Under the moonlit sky of Ibagué, Colombia, the Junior Free Skaters delighted the exuberant crowds at the 67th Artistic Skating World Championships at Coliseo Mayor.
Skaters from 21 countries representing more than five continents are a testament to the bright future of the sport around the globe. Flags were flown, World Records were set, and new World Champions were welcomed into the golden family during a historic night.
Madalena Costa of Portugal took home the Gold Medal in Junior Ladies Free Skating and the first ever Junior World Gold for her country in Free Skating. With unforeseen technical skill at her age, Costa earned 236.38 points while setting a new record of highest score ever in Junior Ladies Free Skating while skating to “Anthem for the Amazon.” Pulling up from 4th to a Silver Medal was Sira Bella Gallardo of Spain. Gallardo with a lovely light quality had a beautiful skate to “Ghost” which earned her 183.31 points. Winning the Bronze Medal was Gioia Fiori of Italy. With choreography that dynamically built throughout the program, Fiori captured 181.90 points. Among the top three skaters they completed 14 triple jumps, escalating their Technical Scores to new heights.
1 Madalena Costa, POR 236.38
2 Sira Bella Gallardo, ESP 183.31
3 Gioia Fiori, ITA 181.90
The 2023 Junior Men Free Skating World Champion is Arnau Pérez of Spain. He skated a moving and gripping program to “Alzheimer” with high level technical elements while earning 209.05 points. Pérez exhibited the true mental strength of a champion pulling up from 4th place to claim his Gold Medal. Joining his countryman on the podium was Ferran Clavero of Spain. Skating to “Assassin’s Creed,” Clavero gained 202.01 points with a polished program. Juan Rodriguez of Argentina had a season to remember. Coming in with the #1 spot in the World Skate Rankings, Rodriguez earned the Bronze Medal. Skating to “Love the Nature”, Rodriguez earned 170.98 points and found himself on the podium.
1 Arnau Pérez, ESP 209.05
2 Ferran Clavero, ESP 202.01
3 Juan Rodriguez, ARG 170.98
In its 27th year of competition for the Junior categories at the Artistic Skating World Championships there is solid proof how deep the talent of the sport is. With confidence and skill, new World Champions were crowned. Along with their medals, the skaters have also earned top points to start off the World Skate Rankings for the 2024 season.
Soaring levels of technical elements with wonderful attention to the importance of Components were on high display among the Junior events. The future of Artistic Skating is now!
Competition is daily. The next medal round will be the 28th of September with Senior Free Skating Ladies and Mens. The action begins at 10:30 COT at Coliseo Mayor, Parque Deportivo Municipal, Ibagué, Tolima.