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McAllister 28th At Maiden Europeans

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Sam McAllister (24) has finished 28th on his debut at the 2023 ISU European Figure Skating Championships which are currently taking place in Espoo, Finland.

The three-time senior Irish champion embarked on his short programme with a triple Lutz which he had to step out of on landing. He then attempted a triple toe loop-triple toe loop jump combination, but put a hand down on the first jump and fell on the second. He settled himself with a Level 3 change foot camel spin and got the Finnish audience clapping along to an energetic Level 2 step sequence. Unfortunately, the double Axel jump that followed was not executed cleanly. He completed his performance to “Good News” by Apashe with a Level 4 flying sit spin and a Level 3 change foot combination spin. He scored 48.07 points for his routine.

Even though he was disappointed with how some of the elements today, McAllister relished finally getting to compete at Europeans on his third try.

“It was great to skate her today and I really enjoyed every second of it,” McAllister said. “Obviously the jumps didn’t go to plan. I’ve training really hard in the build up to this event and the jumps have been working, but sometimes you can’t prepare for everything. I decided to just enjoy the programme and skating in front of the amazing crowd.”

As only the Top 24 skaters after the short programme advance, McAllister will not be competing in Friday night’s free skating.

Third Time Lucky For McAllister As Euros Debut Beckons

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This week Sam McAllister (24) becomes only the third skater from Ireland to compete at a European Figure Skating Championships when he takes to the ice at the Metro Areena in Espoo, Finland on Wednesday evening.

McAllister’s European debut has been a long time coming. He was selected in 2021, but the championships were cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic. He was all set to compete in 2022 again when he tested positive for Covid-19 in a pre-departure test and had to miss out a second time. It makes this time round all the more special.

“I’m over the moon and it’s incredible to be here at this venue,” McAllister said. “I wouldn’t let myself get excited until the pass was in my hand and then I knew it was finally happening.  There’s too many emotions right now that I can’t describe. It’s amazing to be here.

“To be only the third person from Ireland to make it to Europeans shows how impressive it is to be at this event.”

McAllister will initially participate in the men’s short programme on Wednesday evening (25 January) with only the top 24 advancing Friday night’s free skating (27 January). He has drawn to skate third in Warm-Up Group 1.

The ISU European Figure Skating Championships will be broadcast on Eurosport and the 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 #EuroFigure and #FigureSkating hashtags.