2024 Worlds results:
Ice Dance: Turkkila/Versluis 10th and Orihara/Pirinen 16th of 36 teams
Women: Nella Pelkonen 24th of 35
Men: Valtter Virtanen 34th of 40
Pairs: Vaananen/Clerici 18th of 24
From: https://twitter.com/Ritti9/status/1780543393136791740
"Finland's national team for 2024-25: Petra Lahti changes countries from Finland to New Zealand (her mother's home country). Matias Lindfors has changed to represent the Virtanens' club. Linnea Ceder is required to show additional proof to keep her spot."
Suomen Taitoluisteluliiton hallitus on vahvistanut yksinluistelun ja jäätanssin lajityöryhmien ehdotuksesta luistelijat maajoukkueeseen. Onnea Valituille! Yksinluistelu, naisetLotta Artimo EsJtPihla Bergman, EsJt, uusiLinnea Ceder, EsJt, ehdollinen*Karina Innos, KoTa, uusiJanna Jyrkinen...
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16/04/2024
The national team for the 2024–2025 season has been named
The board of the Finnish Figure Skating Association has confirmed the skaters for the national team, based on the proposal of the individual skating and ice dance working groups. Good luck to the chosen ones!
Single skating, women
Lotta Artimo EsJt
Pihla Bergman, EsJt, new
Linnea Ceder, EsJt, conditional*
Karina Innos, KoTa, new
Janna Jyrkinen, LrTL
Iida Karhunen, LrTL
Olivia Lisko, EsJt
Oona Ounasvuori, ETK
Nella Pelkonen, TapTL
Annika Pellonmaa, ETK, new
Emmi Peltonen, HTK
Minja Peltonen, EsJt
Rosa Reponen, TapTL, conditional*
Venla Sinisalo, RauTL, new
Darja Trubitson, RauTL
Selma Välitalo, OLK, new
Single skating, men
Arttu Juusola, PoriTa
Jari Krestyannikov, TapTL, new
Matias Lindfors, PeSal
Makar Suntsev, KoTa
Valtter Virtanen, PeSal
Laura Lepistö's autobiography, Voittava mieli [Winning Mind] was published in Finland on April 11, 2024 - her video+post on publication day: https://www.instagram.com/reel/C5nNDH6tPp2/ I believe that the themes of the book can resonate, whether you are a parent of a child who is interested, a...
2023-2024 season is oveerr!! has been such a great season with a lot of new experiences, great competitions and fun times! ??
during next season i will be switching countries to represent new zealand as i was born there and have dual citizenship! so excited for next season although i cant compete internationally until february due to rules! ??
so a big thank you to @skatingfinland for everything!!?
also super thankful for @skateshophelsinki and @tslihashuolto aand of course friends and family for all the help this season! ?
Finnish nationals are next weekend. There will be a battle between Virtanen and Suntsev in men, plus several candidates - no [Emmi] Peltonen - in ladiezzz. It is held in Rauma, too far from me this time.
ETA: Emmi Peltonen has been performing in the outdoor ice shows in Vail, Colorado (her Instagram is private now but she shared some clips from Vail on Nov. 30).
Great consistency from Iida again in junior SP. Venla also skate at her usual level. Saaga Volkova was great surprise, very clean skate and beautiful performance. I wonder where is Lotta Artimo though? I hope not injured again?
Also, where is Matias Lindfors? He seems to be missing from start list.
Positively surprised about the level of ladies. Linnea’s skating looked very easy and effortless, she has to be in very good condition. And somehow Olivia reminds me of Laura Lepistö: same jump layout, the layback with increasing speed…
Taitoluistelun Suomen mestaruuskilpailut käytiin viikonvaihteessa 13.–15.12.2024 Kivikylän Areenalla Raumalla. Mestaruuksien lisäksi Suomen kärkiluistelijat antoivat viimeiset näytöt tammi-helmikuun vaihteessa Tallinnassa järjestettäviin taitoluistelun EM-kilpailuihin. Suomen Taitoluisteluliiton...
Helsinki Arena (venue for 1999 & 2017 figure skating Worlds and 2009 Europeans) has finally been sold to new Finnish owners and can now reopen. The arena has been closed since Feb 2022 due to sanctions imposed against the previous Russian-background owners. "We have the readiness to host the first events in April", their frontman said. The negotiations lasted more than two years.
BTW, Helsinki set to host Synchro Worlds 2025 on April 4-5 in another, smaller and older rink (Helsinki Ice Hall).
A Finnish real estate firm has bought the facility after two years of negotiations and legal red tape prompted by EU sanctions imposed on its previous owners.
yle.fi
In other news, Valtter Virtanen ended up missing the Worlds technical minimum score by mere 0.83 points, despite doing 5 competitions within 4 weeks and improving his previous PB by almost 9 points last weekend in Merano Cup.
