The
Skyliners made history for the second year in a row in Neuchâtel, Switzerland, becoming the first U.S. junior team to win back-to-back medals with their bronze-medal performance at the ISU World Junior Synchronized Skating Championships 2019. Last season, the team won the first ever medal for Team USA at the event, capturing silver in Zagreb, Croatia.
The 2019 U.S. junior champions were in third place after Friday's short program, scoring 75.79 points in their clean program. In event finale, the New York-based team maintained their position, scoring 117.63 points to finish third in the free skate and third over with a total score of 193.42 points. In their Carmen-themed performance, the
Skyliners were awarded Level 4 marks for their traveling wheel and twizzle elements. They also received positive grades of execution for each of their eight elements. The team's only downgraded element was their pair element, which earned them a Level 3. With their World Junior bronze medal in tow, the team has now medaled at every international event this season (2 silvers, 1 bronze).
Head coach, Josh Babb, was happy with his team's performance and bronze-medal finish. "I feel great about tonight's skate. It was the performance they needed tonight and the best I've seen them perform all season, which is what you want at the World Junior Championships."
"We feel amazing about tonight's skate," Katherine Elimlinger, four-year
Skyliners junior skater said. "It was definitely our best skate of the season and we are very proud of it. We are really excited to be on the podium again this year."
"When you are out there, even though it's the World Junior Championships, we are competing as a team," Elimlinger added. "It was very exciting hearing the crowd cheering us on. We felt a lot of support out there."
The
Starlights made their World Junior Synchronized Skating Championships debut in Switzerland, finishing in seventh place with 172.64 total points. The 2019 U.S. junior silver medalists were in fifth place after the short program (70.83) and finished eighth in their free skate set to "Fix You" by Cinematic Pop. The Illinois-based team earned Level 4s for their traveling wheel and pair elements to total 101.81 for their program. Despite two falls in the twizzle element early on, the team skated a technically strong program, receiving full credit on six of the eight elements. The
Starlights captured two international medals this season, winning the silver medal at Zagreb Snowflakes Trophy and bronze medal at Leon Lurje Trophy.
"This experience was indescribable," Brittney Rivelli, five-year member of the
Starlights junior team said. "It was incredible to show our programs on the World Junior stage. We came into this World Junior Championships with excitement to be here and we have exceeded our expectations that we set for ourselves and we hope that we have done the U.S. proud."
Russian teams took the top two spots in Switzerland. Junost won their third consecutive World Junior title with 200.74 total points, while Crystal Ice claimed the silver medal with and overall score of 199.99.
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