Lia Pereira

Lia Pereira
Lia Pereira and Trennt Michaud at the 2024 World Figure Skating Championships
Born	(2004-03-05) March 5, 2004 (age 20) Milton, Ontario, Canada
Height	1.59 m (5 ft 2+1⁄2 in)
Figure skating career
Country	Canada
Discipline	Pair skating Women's singles
Partner	Trennt Michaud (since 2022) James Robart-Morgan (2017–18)
Coach	Alison Purkiss Nancy Lemaire Derek Schmidt Michael Marinaro
Skating club	Milton Skating Club
Began skating	2012
Canadian Championships 2024 Calgary Pairs 2023 Oshawa Pairs

Lia Pereira (born March 5, 2004) is a Canadian single skater and pair skater. With her skating partner, Trennt Michaud, she 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.

Personal life

Pereira was born on March 5, 2004, in Milton, Ontario, Canada. ^[1]

In September of 2023, she began commerce studies at the University of Guelph's Gordon S. Lang School of Business and Economics. ^[2]

Career

Early years

Pereira began learning to skate in 2012. ^[1] During the 2017–18 season, while still competing at the pre-novice level as a singles skater, she formed a pairs skating partnership with James Robart-Morgan. Pereira/Robart-Morgan qualified to the 2018 Canadian Novice Championships, where they finished ninth. ^[3] The partnership ended after one season, and she made her novice debut as a singles skater in the 2018–19 season. In an early international foray, she won the gold medal at Skate Milwaukee on the 2018 North American Series. ^[4] Pereira was sixteenth at the 2019 Canadian Novice Championships. ^[5]

In her second season as a novice, Pereira was the silver medallist at the 2020 Skate Canada Challenge in that category. ^[6] She went on to win the bronze medal at the 2020 Canadian Novice Championships. ^[7] With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, both domestic and international competitions were heavily impeded, as was skater training. Pereira moved up to the junior level, with her most notable competition being a virtual Skate Canada Challenge, where she won the bronze medal. ^{[8] [9]}

2021–22 season

With the resumption of international junior competition, Pereira began her international junior debut at the Cranberry Cup International in Norwood, Massachusetts, placing fifth in the junior women's division. ^[5] She was then assigned by Skate Canada to make her Junior Grand Prix debut at the 2021 JGP Russia in Krasnoyarsk. After finishing tenth overall, she called it "an amazing experience," adding "I learned a lot more about myself about how to handle the pressure of an event like this." ^[10]

Pereira competed at the senior level domestically, coming tenth in her debut at the 2022 Canadian Championships. She was chosen to represent Canada at the 2022 World Junior Championships, alongside national junior champion Justine Miclette. ^[11] Both she and Miclette were first sent to the International Challenge Cup, where Pereira finished sixth, including a third-place finish in the free skate. ^[12] She achieved personal best scores in the short program and overall at the World Junior Championships, where she finished fourteenth overall despite being twelfth and thirteen in the two segments. ^[13]

2022–23 season

Pereira again opened her season at the Cranberry Cup International, winning gold in the junior women's competition. ^[14] Returning as well to the Junior Grand Prix, she finished sixth at the 2022 JGP France in Courchevel, setting a new personal best score in the free skate in the process. ^[15] She was then assigned to make her senior international debut at the 2022 CS Finlandia Trophy, where she placed fifteenth. ^[16]

In the midst of her singles career, Pereira also received an opportunity to return to pairs skating, opting to form a partnership with three-time national silver medallist Trennt Michaud following the retirement of his previous partner Evelyn Walsh. She was sought out on the recommendation of coach Alison Purkiss, who had previously coached her with Robart-Morgan in novice pairs. ^[17] Pereira/Michaud made their competitive debut at the Skate Ontario sectional qualifier in November, winning the gold medal. ^[18] They went on to win the final national qualifying event, Skate Canada Challenge, as well. Pereira said afterward that they were "just growing together and each competition is a new learning experience." ^[19] Pereira finished eighth in the senior's women event at Challenge, qualifying to the national championships in two disciplines. ^[5] Shortly thereafter, Pereira/Michaud were assigned to make their international debut at the 2022 CS Golden Spin of Zagreb. Fourth after the short program, they rose to third place in the free skate, winning the bronze medal and securing the international minimum scores to compete at future ISU championships. ^[20]

Due to the scheduling of the 2023 Canadian Championships, Pereira was required to compete two short programs and two free skates on consecutive days. On the first day, she finished second in the women's short program with a score of 61.21 points, 7.11 points behind the reigning national champion, her longtime friend and training partner Madeline Schizas. ^[21] Pereira/Michaud were fourth in the pairs short program, 1.01 points behind third-place Laurin/Éthier. ^[22] She dropped to fifth in the women's event after the free skate, then taking "an afternoon nap" before returning for the pairs finale. ^[23] There, Pereira/Michaud overtook Laurin/Éthier for the bronze medal. She said afterwards that as this was still only their fourth competition as a team, "we're learning a lot every time we come out." ^[22] The team was assigned to compete at both the 2023 Four Continents and World championships. ^[24]

