Three Top-Five Finishes Highlight Lombardia Trophy for Team USA

Team USA continued to thrive on the ISU Challenger Series circuit after three U.S. athletes placed in the top-five this weekend at the 2022 Lombardia Trophy in Bergamo, Italy.
 
In the women's event, U.S. skaters held their own with Amber Glenn, the 2021 U.S. silver medalist, finishing in fourth place with a total score of 177.01 points and teammate Hanna Harrell following behind in fifth with 175.55 points.
 
After her short program earned her 55.99 points and put her in eighth place, Glenn came back with a strong free skate to "Without You." Her skate included a solid triple Axel attempt and three triple jumps in the second half, all earning positive grades of execution to earn 121.02 points for a fourth-place finish in the segment. Harrell, the 2019 U.S. pewter medalist, gave a strong performance in the short program, ending up in third place going into the free skate with 60.83 points. Her short program opened with a triple flip-triple toe combination and featured her Level 4 layback spin and Level 3 step sequence to finish. In the free skate, Harrell continued to shine with her double Axel-Euler-triple Salchow combination which earned her 9.51 points. Harrell earned 114.72 points in the free skate segment, finishing behind Glenn in fifth place.
 
Rinka Watanabe of Japan won the gold with 213.14 points with her teammate Kaori Sakamoto following behind with 205.33 points for the silver. Poland's Ekaterina Kurakova rounded out the top three with 188.41 points.
 
In the men's event, Dinh Tran had a successful Challenger Series debut, earning a total score of 186.14 points for a seventh-place finish. Skating his short program to "Malaguena de Lecuona," Tran earned a Level 4 on both his combination spin and change-foot sit spin, earning 7.92 points for the two spins. Heading into the free skate with 60.53 points, Tran opened with a quad Salchow and included two triple Axels to earn a seventh-place finish in the free skate with 125.61 points.
 
Adam Sio Him Fa of France topped the competition with 237.19 points for the gold. Japan's Koshiro Shimada took the silver with 235.90 points and Nikolaj Memola of Italy grabbed the bronze with 230.52 points.
 
In the ice dance competition, Emily Bratti and Ian Somerville ended the competition in fourth place with a total score of 170.54 points. The duo started their weekend off with a 67.79 point rhythm dance which featured a Level 4 rotational lift. The following day, Bratti and Somerville gave a memorable performance in the free dance to "La La Land" showcasing a strong set of twizzles that earned them 102.75 points.
 
Home-countrymen Charlene Guignard and Marco Fabbri won the gold with 211.85 points. Allison Reed and Saulius Ambrulevicius of Lithuania took the silver with 183.60 points and Czech Republic's Natalie Taschlerova and Filip Taschler were third with 183.55 points.
 
After a busy and successful week in Lake Placid, New York at the U.S. International Figure Skating Classic, Team USA pairs did not make an appearance in Bergamo. In their absence, Italy dominated the field on their home turf, sweeping the podium. Sara Conti and Niccolo Macii clinched the gold with 170.19 points. Irma Caldara and Riccardo Maglio took the silver with 155.08 points and Anna Valesi and Manuel Piazza followed closely behind to round out the podium with 151.42 points.
 
The ISU Challenger Series continues this week at the Nebelhorn Trophy in Oberstdorf, Germany. Find full results and schedules on U.S. Figure Skating Fan Zone's Challenger Series Central.