French National champions! Congratulations! (Photo credit: Maé Méité)
This week: Sadly some withdrawals, National championships get underway in Europe, Javi’s back, and birthdays galore!
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Javier Fernandez (ESP) takes to the exhibition ice at Spanish Nationals (Photo credit: Hieloespanol)
Announcements
Yuzuru Hanyu (JPN) officially withdrew from Japanese Nationals to further recover from the injury he sustained at Rostelecom Cup. This will be the third year he will miss the competition. We hope he continues to recover well! (source)
GPF Bronze medalist Elizaveta Tuktamysheva (RUS) withdrew from Russian Nationals due to pneumonia. Get well soon, Empress! (source)
In more illness related news, Mikhail Kolyada (RUS) received treatment at a hospital for sinusitis this week. He has apparently been sick since the summer, but has only received treatment now. He still intends to compete at Russian Nationals this week. (source)
We were delighted to see Javier Fernández (ESP) return to the ice at the exhibition gala of Spanish Nationals, skating to Prometo. (source)
Charlène Guignard/Marco Fabbri (ITA), newly crowned Italian National Champions in ice dance (Photo credit: FISG)
Competitions
French National Championships (13-15 December 2018)
Ladies - 1st: Maé Berenice Méité, 2nd: Laurine Lecavelier, 3rd: Julie Froetscher
Pairs - 1st: Vanessa James/Morgan Ciprès, 2nd: Cléo Hamon/Denys Strekalin, 3rd: Camille Mendoza/Pavel Kovalev
Ice Dance - 1st: Gabriella Papadakis/Guillaume Cizeron, 2nd: Marie-Jade Lauriault/Romain Le Gac, 3rd: Adelina Galyavieva/Louis Thauron
Men - 1st: Kévin Aymoz, 2nd: Adam Siao Him Fa, 3rd: Adrien Tesson
Italian National Championships (13-16 December 2018)
Ladies - 1st: Alessia Tornaghi, 2nd: Lucrezia Beccari, 3rd: Lara Naki Gutmann
Pairs - 1st: Nicole Della Monica/Matteo Guarise, 2nd: Rebecca Ghilardi/Filippo Ambrosini
Ice Dance - 1st: Charlène Guignard/Marco Fabbri, 2nd: Jasmine Tessari/Francesco Fioretti, 3rd: Carolina Moscheni/Andrea Fabbri
Men - 1st: Daniel Grassl, 2nd: Matteo Rizzo, 3rd: Mattia Dalla Torre
Spanish National Championships 14-16 December 2018
Ladies - 1st: Valentina Matos
Pairs - 1st: Laura Barquero/Aritz Maestu Barbarro, 2nd: Dorota Broda/Pedro Betegón Martín
Ice Dance - 1st: Sara Hurtado/Kirill Khaliavin, 2nd: Olivia Smart/Adrián Díaz
Men - 1st: Héctor Alonso, 2nd: Javier Raya
Swiss National Championships (14-16 December 2018)
Ladies - 1st: Alexia Paganini, 2nd: Yasmine Yamada, 3rd: Yoonmi Lehmann
Pairs - 1st: Alexandra Herbriková/Nicolas Roulet
Ice Dance - 1st: Victoria Manni/Carlo Röthlisberger, 2nd: Arianna Wróblewska/Stéphane Walker
Men - 1st: Lukas Britschgi, 2nd: Nurullah Sahaka, 3rd: Tomàs Llorenç Guarino Sabaté
Four Nationals Championships (14-15 December 2018)
Ladies - 1st: Ekaterina Kurakova (POL), 2nd: Eliška Březinová (CZE), 3rd: Ivett Tóth (HUN)
Ice Dance - 1st: Natalia Kazliszek/Maksym Spodyriev (POL), 2nd: Anna Yanovskaya/Ádám Lukás (HUN), 3rd: Justyna Plutowska/Jérémie Flemin (POL)
Men - 1st: Matyáš Bělohradský (CZE), 2nd: Petr Kotlařík (CZE), 3rd: Ihor Reznichenko (POL)
Skaters
Shoma Uno (JPN) celebrating his birthday with the food he loves best: meat! (Photo credit: Itsuki Uno)
That’s one…interesting choice of performer — the French federation had a horse on the ice at their exhibition for French Nationals! You have to see it to believe it (source).
Figure skating is full of December babies so here’s a roundup - wishing everyone a happy birthday!
Belatedly wishing Yuzuru Hanyu (JPN) a happy 24th birthday from 7 December 2018 - many of his fans celebrated by making and/or buying a slice of cake in his honour under the #HappyBirthdayYuzu tag on Twitter, go check out some of the beautiful creations!
Happy birthday our favourite sunshine skater, Jason Brown (USA)!
Renowned lover of yakiniku, Shoma Uno (JPN) celebrated his 21st birthday with a meat cake!
Happy 57th birthday to coach of Toronto Cricket and Curling Club, Brian Orser!
Sadly, Elizaveta Tuktamysheva (RUS) had to celebrate her birthday while recovering from pneumonia but that didn’t dampen her spirits! Happy birthday Empress!
Jason Brown (USA) celebrates 24 with some gold! (Photo credit: Jason Brown)
Elizaveta Tutkamysheva (RUS) celebrates her birthday in hospital (Photo credit: Elizaveta Tutkamysheva)
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