Small mistakes did not dim Turkkila’s and Versluis’ satisfaction with the World Cup ice. Watch the duo performing in the free dance of the ice dance in the video in the main picture of this story.
Finnish ice dance couple Juulia Turkkila and Matthias Versluis ended their competition season with success and finished 12th at the World Figure Skating Championships in Montpellier, France, at the end of Saturday’s free dance. In Friday’s rhythm dance, they scored 71.88 points and accumulated a total score of 175.95 at the end of the free dance.
– As a whole, this is on the side of success. One of the best rhythm dances of the season. There were small mistakes in free dancing that we had to fight to correct. Compared to the World Championship a year ago (21st), this was a huge improvement, Turkkila summed up to STT by phone.
– We are happy with the race as a whole. There was a bit of a fight today, but there was a lot of audience, and we got more energy from it, Versluis continued.
At the Beijing Olympics in February, Turkkila and Versluis finished 15th. At the time, they scored 173.88 points and were pleased with their first experience at the Olympics.
– Rhythm dance was now considerably better than in the Olympics (68.23) and raised the overall points, Turkkila said.
After the Olympics, the couple invested in fixing the identified problem areas and put the polished things into practice on the World Cup ice.
– This was especially evident in the rhythm dance and brought more points, Versluis added.
The French couple skated as world champions in Montpellier Gabriella Papadakis/Guillaume Cizeron.
The ups and downs – and then the army
The January European Championships in Tallinn were missed due to Turkkila’s coronavirus infection in December, so the couple had enough desire to show in the Olympics and World Championships. After successful performances, the season can end in good spirits, albeit tired.
– The season has been really long. There have been ups and downs. Winning the Nebelhorn Trophy in September, securing an Olympic venue and succeeding at the Olympics were the highlights. And the 12th place in the World Championships is not bad. We are in the right direction, Turkkila raced through the pair aiming for the 2026 Olympics.
At the end of the season, it’s time to rest for a while, but Versluis also has plenty to do organized by the Finnish state.
– I will start the Indian (army) in two weeks, Versluis, who goes to the sports forces in Santahamina, said.
– A new program should also be planned, Turkkila finally shouted.