At the Four Continents Championships in Colorado Springs, Pereira/Michaud placed fourth in the short program with a clean skate. ^[25] They were fourth in the free skate as well, the only error being Michaud doubling their planned triple Salchow. They both indicated that they were pleased with how the competition had gone, as they continued to gain experience. ^[26] Pereira said that she was uncertain whether she would continue competing as a singles skater in future seasons. ^[25] Concluding their season at the 2023 World Championships in Saitama, Pereira/Michaud ranked sixth overall, including a notable fourth-place finish in the free skate segment of the competition. This was Pereira's first visit to Japan. ^[27]

2023–24 season

Pereira/Michaud at the 2023 Four Continents Championships

In advance of the 2023–24 season, Pereira opted to focus only on competing in pairs, explaining that "after our success last season, we have big goals together, so I want to put my 100 per cent all into that." ^[28] At their first competition, the 2023 CS Nebelhorn Trophy, Pereira/Michaud came fourth, 0.07 points behind German bronze medalists Hocke/Kunkel. She commented after that the "whole experience was really enjoyable and we're happy with both of our programs and the outcome." ^[29]

Pereira and Michaud were invited to make their Grand Prix debut at the 2023 Skate America. She remarked on the occasion that "this time last year I was watching the Skate America pairs event to learn the pair rules, so to be here is pretty cool." They skated a clean short program, placing second in the segment. ^[30] They were second in the free skate as well, despite Pereira botching her jump combination and putting a foot down on a throw jump, winning the silver medal. ^[31] At their second assignment, the 2023 Grand Prix de France, Pereira/Michaud skated a clean short program with a new personal best score of 65.97, coming 0.66 ahead of the pre-event favourites, reigning European champions Conti/Macii of Italy. ^[32] In the free skate, Michaud fell on the end of his jump combination and stepped out of his triple Salchow, but the team still set another personal best to win that segment as well, taking their first Grand Prix gold medal. Michaud said that "to know that what we've been putting into it is paying off is a super rewarding feeling." ^[33]

The team's results qualified them to the 2023–24 Grand Prix Final in Beijing. Pereira/Michaud finished sixth in the short program after Pereira fell on their throw jump, which she called an "untypical" error. They were sixth in the free skate as well after a lift error, which Michaud said he was "annoyed" by, but "overall, we are pretty pleased." Pereira viewed it as a new experience for the team to be coming back after a disappointing short program. ^[34]

Pereira and Michaud in the ending pose for their free skate at the 2024 World Championships

Following the conclusion of the Grand Prix series, Pereira and Michaud opted to revise their "River" short program to a softer version with different choreography, based on feedback from judges and other coaches. They finished narrowly second in the short program at the 2024 Canadian Championships, narrowly behind reigning national champions Stellato-Dudek/Deschamps. Jump and throw issues in the free skate saw them more distantly second in that segment, winning the silver medal. ^[35]

Michaud injured his back shortly after the national championships, limiting the team's training heading into the 2024 Four Continents Championships, where they finished fifth after performing "downgraded" content in the free skate. ^[36]

At the 2024 World Championships, held on home ice in Montreal, Pereira/Michaud placed ninth in the short program, having skated cleanly but receiving only a level 1 on the triple twist. ^[37] In the free skate, despite Pereira falling on a throw landing, they were seventh in the segment, moving up to eighth overall. Pereira called the fall "quite disappointing, just because we hoped for such a great moment, but there's still a lot of great things I can take away from this. It's an experience I'll remember forever." ^{[38] [39]}

2024–25 season

Pereira/Michaud began the season by finishing fifth at the 2024 CS Nebelhorn Trophy. Going on to compete on the 2024–25 Grand Prix circuit, the team finished a disappointing fifth-place at the 2024 Grand Prix de France after placing third in the short program and fifth in the free skate. ^[40]

Programs

With Michaud

Season	Short program	Free skating	Exhibition
2024–2025 [41]	Sing, Sing, Sing (With a Swing) by Louis Prima performed by Anita O'Day choreo. by Jean-Luc Baker, Olivia Smart	Tango Jalousie by Jacob Gade performed by Sakari Oramo & Vienna Philharmonic Por una Cabeza (from Scent of a Woman ) by Carlos Gardel & Alfredo Le Pera performed by John Williams, Itzhak Perlman, & Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra choreo. by Madison Hubbell, Adrián Díaz	Sparkling Diamonds (from Moulin Rouge! ) performed by Nicole Kidman
2023–2024 [42]	River by Bishop Briggs choreo. by Alison Purkiss, Asher Hill	Gladiator Slaves to Rome Honor Him Now We Are Free by Hans Zimmer & Lisa Gerrard choreo. by Madison Hubbell, Adrián Díaz	Stick Season by Noah Kahan Lift Me Up (from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever ) by Rihanna
2022–2023 [1]	Where We Come Alive by Ruelle choreo. by Alison Purkiss	Singapore Drink Up Me Hearties Yo Ho (from Pirates of the Caribbean ) by Hans Zimmer choreo. by Alison Purkiss	Goo Goo Muck by The Cramps Bloody Mary by Lady Gaga

