sport.wikisort.org - Athlete

Zachary Lagha (born April 15, 1999) is a Canadian ice dancer. With his skating partner Marjorie Lajoie, he is a two-time Grand Prix bronze medalist, 2022 CS Nepela Memorial champion, 2022 CS Budapest Trophy champion, and a two-time Canadian national medalist. Lajoie and Lagha represented Canada at the 2022 Winter Olympics.

Zachary Lagha
Lajoie & Lagha at the 2019 World Junior Championships
Personal information
Country represented	Canada
Born	(1999-04-15) April 15, 1999 (age 23) Greenfield Park, Quebec, Canada
Home town	Saint-Hubert, Quebec
Height	1.72 m (5 ft 7+1⁄2 in)
Partner	Marjorie Lajoie
Coach	Marie-France Dubreuil, Patrice Lauzon, Romain Haguenauer, Pascal Denis
Choreographer	Marie-France Dubreuil, Romain Haguenauer
Skating club	CPA Saint-Lambert
Training locations	Montreal, Quebec
Former training locations	Saint-Hubert, Quebec
Began skating	2004
World standing	17 (2021-22) 18 (2020–21) 22 (2019–20) 29 (2018–19) 34 (2017–18) 38 (2016–17) 74 (2015–16)
ISU personal best scores
Combined total	202.40 2022 CS Budapest Trophy
Short dance	82.09 2022 CS Budapest Trophy
Free dance	120.31 2022 CS Budapest Trophy
Medal record Representing  Canada Figure skating: Ice dancing World Junior Championships 2019 Zagreb Ice dancing Winter Youth Olympics 2016 Lillehammer Mixed Team

On the junior level, he is the 2019 World Junior champion, the 2016 Youth Olympic bronze medalist in the team event, the 2018 JGP Canada champion, the 2017 JGP Croatia champion, and a three-time Canadian national junior champion.

Personal life

Lagha was born on April 15, 1999, in Greenfield Park, Quebec.[1] His family is of Algerian Canadian heritage.[2] His mother, Fella Hammoutene, is an accomplished pianist, and encouraged her son to study piano as well. Lagha enters musical competitions in the skating off-season.[2][3] In June 2018 he won a scholarship after winning first round and getting to the final at the prestigious Canadian Music Competition.[4] Lagha is currently^[when?] a student in CEGEP (Collège d’enseignement général et professionnel).[5]

Skating career

Early years

Lagha began learning to skate in 2004.[1] He teamed up with Marjorie Lajoie in 2011.[6] They won the novice title at the 2015 Canadian Championships, coached by Julien Lalonde, Mylène Girard, and Valérie Allard in Saint-Hubert, Quebec.[7]

2015–2016 season: Junior debut

Following their novice title win, the two ended their partnership, later stating that at the time they had different ideas. Subsequently, Lagha transferred to train with Marie-France Dubreuil, who encouraged them to reunite in the summer of 2015.[3][4][8] They then moved to train with Dubreuil, Patrice Lauzon, Romain Haguenauer, and Pascal Denis in Montreal, Quebec.[9] Making their junior international debut, they placed seventh at a Junior Grand Prix (JGP) event in early October 2015 in Logroño, Spain.

In January 2016, Lajoie/Lagha were awarded the junior silver medal at the Canadian Championships, after placing fourth in the short dance and second in the free. The following month, they placed fourth in the main competition at the 2016 Winter Youth Olympics in Hamar, Norway. Competing as members of Team Discovery, they won the bronze medal in the team event.[10] In March, they ranked eleventh in the short dance, thirteenth in the free dance, and thirteenth overall at the 2016 World Junior Championships in Debrecen, Hungary.

2016–2017 season: First national title

Competing in the 2016 JGP series, Lajoie/Lagha placed fourth in Yokohama, Japan, and Dresden, Germany. At Skate Canada Challenge 2017, they broke the Canadian record in Junior ice dance, held since 2005 by Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir.[11] They won the junior national title at the 2017 Canadian Championships. In March, they placed fifth in the short dance, seventh in the free dance, and sixth overall at the 2017 World Junior Championships in Taipei, Taiwan.

