The Asian Winter Games in Sapporo have proven to be a happy hunting ground for Australia’s best figure skaters Brendan Kerry and Kailani Craine.

Kerry, who is now firmly established as one of the world’s top men’s figure skaters, landed three perfect quad jumps throughout his Sapporo campaign – two of which were in the free program to earn personal best scores in all phases of the event and a total of 237.37 points.

The 22-year-old Sochi Olympian has used the Asian Winter Games as a stepping stone for next month’s World Figure Skating Championships in Helsinki, Finalnd where he will aim to qualify Australia for the 2018 PyeongChang Olympic Winter Games. 

Despite performing well in Friday’s short program Kerry admitted to being nervous in the free. 

“This is my first program in competition successfully landing two different quads so that was pretty awesome but I feel it was a bit sloppy and I was disappointed with my mindset going into it, (I was) self-doubting a lot,” Kerry said. 

“Doing these back to back events it’s a huge drop off in training. I go from having as much ice as I want to being limited to one practice a day. I feel as though doing quality elements is a strength of mine but my stamina is on the low end so when you take the training schedules away it’s pretty hard to maintain that,” he said.

Having successfully competed at the Four Continents Figure Skating Championships and now Asian Winter Games, Kerry is confident his routine can secure Australia a start in the men’s event at next year’s Olympics.

"I saw my choreographer about a month ago and we made some changes, so last week was a good simulation and this week was a chance to test things out and figure out what we need to change, so it should be good going into Worlds,” he said.  

The men’s event was won by Japan’s Shoma Uno, with Boyang Jin (China) in second and team mate Han Yan in third.

Kailani Craine continued her good Asian Winter Games form, producing a strong routine in the women’s free program at Sapporo’s Makomanai Indoor Skating Rink.

Encouraged by her personal best result in the short program, Craine gave another competitive performance in the free program to finish in fifth position overall.

 “Still a lot of work to do,” Craine said. “It wasn’t a personal best but definitely it was twenty points better than last week (at Four Continents).”

“I was happy about being able to do a lot better than last week and stay physically and mentally strong.

“I don’t think I delivered a really good performance tonight but once again I was really focused on each element, I really do need to work on the performance factor,” she said.

 “Obviously still a lot of work to do before Worlds but I think now I’m on the right pathway.”

“Top 17 is the ultimate goal but I really want to show everyone what my potential is and what I can do every single day in training because I think that’s the most frustrating part that sometimes it doesn’t always work out.

In the pair’s competition, Matthew Dodds and Paris Stephens had their final Asian Winter Games outing in the free program with a total score of 91.90, which ranked them seventh.

The pair were disappointed with their short program and in Saturday’s free program they were out to prove they could deliver a polished performance.

“We wanted to get the twist done,” Stephens said. “Being able to show that I can do the twist was important because I missed that yesterday so that was good,” she said.

While they were happy with the performance Dodds admitted they had more to give.

“We would have hoped for a little bit higher, I think we were missing a couple of levels in some of our elements so even though everything happened it wasn’t top quality for us,” Dodds said.
 

Sochi Olympian Brendan Kerry has set a new short program PB at the Asian Winter Games in Sapporo last night posting a score 82.54 and nailing his opening quad toe in the process.

Kerry's top five finish gives the 22-year-old a strong foundation for the free program on Sunday, moving him into the prestigious final flight of skaters and amongst the top ranked men ahead of the World Championships at the end of March.
 
“I came to this competition not worried about placement or scores. It’s always nice to get a good score but I want to use this event for practice in preparation for Worlds where I have to qualify a spot at the Olympics,” he said.  
 
As Australia’s only man with not one but two quad jumps, being able to return to his quad toe jump after battling bone bruising in his left foot all season is an important breakthrough.
 
Kerry landed the quad salchow jump in both the short and free at last week’s Four Continents but the Asian Winter Games has provided the opportunity to go after the quad toe again, relax a bit and fine tune his performances.
 
