OSAKA, JAPAN (Sept. 7, 2025) – Ice dance team Marie-Jade Lauriault (Sainte-Anne-des-Plaines, Quebec) and Roman Le Gac (Laval, Quebec) took top honours this weekend at the ISU Challenger Series Kinoshita Group Cup in Osaka, Japan.
Lauriault and Le Gac set three personal bests during the competition to secure the gold medal. In first after the rhythm dance with 76.40 points, the Quebec pair did it again, scoring 121.50 in the free dance to bring their total to 197.90.
“Everything went well, honestly,” Lauriault shared. “We’re very proud of ourselves, the work we’ve put in during training is paying off, and we believe there’s still room for improvement, so that’s encouraging.”
“There are a lot of positives to take away from this competition,” added Le Gac. “We wanted to skate like we do in training and have fun. I think we found a good balance between performance and fun.”
Two American teams joined Lauriault and Le Gac on the podium: Emilea Zingas and Vadym Kolesnik, who finished second with 193.51 points, and Leah Neset and Artem Markelov, who took bronze with a score of 176.27.
Not far behind, Alicia Fabbri (Terrebonne, Quebec) and Paul Ayer (Brossard, Quebec) took fifth place in the event with 169.38 points.
“We did well overall, especially in our rhythm dance,” noted Paul Ayer. “Obviously, there will be adjustments to make for the future; this is our first international competition of the season after all.”
Lily Hensen (London, Ontario) and Nathan Lickers (Six Nations Territories of the Grand River, Ontario) rounded out the Canadian contingent in the ice dance event, placing seventh with a score of 154.03.
On the men’s side, Aleksa Rakic (Burnaby, British Columbia) set a personal best in the short program, earning 78.73 points to place 10th in the program. His 142.45 points in the free skate brought his total to 221.18, allowing him to climb to seventh place in the final standings.
“It was a great week and a good way to start the new season,” said Rakic. “I’m proud of my short program and I think I did a good job in the free skate as well. I’m already looking forward to training so I can be well prepared for my next competition”.
Madeline Schizas (Oakville, Ontario), competing in her first Challenger Series event of the season, finished 10th with 172.40 points. The reigning Canadian champion was third after the short program but dropped a few spots in the free skate.
“I was very happy after my short program,” said Schizas. “I felt in control from start to finish. I’m going to work hard on my free skate, though. I know there’s great potential with this routine, but we’ll need to make a few adjustments.”
The full competition results can be found here.