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U.S. Figure Skating

Valentina Plazas and Maximiliano Fernandez compete in the short program at the 2024 Prevagen U.S. Figure Skating Championships. Plazas (left) is a woman with black hair tied back in a tight bun. She is wearing a red skating costume. Fernandez (right) is a man with short black hair wearing a red long sleeve top and black pants. Plazas skates with her arms lifted above her head and her right leg extended outward. Fernandez stands behind her holding her hand and placing his other hand on her waist
Melanie Heaney/U.S. Figure Skating

National Team: Figure Skating

Team USA Back on the Road for Four Continents

Only a few days after the conclusion of the 2024 Prevagen U.S. Figure Skating Championships, 18 U.S. athletes travel to the ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships 2024 Jan. 29-Feb. 4 in Shanghai, China.

Competing in the women's division are Ava Ziegler, Lindsay Thorngren and Elyce Lin-Gracey. All will be making their Four Continents debut.

In her breakout season, Ziegler will be competing at Four Continents after winning the gold at 2023 NHK Trophy, her first ever Grand Prix medal.

Standing next to Ziegler on the podium at NHK Trophy was Thorngren, who also secured her first Grand Prix medal with the silver.

The youngest of the women's team members at 16 years old, Lin-Gracey will be competing in just her third international event as a senior. This season, Lin-Gracey earned silver at Junior Grand Prix Armenia before claiming bronze skating as a senior at Warsaw Cup.

In the men's event, three U.S. athletes will take the ice: Maxim Naumov, Andrew Torgashev and Tomoki Hiwatashi.

2024 U.S. men's pewter medalist Naumov will compete shortly after securing his second consecutive senior U.S. podium finish in Columbus, Ohio, while Torgashev will make his Four Continents debut in Shanghai.

Hiwatashi will compete in his fourth Four Continents Championships, recording a top-10 finish in each of his appearances.

Newly crowned U.S. champions Ellie Kam and Danny O'Shea will lead Team USA in the pairs competition. The 2023 World Championship Team members aims to earn their first podium finish after taking sixth at this event last year.

Joining them are 2024 U.S. bronze medalists Valentina Plazas and Maximiliano Fernandez, who will be competing in their second Four Continents Championships. They finished just off the podium in fourth at both their Grand Prix events and ended their 2023 calendar year with a silver medal at Golden Spin of Zagreb.

Making their Four Continents debut are Chelsea Liu and Balazs Nagy, who earned bronze at Skate America. The pair teamed up in May 2023 and Four Continents will mark just their fifth competition together.

In the ice dance event, multiple U.S. teams will have their eyes set on the podium. '

The 2024 U.S. silver medalists, Christina Carreira and Anthony Ponomarenko will be vying for their second Four Continents medal after securing bronze in 2022. The duo just missed a medal in each of their Grand Prix assignments.

Looking to rebound from a disappointing finish at the U.S. Championships, Caroline Green and Michael Parsons will also be on the hunt for their second Four Continents medal after earning gold in 2022.

Rounding out the roster for Team USA are Emilea Zingas and Vadym Kolesnik, who are the 2023 Golden Spin of Zagreb silver medalists.

Competition begins Thursday, Feb. 1 with the women's, men's and pairs short programs. The following day, ice dance kicks off with the rhythm dance, and the first medals will be awarded following the women's free skate. On Saturday, Feb. 3, champions will be crowned in the pairs and women's events. The event then concludes on Sunday, Feb. 4 with the free dance.

Four Continents is an annual competition that began in 1999 with skaters representing the four world regions of Africa, the Americas, Asia and Oceania.

All events will be streamed live on Peacock, and can be accessed on Peacock for 72 hours following their conclusion. To view the full TV schedule, visit the U.S. Figure Skating Fan Zone.

Click here for the full event schedule and results.
 
