Kirsten Moore-Towers (born July 1, 1992) is a Canadian retired competitive
pair skater
Pair skating is a figure skating discipline defined by the International Skating Union (ISU) as "the skating of two persons in unison who perform their movements in such harmony with each other as to give the impression of genuine Pair Skating a ...
who competed internationally at the senior level for thirteen seasons from 2009 to 2022. She first achieved distinction partnered with
Dylan Moscovitch
Dylan David Moscovitch (born 23 September 1984) is a retired Canadian pair skater. He competed with Liubov Ilyushechkina from 2014 to 2018. They were the 2017 Four Continents bronze medalists, two-time bronze medalists on the Grand Prix series ...
, winning the 2011
Canadian national
The Canadian National Railway Company (french: Compagnie des chemins de fer nationaux du Canada) is a Canadian Class I railroad, Class I freight railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, which serves Canada and the Midwestern United States, M ...
title. The two won silver at the
2013 Four Continents Championships, as well as seven medals on the
ISU Grand Prix, qualifying to three
Grand Prix Finals and finishing fourth at two consecutive
World Championships
A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...
. As part of the
Canadian team at the
2014 Winter Olympics
, ''Zharkie. Zimnie. Tvoi'')
, nations = 88
, events = 98 in 7 sports (15 disciplines)
, athletes = 2,873
, opening = 7 February 2014
, closing = 23 February 2014
, opened_by = President Vladimir Putin
, cauldron =
, stadium = Fisht Olympic ...
, Moore-Towers/Moscovitch won an Olympic silver medal in the
figure skating team event.
After the end of her partnership with Moscovitch, Moore-Towers formed a new partnership with
Michael Marinaro
Michael Marinaro (born January 7, 1992) is a Canadian retired competitive pair skater. In an eight-year partnership with Kirsten Moore-Towers from 2014 to 2022, he achieved distinction both domestically and internationally, winning three Canadian ...
. Together they were three-time
Canadian national champions (2019–20, 2022). Competing internationally, they were two-time
Four Continents
Europeans in the 16th century divided the world into four continents: Africa, America, Asia, and Europe. Each of the four continents was seen to represent its quadrant of the world—Africa in the south, America in the west, Asia in the east, a ...
medalists (silver in
2019
File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...
, bronze in
2020
2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, COVID- ...
), and won medals on both the Grand Prix and
Challenger series, including gold at the
2019 Nebelhorn Trophy and
2017 U.S. International Classic. The two represented Canada at the
2018
File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...
and
2022 Winter Olympics
The 2022 Winter Olympics (2022年冬季奥林匹克运动会), officially called the XXIV Olympic Winter Games () and commonly known as Beijing 2022 (2022), was an international winter multi-sport event held from 4 to 20 February 2022 in Beij ...
.
Personal life
Kirsten Moore-Towers was born on July 1, 1992, in
St. Catharines,
Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...
, Canada.
[ She is the daughter of a steel company employee and a Finance Manager and has a sister, Katie, who is eight years younger.][ Since 2014, she has been in a relationship with former Canadian figure skater ]Liam Firus
Liam Firus (born July 2, 1992) is a Canadian retired figure skater. He is the 2016 Triglav Trophy champion and a three-time Canadian national medallist (silver in 2016, bronze in 2014–15). He competed at the 2014 Olympic Games. Earlier in his ...
. Moore-Towers is an advocate for eating disorders prevention and recovery in sport and has spoken publicly about her experiences in this area.[
]
Early years in skating
Moore-Towers was introduced to skating at age two and a half by her mother.[ She began ]pair skating
Pair skating is a figure skating discipline defined by the International Skating Union (ISU) as "the skating of two persons in unison who perform their movements in such harmony with each other as to give the impression of genuine Pair Skating a ...
around April 2008, teaming up with Andrew Evans.[ They appeared at one ]ISU Junior Grand Prix
The ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating (titled the ISU Junior Series in the 1997–98 season) is a series of international junior-level competitions organized by the International Skating Union. Medals are awarded in the disciplines of men ...
event and placed fourth on the junior level at the Canadian Championships. The pair split after ten months together.[
]
Partnership with Moscovitch
2009–10 season
In February 2009,[ Moore-Towers teamed up with ]Dylan Moscovitch
Dylan David Moscovitch (born 23 September 1984) is a retired Canadian pair skater. He competed with Liubov Ilyushechkina from 2014 to 2018. They were the 2017 Four Continents bronze medalists, two-time bronze medalists on the Grand Prix series ...
