With the Grand Prix events just around the corner, allow us to take you into one of the Challengers preceding “the big party”: the 51th edition of Nebelhorn Trophy in Oberstdorf.
North American skaters took three gold medals out of four – in pairs, ladies and ice dance – and some of the competitors coincidentally found themselves on the very same place as last year: in the pairs event, Alexa Scimeca Knierim and Chris Knierim repeated as silver medalists (with a +25.19 points comparing it with last year), while ice dancers Christina Carreira and Anthony Ponomarenko took the Nebelhorn bronze once again (+12.86 points vs 2018).
4th last year in Oberstdorf, Mariah Bell rose to the peak of the podium at this edition. Kirsten Moore-Towers and Michael Marinaro won the pairs gold (and they are definitely a pair to watch this season – our opening photo speaks for itself), Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Nikolaj Sorensen ran away, in convincing fashion, with the ice dance gold, while Russia’s Makar Ignatov (who lost almost all last season due to a broken bone in his right foot) took everyone by surprise winning the men’s gold in Oberstdorf.
Our photographer, Alberto Ponti, has seen it all – and photographed it all.
PAIRS
Gold: Kirsten Moore-Towers and Michael Marinaro, Canada, 210.35 points
Silver: Alexa Scimeca Knierim and Chris Knierim, USA, 202.41 points
Bronze: Tae Ok Ryom and Ju Sik Kim, North Korea, 183.02 points
1st: Kirsten Moore-Towers and Michael Marinaro
SP: Love On the Brain (Los Feliz Blvd) feat. Bishop Briggs
(choreo. by Julie Marcotte)
FS: Carry You by Ruelle (feat. Fleurie)
(choreo. by Julie Marcotte)
2nd: Alexa Scimeca Knierim and Chris Knierim
SP: At Last performed by Beyonce, arranged by Maxime Rodriguez
(choreo. by Benoît Richaud)
FS: Drop of Fragrance by Maxime Rodriguez, Experience by Ludovico Einaudi
(choreo. by Benoît Richaud)
3rd: Tae Ok Ryom and Ju Sik Kim
SP: Malaguena by Ernesto Lecuona
(choreo. by Julie Marcotte)
FS: Fly High, Doves by Choe Hong Nam
(choreo. by Julie Marcotte)
4th: Feiyao Tang and Yongchao Yang
SP: Tango de los Exilados by Vanessa Mae, Walter Taieb
(choreo. by Pascal Denis)
FS: The Greatest Showman (soundtrack)
(choreo. by Pascal Denis)
5th: Minerva Fabienne Hase and Nolan Seegert
SP: Open Hands by Ingrid Michaelson feat. Trent Dabbs
(choreo. by Mark Pillay)
FS: House of the Rising Sun performed by Heavy Young Heathens
(choreo. by Mark Pillay)
LADIES
Gold: Mariah Bell, USA, 205.13 points
Silver: Yelim Kim, South Korea, 186.27 points
Bronze: Nicole Schott, Germany, 177.76 points
1st: Mariah Bell
SP: Radar, Work by Britney Spears
(choreo. by Adam Rippon)
FS: Hallelujah by KD Lang
(choreo. by Shae-Lynn Bourne)
2nd: Yelim Kim
SP: Black Swan (soundtrack) by various artists
(choreo. by Kyu Hyun Lee)
FS: Love Story (soundtrack) by Francis Lai
(choreo. by Jeffrey Buttle)
3rd: Nicole Schott
SP: Caught Out in the Rain by Beth Hart
FS: Kung Fu Panda (soundtrack), Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon (soundtrack) by Tan Dun
4th: Alexandra Feigin
SP: Schindler’s List (soundtrack) by John Williams, Horizons by Ashram
FS: Grand Hotel Budapest (soundtrack) by Alexandre Desplat, Passagers by Les 7 Doigts
5th: Marin Honda
SP: Seven Nation Army by Jack White
(choreo. by Shae-Lynn Bourne)
FS: La La Land (soundtrack) by Justin Hurwitz
(choreo. by Lori Nichol)
MEN
Gold: Makar Ignatov, Russia, 220.51 points
Silver: Koshiro Shimada, Japan, 214.98 points
Bronze: Alexei Bychenko, Israel, 214.70 points
1st: Makar Ignatov
SP: In This Shirt by The Irrepressibles
FS: Troy by James Horner, Remember performed by Josh Groban
2nd: Koshiro Shimada
SP: Stay by Cynthia Erivo, Oliver Tompsett
FS: Music from the movie “The Artist” (soundtrack by Ludovic Bource)
3rd: Alexey Bychenko
SP: Words by Harel Skaat
FS: Pirates of the Caribbean (soundtrack)
4rd: Nam Nguyen
SP: Blues for Klook Eddy Louiss
FS: Come Together, Let It Be, Get Back by The Beatles
5th: Daniel Samohin
SP: Fastidious Horses (from “White Night” soundtrack) by Vladimir Vysocki
FS: Music from “The Peacemaker” soundtrack by Hans Zimmer
ICE DANCE
Gold: Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Nikolaj Sorensen, Canada, 201.00 points
Silver: Kaitlin Hawayek and Jean-Luc Baker, USA, 192.47 points
Bronze: Christina Carreira and Anthony Ponomarenko, USA, 190.35 points
1st: Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Nikolaj Sorensen
RD: Raise A Little Hell, Bonnie, This World Will Remember Us from Bonnie & Clyde
(choreo. by Romain Haguenauer)
FD: Summertime performed by Chris Botti, David Foster, Georgia On My Mind performed by Michael Bublé, Cry Me A River performed by Michael Bublé
(choreo. by Marie-France Dubreuil, Patrice Lauzon, Samuel Chouinard)
2nd: Kaitlin Hawayek and Jean-Luc Baker
RD: Staying Alive by The Bee Gees, How Deep Is Your Love by The Bee Gees, You Should Be Dancing by varios artists
(choreo. by Romain Haguenauer)
FD: Symphony No. 5 by Ludwig van Beethoven, performed by Marcin Patrzalek, Caprice No. 24 performed by Marcin Patrzalek
(choreo. by Marie-France Dubreuil)
Training mates having fun at the end of medal ceremony in Oberstdorf
3rd: Christina Carreira and Anthony Ponomarenko
RD: Too Darn Hot (from “Kiss Me Kate”)
(choreo. by Christopher Dean)
FD: Farrucas by Pepe Romero, Malaguena performed by Benise
(choreo. by Massimo Scali)
4th: Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson
RD: Shake Your Tail Feather, Everybody Needs Somebody to Love, Soul Man (from “The Blues Brothers”)
(choreo. by Romain Haguenauer, Samuel Chouinard, Ginette Cournoyer)
FD: Vogue by Madonna, Shep Pettibone, Like A Prayer by Madonna, Patrick Leonard
(choreo. by Romain Haguenauer, Samuel Chouinard, Ginette Cournoyer)
5th: Olivia Smart and Adrián Diaz
RD: Grease (soundtrack)
(choreo. by Ginette Coumoyer, Marie-France Dubreuil, Patrice Lauzon)
FD: Larrons en Foire (from “Micmacs a tire-largot”) by Raphael Beau, My One And Only Love by Thom Hanreich
(choreo. by Ginette Cournoyer, Marie-France Dubreuil, Patrice Lauzon)