U.S. ENTRIES AT ISU FOUR CONTINENTS FIGURE SKATING CHAMPIONSHIPS 2024
Athlete | Hometown | Training Town

Women
Elyse Lin-Gracey | Arcadia, Calif. | Colorado Springs, Colo.
Lindsay Thorngren | Montclair, N.J. | Hackensack, N.J.
Ava Ziegler | Dover, N.J. | Newburgh, N.Y.

Men
Tomoki Hiwatashi | Hoffman Estates, Ill. | Uji, Japan
Maxim Naumov | Norwood, Mass. | Norwood, Mass.
Andrew Torgashev | Lake Forest, Fla. | Irvine, Calif.

Pairs
Ellie Kam and Danny O'Shea | Colorado Springs, Colo.; Colorado Springs, Colo. | Colorado Springs, Colo.
Chelsea Liu and Balazs Nagy | Irvine, Calif.; Budapest, Hungary | Irvine, Calif.
Valentina Plazas and Maximiliano Fernandez | Pembroke Pines, Fla.; Miami Fla. | Canton, Mich.

Ice Dance
Christina Carreira and Anthony Ponomarenko | Saint Clair, Mich.; San Jose, Calif. | London, Ontario
Caroline Green and Michael Parsons | Rockville, Md.; Derwood, Md. | Canton, Mich.
Emilea Zingas and Vadym Kolesnik | Grosse Pointe Farms, Mich.; Kharkiv, Ukraine | Nove, Mich.
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Players Mentioned

  Caroline Green and Michael Parsons

#33   Caroline Green and Michael Parsons

Oct. 3, 2003 | Oct. 3, 1995
Senior/Ice Dance
Washington, D.C. | Wheaton, Md.
  Christina Carreira and Anthony Ponomarenko

#16   Christina Carreira and Anthony Ponomarenko

April 3, 2000 | Jan. 5, 2001
Senior/Ice Dance
Montreal, Quebec | San Jose, Calif.
Maxim Naumov

#79 Maxim Naumov

Aug. 1, 2001
Senior/Men
Hartford, Conn.
  Valentina Plazas and Maximiliano Fernandez

#89   Valentina Plazas and Maximiliano Fernandez

April 18, 2000 | Sept. 29, 1995
Senior/Pairs
Bogota, Colombia | Hialeah, Fla.
  Ellie Kam and Danny O

#51   Ellie Kam and Danny O'Shea

Dec. 20, 2004 | Feb. 13, 1991
Senior/Pairs
Yokota Air Base (Japan) | Pontiac, Mich.
  Caroline Green and Michael Parsons

#34   Caroline Green and Michael Parsons

Oct. 3, 2003 | Oct. 3, 1995
Senior/Ice Dance
Washington, D.C. | Wheaton, Md.
  Christina Carreira and Anthony Ponomarenko

#14   Christina Carreira and Anthony Ponomarenko

April 3, 2000 | Jan. 5, 2001
Senior/Ice Dance
Montreal, Quebec | San Jose, Calif.
  Ellie Kam and Danny O

#53   Ellie Kam and Danny O'Shea

Dec. 20, 2004 | Feb. 13, 1991
Senior/Pairs
Yokota Air Base (Japan) | Pontiac, Mich.
  Emilea Zingas and Vadym Kolesnik

#119   Emilea Zingas and Vadym Kolesnik

April 22, 2002 | Oct. 27, 2001
Senior/Ice Dance
Grosse Pointe Farms, Mich. | Kharkiv, Ukraine
Tomoki Hiwatashi

#45 Tomoki Hiwatashi

Jan. 20, 2000
Senior/Men
Englewood, N.J.
Elyce Lin-Gracey

#68 Elyce Lin-Gracey

June 7, 2007
Junior/Ladies
Arcadia, Calif.
Maxim Naumov

#83 Maxim Naumov

Aug. 1, 2001
Senior/Men
Hartford, Conn.
Lindsay Thorngren

#106 Lindsay Thorngren

Dec. 5, 2005
Senior/Ladies
White Plains, N.Y.
Andrew Torgashev

#107 Andrew Torgashev

May 29, 2001
Senior/Men
Coral Springs, Fla.
  Valentina Plazas and Maximiliano Fernandez