, who had trained at the same rink for several years.[ ]Kris Wirtz
Kris Wirtz (born December 12, 1969) is a Canadian former pair skater. With Kristy Sargeant, he is the 1999 Four Continents silver medallist, the 1994 Skate Canada International champion, and a two-time Canadian national champion. The pair com ...
and Kristy Sargeant-Wirtz coached the pair at the Kitchener-Waterloo Skating Club in Waterloo, Ontario
Waterloo is a city in the Canadian province of Ontario. It is one of three cities in the Regional Municipality of Waterloo (formerly Waterloo County, Ontario, Waterloo County). Waterloo is situated about west-southwest of Toronto. Due to the c ...
.[
Moore-Towers/Moscovitch debuted on the Grand Prix series at the ]2009 Skate Canada International
The 2009 Skate Canada International was the final event of six in the 2009–10 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating, a senior-level international invitational competition series. It was held at the Kitchener Memorial Auditorium Complex in Kitchener, ...
, placing sixth. They came fifth at the 2010 Canadian Championships and thus did not qualify for the Canadian teams for the 2010 Winter Olympics
)''
, nations = 82
, athletes = 2,626
, events = 86 in 7 sports (15 disciplines)
, opening = February 12, 2010
, closing = February 28, 2010
, opened_by = Governor General Michaëlle Jean
, cauldron = Catriona Le May DoanNancy GreeneWayne Gretz ...
and 2010 World Championships. They were instead sent to the 2010 Four Continents Championships in Jeonju
Jeonju () is the 16th largest city in South Korea and the capital of North Jeolla Province. It is both urban and rural due to the closeness of Wanju County which almost entirely surrounds Jeonju (Wanju County has many residents who work in Jeonju) ...
, South Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...
, where they placed ninth.
2010–11 season: National champions
The pair initially received one Grand Prix
Grand Prix ( , meaning ''Grand Prize''; plural Grands Prix), is a name sometimes used for competitions or sport events, alluding to the winner receiving a prize, trophy or honour
Grand Prix or grand prix may refer to:
Arts and entertainment ...
assignment, the 2010 Skate America
The 2010 Skate America was the fourth event of six in the 2010–11 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating, a senior-level international invitational competition series. It was held at the Rose Garden Arena in Portland, Oregon on November 11–14. Me ...
, but received a second, the 2010 Skate Canada International, after Jessica Dube / Bryce Davison
Bryce Davison (born January 29, 1986, in Walnut Creek, California) is an American-Canadian former competitive pair skater. With former partner Jessica Dubé, he is a three-time (2007, 2009, 2010) Canadian national champion, the 2008 World bron ...
withdrew.[ They won silver at both events and qualified for the ]Grand Prix Final
The Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final (formerly Champions Series Final), often shortened to ''Grand Prix Final'' and abbreviated as ''GPF'', is a senior-level international figure skating competition. Medals are awarded in men's singles, ladies ...
, where they finished sixth.
At the 2011 Canadian Championships, Moore-Towers/Moscovitch placed first in both programs to win the Canadian national title, 16.29 points ahead of silver medallists Meagan Duhamel
Meagan Duhamel (born December 8, 1985) is a Canadian pair skater. With partner Eric Radford, she is a two-time world champion (2015, 2016), a 2018 Olympic gold medallist in the team event, a 2014 Olympic silver medallist in the team event, a 2 ...
/ Eric Radford
Eric Radford (born January 27, 1985) is a Canadian pair skater. With former partner Meagan Duhamel, he is a two-time world champion ( 2015, 2016), a 2018 Olympic gold medallist in the team event, a 2014 Olympic silver medallist in the team even ...
.[ At the 2011 Four Continents Championships they placed fifth overall, after coming fifth in the short program and winning a small bronze medal for coming third in the free skate. They placed eighth in their debut at the 2011 World Championships.