“The short program here is definitely a good feeling, I’m not worrying about anything, I’m just having fun and enjoying it,” Kerry said.
 
Kerry is happy to be building form at a crucial time.
 
“I feel like I’m putting out consistent skates,” he said. 
 
“The hardest part about competing in these big events is you’re always nervous and I was still a little anxious but it was also fun so that was nice.”
 
Leading the men’s event  is Boyang Jin, the 2016 World Championship bronze medallist.
 
Also competing yesterday was ice dance duo William Badaoui and Matilda Friend who achieved their second personal best in as many days, scoring 42.56 in the free program for an overall 105.98 and sixth place finish.
 
“Regardless of the mistakes all the technical parts of the program were still good,” Friend said.
 
“We had wobbles at the beginning and fitness problems but when we got to our elements we could focus and re-group and got it all out technically,” she said.
 
The couple is part-way through a busy competition schedule and will now return to Australia for two weeks before heading to the World Junior Figure Skating Championships.
 
“We have to go back and modify our programs and it’s just going to be about drilling the fitness and getting back into that constant training so we can skate our peak and get another personal best.”
 
“Our big goal is to perform well enough in the short so that we can qualify through to the free dance and if we can skate the free at the Junior Worlds that would be a big thing because we didn’t make the cut-off last year.”  

In the Pairs, Paris Stephens and Matthew Dodds completed their short program for a score of 29.52 for a sixth place ranking.
 
“There were a couple of things missing that are usually standard for us so obviously we’re disappointed in that,” Dodd said.
 
“Looking at the marks there were still some things that were pretty good, the lift went well and we got a four in our spin.
 
“There were things in there we were happy with and things that didn’t quite go as well but overall fairly happy,” he said.
 
The couple has had to adjust to an unfamiliar competition environment.
 
“I find the ice a bit soft so I find it harder to get my toe jumps and get off my toe,” Stephens said.
 
“The whole arena is a bit overwhelming but I need to get used to that,” she said. 
 
 

Kailani Craine has again increased her best score in the short program after skating to a top five finish with 55.02 points in the ladies short program at the 2017 Sapporo Asian Winter Games last night.
 
Where the short program was previously the weaker portion at international events, Craine’s PB at last week’s Four Continents Championships at the Olympic test event of 54.70 was bested again in Sapporo with an error-free short program, which included a triple flip jump combo and triple loop.
 
After a disappointing free program at the Four Continents Skating Championships, Craine was looking for a confidence boost in last night’s short program, believing there is more to give.  
 
“I would have loved to have done a better short program,” Craine said. “I expect more from myself and while people may think that’s great, I really would have liked more from myself, especially after the practices I’ve been having.
 
18-year old Craine has set an ambitious target for the free program and her current fifth place puts her in the last group to compete the free program on Saturday.
 
“What I’ve learnt from Four Continents is that I need to fight for everything and not just expect it because I’ve been doing really good in training. 
 
“I think I got a bit too confident in myself for the free state (last week) because I was doing nice free skates in advance of the competition and also in practice,” she said. 
 
“The goal for the free skate is to put out a personal best, I’m really aiming for that and to redeem myself from the (Four Continents) free program because that was devastating for me.
 
“Now I have a day off - so I will be focusing on the practices but also focusing physically and mentally on how I’ll be feeling the next day.” 
 
Earlier in the day young ice dancers Matilda Friend and William Badaoui performed their Hip Hop Short Dance, achieving a personal best score of 46.52 for sixth position, which was a major step-up from the 32.75 points they scored at the Olympic test event.  
 
Friend said the Asian Winter Games had given the couple a confidence boost. 
 
“It was really amazing, I’ve been in a really good mood ever since I got here and I can’t wipe the smile off my face,” Friend said.
 
“It makes such a difference feeling happy and positive about it. We can come out with a much better skate when we’re in that mindset and enjoying ourselves more.
 
The couple are also seeking redemption for a disappointing Four Continents outing.
 
