Kirsten Moore-Towers was born on July 1, 1992, in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada.[1] She is the daughter of a steel company employee and a Finance Manager and has a sister, Katie, who is eight years younger.[2] Moore-Towers is an advocate for eating disorders prevention and recovery in sport and has spoken publicly about her experiences in this area.[3]
Moore-Towers began dating fellow Canadian figure skater Liam Firus in 2015.[4] On August 22, 2023, they became engaged.[5]
Early years in skating
Moore-Towers was introduced to skating at age two and a half by her mother.[6] She began pair skating around April 2008, teaming up with Andrew Evans.[7] They appeared at one ISU Junior Grand Prix event and placed fourth on the junior level at the Canadian Championships. The pair split after ten months together.[7]
Partnership with Moscovitch
Moore-Towers and Moscovitch at the 2010 Skate America
Assigned to two Grand Prix events, Moore-Towers/Moscovitch won bronze at both the 2011 Skate America and the 2011 Cup of China. At the 2012 Canadian Championships, they placed third in the short program and fourth in the free skate, finishing off the podium in fourth despite being the defending champions. Moore-Towers fell on their three-jump combination, and both fell while exiting a lift, resulting in three fall deductions accrued during the free skate. She commented afterwards: "I still love figure skating."[12]
2012–13 season: Silver at Four Continents
Moore-Towers/Moscovitch began the season at the 2012 U.S. Classic, where they won the gold medal. They came fourth at their first Grand Prix assignment, the 2012 Cup of China, but went on to win silver at the 2012 NHK Trophy. These results qualified them for the Grand Prix Final for the second time, where they finished fifth.
At the 2013 Canadian Championships, they placed second in both programs to win the silver medal, behind Duhamel/Radford. At the 2013 Four Continents Championships in Osaka, Japan, they placed second in the first program and first in the free skate, again winning the silver medal behind Duhamel/Radford. Moore-Towers' fall on a throw triple loop prevented them from winning the title outright, which she called "a bit unfortunate."[13] This was the team's first (and only, as it would turn out) medal at a major international competition.
They won another silver medal at the 2014 Canadian Championships and were named to the Canadian team for the 2014 Winter Olympics. Moore-Towers/Moscovitch were part of the Canadian team for the team event in Sochi, performing the pairs free skate portion, where they came second. Canada won the silver medal overall.[14] In the pairs event, they came sixth in the short program and fifth in the free skate to finish fifth overall.
In their final event together, the 2014 World Championships in Saitama, Japan, they finished fourth for the second straight year. They came third in the free skate, winning a bronze small medal. Moore-Towers and Moscovitch announced the end of their partnership on April 30, 2014, stating that they had different goals.[15]
Partnership with Marinaro
Moore-Towers tried out with Michael Marinaro and Mervin Tran.[16] On June 3, 2014, Skate Canada announced that she and Marinaro had formed a partnership, coached by Kris Wirtz and Kristy Wirtz at the Kitchener Waterloo Skating Club in southern Ontario.[17] Moore-Towers said they were adjusting their technique on lifts, stating: "Mike's former partner is much taller than I am, so the technique is a bit different; he has to work in a different way."[16]
Moore-Towers sustained a concussion during training in Montreal on August 3, 2016; as the pair practiced a jump combination, she fell in Marinaro's path, and he collided with her head.[22][19] The pair withdrew from their Grand Prix assignments, the 2016 Rostelecom Cup and 2016 NHK Trophy. They returned to competition at the 2017 Canadian Championships, where they placed third. They placed seventh at the 2017 Four Continents Championships. They finished the season at the 2017 World Team Trophy event, where both they and the Canadian team placed fourth.
2017–18 season: Pyeongchang Olympics
Moore-Towers and Marinaro at the 2017 Cup of China
Their season ended dramatically at the 2018 World Championships, where a disastrous short program from Séguin and Bilodeau resulted in Moore-Towers and Marinaro being the only Canadian pairs team to qualify for the free skate, having placed tenth in the short program despite Moore-Towers having an ankle injury that had impeded training for the World Championships. They needed to place no lower than tenth to qualify Canada for two pairs spots at the next year's world championships, placing additional pressure. The pair skated a new personal best, resulting in a fourth-place finish in the free skate and a sixth-place overall finish that also represented a personal best-combined score. Moore-Towers commented: "We had a tough couple of weeks leading into this competition with not much training to rely on. We didn't have that same confidence, so this is a testament to how hard we worked all season."[23]
2018–19 season: National title and Four Continents silver
Following the retirements of Duhamel/Radford and Moscovitch and his new partner Liubov Ilyushechkina, and the breakup of the team of Séguin/Bilodeau, Moore-Towers and Marinaro became the most prominent remaining Canadian pairs team.[24] Moore-Towers admitted in interviews that this additional pressure was a challenge during the summer months of preparation and that in addition they could not train jumps or throws for much of that time due to her ankle recuperation.[25] They competed in two Challenger events, winning silver at both the Autumn Classic and Finlandia Trophy.