]
2011–12 season
Assigned to two Grand Prix
Grand Prix ( , meaning ''Grand Prize''; plural Grands Prix), is a name sometimes used for competitions or sport events, alluding to the winner receiving a prize, trophy or honour
Grand Prix or grand prix may refer to:
Arts and entertainment ...
events, Moore-Towers/Moscovitch won bronze at both the 2011 Skate America and the 2011 Cup of China. At the 2012 Canadian Championships, they placed third in the short program and fourth in the free skate, finishing off the podium in fourth despite being the defending champions. Moore-Towers fell on their three-jump combination, and both fell while exiting a lift, resulting in three fall deductions accrued during the free skate. She commented afterwards: "I still love figure skating."[
]
2012–13 season: Silver at Four Continents
Moore-Towers/Moscovitch began the season at the 2012 U.S. Classic, where they won the gold medal. They came fourth at their first Grand Prix
Grand Prix ( , meaning ''Grand Prize''; plural Grands Prix), is a name sometimes used for competitions or sport events, alluding to the winner receiving a prize, trophy or honour
Grand Prix or grand prix may refer to:
Arts and entertainment ...
assignment, the 2012 Cup of China, but went on to win silver at the 2012 NHK Trophy. These results qualified them for the Grand Prix Final
The Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final (formerly Champions Series Final), often shortened to ''Grand Prix Final'' and abbreviated as ''GPF'', is a senior-level international figure skating competition. Medals are awarded in men's singles, ladies ...
for the second time, where they finished fifth.
At the 2013 Canadian Championships, they placed second in both programs to win the silver medal, behind Duhamel/Radford. At the 2013 Four Continents Championships in Osaka
is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third most populous city in Japan, following Special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population of 2. ...
, Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
, they placed second in the first program and first in the free skate, again winning the silver medal behind Duhamel/Radford. Moore-Towers' fall on a throw triple loop prevented them from winning the title outright, which she called "a bit unfortunate."[ This was the team's first (and only, as it would turn out) medal at a major international competition.
Moore-Towers/Moscovitch ended the season at the 2013 World Championships in ]London, Ontario
London (pronounced ) is a city in southwestern Ontario, Canada, along the Quebec City–Windsor Corridor. The city had a population of 422,324 according to the 2021 Canadian census. London is at the confluence of the Thames River, approximate ...
, where they placed fourth after coming fifth in both segments.
2013–14 season: Sochi Olympics
Moore-Towers/Moscovitch repeated as gold medallists at the 2013 U.S. Classic before turning to the Grand Prix series. They won a silver medal at the 2013 Skate America and bronze at the 2013 Rostelecom Cup, which qualified them for their third Grand Prix Final
The Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final (formerly Champions Series Final), often shortened to ''Grand Prix Final'' and abbreviated as ''GPF'', is a senior-level international figure skating competition. Medals are awarded in men's singles, ladies ...
, where they again came sixth.
They won another silver medal at the 2014 Canadian Championships and were named to the Canadian team for the 2014 Winter Olympics
, ''Zharkie. Zimnie. Tvoi'')
, nations = 88
, events = 98 in 7 sports (15 disciplines)
, athletes = 2,873
, opening = 7 February 2014
, closing = 23 February 2014
, opened_by = President Vladimir Putin
, cauldron =
, stadium = Fisht Olympic ...
. Moore-Towers/Moscovitch were part of the Canadian team for the team event in Sochi
Sochi ( rus, Со́чи, p=ˈsotɕɪ, a=Ru-Сочи.ogg) is the largest resort city in Russia. The city is situated on the Sochi River, along the Black Sea in Southern Russia, with a population of 466,078 residents, up to 600,000 residents in ...
, performing the pairs free skate portion, where they came second. Canada won the silver medal overall.[ In the pairs event, they came sixth in the short program and fifth in the free skate to finish fifth overall.
In their final event together, the 2014 World Championships in Saitama, ]Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
, they finished fourth for the second straight year. They came third in the free skate, winning a bronze small medal. Moore-Towers and Moscovitch announced the end of their partnership on April 30, 2014, stating that they had different goals.[
]
Partnership with Marinaro
Moore-Towers tried out with Michael Marinaro
Michael Marinaro (born January 7, 1992) is a Canadian retired competitive pair skater. In an eight-year partnership with Kirsten Moore-Towers from 2014 to 2022, he achieved distinction both domestically and internationally, winning three Canadian ...
and Mervin Tran
Mervin Tran (born September 22, 1990) is a Canadian pair skater who competes for the United States with Olivia Serafini.
Competing for Japan with former partner Narumi Takahashi, he is the 2012 World bronze medalist, the 2010 World Junior si ...