“An additional goal for the Asian Winter Games would be to perform better than what we did last week,” Badaoui said. “Skate the best we can and I think we did that today.”
 
Figure Skating competition continues today with Free Dance, Brendan Kerry in the men’s short program and  pair’s short program for Paris Stephens and Matthew Dodds.   

Gangneung Ice Arena has proven it is well and truly ready to host the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympic Games, as the Australian Figure Skating Team wrapped up their ISU Four Continents Championships campaign with great results across the board.

Serving as the Test Event for the 2018 Games, the South Korean arena saw the largest Australia contingent of skaters compete at the event, with athletes in every discipline for the first time since 2006.

The first pairs skaters in over a decade, Harley Windsor and Ekaterina Alexandrovskaya, finished the Championship in 11th place, with consistent results in both the short and free program.

“I feel like we're becoming more of a mature senior team now,” said 20-year-old Windsor, who has been skating with 17-year-old Alexandrovskaya since January 2016.

“Overall we are pretty happy with our senior championship.”

Windsor and Alexandrovskaya will now turn their attention to Junior World Championships in mid-March before taking on the world’s best at World Championships later in the month, which is also an Olympic qualification event. 

In the men’s event, Sochi 2014 Olympian Brendan Kerry produced fantastic results, finishing 11th overall with a season’s best and his highest ever Four Continents result.

“I was incredibly happy and incredibly annoyed after my season’s best,” said Kerry who recorded his first short program score inside the top ten at an ISU Championships.

“I had so much fun out there and gave it my all.”

Despite nailing majority of his routine, the 22-year-old walked away frustrated with a mistake on his triple axel in the short program.
 
“I missed my money jump. Ask anyone at my training rink and they'll tell you- it's never the 3A he's worried about.”

But a mistake won’t deter Kerry in his quest for PyeongChang 2018 qualification as he hopes to feature on the Olympic program for the second time.

“That's my number one focus.

“I know that if I give my absolute best at every other event and treat it like an Olympic qualifying competition that when the time comes it won't be as big of a deal,” said Kerry who was also eager to test out the Gangneung Arena.

“The Olympic venue was awesome! Less intimidating than I thought it would've been.”

Kerry now turns his attention to Sapporo, Japan where a team of 30 Australian athletes will make their Asian Winter Games debut.

“I'm excited to do the AWG as there isn't any pressure for a specific result - it's a competition I can do just to enjoy the experience. I'm also really looking forward to going to Japan.”

Fellow Aussies Andrew Dodds and Mark Webster finished in 20th and 21st position respectively in the men’s event.
In the women’s competition, 2014 Olympian Brooklee Han wrapped up her campaign in 14th, two places ahead of Australian teammate Kailani Craine in 16th.

Mixed results for the Aussies saw Han record her best ever free program routine, while a bad day on the ice and two falls for Craine proved to be an important learning lesson for the 18-year-old.

“I expected everything to go as it has gone in practice, so when I made a mistake on the triple lutz I was in a state of shock, and just couldn't recover,” Craine said.

“I am told ‘all champions have had bad skates’, so now I have had mine.”

The Newcastle native is determined to put her bad skate behind her and is looking forward to bouncing back for the Asian Winter Games.

“Even though I know myself that I work way too hard to perform the way I did, the bad days at the office make the good days feel even more special.

“I'm so grateful to have the incredible support from my Australian team mates, and I'm the luckiest girl alive to have my two number one fans by my side; my mum and dad.”

Rounding out the green and gold skaters, the three sets of Australian Ice Dancers finished their ‘4CC’ campaigns with the free dance event on Friday afternoon.

Adele Morrison and Demid Rokachev finished in 14th overall, while AWG skaters Matilda Friend and William Badaoui secured 15th position ahead of Kimberley Hew-Low and Timothy Mckernan in 16th.

Craine, Kerry, Friend and Badaoui will now join pair skaters Paris Stephens and Matthew Dodds plus their AWG teammates in Japan and will look to record some more strong results for Australia.

