Skaters Lagha and Lajoie disappointed that they won’t compete at home
Zach Lagha and Marjorie Lajoie were wrapping up a workout at their home rink on Montreal’s South Shore on Wednesday when they received the news that the world figure skating championships had been cancelled.
“We heard it from the guys who work the arena, the guys who drive the Zamboni,” said Lagha. “Right away, I went to the boards and I screamed to my coach, who was on the other side of the rink, and that’s how I knew. I was a little bit shocked, but I think we all saw it coming.”
Fears stemming from the coronavirus pandemic have led to the cancellation of sports events around the world and the decision to scrap the figure skating event, which was scheduled for the Bell Centre from March 18-22, was made by the Quebec government.
St-hubert’s Lagha, 20, and Lajoie, 19, a native of Boucherville, were preparing to compete in their first world championships as one of the Canadian entries in the ice dance event. They had a breakthrough last winter when they won the world junior championships in Zagreb, Croatia, and they qualified for their first senior worlds appearance by finishing second in the Canadian championships behind medal hopefuls Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier.
“The biggest impact is that we won’t get the opportunity to skate in Montreal,” said Lajoie. “Our season before this was very good, so it’s not the end of the world.”
“Our careers are long and, if you think about it, it’s only one competition,” added Lagha. “But the fact that it’s Montreal is special. It’s always special to skate in Canada, but it’s rare, and to have a big competition in Montreal is even more rare. It’s a bit disappointing . ... You have to live with it. You couldn’t control it (and) everybody’s in the same boat.”
During the past century, the world championships have been held in Canada seven times. The only previous championship in Montreal was in 1932.
While the cancellation was inevitable in light of developments elsewhere, organizers were hoping to salvage the competition. When the cancellation was announced, there was a group of volunteers at the Bell Centre making preparations for the competition.
The cancellation will result in only a slight change in the training schedule for Lagha and Lajoie, who will focus on next year’s world championships in Stockholm.
“We’ll take time off at the end of the week off, but we’ll keep training and we’ll start looking for new music,” said Lagha.