.[ On June 3, 2014, ]Skate Canada
Skate Canada ( Canadian French: ''Patinage Canada'', lit. "Skating Canada") is the national governing body for figure skating in Canada, recognized by the International Skating Union and the Canadian Olympic Committee. It organizes the annual ...
announced that she and Marinaro had formed a partnership, coached by Kris Wirtz
Kris Wirtz (born December 12, 1969) is a Canadian former pair skater. With Kristy Sargeant, he is the 1999 Four Continents silver medallist, the 1994 Skate Canada International champion, and a two-time Canadian national champion. The pair com ...
and Kristy Wirtz
Kristy Lee Sargeant-Wirtz (born January 24, 1974) is a Canadian former pair skater. With Kris Wirtz, she is the 1999 Four Continents silver medallist, the 1994 Skate Canada International champion, and a two-time Canadian national champion. The p ...
at the Kitchener Waterloo Skating Club in southern Ontario.[ Moore-Towers said they were adjusting their technique on lifts, stating: "Mike's former partner is much taller than I am, so the technique is a bit different; he has to work in a different way."][
]
2014–15 season
Having received two 2014–15 Grand Prix assignments,[ Moore-Towers/Marinaro placed sixth at the ]2014 Skate Canada International
The 2014 Skate Canada International was the second event of six in the 2014–15 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating, a senior-level international invitational competition series. It was held at the Prospera Place in Kelowna, British Columbia on Oct ...
and seventh at the 2014 Trophée Éric Bompard. They were fourth at the 2015 Canadian Championships and ninth at the 2015 Four Continents.
In March 2015, the pair relocated to Montreal
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...
, Quebec
Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...
, to train under coaches Richard Gauthier and Bruno Marcotte
Bruno Marcotte (born September 10, 1974) is a Canadian figure skating coach and former competitor in pairs. He is the 1993 World Junior bronze medallist with Isabelle Coulombe and the 2000 Nebelhorn Trophy champion with Valérie Marcoux.
Pers ...
.[
]
2015–16 season
Moore-Towers/Marinaro began the 2015–16 season with a bronze medal at the 2015 U.S. International Classic – their first Challenger Series event. Competing in the Grand Prix
Grand Prix ( , meaning ''Grand Prize''; plural Grands Prix), is a name sometimes used for competitions or sport events, alluding to the winner receiving a prize, trophy or honour
Grand Prix or grand prix may refer to:
Arts and entertainment ...
series, they won bronze at the 2015 Skate Canada International and placed seventh at the 2015 Rostelecom Cup. During the short program at the Canadian Nationals, the two clipped blades as they began the twist lift
Figure skating lifts are required elements in two disciplines of figure skating, pair skating and ice dance. There are five groups of lifts in pair skating, categorized in order of increasing level of difficulty. Judges look for the following when ...
, resulting in a hard fall.[ They finished fourth for the second year in a row. On March 11, Moore-Towers/Marinaro were added to Canada's team for the 2016 World Championships after ]Julianne Séguin
Julianne Séguin (born November 7, 1996) is a Canadian pair skater. With Charlie Bilodeau, she is the 2016 Skate America champion, the 2015 World Junior silver medallist, the 2014 Junior Grand Prix Final champion, and a three-time Canadian nat ...
/ Charlie Bilodeau
Charlie Bilodeau (born August 6, 1993) is a retired Canadian pair skater.
With former partner Julianne Séguin, he is the 2016 Skate America champion, the 2015 World Junior silver medallist, the 2014 Junior Grand Prix Final champion, and a t ...
withdrew due to injury.[ They placed eighth at the event in ]Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
.
2016–17 season: National bronze medal
Moore-Towers sustained a concussion during training in Montreal on August 3, 2016; as the pair practiced a jump combination, she fell in Marinaro's path, and he collided with her head.[ The pair withdrew from their Grand Prix assignments, the ]2016 Rostelecom Cup
The 2016 Rostelecom Cup was the third event of six in the 2016–17 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating, a senior-level international invitational competition series. It was held at the Megasport Arena in Moscow on November 4–5. Medals were award ...
and 2016 NHK Trophy. They returned to competition at the 2017 Canadian Championships, where they placed third. They placed seventh at the 2017 Four Continents Championships. They finished the season at the 2017 World Team Trophy event, where both they and the Canadian team placed fourth.
2017–18 season: Pyeongchang Olympics
Moore-Towers and Marinaro began the season at the US International Classic, where they won the gold medal. On the Grand Prix circuit, they placed sixth at the 2017 Skate America event and won bronze at the 2017 Cup of China. They again placed third at the 2018 Canadian Championships, qualifying them for a spot on the Canadian team for the 2018 Winter Olympics
, nations = 93
, athletes = 2,922 (1,680 men and 1,242 women)
, events = 102 in 7 sports (15 disciplines)
, opening =
, closing =
, opened_by = President Moon Jae-in
, cauldron = Kim Yun-a
, stadium = Pyeongchang Olympic Stadium
, winte ...
in Pyeongchang
Pyeongchang (; in full, ''Pyeongchang-gun'' ; ) is a county in the province of Gangwon-do, South Korea, located in the Taebaek Mountains region. It is home to several Buddhist temples, including Woljeongsa. It is about east southeast of Seou ...
