Marjorie Lajoie and Zachary Lagha took advantage of the very first Skate America Grand Prix of the season to make their presence felt. Quebec dancers took the second step of the podium on Sunday in Allen, Texas, at the end of the free dance.
Second in the provisional ranking after the rhythmic dance program on Saturday, the Quebecers did not slow down on Sunday to get their hands on their first medal of the season.
“This medal is very important to us. We are very happy with our performance. We are always happy skating during Skate America competitions, the crowd is intense and the competition is tough. It’s really nice,” Lagha said.
Just before setting off on Sunday, Lajoie and Lagha saw the French Evgeniia Lopareva and Geoffrey Brissaud obtain a score of 116.27 in the free dance. The Quebecers did not seem intimidated by their opponents’ performance, responding with 119.19 points, for a total of 196.99.
Americans Madison Chock and Evan Bates performed a near-perfect routine at the very end of Sunday’s competition to secure the gold medal with a total of 212.96 points.
The three medalist duos all train at the Montreal Ice Academy with Marie-France Dubreuil and Patrice Lauzon.
Wanting to draw inspiration from the World Championships which will be held in Montreal in March 2024, Marjorie Lajoie and Zachary Lagha danced on Sunday to the rhythm of the song Roses by Jean-Michel Blais.
“We listened to several songs to find the one we wanted to use. We loved Roses and since Jean-Michel Blais is a Montrealer, it became a perfect match because we really wanted something that was going to be reminiscent of Montreal,” explained Lajoie.
“We don’t really like to limit ourselves to telling a story during our free dances. We prefer to convey emotion. We follow the rhythm of the music while showing a connection to each other,” she added.
In the pairs competition, Ontarians Lia Pereira and Trennt Michaud also reached the second step of the podium.