Tällä viikolla kilpailtiin Alankomaissa, Virossa ja Italiassa. Suomi saavutti kolmesta kilpailusta yhteensä yhdeksän mitalia. Makar Suntsevilta ja Valtter Virtaselta odotettiin MM-teknisten pisterajojen saavuttamista, sillä Suomelta puuttuu vielä miesten edustuspaikka maaliskuun lopussa...
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Finland's team for Worlds will be nominated by February 23. Janna Jyrkinen, Linnea Ceder and Olivia Lisko are all set to compete internationally this week. They all have a realistic chance to grab the lone women's spot (even though Ceder has been erased from the statistics page?!). https://www.stll.fi/maajoukkue/seasonbest/yl-jt-pl-arvokilpailuvalintojen-tilastot/
Finland's team for Worlds will be nominated by February 23. Janna Jyrkinen, Linnea Ceder and Olivia Lisko are all set to compete internationally this week. They all have a realistic chance to grab the lone women's spot (even though Ceder has been erased from the statistics page?!). https://www.stll.fi/maajoukkue/seasonbest/yl-jt-pl-arvokilpailuvalintojen-tilastot/
Looks like it was updated yesterday after this week's competitions. Jyrkinen WD from Road to 26 after the SP. Ceder beat Lisko by 12 points at Bellu Memorial and that was enough to put her over the top, so the spot should be hers.
Looks like it was updated yesterday after this week's competitions. Jyrkinen WD from Road to 26 after the SP. Ceder beat Lisko by 12 points at Bellu Memorial and that was enough to put her over the top, so the spot should be hers.
603 likes, 1 comments - skatingfinland on February 23, 2025: "Suomen Taitoluisteluliiton liittohallitus on nyt vahvistanut joukkueen, joka edustaa Suomea taitoluistelun MM-kilpailuissa 26.–30.3.2025 Bostonissa, Yhdysvalloissa. ✨ Suomella on edustus naisten yksinluistelussa, jäätanssissa ja...
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She doesn't state any future plans for either, however Filippo states in his re-share of her story that Milania decided to look for a new partner & new coach.
I guess Milania tries to go the "Russian" way with a Russian Coach that provides her with a Russian partner. But that's just a guess, because it seems to be the easiest way to be more succesful.
I guess Milania tries to go the "Russian" way with a Russian Coach that provides her with a Russian partner. But that's just a guess, because it seems to be the easiest way to be more succesful.
Possibly. There are a few options I can think of who aren't Russian. Ivan Khobta is still in Colorado Springs looking for a partner, Ryan Bedard and Marco Zandron are both still on ice partner search. Who knows what Danylo Siianytsia is up to these days.
I guess Milania tries to go the "Russian" way with a Russian Coach that provides her with a Russian partner. But that's just a guess, because it seems to be the easiest way to be more succesful.
It is enough to look on Melania's face to see that she herself is of Russian blood. There is that distinctive Slavonic features in her look and not only in the look, not Finnish at all. Her mother is Russian/Ukrainian.
To find a Russian coach or partner does not mean an immediate success in pair skating. For example Liubov I. didn't bring any success to Dylan M.; she never was not able to manage her jumps.
Talent lives in all nations.
What a wonderful skater she was / is!! She probably never realized her true potential, but am glad that she went to the Olympics (though I don't recall if it was a controversial decision to send her instead of Viveca Lindfors at the time). She can also be very proud of her comeback after the huge surgery, where she finished in a respectable 11th place at Europeans.
Unfortunate, but hardly surprising. This season was a struggle and things surely weren't going to get easier. Her soft, feminine style was a rarity in Finnish skating scene, and sorely missed.
Yuka Orihara has been named the Finnish Figure Skating Federation's Social Media Influencer of the Year award at the spring Skating Finland Gala following a public vote. The article from the fed talks, among other things, about her quest for Finnish citizenship.
Jäätanssija Yuka Orihara palkittiin yleisöäänestyksen päätteeksi Suomen Taitoluisteluliiton Vuoden somevaikuttaja -palkinnolla.
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After the successful competition season ended, Yuka retired to Japan to spend time with her loved ones, but at the end of April, the ice dancer traveled (Google Translate says 'moved' but that doesn't seem correct since we know they're back in Helsinki from IG posts in the last month) to Rome with her partner Juho Pirinen to prepare the programs for the upcoming competition season under the guidance of choreographer Massimo Scali. The rest of the time is spent diligently studying Finnish, as Yuka is currently applying for Finnish citizenship for the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics in February.