Singles

Season	Short program	Free skating
2022–2023 [1]	Stand by Me by Florence and the Machine choreo. by Asher Hill	Ochi Chernye (Dark Eyes) by Yevhen Hrebinka choreo. by Asher Hill
2021–2022 [43]	Listen to Your Heart by Per Gessle choreo. by Asher Hill

Competitive highlights

• GP – Event of the ISU Grand Prix Series
• JGP – Event of the ISU Junior Grand Prix Series
• CS – Event of the ISU Challenger Series
• C – Event was cancelled

Pair skating with Trennt Michaud

Competition placements at senior level  ^[40]

Season	2022–23	2023–24	2024–25
World Championships	6th	8th
Four Continents Championships	4th	5th
Canadian Championships	3rd	2nd
Grand Prix Final		6th
GP Cup of China			TBD
GP France		1st	5th
GP Skate America		2nd
CS Golden Spin of Zagreb	3rd
CS Nebelhorn Trophy		4th	5th
Skate Canada Challenge	1st

Single skating

International [5]
Event	20–21	21–22	22–23
CS Finlandia			15th
International: Junior [5]
Junior Worlds		14th
JGP France			6th
JGP Russia		10th
Challenge Cup		6th
Cranberry Cup		5th	1st
National [5]
Canadian Champ.	C	10th	5th
SC Challenge	3rd J	4th	8th
C = Cancelled J = Junior

Detailed results

Pair skating with Trennt Michaud

ISU personal best scores in the +5/-5 GOE System  ^[44]

Segment	Type	Score	Event
Total	TSS	194.67	2023 Grand Prix de France
Short program	TSS	65.97	2023 Grand Prix de France
	TES	37.59	2023 World Championships
	PCS	30.44	2024 World Championships
Free skating	TSS	128.70	2023 Grand Prix de France
	TES	67.54	2023 Grand Prix de France
	PCS	62.16	2023 Grand Prix de France

Results in the 2022–23 season   ^[40]

Date	Event	SP		FS		Total
		P	Score	P	Score	P	Score
Nov 30 – Dec 3, 2022	2023 Skate Canada Challenge	2	61.49	1	120.73	1	182.22
Dec 7–10, 2022	2022 CS Golden Spin of Zagreb	4	61.13	3	115.75	3	176.88
Jan 9–15, 2023	2023 Canadian Championships	4	64.60	3	111.93	3	176.53
Feb 7–12, 2023	2023 Four Continents Championships	6	65.31	4	127.69	4	193.00
Mar 20–26, 2023	2023 World Championships	6	65.31	4	127.69	4	193.00

Results in the 2023–24 season   ^[40]

Date	Event	SP		FS		Total
		P	Score	P	Score	P	Score
Sep 20–23, 2023	2023 CS Nebelhorn Trophy	4	62.38	2	126.56	4	188.94
Oct 20–22, 2023	2023 Skate America	2	63.22	2	119.37	2	182.59
Nov 3–5, 2023	2023 Grand Prix de France	1	65.97	1	128.70	1	194.67
Dec 7–10, 2023	2023–24 Grand Prix Final	6	61.78	6	123.38	6	185.16
Jan 8–14, 2024	2024 Canadian Championships	2	66.04	2	127.10	2	193.14
Jan 30 – Feb 4, 2024	2024 Four Continents Championships	6	59.89	5	122.16	5	182.05
Mar 18–24, 2024	2024 World Championships	9	64.83	7	122.10	8	186.93

Results in the 2024-25 season   ^[40]

Date	Event	SP		FS		Total
		P	Score	P	Score	P	Score
Sep 18-21, 2024	2024 CS Nebelhorn Trophy	7	57.04	3	119.24	5	176.28
Nov 1-3, 2024	2024 Grand Prix de France	3	64.38	5	106.29	5	170.67