Competing on the Grand Prix, Moore-Towers/Marinaro won the bronze medal at the 2018 Skate Canada International, only 0.15 points behind silver medallists Peng Cheng / Jin Yang of China. Moore Towers remarked, "it's hard to lose the silver medal on a fraction of a point."[26] At their second event, the 2018 NHK Trophy, they placed third after the short program, but a rougher free skate dropped them to fourth place, 0.83 points behind bronze medallists Alexa Scimeca Knierim / Chris Knierim of the United States. Marinaro said they were "disappointed with how this turned out."[27]
The two were heavy favourites going into the 2019 Canadian Championships and prevailed, winning both the short and free programs decisively. Moore-Towers' eight-year gap between title victories was the widest in the history of the Canadian championships.[28][29]
Moore-Towers/Marinaro won the short program at Four Continents, earning a gold small medal, by skating a clean program while rival teams, China's Peng/Jin and Sui Wenjing / Han Cong, both fell.[30] They placed second in the free skate and won the silver overall, only 0.06 points behind gold medallists Sui/Han. They received a negative Grade of Execution on their second lift, which accounted for the points difference. Moore-Towers described it as "a little bit bittersweet" but that they were happy at the progress they had made.[31]
Competing at the 2019 World Championships, Moore-Towers/Marinaro placed fifth in the short program, despite Marinaro putting a hand down on their side-by-side jump.[32] They placed eighth in the free skate and dropped to seventh place overall as a consequence of errors on both side-by-side jumps by Marinaro and Moore-Towers putting a hand down on a throw jump. She remarked: "Unfortunately, today was not our day."[33] The two concluded the season as part of Team Canada at the 2019 World Team Trophy, where they placed fourth among the six pairs teams, and Team Canada finished fifth overall.[34]
2019–20 season: Four Continents bronze
Following the decision by coach Bruno Marcotte to relocate to Oakville, Moore-Towers and Marinaro opted to follow Marcotte, partly because it allowed them to be closer to their hometowns in Ontario. They dedicated much of the summer training period to reworking their technique on the triple twist, hoping to achieve greater amplitude.[35] In their first event of the season, the Nebelhorn Trophy, they won the gold medal with first-place finishes in both segments.[36]
For their first Grand Prix, Moore-Towers/Marinaro were assigned to the 2019 Skate Canada International, placing second in the short program with a new personal best.[37] In the free skate, Marinaro made errors on both side-by-side jumps, but the team remained in second place, winning their first Grand Prix silver.[38] At the 2019 NHK Trophy, Moore-Towers/Marinaro placed second in the short program despite a side-by-side spin error from Marinaro.[39] They were second in the free skate as well, taking their second silver medal of the season and qualifying to the Grand Prix Final for the first time in their partnership.[40] Competing at the Grand Prix Final in Torino, they were sixth of the six teams in the short program after Moore-Towers fell on their throw and Marinaro stepped out of his side-by-side jump.[41] They skated cleanly in the free skate other than Marinaro having an unusual fall after performing their throw Salchow, placing fourth in that segment and rising to fifth place overall.[42]
Entering the 2020 Canadian Championships as the favourites to defend their title, they placed first in the short program despite Moore-Towers stepping out of her triple toe loop jump.[43] She singled the beginning of her planned three-jump combination in the free skate as well, but the two skated cleanly otherwise and won the free skate and their second national title.[44]
Skating a clean program, Moore-Towers/Marinaro won the short program at the Four Continents Championships for the second consecutive year, placing ahead of a similarly clean Peng/Jin and reigning World champions Sui/Han, who erred by performing only a double throw.[45] They struggled in the free skate, with Moore-Towers doubling their intended triple Salchow for the second straight competition and Marinaro falling in a transition. Fourth in the free skate behind Sui/Han, Peng/Jin and Calalang/Johnson, they won the bronze medal overall. Moore-Towers said afterward, "we've been practicing really well, and it’s become apparent that we need to translate what we do in training into how we perform at competitions."[46] They were assigned to compete at the World Championships in Montreal, but these were cancelled as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.[47]
2020–21 season
Following the initial lockdown, Moore-Towers and Marinaro were placed on a list of skaters allowed to continue training through future lockdowns.[48] Moore-Towers/Marinaro were assigned to the 2020 Skate Canada International, but this event was also cancelled as a result of the pandemic.[49] In September, Moore-Towers suffered a rib injury in training that kept her off the ice for several weeks.[50]
Moore-Towers/Marinaro competed for the first time that season at the Skate Canada Challenge, the main qualifying competition for the national championships, which was held virtually across several hub locations to minimize gatherings of athletes and officials. They easily won the competition despite a few errors.[50]
