Messing leads Canadian figure skating team at world championships

Keegan Messing headlines the Canadian team for next month’s world figure skating championships in Stockholm.

The worlds, March 22-28, cap a rocky season for Canadian skaters that saw both Skate Canada International and the national championships — from which the world team normallywould have been chosen — cancelled due to COVID-19 protocols.

Skate Canada Challenge was held as a virtual event last month.

Messing was the only Canadian to compete on the Grand Prix circuit this season, winning bronze at Skate America in Las Vegas.

Canada was only allotted one spot in men’s singles at the worlds, which went to Messing.

Madeline Schizas and Emily Bausback are the two women’s singles entries. Canada has three ice dance teams in Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier, Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Nikolaj Sorensen and Marjorie Lajoie and Zachary Lagha.

Canada also two pairs entries: Kirsten Moore-Towers and Michael Marinaro and Evelyn Walsh and Trennt Michaud.

Montreal was set to host last year’s world figure skating championships but they were cancelled just days before they were set to start. The worlds were one of the first major international sports events cancelled amid the global pandemic.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 25, 2021.