, South Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...
. They placed eleventh at the Winter Olympics pairs competition.
Their season ended dramatically at the 2018 World Championships, where a disastrous short program from Séguin and Bilodeau resulted in Moore-Towers and Marinaro being the only Canadian pairs team to qualify for the free skate, having placed tenth in the short program despite Moore-Towers having an ankle injury that had impeded training for the World Championships. They needed to place no lower than tenth to qualify Canada for two pairs spots at the next year's world championships, placing additional pressure. The pair skated a new personal best, resulting in a fourth-place finish in the free skate and a sixth-place overall finish that also represented a personal best-combined score. Moore-Towers commented: "We had a tough couple of weeks leading into this competition with not much training to rely on. We didn't have that same confidence, so this is a testament to how hard we worked all season."[
]
2018–19 season: National title and Four Continents silver
Following the retirements of Duhamel/Radford and Moscovitch and his new partner Liubov Ilyushechkina
Liubov Ivanovna Ilyushechkina (russian: Любовь Ивановна Илюшечкина, born 5 November 1991) is a Russian-born Canadian pair skater.
Ilyushechkina began competing for Canada with Dylan Moscovitch in 2014, and they were the 2 ...
, and the breakup of the team of Séguin/Bilodeau, Moore-Towers and Marinaro became the most prominent remaining Canadian pairs team.[ Moore-Towers admitted in interviews that this additional pressure was a challenge during the summer months of preparation and that in addition they could not train jumps or throws for much of that time due to her ankle recuperation.][ They competed in two Challenger events, winning silver at both the Autumn Classic and ]Finlandia Trophy
The Finlandia Trophy is a senior-level international figure skating competition. Since 1995, it is held annually in Finland in Greater Helsinki region, including Helsinki, Vantaa, and Espoo. It became part of the ISU Challenger Series in the 2014 ...
.
Competing on the Grand Prix
Grand Prix ( , meaning ''Grand Prize''; plural Grands Prix), is a name sometimes used for competitions or sport events, alluding to the winner receiving a prize, trophy or honour
Grand Prix or grand prix may refer to:
Arts and entertainment ...
, Moore-Towers/Marinaro won the bronze medal at the 2018 Skate Canada International, only 0.15 points behind silver medallists Peng Cheng
Peng Cheng (; ; April 23, 1997) is a Chinese pair skater. With current partner Jin Yang, she is a two-time Four Continents medalist (silver in 2020, bronze in 2019), two-time Grand Prix Final silver medalist ( 2018–19, 2019–20), and the 2 ...
/ Jin Yang
Jin Yang (; ; born in Harbin) is a Chinese male pair skater. With current partner Peng Cheng, he is a two-time Four Continents medalist (silver in 2020, bronze in 2019), two-time Grand Prix Final silver medalist ( 2018–19, 2019–20), and ...
of China. Moore Towers remarked, "it's hard to lose the silver medal on a fraction of a point."[ At their second event, the 2018 NHK Trophy, they placed third after the short program, but a rougher free skate dropped them to fourth place, 0.83 points behind bronze medallists ]Alexa Scimeca Knierim
Alexa Paige Knierim, née Scimeca (born June 10, 1991) is an American pair skater. With her skating partner, Brandon Frazier, she is the 2022 World champion, a 2022 Olympic silver medalist in the figure skating team event, the 2022 Grand Prix ...
/ Chris Knierim
Christopher Knierim (born November 5, 1987) is an American former pair skater. With his wife, Alexa Scimeca Knierim, he is a 2018 Olympic bronze medalist in the figure skating team event, a two-time Four Continents medalist ( 2016 silver, 2014 ...
of the United States. Marinaro said they were "disappointed with how this turned out."[
The two were heavy favourites going into the 2019 Canadian Championships and prevailed, winning both the short and free programs decisively. Moore-Towers' eight-year gap between title victories was the widest in the history of the Canadian championships.][
Moore-Towers/Marinaro won the short program at ]Four Continents
Europeans in the 16th century divided the world into four continents: Africa, America, Asia, and Europe. Each of the four continents was seen to represent its quadrant of the world—Africa in the south, America in the west, Asia in the east, a ...
