his homeland in ice dance since the beginning of their partnership in 2012. Danish citizenship laws are among the strictest in the world and from the outset both understood it would likely be impossible for Fournier-Beaudry to obtain a passport, which is a requirement to compete at an Olympic Games.
For four years, they skated in the shadow of one of the most accomplished pairs teams in Canadian figure skating history. But now, their moment is at hand.The mantle has been passed and it is the time for Kirsten Moore-Towers and Michael Marinaro to lead the way for a new generation of pairs teams in their homeland. Both feel more than ready to take on the task.
They seem poised to be the next big thing in Canadian ice dance. But Carolane Soucisse and Shane Firus are already thinking beyond that.Their goals extend far beyond their homeland’s borders.
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