On February 25, Moore-Towers and Marinaro were announced as part of the Canadian team to the 2021 World Championships in Stockholm.[51] They placed tenth in the short program with several minor errors.[52] They were fifth in the free skate, rising to sixth place overall, despite a minor error by Moore-Towers touched down on a throw.[53]
2021–22 season: Beijing Olympics
During the summer of 2021, Moore-Towers began to suffer from panic attacks in training, relating to attempting the triple twist lift. As she later said, the twist had "never been my favourite element; it's just never been my friend." At points, she contemplated whether Marinaro should seek a different partner. They opted to proceed with the season.[54] Moore-Towers/Marinaro began the season at the 2021 CS Finlandia Trophy, competing against new domestic rivals James/Radford. They placed eighth, three ordinals and five points behind James/Radford. Moore-Towers called it "nowhere where we wanted in either program."[55]
Competing on the Grand Prix at the 2021 Skate Canada International, Moore-Towers/Marinaro were fourth in the short program. In the free skate, they had one of their lifts invalidated due to a failed initial entry and had to abort a second lift; as a result, they were sixth in that segment and dropped to sixth overall. Moore-Towers said afterward, "here is no rhyme nor reason for the lifts. We had a tricky practice this morning, so we had more focus on the jumps and throws."[56] They were fifth at the 2021 Rostelecom Cup, continuing to struggle on their elements, which Moore-Towers called "more of a mental thing" as it was not consistent with their training.[57] Following the Grand Prix they competed at the 2021 CS Golden Spin of Zagreb, where they finished in eighth place.[58]
After a disappointing fall season, Moore-Towers/Marinaro sought to defend their national title at the 2022 Canadian Championships, held without an audience in Ottawa due to restrictions prompted by the Omicron variant. They won the short program by 6.14 points over training partners Walsh/Michaud, while James/Radford placed fourth and withdrew before the free skate. Moore-Towers/Marinaro easily won the free skate, with only their twist receiving a negative Grade of Execution. Moore-Towers said she was "ecstatic," and "it wasn't perfect, but it is obviously leaps and bounds ahead of what we've done this season."[59] On January 9 they were named to the Canadian Olympic team.[60]
Moore-Towers/Marinaro began the Games as the Canadian entries in the pairs' short program of the Olympic team event. They received a negative grade of execution on their triple twist, and Moore-Towers stepped out of her triple toe loop but secured a season's best score of 67.34 to place fifth, earning Team Canada six points.[61][62] They did not skate in the free segment, which James/Radford handled, and Team Canada ultimately finished in fourth overall.[63] In the pairs event, Moore-Towers/Marinaro had a disastrous short program when both fell attempting their throw jump, and they finished thirteenth in the segment.[64] They rose to tenth place after the free skate.[65]
The team was supposed to conclude the season, and their competitive careers, at the 2022 World Championships in Montpellier. However, Moore-Towers' season-long struggle with panic attacks came to a head, and she opted to withdraw from the event, citing American gymnast Simone Biles as inspiration. On the subject of attending the World Championships with Marinaro, Moore-Towers said, "I love him so much, cherish his opinion and value his voice and like to think I would give him anything in the world that he asked for. I think it says a lot that I could not give him this."[54]
On June 7, the pair announced their retirement from competitive skating.[66] Moore-Towers remarked that her "career was filled with extreme highs and some tumultuous lows, and it certainly wasn’t perfect; nor was I. I hope to be remembered as a good teammate, as somebody who won with class and lost with dignity."[67]
Small medals for short and free programs awarded only at ISU Championships. At team events, medals awarded for team results only. Current ISU personal bests highlighted in bold. Historical ISU personal bests highlighted in italics.
Liubov Ivanovna Ilyushechkina is a Russian-born Canadian pair skater.
Christopher Knierim is an American former pair skater. With his wife, Alexa Scimeca Knierim, he is a 2018 Olympic bronze medalist in the figure skating team event, a two-time Four Continents medalist, a three-time Grand Prix medalist, and a three-time U.S. National Champion. At the 2018 Winter Olympics, the Knierims became the first American pair, and the second pair ever in history, to perform a quad twist at the Olympic Games.
Sui Wenjing is a retired Chinese pair skater. With partner Han Cong, she is the 2022 Olympic gold medalist, 2018 Olympic silver medalist, a two-time world champion, a three-time world silver medalist, the 2019–20 Grand Prix Final champion, a six-time Four Continents champion and a two-time Chinese national champion.
Han Cong is a retired Chinese pair skater. With partner Sui Wenjing, he is the 2022 Olympic gold medalist, 2018 Olympic silver medalist, a two-time world champion, a three-time world silver medalist, the 2019–20 Grand Prix Final champion, a six-time Four Continents champion, a three-time World Junior champion (2010–2012), the 2009–10 Junior Grand Prix Final champion, and a two-time Chinese national champion. Sui and Han are the first pair skate team to achieve a Super Slam, having won all major competitions in both their senior and junior career. They have landed throw quadruple salchows and quadruple twists in competition.