, earning a gold small medal, by skating a clean program while rival teams, China's Peng/Jin and Sui Wenjing
Sui Wenjing (; born 18 July 1995) is a Chinese pair skater. With partner Han Cong, she is the 2022 Olympic gold medalist, 2018 Olympic silver medalist, a two-time world champion (2017, 2019), a three-time world silver medalist (2015, 2016, 2 ...
/ Han Cong
Han Cong (pronounced "Han Tsong") (; born 6 August 1992) is a Chinese pair skater. With partner Sui Wenjing, he is the 2022 Olympic gold medalist, 2018 Olympic silver medalist, a two-time world champion (2017, 2019), a three-time world sil ...
, both fell.[ They placed second in the free skate and won the silver overall, only 0.06 points behind gold medallists Sui/Han. They received a negative Grade of Execution on their second lift, which accounted for the points difference. Moore-Towers described it as "a little bit bittersweet" but that they were happy at the progress they had made.][
Competing at the 2019 World Championships, Moore-Towers/Marinaro placed fifth in the short program, despite Marinaro putting a hand down on their side-by-side jump.][ They placed eighth in the free skate and dropped to seventh place overall as a consequence of errors on both side-by-side jumps by Marinaro and Moore-Towers putting a hand down on a throw jump. She remarked: "Unfortunately, today was not our day."][ The two concluded the season as part of Team Canada at the 2019 World Team Trophy, where they placed fourth among the six pairs teams, and Team Canada finished fifth overall.][
]
2019–20 season: Four Continents bronze
Following the decision by coach Bruno Marcotte
Bruno Marcotte (born September 10, 1974) is a Canadian figure skating coach and former competitor in pairs. He is the 1993 World Junior bronze medallist with Isabelle Coulombe and the 2000 Nebelhorn Trophy champion with Valérie Marcoux.
Pers ...
to relocate to Oakville, Moore-Towers and Marinaro opted to follow Marcotte, partly because it allowed them to be closer to their hometowns in Ontario. They dedicated much of the summer training period to reworking their technique on the triple twist, hoping to achieve greater amplitude.[ In their first event of the season, the ]Nebelhorn Trophy
The Nebelhorn Trophy is an international senior-level figure skating competition organized by the Deutsche Eislauf-Union and held annually in Oberstdorf, Germany. It became part of the ISU Challenger Series in the 2014–15 season.
The competitio ...
, they won the gold medal with first-place finishes in both segments.[
For their first ]Grand Prix
Grand Prix ( , meaning ''Grand Prize''; plural Grands Prix), is a name sometimes used for competitions or sport events, alluding to the winner receiving a prize, trophy or honour
Grand Prix or grand prix may refer to:
Arts and entertainment ...
, Moore-Towers/Marinaro were assigned to the 2019 Skate Canada International
The 2019 Skate Canada International was the second event of the 2019–20 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating, a senior-level international invitational competition series. It was held at Prospera Place in Kelowna, British Columbia from October 25 ...
, placing second in the short program with a new personal best.[ In the free skate, Marinaro made errors on both side-by-side jumps, but the team remained in second place, winning their first Grand Prix silver.][ At the 2019 NHK Trophy, Moore-Towers/Marinaro placed second in the short program despite a side-by-side spin error from Marinaro.][ They were second in the free skate as well, taking their second silver medal of the season and qualifying to the ]Grand Prix Final
The Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final (formerly Champions Series Final), often shortened to ''Grand Prix Final'' and abbreviated as ''GPF'', is a senior-level international figure skating competition. Medals are awarded in men's singles, ladies ...
for the first time in their partnership.[ Competing at the ]Grand Prix Final
The Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final (formerly Champions Series Final), often shortened to ''Grand Prix Final'' and abbreviated as ''GPF'', is a senior-level international figure skating competition. Medals are awarded in men's singles, ladies ...
in Torino
Turin ( , Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. T ...
, they were sixth of the six teams in the short program after Moore-Towers fell on their throw and Marinaro stepped out of his side-by-side jump.[ They skated cleanly in the free skate other than Marinaro having an unusual fall after performing their throw Salchow, placing fourth in that segment and rising to fifth place overall.][
Entering the 2020 Canadian Championships as the favourites to defend their title, they placed first in the short program despite Moore-Towers stepping out of her triple toe loop jump.][ She singled the beginning of her planned three-jump combination in the free skate as well, but the two skated cleanly otherwise and won the free skate and their second national title.][
Skating a clean program, Moore-Towers/Marinaro won the short program at the Four Continents Championships for the second consecutive year, placing ahead of a similarly clean ]Peng
Peng may refer to:
* Peng (surname) (彭), a Chinese name
* Peng (state) (大彭), a state during the late Shang dynasty
* Peng (mythology) (鵬), a legendary Chinese creature
* ''Peng!'', 1992 album by Stereolab
* ''PENG!'', a 2005 comic
* P.Eng. ...