The 2017 Sapporo Asian Winter Games’ were officially opened overnight and figure skaters are set to take to the ice on Thursday February 23, with Ice Dance the first event on the program.

Live streaming is available on the Sapporo17 website.
 
Ashleigh Knight
AOC

IMAGE: Brendan Kerry and coach Tammy Gambill wait for the scores after the free program at the ISU Four Continents Championship. Photo: ISA Facebook

In a breakthrough performance in ISU Championships last night, figure skater Brendan Kerry recorded a PB in his short program (78.11) to place tenth in the short program at the ISU Four Continents Championship and Olympic test event in Gangneug Area in Korea.
 
The hot field includes Olympic Champion Yuzuru Hanyu, former World Champion and Olympic medallist Patrick Chan and many of the top ranked world skaters from USA, China and Japan and will be a precursor to the World Championship in late March.
 
Kerry skated very early in the event, nailing a flowing quad salchow and then equally good triple lutz/triple toe combo before coming to grief on a triple axel that looked technically solid on entry and in the air but a slip on the landing cost Australia’s best male skater approximately five points.
 
The change-up in his training preparation has paid dividends with a much more comfortable Kerry giving the performance side of his skate a greater look of ease in the 2.40 minute routine.
 
“We've been super focused on training the long program with three quads and having the core difficult jumps in the second half. I feel that because of this style of training the short program doesn't take much out of me and just allows me to try and focus on the character,” Kerry said.
 
“It also gives me the chance to push from start to finish - no holding back.
 
After a few years knocking on the door of the top echelon in men’s figure skating, 22-year-old Kerry is more focussed than before.

“This season is Olympic qualifying so that definitely changes my mind set. That's my number one focus.
 
“I know that if I give my absolute best at every other event and treat it like an Olympic Qualifying Competition that when the time comes it won't be as big a deal.
 
“Also I feel as though it puts it in the judges head as well as my own that I'm going to qualify a spot.”  

Kerry is delighted with his short program, which will see him compete in the all-important final two groups in the free program on Sunday.
 
“I was incredibly happy and equally incredibly annoyed after my short.”
 
“I had so much fun out there and gave it my all. However, I missed my money jump. Ask anyone at my training rink and they'll tell you - it's never the triple axel he's worried about.”

Coach Tammy Gambill was thrilled.
 
“Tammy said that she knew I tried my best and that we still have more to give. We want to add a second quad to the short and hopefully not fall on a triple axel next time,” he said.
The men’s free program will be competed on Sunday from 1pm (AEDST).
 
 
 
 



 

The 2017 ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships kicked off yesterday, with ten Australians taking to the ice across multiple disciplines at Gangneung Ice Arena in Korea.

Six Aussies competed in the mixed ice dancing, with pairs Adele Morrison and Demid Rokachev, Kimberley Hew-Low and Tim McKernan, and Matilda Friend and William Badaoui finishing 14th, 15th, and 16th.

After experiencing what will be the stage for the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics, Friend and Badaoui expressed disappointment in their opening skate after a stumble on the twizzle by William and slip right at the end of the Short Dance by Matilda.

“It wasn’t the best skate – we had a few small mistakes,” said Friend.

“Tomorrow is a new day and we are going to go in with a fresh mentality and a good attitude.”

The pair impressed early in their routine, but a fall during a lift ultimately cost them.

“I just hit my toe pick when we were coming out of the lift.

“It cost us a lot of points so we are a bit disappointed with the outcome, but apart from the mistakes that we did have, we were really happy with the rest of the program.”

Taking out the event was Canadian pair and Vancouver 2010 gold medallists Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir, and Badaoui said sharing the dressing room with the two-time World champions was an experience in itself.

“It was pretty amazing, just seeing everyone, them in particular in the change rooms and warming up next to us, doing the same thing as us. The atmosphere was very surreal," the Aussie dance team said.

In the pairs short program, Harley Windsor and Katia Alexandrovskaya impressed in their first senior International Championship event, finishing 11th.

