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Elladj Baldé (born November 9, 1990) is a Canadian former competitive
figure skater Figure skating is a sport in which individuals, pairs, or groups perform on figure skates on ice. It was the first winter sport to be included in the Olympic Games, when contested at the 1908 Olympics in London. The Olympic disciplines are m ...
. He won the
2015 Nebelhorn Trophy The 2015 Nebelhorn Trophy was a senior international figure skating competition in the 2015–16 season. Part of the 2015–16 ISU Challenger Series, it was held on September 24–26, 2015 at the Eislaufzentrum Oberstdorf. Medals were awarded in ...
, an
ISU Challenger Series The ISU Challenger Series is a series of international figure skating competitions. Established by the International Skating Union in the 2014–15 season, it is a group of senior-level events ranked below the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating. ...
event. He is the 2008 Canadian Junior champion.


Personal life

Elladj Baldé was born November 9, 1990 in
Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...
to a Russian mother and a Guinean father, Ibrahim, from the village of Tombon, near
Labé Labé ( Pular 𞤆𞤵𞤤𞤢𞤪:𞤂𞤢𞤦𞤫) is the main city and administrative capital of the Fouta Djallon region of Guinea. It has a population of about 200,000. It is the second largest city in the country after the capital Conakry i ...
. He has two younger sisters, Djoulia Baldé and Catherine Baldé, who also skated. His older sister, Djouldé, died from
leukemia Leukemia ( also spelled leukaemia and pronounced ) is a group of blood cancers that usually begin in the bone marrow and result in high numbers of abnormal blood cells. These blood cells are not fully developed and are called ''blasts'' or ...
. After a year in
Bonn The federal city of Bonn ( lat, Bonna) is a city on the banks of the Rhine in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, with a population of over 300,000. About south-southeast of Cologne, Bonn is in the southernmost part of the Rhine-Ru ...
, Germany during his sister's treatment, the family moved to Canada in 1992. He speaks English, French, and Russian. On March 18, 2020 he announced his engagement to Michelle Dawley, a dancer and choreographer from
Calgary Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806, maki ...
.


Career

Elladj Baldé was introduced to skating at the age of seven by his mother. Though at first he would hide his skates in an attempt to avoid practice, he began to love skating when he was ten. He was sometimes discouraged by mocking of the sport. His parents also struggled with the expense of skating. In a 2021 interview, he said, "I was lucky that I grew up with coaches that understood our family’s situation and helped us out." Baldé won the junior silver medal at the 2007 Canadian Championships and won the junior title at the 2008 Canadian Championships. During the 2008–09 season, he won a pair of medals on the
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 me ...
series and made his senior national debut at the 2009 Canadian Championships, finishing 10th. Baldé was 8th at the 2009 World Junior Championships. In 2009, Baldé underwent major surgery after tearing his
anterior cruciate ligament The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is one of a pair of cruciate ligaments (the other being the posterior cruciate ligament) in the human knee. The two ligaments are also called "cruciform" ligaments, as they are arranged in a crossed formation ...
(ACL) in his right knee, keeping him off the ice for six months. His doctor gave the go-ahead to resume practicing triples after three months of lighter training on the ice. He missed the entire 2009–10 season. Baldé returned to competition the following season and placed 5th at the 2011 Canadian Championships. In late 2011, he moved to the United States to train with Yuka Sato and Jason Dungjen at the Detroit Skating Club in
Bloomfield Hills, Michigan Bloomfield Hills is a small city (5.04 sq. miles) in Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is a northern suburb of Metro Detroit and is approximately northwest of Downtown Detroit. Except a small southern border with the city of Bi ...
. He was 4th at the 2012 Canadian Championships. After identifying a problem with the blade positioning on one of his new boots, Baldé decided to compete at the 2013 Skate Canada International with an older left boot and new right boot, even though one was soft and the other stiff. Both his knees were taped as a result of
tendinitis Tendinopathy, a type of tendon disorder that results in pain, swelling, and impaired function. The pain is typically worse with movement. It most commonly occurs around the shoulder ( rotator cuff tendinitis, biceps tendinitis), elbow ( tennis e ...
. In the short program, he landed his first quad toe in competition and added a double toe to the end. Baldé withdrew from the 2014 Skate Canada International on October 30, having sustained a concussion. He relocated to Montreal in or before July 2015, joining Bruno Marcotte and Manon Perron. He won an
ISU Challenger Series The ISU Challenger Series is a series of international figure skating competitions. Established by the International Skating Union in the 2014–15 season, it is a group of senior-level events ranked below the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating. ...
event, the
2015 Nebelhorn Trophy The 2015 Nebelhorn Trophy was a senior international figure skating competition in the 2015–16 season. Part of the 2015–16 ISU Challenger Series, it was held on September 24–26, 2015 at the Eislaufzentrum Oberstdorf. Medals were awarded in ...
, improving his personal best by 30 points. In early September 2017, Baldé sustained his fifth concussion in three or four years. The 2018 Four Continents Championships was his last competition as an eligible figure skater.
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 annu ...
announced his retirement on May 4, 2018. Baldé is a co-founder of the Figure Skating Diversity and Inclusion Alliance. He appeared as a choreographer in season 5 (2019) of '' Battle of the Blades'' and served as a judge in season 6. He is also active on social media.


Programs


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''


References


External links

*
Elladj Baldé
at
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 annu ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Balde, Elladj 1990 births Canadian male single skaters Living people Russian emigrants to Canada Canadian people of Guinean descent Sportspeople of Guinean descent Canadian people of Russian descent