#94   Valentina Plazas and Maximiliano Fernandez

April 18, 2000 | Sept. 29, 1995
Senior/Pairs
Bogota, Colombia | Hialeah, Fla.
Ava Ziegler

#118 Ava Ziegler

Feb. 28, 2006
Senior/Ladies
Morristown, N.J.
  Chelsea Liu and Balazs Nagy

#70   Chelsea Liu and Balazs Nagy

Dec. 31, 1999 | July 9, 1998
Senior/Pairs
Marshall, Mo. | Budapest, Hungary

Players Mentioned

  Caroline Green and Michael Parsons

#33   Caroline Green and Michael Parsons

Senior/Ice Dance
Washington, D.C. | Wheaton, Md.
Oct. 3, 2003 | Oct. 3, 1995
  Christina Carreira and Anthony Ponomarenko

#16   Christina Carreira and Anthony Ponomarenko

Senior/Ice Dance
Montreal, Quebec | San Jose, Calif.
April 3, 2000 | Jan. 5, 2001
Maxim Naumov

#79 Maxim Naumov

Senior/Men
Hartford, Conn.
Aug. 1, 2001
  Valentina Plazas and Maximiliano Fernandez

#89   Valentina Plazas and Maximiliano Fernandez

Senior/Pairs
Bogota, Colombia | Hialeah, Fla.
April 18, 2000 | Sept. 29, 1995
  Ellie Kam and Danny O

#51   Ellie Kam and Danny O'Shea

Senior/Pairs
Yokota Air Base (Japan) | Pontiac, Mich.
Dec. 20, 2004 | Feb. 13, 1991
  Caroline Green and Michael Parsons

#34   Caroline Green and Michael Parsons

Senior/Ice Dance
Washington, D.C. | Wheaton, Md.
Oct. 3, 2003 | Oct. 3, 1995
  Christina Carreira and Anthony Ponomarenko

#14   Christina Carreira and Anthony Ponomarenko

Senior/Ice Dance
Montreal, Quebec | San Jose, Calif.
April 3, 2000 | Jan. 5, 2001
  Ellie Kam and Danny O

#53   Ellie Kam and Danny O'Shea

Senior/Pairs
Yokota Air Base (Japan) | Pontiac, Mich.
Dec. 20, 2004 | Feb. 13, 1991
  Emilea Zingas and Vadym Kolesnik

#119   Emilea Zingas and Vadym Kolesnik

Senior/Ice Dance
Grosse Pointe Farms, Mich. | Kharkiv, Ukraine
April 22, 2002 | Oct. 27, 2001
Tomoki Hiwatashi

#45 Tomoki Hiwatashi

Senior/Men
Englewood, N.J.
Jan. 20, 2000
Elyce Lin-Gracey

#68 Elyce Lin-Gracey

Junior/Ladies
Arcadia, Calif.
June 7, 2007
Maxim Naumov

#83 Maxim Naumov

Senior/Men
Hartford, Conn.
Aug. 1, 2001
Lindsay Thorngren

#106 Lindsay Thorngren

Senior/Ladies
White Plains, N.Y.
Dec. 5, 2005
Andrew Torgashev

#107 Andrew Torgashev

Senior/Men
Coral Springs, Fla.
May 29, 2001
  Valentina Plazas and Maximiliano Fernandez

#94   Valentina Plazas and Maximiliano Fernandez

Senior/Pairs
Bogota, Colombia | Hialeah, Fla.
April 18, 2000 | Sept. 29, 1995
Ava Ziegler

#118 Ava Ziegler

Senior/Ladies
Morristown, N.J.
Feb. 28, 2006
  Chelsea Liu and Balazs Nagy

#70   Chelsea Liu and Balazs Nagy

Senior/Pairs
Marshall, Mo. | Budapest, Hungary
Dec. 31, 1999 | July 9, 1998