Canada’s Marjorie Lajoie and Zachary Lagha clinched the silver medal in the ice dance competition at the Skate America figure skating tournament held on Sunday. With a total score of 197.16, the duo secured second place. The United States’ Madison Chock and Evan Bates seized the gold with a score of 212.58, while France’s Evgeniia Lopareva and Geoffrey Brissaud claimed the bronze with a score of 192.61. Another Canadian pair, Alicia Fabbri and Paul Ayer, finished in ninth place with a score of 165.68.
Lajoie and Lagha’s accomplishment at Skate America places them alongside Kelly Ann Laurin and Loucas Ethier as the only Canadians to medal in the event. Expressing their delight, Lajoie mentioned, “We are really proud and happy with our performance and our result. Finishing second here means a lot to us because we worked very hard between the Skate Canada and Skate America competitions. I think we did a very good job.” Lagha added, “We couldn’t have done better. Under the circumstances, it was perfect!”
On Saturday, Laurin and Ethier also secured the bronze medal in the pairs event. Laurin expressed their surprise and happiness, stating, “We didn’t expect to win a medal and we’re very happy.” Ethier further emphasized the significance of their achievement, saying, “It’s important for us because we had a roller-coaster kind of start to the season, and to be able to bounce back with our best performance on the international stage feels great.”