2017–2018 season: Second national title

Lajoie/Lagha opened the 2017 JGP series with a silver medal win at the JGP Australia event in Brisbane. They went on to win gold at JGP Croatia in Zagreb, setting new personal bests in the short dance and combined total score. These results qualified them for the Junior Grand Prix Final in Nagoya, Japan. Lajoie sustained a concussion and a hip injury as a result of a fall in practice. After a month recuperating, she returned to training two weeks before the Junior Grand Prix Final, where the duo placed sixth.[3][4][12]

Lajoie/Lagha defended their junior national title at the 2018 Canadian Championships, breaking their own Canadian record.[11] They closed out the season at the 2018 World Junior Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria. They placed second in the short dance, earning a silver small medal, but placed fifth in the free dance, resulting in them placing narrowly off the podium in fourth place. Lajoie commented: "The free dance went super well for us. We were in the moment and managed the stress. We achieved our goal by being in the mix for a spot on the podium."[13]

2018–2019 season: Junior World title

After some debate over their free program music for the year, Lagha proposed Richard Addinsell's Warsaw Concerto, which was subsequently adopted. Desiring not to do a classical tango for the rhythm dance, Lajoie and Lagha picked a medley of songs by the contemporary Argentinian group Otros Aires.[3][5]

Lajoie/Lagha began the 2018 JGP series at the JGP Austria event in Linz, winning the silver medal. The team's choreographic character step sequence was ruled invalid, costing them points. Lajoie expressed dissatisfaction with the performance, stating "the presentation was good but there’s a lot of work to do at the technical level."[14] They took gold at JGP Canada, scoring personal bests in both segments, breaking again the junior Canadian record,[11] and qualified to their second Junior Grand Prix Final.[5] At the Final the duo placed fourth, 0.03 points behind bronze medallists Elizaveta Khudaiberdieva and Nikita Nazarov, following a 1 point deduction for an extended lift.[15]

At the 2019 Canadian Championships, Lajoie/Lagha won their third consecutive junior title, a national record.[16] Their margin over silver medallists Alicia Fabbri / Paul Ayer was 21.14 points.[17] As a "test run" for the World Junior Championships the two then competed at the 2019 Bavarian Open, an event they had won silver at two seasons prior, this time winning gold, 24.7 points ahead of silver medallists Fabbri/Ayer.[18]

Concluding the season at the 2019 World Junior Championships, Lajoie/Lagha placed first in the rhythm dance, setting a new junior world record of 70.14. They were awarded a gold small medal for the result.[19] They then won the free dance as well, setting new world records for that segment and for total score, taking the World Junior title. Lajoie/Lagha were only the second Canadian team to win World Junior gold in ice dance, the first being Virtue and Moir in 2006. Lagha said that rewarding after a number of disappointing results in the previous two seasons.[20]

2019–2020 season: Senior debut

Lajoie/Lagha began their senior career with two Challenger events. They placed seventh at the 2019 CS Lombardia Trophy, which Lajoie described as a disappointment following twizzle errors by her in the free dance. They next came fourth at the 2019 CS Finlandia Trophy, missing the podium by less than two points due to an invalidated choreographic character step. Despite that, Lajoie called the result "a big step up for us."[21] Making their senior Grand Prix debut at the 2019 Skate Canada International, they placed seventh in the rhythm dance and then moved up to sixth following the free dance.[22] Competing at the 2019 Rostelecom Cup, they placed seventh after struggles in the rhythm dance.[23]

With training mates and presumptive silver medallists Fournier Beaudry/Sørensen sitting out the 2020 Canadian Championships, Lajoie/Lagha were in competition with Soucisse/Firus for the silver medal. Both teams made errors in the rhythm dance, with Lagha bobbling on his twizzle sequence, but they nevertheless placed second in the rhythm dance.[24] Clean in the free dance but for Lagha stumbling in a choreographic sequence, they were second in that segment as well and won the silver medal, earning assignments to both the Four Continents Championships and the World Championships in their home town of Montreal.[25]

