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Isabella Gamez and Alexander Korovin deliver another silver medal for the Philippines in a figure skating competition in France
MANILA, Philippines – Figure skating duo Isabella Gamez and Alexander Korovin look to join more competitions following a silver-medal finish in the Trophée Métropole Nice Côte d’Azur in France this October.
It marked the second time the pair notched a runner-up finish in the same event after also placing second in 2022.
Due to the inclement weather in Nice, the free skate portion event did not push through as the tandem missed out on important ISU World Standings points needed to qualify for the ISU World Championships in 2025.
“This was out of our control due to emergency flood alerts in the city of Nice. We will continue to keep working hard and focus towards our next competition,” Gamez told Rappler in an online message.
“We feel deeply grateful representing the Philippines, winning another silver medal in France. Our goal is to keep improving our results and continue to wave the Filipino flag high,” she added.
With more competitions coming up, the pair is hoping that Korovin — a Russian — could obtain his Filipino naturalization before the Asian Winter Games set to be held in Harbin, China, in February 2025.
The bill is currently pending in the Senate, which passed the proposed measure on first reading a few months back.
Gamez and Korovin have recently redefined their personal best by 10 points during a competition in the United States, according to Philippine Skating Union chief Nikki Cheng.
“We are hoping his naturalization will be ready by the end of the year before the Asian Winter Games in February,” said Gamez.
“This feels very timely now as one of our goals this season is to earn a medal at the Asian Winter Games. This could be the first ever medal for the Philippines at the Asian Winter Games.”
Gamez and Korovin became the first pair from Southeast Asia to compete and qualify for the final segment of the World Figure Skating Championships in 2023. – Rappler.com
