“Had a Shoulder Injury”: Canadian Winter Olympians Open Up on Struggles of Competing at Nepela Memorial

Formerly known as Ondrej Nepela Memorial is an annual senior-level figure skating competition that calls for athletes from all over to bring their best. Named after Ondrej Nepela, the 1972 Olympic Champion, the event is a mesmerizing event that make or break athletes, apart from the Olympic Games. Held annually, mostly in the beautiful Bratislava, Slovakia, the Nepela Memorial also brought challenges to two Canadian Olympians.

The 2023 Nepela Memorial was in action from September 28 to September 30. While the event hosted figure skaters from all over the world, a notable and her partner released a statement on their ordeal at Nepela that is making rounds on the internet. Despite having injuries and little practice in their off-season, the Winter Olympians gave their best, but could not get hold of a title this year.

Not the best season start for Canadian Olympians

Canadian ice dancers Marjorie Lajoie and Zachary Lagha hold a boastful set of achievements under their names. They were the bronze medalists at the 2023 Four Continents Figure Skating Championship and a two-time Grand Prix medalist. However, fate was not with them at the Nepela Memorial as they admitted to having made mistakes that jeopardized their performance. Moreover, the 24-year-old figure skater was recovering from a shoulder injury. 

The event concluded for them without the opportunity of climbing the podium. As per a post shared on Twitter by Golden Skate, both ice dancers had a difficult summer after the Four Continents Figure Skating Championship. They went through a rough summer of injuries and lack of rest. Regardless, they trained extensively and super hard for the past two and a half weeks, getting ready for the esteemed event. Giving the best of their time and resources. Sadly, even the super hard training wasn’t enough to get them the position on the podium.

Most of it is because of the shoulder injury that Zachary Lagha went through which restricted his performance and they couldn’t put in enough time during the initial training. Thus, Marjorie said, “We did a few unfortunate mistakes but we will take the situation how it is and will work from here!”.

Winners of the Nepela Memorial

With a total of 16 entries and 1 substitute entry, the competition in Ice dancing was a tough one. Despite competitors like Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson, Natalie Taschlerova, and Filip Taschler; Marjorie Lajoie and Zachary Lagha were able to get a good score. However, not enough to win.

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Despite all the challenges they faced through the off-season and the shoulder injury that Zach faced, they showed up at the competition with their heart on their sleeves. Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson clinched the first spot while Diana Davis and Gleb Smolkin danced their way to the second spot and Natalie Taschlerova and Filip Taschler were able to grab the third spot on the podium.

Even though they were not able to clinch a spot, they are positive about the future and are willing to learn from their mistakes and are hopeful about their future, planning to bounce back stronger. 

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