They started strongly, opening with a flawless split triple twist and moving into effortless side-by-side triple toe jumps.
A fall on an attempted throw in a triple lutz was the only sour note in an otherwise accomplished performance.

“I feel like we're becoming more of a mature senior team now,” said Windsor. “Overall I’m pretty happy with our skate, minus the throw.
“Being our first senior championship event and being in the first group it really wasn’t too bad.”

Their score of 56.10 shows that the young pair are ready to match it with the best in the world.

Watching from her home in Sydney, coach Galina Pachin believes that, with time on their side, the team will only continue to improve.

“I think Harley and Katia will do better in the very near future,” said Pachin. “They just need more experience.”

The ladies short program also saw two Aussies in action, with Kailani Craine and Sochi 2014 Olympian Brooklee Han battling it out against some of the world’s best.

Craine finished the best of the two after cleanly landing her triple flip/double toe combination and steps into tiple loop placing in 13th, but feels she has more to give.

“I made a few minor errors and it did not show my full potential as a skater and the things I am capable of doing,” said 18-year-old Craine.

The free skate is still to come, where the Newcastle native hopes to put on a show.

“I am looking forward to the free skate as it is usually my stronger program, jam packed with triple jumps.”

Gangneung Ice Arena will play host to the Pyeonchang Winter Games in 2018 and, on first inspection, the Olympic hopeful was full of praise.

“The stadium arena is fantastic. The crowd was very supportive and the atmosphere was electric. I'm looking forward to getting back out there after a day off tomorrow between events.”

Craine is aiming to be the first Australian skater to perform a ‘triple triple’ at an international event.

“I am very confident as I have been training extremely hard since Nationals. I’ve had a little bit of a rough time with it at these practices but other than that at home it’s been going really great,” said Craine who hopes to debut the move at the Sapporo Winter Games next week.

“I just needed to do what I had to do for this competition and feel good for myself and my skating.

“For the Asian Winter Games I really want to try it out.”

Craine will be joined in Sapporo by Friend, Badaoui and pairs team Matthew Doods and Paris Stephens along with Olympian Brnedan Kerry, as Australia makes their Asian Winter Games figure skating debut.

All competitors will be looking to improve in their remaining events, as they sharpen their routines ahead of next week’s games.

Action continues today in Gangneung, where Sochi Olympian Brendan Kerry will compete in the men’s short program, while the remainder of the team look forward to the free dance section. 

Nathan Lange
Olympics.com.au

Olympic qualification is never far from the mind of Australian figure skater Kailani Craine.
 
The 18-year-old is poised to compete at three major meets in the next two months and will aim to qualify Australia for the Women’s Olympic Winter Games Figure Skating Competition at the World Championships in Helsinki (FIN), beginning 29 March.
 
Before the Worlds Craine will compete at the Four Continents Figure Skating Championships in Korea, followed by the Asian Winter Games in Japan.
 
It is the first time Australia has been invited to participate at the Asian Winter Games and the multisport event will be attended by 30 emerging and experienced Aussie winter sport athletes.  
 
Four Continents is an annual figure skating event which attracts many of the world’s top competitors. In 2016 it was a place of success for Australia’s national champion.
 
“The crowds were fantastic throughout the entire competition and I was on top of the world when I received a personal best for my free skate,” Craine said.
 
The figure skating sensation achieved a new personal best in November 2016 at the Warsaw (POL) World Cup. 
 
“The way that I’m going at the moment I’m incredibly confident in myself,” Craine told her local newspaper The Maitland Mercury.
 
With high school now complete the 2016 HSC graduate has made her sport her priority. Together with her parents she has located to Los Angeles to give herself the best opportunity for success.
 
She has ambitious goals for 2017 with all roads leading to PyeongChang.
 
“I think about the Olympics all the time. That’s just a complete dream.”
 
The Four Continents Figure Skating Championships will be held at the venue of the 2018 Olympic Winter Games beginning on 14 February. Australia will be represented by 13 athletes across the men’s, ladies, pair’s and ice dance divisions including Sochi Olympian Brendan Kerry. 
 