Yuka and Juho began their dance journey together in 2019. At that time, Yuka made it clear to herself that the Olympics were not her goal, as you can only participate in the competition as a citizen of the country you represent. Yuka completed the five years of residence in Finland required for Finnish citizenship last year.
– With citizenship, I would also be able to receive subsidies for athletes more easily. However, I didn't make any moves regarding the application until last year's World Championships, when it started to look like qualifying for the Olympics might be possible based on the results. This project is really late, and it has had its share of setbacks, Yuka says.
Yuka considers it unlikely that she will get citizenship due to scheduling reasons and smiles that a normal season may be ahead, which also includes studying Finnish. However, she does not consider the scenario to be the end of the world. Yuka is sure of one thing: that the audience will enjoy her and Juho's programs.
She herself sounds doubtful she will receive citizenship in time, but I suppose we can just cross our fingers and hope against hope that the Finnish bureaucracy moves more swiftly on her behalf because it would be a shame to not have PiriHara in Milano-Cortina.
Yuka Orihara has been named the Finnish Figure Skating Federation's Social Media Influencer of the Year award at the spring Skating Finland Gala following a public vote. The article from the fed talks, among other things, about her quest for Finnish citizenship.
Jäätanssija Yuka Orihara palkittiin yleisöäänestyksen päätteeksi Suomen Taitoluisteluliiton Vuoden somevaikuttaja -palkinnolla.
www.skatingfinland.fi
She herself sounds doubtful she will receive citizenship in time, but I suppose we can just cross our fingers and hope against hope that the Finnish bureaucracy moves more swiftly on her behalf because it would be a shame to not have PiriHara in Milano-Cortina.
Yes she is doubtful but she says it's not the end of the world if she doesn't get it in time for Milano.
The bureucracy is truly ridiculous. I can take 31 months before the immigration services even give their decision. And there is no speedway for the process or preferential treatment for anyone (although there was for some oligarks a couple of years ago but I digress..).
I really really wish we will see PiriHara in Milano.
Yuka also mentioned they will do another musical theatre bit for next season but after that it is time for some other style.
It kind of sounds like they are not planning a retirement anytime soon. Who knows if they'll aim for France 2030!
Congratulations to Emmi Peltonen on her retirement. It's sad she never reached her potential at Words, but three top 10s at Euros is a nice accomplishment. I always enjoyed her skating, even if the jumps weren't working.
While I'm here, I'll just mention Orihara/Pirinen, Turkilla/Versluis, and Linnea Ceder were three big highlights from 2025 Worlds for me. I'm looking forward to watching them develop further next season!
Helsingin Sanomat published a long interview with Emmi about her retirement decision and future plans https://www.hs.fi/urheilu/art-2000011271676.html
Basically she says it was the injuries and that her body just didn't seem to sustain the required training.
Here's my paraphrasing:
A couple of weeks before she made the retirement decision she was still training full time for the coming Olympic season.
Emmi reveals she missed the local Finnish competition last fall because she made it onto a flight to Finland two days later than she had originally planned. Her flight landed just an hour before her warm up was about to start. Because she didn't participate she had no right to participate nationals. And then no chance to get a spot for Euros.
At the same time her old leg injury started to bother her again. It all spiraled from there, she questioned what is the reason she even keeps trying to compete. She didn't want to give any interviews because she didn't know what to tell and didn't feel like explaining her situation to anyone. The leg injury aggravated and most likely would have required a new surgery. Emmi realized she would be 27 years old before she could even dream of getting back to full competition shape.
“I realized that my body couldn’t handle the training it took to get to the top,” Peltonen says, sighing. “It’s a terrible feeling to want something you are not (physically) able to do."
Two weeks later she announced her retirement. And though she was relieved she struggled with this new phase. She had expected not to want to go back to rink anymore but to her surprisement the passion for skating hadn't disappeared. She is still doing triple jumps whenever she goes skating.
Emmi's coach Cindy Sullivan arranged a coaching work for her in the States. (They don't elaborate what level coaching or where.)
Emmi says she is doing choreographies and teaches skating skills. She has also received a couple of requests to design a competition outfit.
The article end with these words: “There are quite a few things in my skating career that I have some regrets with. But I have made those decisions, and I have to live with them,” Peltonen says and adds “A lot of athletes don’t get to show their full potential, and now I’ve become one of those.”
Helsingin Sanomat published a long interview with Emmi about her retirement decision and future plans https://www.hs.fi/urheilu/art-2000011271676.html
Basically she says it was the injuries and that her body just didn't seem to sustain the required training.
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That's why all the Nationals info/links were in this thread. 
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Unfortunate, but hardly surprising. This season was a struggle and things surely weren't going to get easier. Her soft, feminine style was a rarity in Finnish skating scene, and sorely missed.
www.skatingfinland.fi