Competing at Four Continents in Seoul, Lajoie/Lagha placed fifth in the rhythm dance with a new personal best score of 76.43, an increase of over five points internationally. They unexpectedly placed ahead of American national bronze medallists Hawayek/Baker, who fell out of their lift.[26] They placed behind Hawayek/Baker in the free dance, but remained in fifth place overall, again recording significant improvements in their free dance and total scores. Lagha said afterwards "there was not one time this season yet when we skated without any major mistakes. Even at nationals there were some stumbles, but now we finally did two good performances."[27]

Though scheduled to make their World Championship debut, this was prevented by the cancellation of the Montreal World Championships due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Both reported being disappointed, but Lajoie added "our season before this was very good, so it’s not the end of the world."[28]

2020–2021 season: Worlds debut

Lajoie/Lagha were assigned to the 2020 Skate Canada International, but this event was also cancelled as a result of the pandemic.[29]

With the pandemic continuing to make holding in-person competitions difficult domestically, Lajoie/Lagha made their competitive debut at a virtually-held 2021 Skate Canada Challenge, where they placed third in both segments to take the bronze medal. The 2021 Canadian Championships were subsequently cancelled.[30][31]

On February 25th, Lajoie/Lagha were announced as part of the Canadian team for the 2021 World Championships, their senior World Championship debut following the earlier cancellation of the 2020 World Championships.[32] They placed fourteenth in Stockholm.[33]

2021–2022 season: Beijing Olympics

Lajoie and Lagha made their season debut at the 2021 CS Autumn Classic International, where they placed fourth.[34] At their second Challenger event, the 2021 CS Finlandia Trophy, they came seventh in a very competitive field. On the result, Lajoie said "in the end we were quite happy about it."[35]

On the Grand Prix at the 2021 Skate Canada International, the first Canadian competition with an audience in over a year and a half, Lajoie/Lagha placed sixth. Lagha said afterwards that "we didn't get the score and placement we wanted, but the standing ovation was great!"[36] At their second Grand Prix, the 2021 NHK Trophy in Tokyo, they placed fifth, including a fourth-place finish in the free dance.[37]

Competing at their second senior Canadian championships, held in Ottawa without an audience due to restrictions prompted by the Omicron variant, Lajoie/Lagha placed third in the rhythm dance. They were third in the free dance as well despite Lajoie flubbing a twizzle set, and won the bronze medal. She said afterwards "every element we did, there was a little something; we were struggling and we are not used to that." They nevertheless were pleased with the result.[38] The following day they were named to the Canadian Olympic team.[39]

Lajoie/Lagha placed thirteenth in the rhythm dance at the 2022 Winter Olympics dance event. Scott Moir, commentating on the segment, called them "the team that we're all going to be watching in 2026."[40] They remained thirteenth after the free dance, with Lajoie saying "I think we did a pretty good job, especially because it’s such a stressful environment."[41] They concluded the season at the 2022 World Championships in Montpellier, with the International Skating Union banning all Russian athletes due to their country's invasion of Ukraine.[42] Lajoie/Lagha finished thirteenth in the rhythm dance, a disappointing result, but rose to eleventh overall with a tenth-place free dance.[43]

2022–2023 season: Challenger and Grand Prix success

In the first of two Challenger assignments, Lajoie/Lagha won gold at the 2022 CS Nepela Memorial, their first international senior medal and title. Lagha considered their effort "O.K. for a first skate despite a little mistake. We don't want to do mistakes anymore."[44] Weeks later at the 2022 CS Budapest Trophy they set a new set of personal bests, clearing 80 points in the rhythm dance, 120 points in the free dance, and 200 points in total score, all for the first time. Lagha said he remained unsatisfied with the free dance performance, which he considered "a bit too safe."[45]

On the Grand Prix at the 2022 Skate Canada International, Lajoie/Lagha were fourth in the rhythm dance after errors put them narrowly behind Americans Green/Parsons. In the free dance they overtook Green/Parsons for the bronze medal, their first on the senior Grand Prix.[46][47] Two weeks later, they won a second bronze medal at the 2022 MK John Wilson Trophy in Sheffield. They had spent the intervening time working on their twizzle element, which had given the issues at their first Grand Prix event, and said that they were pleased with the resulting performance.[48]