The Asian Winter Games are being staged in Sapporo (JPN) from 19-26 February and will see six Australian figure skaters attend.

Change is never easy, but Brendan Kerry believes his changes will be for the better as the figure skating season heats up again in 2017.

Next week's ISU Four Continents Championships is the next stop for the 22-year-old, before heading to the Asian Winter Games in Sapporo.

Kerry's last competition was in in December in Zagreb, Croatia, where he finished 5th.

Kerry took a short break over Christmas to physically and mentally rest, before his focus switched back to training for the Championship season and all-important World Championships and Olympic qualifying in late March.

Both he and his coaching staff have developed a rigorous and intensive program, which has pushed him to his limits, and with Four Continents and the World Championships on the horizon, Kerry believes it is a program that has helped. 

"Since nationals we've completely re-structured my training plan which has been more exhausting than ever before," Kerry said.

"The main focus has been on improving the quality and consistency of all the elements I have as well as just hammering away at my stamina."

Kerry is predicting a massive season with all sorts of records to be broken over the coming months.

"I feel as though men's skating is at the highest level it's ever been at in all aspects of the sport," he said.

"The minimum standard is incredibly high and it's pushing everyone to go one better."

Kerry will use next week's Olympic test event in Korea as a simulation for the World Championships in Helsinki starting on March 29, where he  hopes to qualify for his second Olympic Winter Games.

Quad jumps have been the main focus in his training leading into the test event, with Kerry saying he plans one in his Short Program and three in his Free Program.

"I've successfully been doing clean programs with those two current layouts and hopefully if I can skate the way I have been in training I can set some new PBs by a substantial amount."

The ISU Four Continetns Championship starts next Thursday with Ice Dance, Pairs and Ladies. Kerry will compete on Friday 17 February and Sunday 19 February.

Sports fans around the world still have 12 months to wait for the Olympic Winter Games in South Korea, but for OMEGA, the timekeeping has already begun.
 
The Swiss brand unveiled its countdown clock at a special ceremony at City Hall Plaza in Seoul, attended by IOC Member & Chair Mrs Gunilla Lindberg, the 2nd Vice Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Mr YOO Dong-Hoon; and President of the PyeongChang Organising Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (POCOG) Mr Hee-beom Lee.
 
Also in attendance were some of Korea's key political figures including the Mayor of Seoul, Mr Park Won-soon and the Gangwon Province Governor Mr Choi Moon-soon.
 
OMEGA President and CEO, Mr Raynald Aeschlimann, welcomed guests and spoke proudly of the brand's distinguished record of timekeeping. "We have been the Official Timekeeper at the Olympic Games 27 times. In all those years we have never lost sight of our role, which is to serve the finest athletes in the world, who train so very hard to compete at this level".
 
IOC Member & Chair Mrs Gunilla Lindberg, called the Olympic Winter Games "a truly great moment in sporting history" and thanked OMEGA for its long service to sports timekeeping and its commitment to the development of new timekeeping technologies. "The progress has been incredible, not just over decades, but with each passing Olympic Games". 
 
YOO Dong-Hoon, the 2nd Vice Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism added, "The Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018 is being flawlessly prepared to successfully host an event that brings together culture, the economy, the environment, peace and the Olympic Games, to unite people around the world through this great festival. I hope everyone can take full advantage of this opportunity and we can enjoy PyeongChang 2018 together".
 
The President of POCOG Mr Hee-beom Lee said he was very excited about the approaching event. "Just one year to go, but it will go by fast, as we are working so hard to make this the best Olympic Winter Games ever".  
 
Though the Olympic Winter Games will take place many miles from the Korean capital, the Mayor of Seoul, Mr Park Won-soon, praised the people of the city for their commitment to making the world feel welcome. "Seoul will be the first stop for those visiting Korea for the Olympic Winter Games and I know they will be left with a great impression".
 
