Phl figure skaters admit shortcomings

Filipino figure skaters Isabella Gamez and Aleksandr Korovin hope to polish their routines after their third-place finish in the Asian Open Figure Skating Trophy last Monday at the Mall of Asia skating rink.

Gamez said she and Korovin have a lot to work on after competing in their first tournament of the season.

The Filipino duo scored 143.49 points in the Pairs division of the Asian tilt.

“We needed a quick turnaround and recovery. I’m disappointed with myself because this is the first competition of the season,” Gamez said.

“But it’s still early, and we’ll learn from our mistakes and work harder to come back stronger. I will take responsibility for my mistakes today, but I will learn and know what I need to do for this upcoming season.”

Both Gamez and Korovin will compete in the Kinoshita Group Cup in Osaka, Japan from 5 to 7 September before going to Beijing for the ISU Qualifying Competition from 17 to 21 September.

Only the three best pairs will earn a ticket to the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy.

For Korovin, he was happy they were able to shake off the rust as they brace for tougher tournaments ahead.

“Today is kind of not our good day, but I think it will be better. So, the beginning of August is usually very early for us to skate so we rushed a little bit with everything,” Korovin said.

Philippine Skating Union president Nikki Cheng said she isn’t worried about Gamez and Korovin’s performance in the Asian Open Figure Skating Trophy as she sees it as a way for them to test their routines.

“For them and I think for a lot of teams here, it is a practice competition for the Olympic Qualifiers in Beijing. So for everyone, it is still early in the season so since they tested here, they will know what adjustments they need to do, especially Isabella and Alksandr,” Cheng said.