Programs

(with Lajoie)

Season	Rhythm dance	Free dance	Exhibition
2022–2023 [49]	Cha Cha: Let's Cha Cha by Cha Cha MC Samba: Mas que Nada by Jorge Ben performed by Bellini Samba: Samba de Janeiro by Bellini choreo. by Romain Haguenauer, Ginette Cournoyer	Nureyev (from The White Crow) by Ilan Eshkeri performed by Lisa Batiashvili choreo. by Romain Haguenauer, Ginette Cournoyer	Funkytown by Lipps Inc. Super Solid Soul Vehicle by Tom McGuire & The Brassholes Far from Over by Frank Stallone choreo. by Romain Haguenauer, Ginette Cournoyer
2021–2022 [50]	Funk: Funkytown by Lipps Inc. Blues: Super Solid Soul Vehicle by Tom McGuire & The Brassholes Disco: Far from Over by Frank Stallone choreo. by Romain Haguenauer, Ginette Cournoyer	Real in Rio Locked Up Bird Fight (from Rio) by John Powell choreo. by Romain Haguenauer, Ginette Cournoyer	Maybe I Maybe You by Scorpions
2020–2021 [51]	Swing: Prologue Quickstep: Dance at the Gym Swing: America (from West Side Story) by Leonard Bernstein choreo. by Romain Haguenauer, Marie-France Dubreuil, Ginette Cournoyer	Real in Rio Locked Up Chained Chase Bird Fight (from Rio) by John Powell choreo. by Romain Haguenauer, Ginette Cournoyer
2019–2020 [52]	Swing: Prologue Quickstep: Dance at the Gym Swing: America (from West Side Story) by Leonard Bernstein choreo. by Romain Haguenauer, Marie-France Dubreuil, Ginette Cournoyer	Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen choreo. by Romain Haguenauer, Marie-France Dubreuil, Ginette Cournoyer	Radioactive by Imagine Dragons
2018–2019 [1][3]	Tango: Perro Viejo Tango: Otro Puente Alsina Tango: Essa by Otros Aires choreo. by Romain Haguenauer	Warsaw Concerto by Richard Addinsell choreo. by Romain Haguenauer	Maybe I Maybe You by Scorpions
	Short dance
2017–2018 [53]	Cha cha: Bla Bla Bla Cha Cha Cha by Petty Booka Samba: Tu Picadura by Gary Tesca	Dream by Imagine Dragons Nemesis by Benjamin Clementine	Blues: Shoppin' for Clothes by The Coasters Swing: Land of a Thousand Dances by Wilson Pickett
2016–2017 [54]	Blues: Shoppin' for Clothes by The Coasters Swing: Land of a Thousand Dances by Wilson Pickett	Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini by Sergei Rachmaninov
2015–2016 [9]	Waltz: Gramophone by Eugen Doga Polka: Furioso by Johann Strauss II	Pas de Deux Ktiri and Basilio Quiteria's Variation Classical Variation I Pas de Deux Kitri and Basilio V. Coda (from Don Quixote) by Ludwig Minkus
2014–2015 [55]	La Virgen de la Macarena by Bernardino Monterde	Pas de Deux Ktiri and Basilio Quiteria's Variation Classical Variation I Pas de Deux Kitri and Basilio V. Coda (from Don Quixote) by Ludwig Minkus
2013–2014 [56]		Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery by George S. Clinton Soul Bossa Nova by Quincy Jones	Stayin' Alive You Should Be Dancing by Bee Gees
2011–2012		Carmen by Georges Bizet performed by Nana Mouskouri

Records and achievements

(with Lagha)

• They became the first junior team to score above 70 at 2019 Junior World Championships.

Junior world record scores

Lajoie/Lagha set four junior world record scores under the new +5 / -5 GOE (Grade of Execution) system, and currently hold one.

