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Finlandia Trophy 2023: Champions Emerge in Pairs and Ice Dance
HELSINKI, Finland — Deanna Stellato-Dudek and Maxime Deschamps, the reigning world champions, managed to secure victory in the pairs event at the Finlandia Trophy held on Sunday, despite encountering a fall during their performance. This achievement also guarantees their position in the upcoming figure skating Grand Prix Final. In the ice dance category, British duo Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson claimed the top honors.
The Canadian pair built upon their commanding lead from Friday’s short program, performing strongly in the free skate segment. Even though Stellato-Dudek slipped midway through their routine after executing a challenging throw triple lutz, they maintained their first-place standing. The couple ended with a total score of 207.44 points, marking their highest score of the season, significantly ahead of Hungary’s Maria Pavlova and Alexei Sviatchenko, who finished with 184.21 points. The third spot was taken by Italian skaters Rebecca Ghilardi and Filippo Ambrosini, accumulating 181.59 points.
“Every season presents its unique challenges, and this year is no exception,” Stellato-Dudek remarked. “We are looking to gradually enhance our performance, aiming for consistent improvement with each competition, and so far, it seems to be going in that direction.”
In the ice dance competition, Fear and Gibson triumphed with their Beyoncé medley, scoring 203.22 points to secure their second Grand Prix title of the season. This victory came after Canadian pair Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier, who had initially led following the rhythm dance on Saturday, suffered a setback due to a fall. Poirier lost his balance during a twizzle sequence and fell, nearly causing Gilles to go down as well, yet they still managed a respectable score of 200.79, earning them second place. Finland’s Juulia Turkkila and Matthias Versluis finished third with 196.60 points.
“Our goal was to perform confidently and with the joy we’ve exhibited in training,” Fear stated. “I feel we achieved that, and I am extremely proud and happy with our performance today.”
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