Speaking on behalf of the region, Gangwon Province Governor Mr Choi Moon-soon said "The Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018 is coming in a year. The people of Gangwon Province and I are putting in a lot of effort to make it a good memory for the athletes and audiences from all over the world. I hope to see everyone in Gangwon Province enjoy the wonderful festival with us".
 
The speeches were followed by a spirited performance from a troupe of Korean drummers and dancers, while guests prepared for the unveiling of the clock. When the curtain dropped, cheers and fireworks marked the start of the 365 day countdown.
 
After a photo-taking session, CEO of OMEGA Timing, Mr Alain Zobrist, presented the official guests with OMEGA last-lap bells. The bells, made by hand in La Chaux-de-Fonds in the Swiss mountains, are used to signal the last lap in events such as Cross Country, Biathlon, Short Track Speed Skating and Speed Skating.

Still in use alongside OMEGA’s state-of-the art timekeeping equipment, they represent a tradition unchanged for centuries.

The Olympic Winter Games in PyeongChang 2018 will mark the 28th time OMEGA has served as Official Timekeeper since 1932.
 
 

While most of their peers are sleeping, William Badaoui and Matilda Friend are training.
 
It’s 8am on a Saturday and the promising figure skating duo have just completed a training session. They’ve been on the ice since 5.45am.
 
For the aspiring athletes this is not an exception – it’s the norm. Six mornings a week Matilda (17) and William (18) are skating before the sun rises.
 
The ice dancing team train at the Macquarie Ice Rink on Sydney’s lower north shore and have been skating as a team for three years.
 
“We get on really well,” Matilda said. “We help each other and have a good working relationship.”
 
Matilda and William's years of training have been rewarded with selection to the Australian team for the 2017 Asian Winter Games in Sapporo.
 
“Japan is my favourite country,” Matilda said.
 
“Our first international competition was in 2014 in Nagoya and it was the scariest thing I have ever done in my life. 
 
“Since then we’ve done quite a few competitions together and we know how to deal with the little things,” she said.
 
William and Matilda are ambitious young adults and their determination extends well beyond the ice rink. Matilda is in her final year of school and William is about to start an architecture degree.
 
“There are definitely compromises with the life that we’ve chosen,” William said. “Being an elite athlete you have to sacrifice some things and you try and make the best of both worlds.
 
“I don’t think I’m missing out because this is a big part of my life and you make it work,” he said. 
 
Before they represent Australia at the Asian Winter Games, the ice dancers will travel to South Korea for Four Continents – an annual international figure skating event that attracts many of the world’s top competitors.
 
It will be a milestone occasion for the two who will get a rare chance to compete against their heroes, Canadian Olympic Champions Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir.
 
“When I was eleven I was training in Moscow and the World Championships happened to be held there,” Matilda said.  “We were on our way to the rink and I saw Virtue and Moir and freaked out because I was obsessed with them.
 
“They came out of retirement this season and it didn’t occur to me that they would go to Four Continents. I saw the entry list and I thought, ‘this is crazy’,” she said.
 
William says its surreal to be competing against skaters of their calibre.
 
“Everyone loves Virtue and Moir so competing against them is an amazing opportunity that shouldn’t be taken for granted,” he said.
 
William and Matilda treat every competition as a learning experience and both have aspirations to make it to an Olympic Games. 
 
“When you’re at a competition, you may not realise it but you’re always subconsciously getting better because your surrounded by people who are stronger than you,” William said. 
 
“We want to be the sort of skaters who people look at and say, ‘wow, look at that team,’ – that’s where we want to be eventually,” he said.
 
Before meeting up with the 30-strong Australian team in Sapporo for the 2017 Asian Winter Games, Matilda and William will join Australian figure skaters Harley Windsor and Ekaterina ‘Katia’ Alexandrovskaya along with Sochi Olympian Brendan Kerry and Kailani Craine for the Four Continents event in South Korea from 14-19 February.
 
The 2017 Asian Winter Games will be held from 19-26 February.