Junior ice dance combined total records[57]
Date	Score	Event	Note
9 March 2019	176.10	2019 World Junior Championships	Later surpassed by Avonley Nguyen / Vadym Kolesnik at the 2020 World Junior Championships.
Junior ice dance rhythm dance records[57]
Date	Score	Event	Note
7 March 2019	70.14	2019 World Junior Championships	Later surpassed by Kateřina Mrázková / Daniel Mrázek at the 2022 JGP Czech Republic.
Junior ice dance free dance records[57]
Date	Score	Event	Note
9 March 2019	105.96	2019 World Junior Championships	Later surpassed by Maria Kazakova / Georgy Reviya at the 2019–20 JGP Final.
24 August 2018	100.95	2018 JGP Canada	Later surpassed by Arina Ushakova / Maxim Nekrasov at the 2018 JGP Armenia.

Competitive highlights

GP: Grand Prix; CS: Challenger Series; JGP: Junior Grand Prix

with Lajoie

International[12]
Event	11–12	12–13	13–14	14–15	15–16	16–17	17–18	18–19	19–20	20–21	21–22	22–23
Olympics											13th
Worlds									C	14th	11th
Four Continents									5th
GP NHK Trophy											5th
GP Rostelecom Cup									7th
GP Skate Canada									6th	C	6th	3rd
GP Wilson Trophy												3rd
CS Autumn Classic											4th
CS Budapest Trophy												1st
CS Finlandia Trophy									4th		7th
CS Lombardia Trophy									7th
CS Nepela Memorial												1st
International: Junior[12]
Youth Olympics					4th
Junior Worlds					13th	6th	4th	1st
JGP Final							6th	4th
JGP Australia							2nd
JGP Austria								2nd
JGP Canada								1st
JGP Croatia							1st
JGP Germany						4th
JGP Japan						4th
JGP Spain					7th
Bavarian Open						2nd		1st
National[7][12]
Canadian Champ.				1st N	2nd J	1st J	1st J	1st J	2nd	C	3rd
SC Challenge			1st P	2nd N	2nd J	1st J				3rd
Quebec Section	1st V	5th P	1st P	1st N	1st J	1st J
Team events
Youth Olympics					3rd T 3rd P
TBD = Assigned; WD = Withdrew; C = Event cancelled Levels: V = Juvenile; P = Pre-novice; N = Novice; J = Junior T = Team result; P = Personal result. Medals awarded for team result only.

Detailed results

(With Lajoie)

ISU personal bests highlighted in bold. Small medals for rhythm and free dances awarded at ISU Championships only.

