Alexandra Trusova, 15, wins Skate Canada with 3 quadruple jumps

By OlympicTalkOct 26, 2019, 9:20 PM EDT

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Russian Alexandra Trusova, 15, landed three quadruple jumps en route to winning her senior Grand Prix debut at Skate Canada on Saturday.

Trusova overtook short-program leader Rika Kihira of Japan and South Korean You Young, who each erred on their toughest jumps, triple Axels.

Trusova, despite falling on her first of four quads, tallied the world’s highest scores this season for the free skate (166.62 points) and total (241.02), bettering her own marks from last month.

She beat the 17-year-old Kihira by 10.68, with the 15-year-old You taking bronze in her senior Grand Prix debut. Trusova is the youngest Grand Prix winner since countrywoman Elizaveta Tuktamysheva in 2011.

She became the second straight Russian 15-year-old to win in as many Grand Prix events this season after Anna Shcherbakova landed two quads herself at Skate America. This is the first time on the senior Grand Prix that women are landing clean quads as part of a revolution.

Bradie Tennell, the 2018 U.S. champion, skated fairly clean in both programs to finish fourth, the top skater in the non-quad/triple Axel division.

Tennell, after taking second at Skate America last week, has an outside shot at becoming the first U.S. woman to qualify for the Grand Prix Final since 2015. Her fate will not be decided until later in November.

Russian Yevgenia Medvedeva bounced back from an off short program to finish fifth. The Olympic silver medalist and two-time world champion last won on the top international level in November 2017.

The men’s free skate is later Saturday, streaming live on NBC Sports Gold. A full Skate Canada broadcast schedule is here.

Earlier in ice dance, Canadians Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier snapped Americans Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donohue‘s win streak of four Grand Prix events.

Gilles and Poirier erased a .63 deficit from the rhythm dance to win by 2.7 with 209.01 points, thanks to the world’s highest-scoring free dance on the early season. They earned their first Grand Prix title.

Hubbell and Donohue still qualified for a fifth straight Grand Prix Final, after winning Skate America last week.

The world’s top couple, French Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron, make their Grand Prix season debut in France next week.

Russian teens Aleksandra Boikova and Dmitriy Kozlovskiy won the pairs’ title with 216.71 points, best in the world this season. They distanced Canadian champions Kirsten Moore-Towers and Michael Marinaro by 8.22.

Skate Canada Results
Women
1. Alexandra Trusova (RUS) — 241.01
2. Rika Kihira (JPN) — 230.33
3. You Young (KOR) — 217.49
4. Bradie Tennell (USA) — 211.31
5. Yevgenia Medvedeva (RUS) — 209.62
6. Marin Honda (USA) — 179.26
7. Kim Yelim (KOR) — 176.93
8. Serafima Sakhanovich (RUS) — 175.97
9. Alexia Paganini (SUI) — 166.2
10. Gabrielle Daleman (CAN) — 164.34
11. Alicia Pineault (CAN) — 161.37
12. Veronik Mallet (CAN) — 147.79

Pairs
1. Aleksandra Boikova/Dmitriy Kozlovskiy (RUS) — 216.71
2. Kirsten Moore-Towers/Michael Marinaro (CAN) — 208.49
3. Yevgenia Tarasova/Vladimir Morozov (RUS) — 202.29
4. Alexa Scimeca Knierim/Chris Knierim (USA) — 199.57
5. Liubov Ilyushechkina/Charlie Bilodeau (CAN) — 192.47
6. Jessica Calanag/Brian Johnson (USA) — 181.54
7. Tang Feiyao/Yang Yongchao (CHN) — 170.57
8. Evelyn Walsh/Trennt Michaud (CAN) — 164.66

Ice Dance
1. Piper Gilles/Paul Poirier (CAN) — 209.01
2. Madison Hubbell/Zachary Donohue (USA) — 206.31
3. Lilah Fear/Lewis Gibson (GBR) — 195.35
4. Kaitlin Hawayek/Jean-Luc Baker (USA) — 194.77
5. Sara Hurtado/Kirill Khaliavin (ESP) — 180.64
6. Marjorie Lajoie/Zachary Lagha (CAN) — 177.53
7. Caroline Green/Michael Parsons (USA) — 173.82
8. Betina Popova/Sergey Mozgov (RUS) — 173.54
9. Sofia Evdokimova/Egor Bazin (RUS) — 167.39
10. Haley Sales/Nikolas Wamsteeker (CAN) — 164.27

As a reminder, you can watch the events from the 2019-20 figure skating season live and on-demand with the ‘Figure Skating Pass’ on NBC Sports Gold. Go to NBCsports.com/gold/figure-skating to sign up for access to every ISU Grand Prix and championship event, as well as domestic U.S. Figure Skating events throughout the season. NBC Sports Gold gives subscribers an unprecedented level of access on more platforms and devices than ever before.

