Elyce Lin-Gracey set for Grand Prix debut after personal best performance in Challenger Series
The US teen figure skater celebrated two personal best scores to win her first ISU Challenger Series event on 21 September and is now aiming to score even higher at her career's first Grand Prix.
Figure Skating
USA’s Elyce Lin-Gracey is set to make her first ISU Grand Prix appearance after a breakout performance at the Nebelhorn Trophy last week. The 17-year-old figure skater scored personal bests in both of her programs en route to her first ISU Challenger Series victory on Saturday (21 September).
Lin-Gracey will next compete at Skate America, held in Allen, Texas from 18 to 20 October. Fellow USA skaters, world silver medallist Isabeau Levito and Olympic bronze medallist Bradie Tennell, are also entered to compete at the Grand Prix season opener.
While Levito and Tennell have more competition experience, the spotlight will be on Lin-Gracey as she tries to follow up on her stunning performance from Oberstdorf, Germany.
Competing on the junior circuit last season, Lin-Gracey had an impressive start to her first full campaign as a senior. She finished second at the Cranberry Cup International, the first event of this season’s ISU Challenger Series, in August and won the Nebelhorn Trophy just over a month later.
The young skater scored a personal best of 71.16 in the short program in Oberstdorf and also set a personal best in the free skate. She landed six triple jumps to score 142.17, which improved on her previous best by 16 points and brought her total to 213.33.
“I am obviously very happy. When the results came up I couldn’t believe it. Was it me who just scored 213?" she told Golden Skate after. "I realise now that if I continue working like this, I can maybe get more results like this. For Skate America I want to work on components to maybe score even higher.”
Lin-Gracey skates her short program to Lara Fabian’s “Broken Vow” this season, while her free program is set to “Wadjet” and “Cleopatra’s Death” by Claude-Michel Schoenberg.