2022–23 season
Date	Event	RD	FD	Total
November 11–13, 2022	2022 MK John Wilson Trophy	3 81.09	3 117.86	3 198.95
October 28–30, 2022	2022 Skate Canada International	4 75.94	3 119.55	3 195.49
October 13–16, 2022	2022 CS Budapest Trophy	1 82.09	1 120.31	1 202.40
Sept. 29 – Oct. 1, 2022	2022 CS Nepela Memorial	1 75.79	1 117.56	1 193.35
2021–22 season
Date	Event	RD	FD	Total
March 21–27, 2022	2022 World Championships	13 70.39	10 108.45	11 178.84
February 12–14, 2022	2022 Winter Olympics	13 72.59	13 108.43	13 181.02
January 6–12, 2022	2022 Canadian Championships	3 76.67	3 116.00	3 192.67
November 12–14, 2021	2021 NHK Trophy	5 74.45	4 112.93	5 187.38
October 29–31, 2021	2021 Skate Canada International	6 71.87	6 107.20	6 179.07
October 7–10, 2021	2021 CS Finlandia Trophy	7 71.93	7 109.10	7 181.03
September 16–18, 2021	2021 CS Autumn Classic International	4 71.27	4 110.47	4 181.74
2020–21 season
Date	Event	RD	FD	Total
March 22–28, 2021	2021 World Championships	14 72.00	13 108.71	14 180.71
January 8–17, 2021	2021 Skate Canada Challenge	3 81.58	3 118.84	3 200.42
2019–20 season
Date	Event	RD	FD	Total
February 4–9, 2020	2020 Four Continents Championships	5 76.43	6 115.68	5 192.11
January 13–19, 2020	2020 Canadian Championships	2 77.26	2 121.66	2 198.92
November 15–17, 2019	2019 Rostelecom Cup	8 64.70	7 105.20	7 169.90
October 25–27, 2019	2019 Skate Canada International	7 70.50	6 107.87	6 177.53
October 11–13, 2019	2019 CS Finlandia Trophy	4 70.75	4 102.94	4 173.69
September 13–15, 2019	2019 CS Lombardia Trophy	5 67.94	7 97.77	7 165.71
2018–19 season
Date	Event	RD	FD	Total
March 4–10, 2019	2019 World Junior Championships	1 70.14	1 105.96	1 176.10
February 5–10, 2019	2019 Bavarian Open	1 67.35	1 101.99	1 169.34
January 14–20, 2018	2019 Canadian Junior Championships	1 70.87	1 108.84	1 179.71
December 6–7, 2018	2018–19 ISU Junior Grand Prix Final	4 66.25	3 98.26	4 164.51
September 12–15, 2018	2018 ISU Junior Grand Prix in Canada	1 65.67	1 100.95	1 166.52
Aug. 29 – Sept. 1, 2018	2018 ISU Junior Grand Prix in Austria	2 63.95	2 89.84	2 153.79
2017–18 season
Date	Event	SD	FD	Total
March 5–11, 2018	2018 World Junior Championships	2 62.39	5 83.83	4 146.22
January 8–14, 2018	2018 Canadian Junior Championships	1 65.02	1 89.38	1 154.40
December 8–9, 2017	2017–18 ISU Junior Grand Prix Final	4 60.52	6 80.76	6 141.28
September 29–30, 2017	2017 ISU Junior Grand Prix in Croatia	1 62.89	1 87.41	1 150.30
August 25–26, 2017	2017 ISU Junior Grand Prix in Australia	2 58.55	2 80.37	2 138.92
2016–17 season
Date	Event	SD	FD	Total
March 15–19, 2017	2017 World Junior Championships	5 60.79	7 87.47	6 148.26
February 14–19, 2017	2017 Bavarian Open	3 53.24	1 87.96	2 141.20
January 16–22, 2017	2017 Canadian Junior Championships	1 61.62	1 91.93	1 153.55
October 5–8, 2016	2016 ISU Junior Grand Prix in Germany	3 57.32	4 82.35	4 139.67
September 9–11, 2016	2016 ISU Junior Grand Prix in Japan	4 57.02	4 80.12	4 137.14
2015–16 season
Date	Event	SD	FD	Total
March 14–20, 2016	2016 World Junior Championships	11 52.57	13 75.49	13 128.06
February 20, 2016	2016 Winter Youth Olympics (team event)	–	3 73.78	3T/3P 73.78
February 14–16, 2016	2016 Winter Youth Olympics	4 51.06	4 74.81	4 125.87
January 18–24, 2016	2016 Canadian Junior Championships	4 56.29	2 84.94	2 141.23
Sept. 30 – Oct. 3, 2015	2015 ISU Junior Grand Prix in Spain	7 52.50	6 77.41	7 129.91

References

External links

• Official website
• Marjorie Lajoie / Zachary Lagha at the International Skating Union

World Junior Record Holders
Preceded by Arina Ushakova / Maxim Nekrasov	Junior Rhythm Dance March 7, 2019 – September 2, 2022	Succeeded by Kateřina Mrázková / Daniel Mrázek
Preceded by Arina Ushakova / Maxim Nekrasov Arina Ushakova / Maxim Nekrasov	Junior Free Dance September 14, 2018 – October 13, 2018 March 9, 2019 – December 7, 2019	Succeeded by Arina Ushakova / Maxim Nekrasov Maria Kazakova / Georgy Reviya
Preceded by Arina Ushakova / Maxim Nekrasov	Junior Ice Dance Total Score March 9, 2019 – March 7, 2020	Succeeded by Maria Kazakova / Georgy Reviya

На других языках

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- [en] Zachary Lagha

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[ru] Лага, Закари

Закари Лага (фр. Zachary Lagha) — канадский фигурист, выступающий в танцах на льду. В паре с Маржори Лажуа является серебряным призёром чемпионата Канады (2020).

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