/ Jin and reigning World champions Sui/Han
Han may refer to:
Ethnic groups
* Han Chinese, or Han People (): the name for the largest ethnic group in China, which also constitutes the world's largest ethnic group.
** Han Taiwanese (): the name for the ethnic group of the Taiwanese p ...
, who erred by performing only a double throw.[ They struggled in the free skate, with Moore-Towers doubling their intended triple Salchow for the second straight competition and Marinaro falling in a transition. Fourth in the free skate behind Sui/Han, Peng/Jin and Calalang/]Johnson
Johnson is a surname of Anglo-Norman origin meaning "Son of John". It is the second most common in the United States and 154th most common in the world. As a common family name in Scotland, Johnson is occasionally a variation of ''Johnston'', a ...
, they won the bronze medal overall. Moore-Towers said afterward, "we've been practicing really well, and it’s become apparent that we need to translate what we do in training into how we perform at competitions."[ They were assigned to compete at the ]World Championships
A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...
in Montreal
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...
, but these were cancelled as a result of the coronavirus pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identified ...
.[
]
2020–21 season
Following the initial lockdown, Moore-Towers and Marinaro were placed on a list of skaters allowed to continue training through future lockdowns.[ Moore-Towers/Marinaro were assigned to the 2020 Skate Canada International, but this event was also cancelled as a result of the pandemic.][ In September, Moore-Towers suffered a rib injury in training that kept her off the ice for several weeks.][
Moore-Towers/Marinaro competed for the first time that season at the Skate Canada Challenge, the main qualifying competition for the national championships, which was held virtually across several hub locations to minimize gatherings of athletes and officials. They easily won the competition despite a few errors.][
On February 25, Moore-Towers and Marinaro were announced as part of the Canadian team to the ]2021 World Championships
1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1 ...
in Stockholm
Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...
.[ They placed tenth in the short program with several minor errors.][ They were fifth in the free skate, rising to sixth place overall, despite a minor error by Moore-Towers touched down on a throw.][
]
2021–22 season: Beijing Olympics
During the summer of 2021, Moore-Towers began to suffer from panic attack
Panic attacks are sudden periods of intense fear and discomfort that may include palpitations, sweating, chest pain or chest discomfort, shortness of breath, trembling, dizziness, numbness, confusion, or a feeling of impending doom or of losing ...
s in training, relating to attempting the triple twist lift. As she later said, the twist had "never been my favourite element; it's just never been my friend." At points, she contemplated whether Marinaro should seek a different partner. They opted to proceed with the season.[ Moore-Towers/Marinaro began the season at the ]2021 CS Finlandia Trophy
The 2021 CS Finlandia Trophy was held on October 7–10, 2021 in Espoo, Finland. It was part of the 2021–22 ISU Challenger Series. Medals were awarded in the disciplines of single skating, men's singles, women's singles, pair skating, pairs, and ...
, competing against new domestic rivals James
James is a common English language surname and given name:
*James (name), the typically masculine first name James
* James (surname), various people with the last name James
James or James City may also refer to:
People
* King James (disambiguat ...
/ Radford. They placed eighth, three ordinals and five points behind James/Radford. Moore-Towers called it "nowhere where we wanted in either program."[
Competing on the ]Grand Prix
Grand Prix ( , meaning ''Grand Prize''; plural Grands Prix), is a name sometimes used for competitions or sport events, alluding to the winner receiving a prize, trophy or honour
Grand Prix or grand prix may refer to:
Arts and entertainment ...
at the 2021 Skate Canada International, Moore-Towers/Marinaro were fourth in the short program. In the free skate, they had one of their lifts invalidated due to a failed initial entry and had to abort a second lift; as a result, they were sixth in that segment and dropped to sixth overall. Moore-Towers said afterward, "here is no rhyme nor reason for the lifts. We had a tricky practice this morning, so we had more focus on the jumps and throws."[ They were fifth at the 2021 Rostelecom Cup, continuing to struggle on their elements, which Moore-Towers called "more of a mental thing" as it was not consistent with their training.][ Following the Grand Prix they competed at the 2021 CS Golden Spin of Zagreb, where they finished in eighth place.][
After a disappointing fall season, Moore-Towers/Marinaro sought to defend their national title at the 2022 Canadian Championships, held without an audience in ]Ottawa
Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...
due to restrictions prompted by the Omicron variant
Omicron (B.1.1.529) is a variant of SARS-CoV-2 first reported to the World Health Organization (WHO) by the Network for Genomics Surveillance in South Africa on 24 November 2021. It was first detected in Botswana and has spread to become the ...