Eric Radford is a retired Canadian pair skater. With former partner Meagan Duhamel, he is a two-time world champion, a 2018 Olympic gold medallist in the team event, a 2014 Olympic silver medallist in the team event, a 2018 Olympic bronze medallist in the pairs event, a two-time Four Continents champion, the 2014–15 Grand Prix Final champion, and a seven-time Canadian national champion (2012–18). He is the first openly gay man to have won a gold medal at any Winter Olympics.
Dylan David Moscovitch is a retired Canadian pair skater. He competed with Liubov Ilyushechkina from 2014 to 2018. They were the 2017 Four Continents bronze medalists, two-time bronze medalists on the Grand Prix series, and three-time Canadian national medalists.
Jin Yang is a Chinese male pair skater. With former partner Peng Cheng, he is a two-time Four Continents medalist, two-time Grand Prix Final silver medalist, and the 2017 Asian Winter Games silver medalist. Peng/Jin represented China at the 2018 Winter Olympics and the 2022 Winter Olympics.
Michael Marinaro is a Canadian retired competitive pair skater. In an eight-year partnership with Kirsten Moore-Towers from 2014 to 2022, he achieved distinction both domestically and internationally, winning three Canadian national titles. Competing internationally, they are two-time Four Continents medallists, and have won medals on both the Grand Prix and Challenger series, including gold at the 2019 Nebelhorn Trophy and the 2017 U.S. International Classic. The two represented Canada at the 2018 and 2022 Winter Olympics.
Peng Cheng is a Chinese pair skater. With her current partner Wang Lei, she is the 2023 Cup of China bronze medalist and 2023 Chinese national champion.
Alexa Paige Knierim is an American pair skater. With her skating partner, Brandon Frazier, she is the 2022 World champion, the 2023 World silver medalist, a 2022 Olympic gold medalist in the figure skating team event, the 2022 Grand Prix Final silver medalist, a two-time U.S. National champion, and a three-time Grand Prix gold medalist.
Jessica Noelle Calalang is an American pair skater. With her current partner Brian Johnson, she is a three-time U.S. national silver medalist (2020–22) and a three-time Challenger series medalist, including gold at the 2019 CS Warsaw Cup. Earlier in her career, she skated with Zack Sidhu, winning three medals on the ISU Challenger Series.
Charlie Bilodeau is a retired Canadian pair skater.
Brian Johnson is a retired American pair skater. With Jessica Calalang, he is a three-time U.S. national silver medalist (2020–22) and a three-time Challenger series medalist, including gold at the 2019 CS Warsaw Cup.
Aleksandra Igorevna Boikova is a Russian pair skater. With her skating partner, Dmitrii Kozlovskii, she is the 2020 European champion, the 2021 World bronze medalist, the 2019 European bronze medalist, a six-time Grand Prix medalist, the 2020 Russian national champion, and a six-time Russian national medalist.
Dmitrii Eduardovich Kozlovskii is a Russian pair skater. With his skating partner, Aleksandra Boikova, he is the 2020 European champion, the 2021 World bronze medalist, the 2019 European bronze medalist, a six-time Grand Prix medalist, the 2020 Russian national champion, and a six-time Russian national medalist.
Evelyn Walsh is a Canadian former competitive pair skater. With Trennt Michaud, she is the 2022 Four Continents bronze medalist and a three-time Canadian national silver medalist.
Trennt Michaud is a Canadian pair skater. With his skating partner, Lia Pereira, he is the 2023 Grand Prix de France gold medalist, the 2023 Skate America silver medalist, the 2022 CS Golden Spin of Zagreb bronze medalist, and a two-time Canadian national medalist.
Aleksandr Romanovich Galliamov is a Russian pair skater. With his skating partner, Anastasia Mishina, he is a 2022 Olympic pairs bronze medalist, 2022 Olympic bronze medalist in the team event, 2021 World champion, the 2022 European champion, the 2019–20 Grand Prix Final bronze medalist, a three-time Grand Prix event champion, and a two-time Russian national champion. He is also the 2019 World Junior champion, the 2018 World Junior bronze medalist, 2018–19 Junior Grand Prix Final champion, and 2019 Russian national junior champion.
Lori-Ann Matte is a Canadian pair skater. With her former partner, Thierry Ferland, she is the 2018 Canadian national junior champion and finished within the top ten at two World Junior Championships.
Thierry Ferland is a Canadian pair skater. With his former partner, Lori-Ann Matte, he is the 2018 Canadian national junior champion and finished within the top ten at two World Junior Championships.
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