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Ukraine officials say athletes should not compete in Olympic qualifiers with Russians

By OlympicTalkMar 31, 2023, 9:11 AM EDT

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The Ukraine government decided that its athletes should not compete in 2024 Olympic qualifying events if Russians are present, according to several media reports in Ukraine.

“At a meeting of the government, a protocol decision was made on the proposal of colleague (sports minister Vadym) Guttsait that we take part in qualifying competitions only where there are no Russians,” government minister Oleh Nemchinov said Thursday, according to a Reuters translation of a Ukraine public broadcaster report. “Accordingly, participation outside these criteria may be grounds for depriving federations of their national status.”

A decision has not been published on the Ukraine government website.

Guttsait is also the president of Ukraine’s National Olympic Committee. A message was sent to the committee late Thursday seeking comment.

On Tuesday, the IOC updated its recommendations for the possible participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes in international competition. Previously, the IOC recommended no Russians or Belarusians be allowed to compete.

Tuesday’s update called for strict measures should international sports federations decide to readmit Russians and Belarusians who do not actively support the war as neutral athletes in individual events.

“I want to tell our fellow athletes who are worried that due to the IOC measures and the admission of Russians or Belarusians to competitions, and accordingly Ukrainians will not be able to participate, that their careers will be broken,” Nemchinov said, according to the Reuters translation of the public broadcaster report. “But your life and that of your children will remain.”

The International Fencing Federation (FIE) decided earlier in March that it planned to readmit Russians and Belarusians starting in the second half of April, which is also when the 2024 Olympic qualifying period begins in that sport.

Most other international federations for Olympic sports are so far still barring Russians and Belarusians. Some have said they are considering the IOC’s updated recommendations as they monitor their positions.

After Nemchinov’s reported comments, the Ukraine fencing federation press secretary said late Thursday that its fencers will not compete against Russians.

“Ukrainian fencers will not only refuse to compete against Russian and Belarusian athletes but will not participate in events of any level where Russian or Belarusian athletes will be competing,” the press secretary said in an email.

Ukraine won at least one fencing medal at each of the last five Olympics.

“We are all professionals, and if I will fence, which can be or cannot, I think I will be professional,” Ukrainian fencer Olga Kharlan, a four-time Olympic medalist and a four-time individual world champion, said Wednesday regarding a possible boycott. “As a Ukrainian citizen, it’s tough to even imagine how to stand next to [Russians], to know that they’re supporting or they’re in silence and we haven’t heard any word from them or we know that they represent army that’s shelling Ukraine every day.”

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Wimbledon reverses ban on Russia, Belarus tennis players

Associated PressMar 31, 2023, 8:30 AM EDT

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Russian and Belarusian players will be able to compete at Wimbledon as neutral athletes after the All England Club on Friday reversed its ban from last year.

The players must sign declarations of neutrality and comply with “appropriate conditions,” including not expressing support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

“This was an incredibly difficult decision, not taken lightly or without a great deal of consideration for those who will be impacted,” All England Club chairman Ian Hewitt said in a statement.

The players cannot receive funding from the Russian or Belarusian states, including sponsorship from companies operated or controlled by the states.

Those impacted include Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus and Russian players Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev.

Other tennis tournaments have allowed Russian and Belarusian players to compete as neutral athletes.

“We also consider alignment between the Grand Slams to be increasingly important in the current tennis environment,” the club said.

The same conditions will apply for Lawn Tennis Association tournaments used by players as grass-court warmups for the sport’s oldest Grand Slam tournament.

The women’s and men’s professional tennis tours last year imposed heavy fines on the LTA and threatened to pull its tournaments. The ATP and WTA had also responded to last year’s ban by not awarding ranking points for Wimbledon — an unprecedented move against the prestigious event.

“There was a strong and very disappointing reaction from some governing bodies in tennis to the position taken by the All England Club and the LTA last year with consequences which, if continued, would be damaging to the interests of players, fans, The Championships and British tennis,” the club said.

This year’s Wimbledon tournament will start on July 3. The women’s final is scheduled for July 15 and the men’s final on July 16.

The All England Club said the conditions were developed through talks with the British government, the LTA and “international stakeholder bodies in tennis.”

The club’s statement described “personal player declarations” but didn’t provide details. The LTA said the players and support staff “will be required to sign neutrality declarations” similar to those used in other sports.

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