Soucisse And Firus In Quest To Show Season Best At Worlds
Carolane Soucisse (30) and Shane Firus (31) carry Ireland’s hopes in the ice dance event at the ISU World Figure Skating Championships which are being held this week (26 March to 30 March) in Boston, United States of America.
This will be the second time the ice dance duo represent Ireland at Worlds. Last year in Montreal, Canada, they finished 20th and will be aiming for an even better showing this time round. The two-time Irish national champions train in Toronto, Canada with their coaches Carol Lane, Jon Lane, Juris Razgulajevs and Marc-Andre Servant.
Soucisse and Firus get their competition under way in the rhythm dance which begins at 15:15 (Irish time) on Friday, 28 March. Thirty-six teams from 27 nations will fight for the 20 spots available in the free dance on Saturday, 29 March. This year’s Worlds carry a special significance in that 19 of the 23 quota places available for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina will be decided in Boston.
“We want to strongly represent Ireland and skate to the best of our abilities,” Firus said. “The Irish community is so present here in Boston that it feels like we are at a home Worlds.”
“Having our best showing of the season is the main goal here in Boston and we hope that if we accomplish that we can place ourselves in the top twenty and secure Ireland a spot for the upcoming Olympic Games,” Soucisse added.
The ISU World Figure Skating Championships were first held in 1896. Ireland made its debut at the championships in 2009 when Clara Peters skated in the women’s event. Peters also participated in the 2010, 2011 and 2012 editions. Last year Soucisse and Firus became the first ice dance team from Ireland to compete at Worlds.
In order to earn entry to the championships, eligible skaters must attain a combined minimum technical element score of both their programmes during the current or preceding season. The championships are held annually and this is the second time they take place in Boston.
The ISU World Figure Skating Championships will be broadcast on the Skating ISU YouTube channel. Geographical restrictions may apply. The results of the championships can be followed on the event results page and on social media via the #WorldFigure and #FigureSkating hashtags.
