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Finland and Canada shine at the Lumière Cup, the second stage of the Challenger Series

The second stage of the Challenger Series, the Lumière Cup served as a “mini World Championships” for teams due to the number of entries (14 in Senior and 19 in Junior), as well as the very high standard. In Junior, the 200-point mark was broken.

18 January 2026

Helsinki Fintastic dominated the junior competition, surpassing 200 points overall. (Ville Vairinen - 2025)

Helsinki Fintastic… “fantastic”

Thanks to its upbeat short program “It's Time To Dance” and its free skating program titled “The Night of Evil”, Helsinki Fintastic won the junior competition hands down. Despite a fall in the Moves element during the free skating program, the team delivered two strong performances to take the gold medal.

The other Finnish team, Valley Bay Synchro, also fell in the short program on the intersection. However, it did not affect the standings, as the Espoo-based team comfortably secured second place.

The podium was completed by Les Suprêmes Junior (CAN). The Quebec team did not deliver its best programs, having to contend with two falls—one in each program. Nevertheless, it finished with a fine bronze medal.

Junior • TOTAL #1–#3

#	Team	NOC	SP	FP	Total
1	Helsinki Fintastic	FIN	77.29	125.48	202.77
2	Valley Bay Synchro	FIN	69.63	124.78	194.41
3	Les Suprêmes	CAN	68.19	120.45	188.64

The junior competition was a great one, with 19 teams on the ice! Some teams showcased very creative, well-executed elements. Team Icicles particularly impressed the crowd, finishing a strong 7th thanks to a very good free skating program.

Due to the differences in level, there were few changes in the standings between the short program and the free skating program.

Junior • TOTAL #4–#19

#	Team	NOC	SP	FP	Total
4	Team Image	USA	63.79	119.29	183.08
5	Team Seaside	SWE	61.03	110.92	171.95
6	Fond du Lac Blades	USA	59.21	106.30	165.51
7	Team Icicles	GBR	53.55	105.28	158.83
8	Team Ice Fire	POL	58.06	98.93	156.99
9	Cool Dreams	SUI	50.42	93.51	143.93
10	Kometa	CZE	45.02	91.84	136.86
11	Team Berlin	GER	42.91	86.52	129.43
12	Ladybirds	ITA	47.63	79.75	127.38
13	Jeanne d'Arc	FRA	39.23	75.51	114.74
14	Harmonia	CZE	37.33	68.74	106.07
15	Team Mirum	ESP	38.00	61.74	99.74
16	Munich Destiny	GER	28.35	55.16	83.51
17	Illuminettes	NED	28.14	50.91	79.05
18	Team Vizyon	TUR	22.17	52.23	74.40
19	Celestia	TUR	14.66	33.19	47.85

A step ahead for Les Suprêmes Senior

“We had clean skates and had improvements from Nationals. But, we also have things that we want to improve and fix before our next Challenger,” said Julia Bernardo, co-captain of the Suprêmes, to Skate Canada.

The three-time World Champions finished on the top step of the podium after two perfect programs. It was also an opportunity for many international fans to discover the Suprêmes’ new programs for the first time this season.

Senior • TOTAL #1–#3

#	Team	NOC	SP	FP	Total
1	Les Suprêmes	CAN	80.79	147.28	228.07
2	Lumineers	FIN	77.81	142.29	220.10
3	Skyliners	USA	71.21	126.15	197.36

Lumineers in the free skate. (Ville Vairinen - 2026)

Finland also leaves this Challenger Series stop with a medal thanks to the Lumineers, who finished 2nd to take silver. This year, the team skates to “Wuthering Heights” for the short program and “Seven Deadly Sins” for the free skating program.

In third place, the Skyliners (USA) delivered a very strong short program but had more difficulty with the free skating program (falls in the Pair Element). The American team bounced back well and showed all its talent, taking bronze at home.

Senior • TOTAL #4–#100

#	Team	NOC	SP	FP	Total
4	Team Berlin 1	GER	63.05	120.81	183.86
5	Team Inspire	SWE	65.53	116.08	181.61
6	Team Passion	HUN	59.46	110.94	170.40
7	Team Icicles	GBR	56.96	104.83	161.79
8	Team Ice Fire	POL	54.78	106.38	161.16
9	Team Ice United	NED	57.50	102.47	159.97
10	Cool Dreams Senior	SUI	49.95	107.72	157.67
11	Zoulous	FRA	53.99	96.47	150.46
12	United Angels	GER	49.23	95.64	144.87
13	Jeanne d'Arc	FRA	44.51	78.67	123.18
14	Team Fusion	ESP	37.91	68.03	105.94

Fifth after the short program, Germany’s Team Berlin ultimately finished just off the podium, just ahead of Sweden’s Team Inspire .

In total, 14 teams competed in the Senior event.

Finland leads in Advanced Novice

Two Finnish teams, Helsinki Finettes and Team Dynamique , finished at the top of the standings in Advanced Novice with very high scores, surpassing 90 points!

The French team Z'Hysterik finished 3rd, just ahead of Switzerland’s Cool Dreams.

Novice A • TOTAL #1–#5

#	Team	NOC	SP	Total
1	Helsinki Finettes	FIN	92.86	92.86
2	Team Dynamique	FIN	91.22	91.22
3	Z'Hysterik	FRA	54.28	54.28
4	Cool Dreams	SUI	53.64	53.64
5	Victory	TUR	30.21	30.21

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