Canadian junior champion at age 12

The young sensation of Canadian figure skating, Lia Cho, succeeded in her challenge on Friday, to become Canadian junior champion in her first participation.

At 12 years old, the Calgary skater is however not the youngest in history to achieve the feat. Barbara Ann Scott had been crowned Canadian junior champion at age 11, but that was in 1940, and the rules at the time allowed the participation of such a young skater.

Being crowned junior champion at 12 years old still remains a rare occurrence.

At Place Bell in Laval on Friday, Lia Cho was the very last skater to perform her free program, since she was leading at the end of the short program.

Very small, she arrived on the ice smiling and with assumed confidence. She occupied the entire rink, as if it belonged to her, and performed the triple jumps and technical elements without any pitfalls.

She won the event with 188.79 points, ahead of Ontario’s Ksenia Krouzkevitch (160.97) and Quebec’s Sandrine Blais (151.68).

Perhaps it was the carelessness of her age, but Lia Cho seemed no more impressed by the journalists who asked her questions after her victory than by the competition itself.

When I see more people in the stands or on the ice, I take a deep breath and each time it gives me more confidenceexplains the skater, when asked how she manages to be so casual. This makes me so happy. I’m like, “Oh, my God, so many people came to watch me.” It’s so amazing!

She specifies that it was her coach, Scott Davis, double American champion (in 1993 and 1994), who taught her to breathe and relieve stress before competitions.

Lia Cho won the Skate Canada Challenge among pre-novices in 2023, then the following year among novices, before her triumph on Friday at the junior nationals. She is the first to accomplish such a feat of arms.

It’s amazing, but how I feel isn’t that important, the goal was just to show what I’m capable of and how much I love the sport.

The 12-year-old skater planned to celebrate her new title by enjoying a cheese pizza and fries. The glass of champagne is not for right away.

Despite her victory on Friday, she will not be able to represent Canada at the World Junior Championships this year, since the required age is 13 years old. His turn will come.

We now hope that she maintains her carefree attitude and that she succeeds in ignoring the pressure that comes with good results.

If we trust Barbara Ann Scott’s career path, she has a bright future. The Canadian was crowned world champion in 1947. She repeated the feat in 1948, in addition to winning gold at the St. Moritz Games the same year. The one who was named Canada’s Sweetheart by the press subsequently had a successful professional career.

However, that was a long time ago, and the world has changed a lot, but let’s stay positive and wish him a career that matches his ambitions.

Schizas in the lead

Among the seniors, Madeline Schizas, two-time national champion, took provisional 1st place at the end of the short program on Saturday.

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The 21-year-old Ontarian scored 70 points thanks to an exceptional performance in a program punctuated by music from Lion King.

Katherine Medland (61.99) of Ottawa, and Sara-Maude Dupuis (59.81), of Montreal, are 2nd and 3rd respectively.

Schizas won the nationals in 2022 and 2023, before Kaiya Ruiter deprived her of a third title in a row last year.

The free program will take place on Sunday.

With information from The Canadian Press