The second Challenger Series event, the Lombardia Trophy, took place in Bergamo, Italy over the weekend. As the season continues to unfold, exciting new programs are unveiled each competition, and Lombardia was no exception. The event was streamed on Idealweb TV and can be viewed on Idealweb TV's YouTube page. Protocols and score breakdowns can be found here.
Pairs
🥇 Natalia Zabiiako / Alexander Enbert defended their title from last year’s Lombardia! They placed first after their medieval-themed Short Program and finished the event strong with their “Quand Je Te Vois Sourire” Free Skate. We’ll be seeing the pair compete at Grand Prix Helsinki, the first of their two Grand Prix assignments.
🥈 Aleksandra Boikova / Dmitrii Kozlovskii claimed silver in their first event of the season at Lombardia. They rose from third place in the Short Program to place first in the Free Skate with their “Nutcracker” program, placing second overall. We wish them the best of luck for their Senior Grand Prix debut at Skate Canada!
🥉 Nicole Della Monica / Matteo Guarise rounded out the podium for Pairs on home ice. They had a clean and sophisticated skate for their “Never Tear Us Apart” Short Program and fought through their Free Skate to earn the bronze. Their next appearance will be at Rostelecom Cup - good luck to the both of them!
Our shoutout for the Pairs event goes to Rebecca Ghilardi / Filippo Ambrosini of Spain - small feds represent! Their “Bueno Sera” Short Program was a joy to watch, even in spite of errors. They placed fourth in the Free Skate and fifth overall. Congratulations, Rebecca and Filippo!
Men
🥇 Shoma Uno won his third consecutive gold at Lombardia, starting off the season on a high note. He broke the 100-point mark yet again in his Short Program “Stairway to Heaven”, but struggled through his “Moonlight Sonata” Free Skate. Uno will next compete at Skate Canada and we are excited to see his improvement throughout the season.
🥈 Dmitri Aliev captured the silver medal at Lombardia, earning his first medal of the season. Starting off with a lyrical Short Program to music from “Modigliani”, he concluded the event with a classical Free Skate short of an Axel jump, which automatically invalidated his last jumping pass. We will see him again at Finlandia Trophy, his last competition before the Grand Prix Series begins.
🥉 Andrei Lazukin received his first medal of the season at Lombardia, coming in third. With a nearly clean jazz Short Program and his lyrical performance to Rachmaninov’s “Prelude” for his Free Skate, Lazukin made it on the podium, giving Russia a 2-3 finish. Lazukin’s next competition is Grand Prix Helsinki, his only Grand Prix assignment.
We’d like to give a shoutout to Kazuki Tomono of Japan for his performance of Riverdance and his energetic step sequence!
Ice Dance
🥇 Charlene Guignard / Marco Fabbri defended their title from last year’s Lombardia! They placed first in the Rhythm Dance and went on to deliver a dynamic Free Dance to a medley of songs from the “La La Land” soundtrack, winning that segment and the competition.
🥈 Rachel Parsons / Michael Parsons claimed silver in their second Challenger Series event at Lombardia, placing second in the Rhythm Dance thanks to their twizzles and compelling choreography. Their Free Dance, “To Build a Home,” netted them third place in that segment.
🥉 Sara Hurtado / Kirill Khaliavin rounded out the podium, placing third after the Rhythm Dance due to some issues with levels. Their Free Dance to a medley of “Great Gig in the Sky”, “Vladimir’s Blues” and “Sign of the Times” pushed them to second place in that segment and third overall.
Ladies
🥇 Elizaveta Tuktamysheva took the gold medal at Lombardia, her first event this season. She exhibited strong musical interpretation and skating skills in her “Assassin’s Tango” Short Program, as well as attempting and landing her triple Axel in the Free Skate. Tuktamysheva’s next event is Skate Canada - we wish her a strong season!
🥈 Sofia Samodurova had a strong Senior debut at Lombardia, earning the silver medal. Her “Mission Impossible” Short Program showed her flare and she kept her energy all the way through her “Burlesque” Free Skate. Samodurova will next compete at Skate America, her only Grand Prix assignment.
🥉 Mako Yamashita rounded out the podium at this event, earning her second Senior medal. She placed fifth after the Short Program, but made her way to the podium with her powerful and fluid “Madama Butterfly” Free Skate. Mako’s next competition is Rostelecom Cup - best of luck to her with her Senior Grand Prix debut!
Our shoutouts go to Ivett Tóth of Hungary and Kaori Sakamoto of Japan for skating lights-out programs! The crowd was on their feet with Ivett’s Bruno Mars Short Program and Kaori gave us an introspective and inspiring Free Skate, fighting from ninth place in the Short Program to secure fourth overall. Way to go, ladies!