. They won the short program by 6.14 points over training partners Walsh Walsh may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Walsh (surname), including a list of people and fictional characters with the surname
Places
* Fort Walsh, one of the first posts of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police
* Walsh, Ontario, Norfolk ...
/ Michaud, while James/Radford placed fourth and withdrew before the free skate. Moore-Towers/Marinaro easily won the free skate, with only their twist receiving a negative Grade of Execution. Moore-Towers said she was "ecstatic," and "it wasn't perfect, but it is obviously leaps and bounds ahead of what we've done this season."[ On January 9 they were named to the Canadian Olympic team.][
Moore-Towers/Marinaro began the Games as the Canadian entries in the pairs' short program of the Olympic team event. They received a negative grade of execution on their triple twist, and Moore-Towers stepped out of her triple toe loop but secured a season's best score of 67.34 to place fifth, earning Team Canada six points.][ They did not skate in the free segment, which James/Radford handled, and Team Canada ultimately finished in fourth overall.][ In the pairs event, Moore-Towers/Marinaro had a disastrous short program when both fell attempting their throw jump, and they finished thirteenth in the segment.][ They rose to tenth place after the free skate.][
The team was supposed to conclude the season, and their competitive careers, at the 2022 World Championships in ]Montpellier
Montpellier (, , ; oc, Montpelhièr ) is a city in southern France near the Mediterranean Sea. One of the largest urban centres in the region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitania, Montpellier is the prefecture of the Departments of ...
. However, Moore-Towers' season-long struggle with panic attacks came to a head, and she opted to withdraw from the event, citing American gymnast Simone Biles
Simone Arianne Biles (; born March 14, 1997) is an American artistic gymnast. Her seven Olympic medals tied with Shannon Miller for the most Olympic medals won by an American gymnast. Having won 25 World Championship medals, she is the most de ...
as inspiration. On the subject of attending the World Championships with Marinaro, Moore-Towers said, "I love him so much, cherish his opinion and value his voice and like to think I would give him anything in the world that he asked for. I think it says a lot that I could not give him this."[
On June 7, the pair announced their retirement from competitive skating.][ Moore-Towers remarked that her "career was filled with extreme highs and some tumultuous lows, and it certainly wasn’t perfect; nor was I. I hope to be remembered as a good teammate, as somebody who won with class and lost with dignity."][
]
Programs
With Marinaro
With Moscovitch
Competitive highlights
''GP: Grand Prix
Grand Prix ( , meaning ''Grand Prize''; plural Grands Prix), is a name sometimes used for competitions or sport events, alluding to the winner receiving a prize, trophy or honour
Grand Prix or grand prix may refer to:
Arts and entertainment ...
; CS: Challenger Series; JGP: Junior Grand Prix
The ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating (titled the ISU Junior Series in the 1997–98 season) is a series of international junior-level competitions organized by the International Skating Union. Medals are awarded in the disciplines of men ...
''
With Marinaro
With Moscovitch
With Evans
Detailed results
''Small medals for short and free programs awarded only at ISU Championships. At team events, medals awarded for team results only. Current ISU personal bests highlighted in bold. Historical ISU personal bests highlighted in italics.''
With Marinaro
See also
*List of Canadian sports personalities
The following is a list of Canadians, Canadian sports personalities.
Olympic athletes
*Alex Baumann, Greater Sudbury, Sudbury, swimmer
*Josh Binstock (born 1981), volleyball player
*Patrick Chan, Ottawa
*Victor Davis, Guelph
*Andre De Grasse, ...
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Moore-Towers, Kirsten
1992 births
Living people
Canadian female pair skaters
Skating people from Ontario
Sportspeople from St. Catharines
Figure skaters at the 2014 Winter Olympics
Figure skaters at the 2018 Winter Olympics
Figure skaters at the 2022 Winter Olympics
Olympic figure skaters of Canada
Medalists at the 2014 Winter Olympics
Olympic medalists in figure skating
Olympic silver medalists for Canada
Four Continents Figure Skating Championships medalists