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Thanks to these athletes, a second national team will skate at Worlds in 2023


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Team Berlin 1 at the end of their free program in Hamilton. (Credits: Sean McKinnon - 2022)

Team Berlin 1 from Germany finished 7th at the Worlds this year in Hamilton. Such a result had not happened to this Senior team since 2008! Let's take a look at this achievement with the skaters of the team.

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"We are incredibly happy with our result! We can't believe that we were finally able to rise to the level at which the team was in 2008.  We are proud not only of the result at the World Championships but of this season in general. We have shown solid performances and results throughout," said the team back from Canada.

And yet, nothing was guaranteed before the Worlds. With two Russian skaters on the team, Team Berlin 1 was not sure to be able to gather all the athletes in Hamilton. 

Just in time for the official training
"Our team captain and one more skater are citizens of the Russian Federation. They had problems getting their visa. Until the last moment, it was not clear whether they would be able to fly or not. We had to rebuild the program in the shortest possible time in case they would not receive a visa.

With the help of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of the Interior, the girls received a positive decision about their visas. They changed flights, drove from Berlin to the Canadian embassy in Vienna by car and back and arrived a day later than the others in Hamilton. Luckily, they were in time for the official training, and we were able to compete with the full team."


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Team Berlin 1 in the short program. (Credits: Sean McKinnon - 2022)

In Canada, Team Berlin 1 showed its maximum. "What was worked out over the last months was worthy presented at the championships. During our skates, the audience could feel our energy and passion. We were coordinated and focused, but at the same time, we were able to enjoy the moment that we have been waiting for three years," explained the team.

With a total of 187.03, the Berlin team achieved its 2nd best score of the season. With this result, and as the fourth-best nation at Worlds, they qualify a second German team for next season. 

"We have received many messages"
"We are so happy that Germany has the opportunity to present two teams next year. This shows not only the strength of our team but also represents synchronized figure skating in Germany in general!  

We think this motivates many skaters and will help to further develop the sport in our country.  And it doesn’t even matter that the Russian teams did not take part in the championships. We would still be in the top five, which gives us the right to say that we have earned this quota for two teams.

We have received many messages of congratulations.  It is so lovely to realize that many people not only in Germany but also abroad support us," continued the team.


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Team Berlin 1 will try to achieve even more for the next season. "We plan to work hard on choreography and interpretation, just like this season. We will develop in different dance directions, which will help us transfer plasticity to the ice. And we will also make every effort to improve the technical side and skating skills," the skaters said.

After a "rather physically and morally difficult month" where the German team skated at the Open German Championship, then held a training camp and some challenges to get to the Worlds in Canada, Team Berlin 1 took a short break. In a couple of weeks, they'll be back to training again. Officially their new season starts at the begging of August.

Watch Team Berlin 1 Short Program

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