Single skating

2022–23 season
Date	Event	Level	SP	FS	Total
January 9–15, 2023	2023 Canadian Championships	Senior	2 61.21	7 104.62	5 165.83
October 4–9, 2022	2022 CS Finlandia Trophy	Senior	8 56.98	18 85.09	15 142.07
August 24–28, 2022	2022 JGP France	Junior	10 50.63	6 103.96	6 154.59
August 11–14, 2022	2022 Cranberry Cup International	Junior	1 56.41	1 112.64	1 169.05
2021–22 season
Date	Event	Level	SP	FS	Total
April 13–17, 2022	2022 World Junior Championships	Junior	12 58.69	13 100.17	14 158.86
February 24–27, 2022	2022 International Challenge Cup	Junior	7 48.08	3 100.43	6 148.51
January 6–12, 2022	2022 Canadian Championships	Senior	13 48.37	9 95.99	10 144.36
December 1–5, 2021	2022 Skate Canada Challenge	Senior	10 48.85	3 111.39	4 160.24
September 15–18, 2021	2021 JGP Russia	Junior	9 53.51	11 88.92	10 142.43
August 11–15, 2021	2021 Cranberry Cup International	Junior	6 44.52	5 85.38	5 129.90
2020–21 season
Date	Event	Level	SP	FS	Total
January 8–17, 2021	2021 Skate Canada Challenge	Junior	4 49.27	4 87.58	3 136.85

References

1. "Lia PEREIRA: 2022/2023". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on December 13, 2022.
2. Pereira, Lia (September 11, 2023). "she's a gryphon now 💛❤️ #firstdayofuniversity #universityofguelph #firstyear #commerce #langbusiness #guelphgryphons" (Instagram). Archived from the original on November 4, 2023.
3. LeBlanc, Steve (January 14, 2018). "Schizas rebounds from short program spills to take sixth at nationals". Brampton Guardian .
4. "Skate Canada novice skaters win four medals at Skate Milwaukee". Skate Canada. July 13, 2018.
5. "Competition Results: Lia PEREIRA". International Skating Union.
6. "Nguyen, Walsh and Michaud win 2020 Skate Canada Challenge titles". Skate Canada. November 30, 2019.
7. "First three novice champions crowned at 2020 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships". Skate Canada. January 15, 2020.
8. Ewing, Lori (January 16, 2021). "Madeline Schizas moves up 3 spots to win virtual Skate Canada Challenge". CBC Sports .
9. "Junior women's, men's champions unveiled as Skate Canada Challenge wraps up opening weekend". Skate Canada. January 11, 2021.
10. "Canadian ice dancers fourth at ISU Junior Grand Prix". Skate Canada. September 18, 2021.
11. "Skate Canada names teams for ISU World Junior Figure Skating Championships 2022". Skate Canada. January 14, 2022.
12. "Canadians fourth and sixth at Challenge Cup". Skate Canada. February 27, 2022.
13. "Canada wins two medals in ice dancing at ISU World Junior Figure Skating Championships". Skate Canada. April 17, 2022.
14. "Six Canadian skaters to represent Canada at the Finlandia Trophy". Skate Canada. September 29, 2022.
15. "A promising start for Canada's NextGen in France". Skate Canada. August 27, 2022.
16. "Fournier Beaudry and Soerensen win gold at ISU Challenger Series Finlandia Trophy". Skate Canada. October 9, 2022.
17. Brodie, Robert (June 23, 2023). "'A team for everybody to be excited about'". R.W. Brodie Writes. Archived from the original on June 29, 2023.
18. "New pair team to compete at the 54th Golden Spin of Zagreb". Skate Canada. November 29, 2022.
19. "Men, pairs and ice dance titles awarded at 2022–23 Skate Canada Challenge". Skate Canada. December 2, 2022.
20. "Two bronze medals for Canada at ISU Challenger Series". Skate Canada. December 9, 2022.
21. "Keegan Messing leads men's competition at the 2023 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships". Skate Canada. January 14, 2023.
22. Flett, Ted (January 15, 2023). "Long awaited victory for Stellato-Dudek and Deschamps". Golden Skate.
23. DiManno, Rosie (January 14, 2023). "'It's pretty surreal.' Madeline Schizas defends Canadian figure skating title in fight to the finish". St. Catharines Standard .
24. "Skate Canada names teams for 2023 ISU championships". Skate Canada. January 15, 2023.
25. Dombrowski, Judith (February 10, 2023). "Miura and Kihara 'achieve goal' in short program". Golden Skate.
26. Slater, Paula (February 11, 2023). "Miura and Kihara reign at Four Continents". Golden Skate.
27. Slater, Paula (March 23, 2023). "Miura and Kihara grand-slam their way into history". Golden Skate.
28. Brodie, Robert (September 1, 2023). "New season brings 'a change of energy'". R.W. Brodie Writes. Archived from the original on September 2, 2023.
29. "Pair skaters Pereira & Michaud narrowly miss podium at Nebelhorn Trophy event". Skate Canada. September 23, 2023. Retrieved September 30, 2023.
30. "Hocke/Kunkel (GER) take slim lead in Skate America Pairs Short Program". International Skating Union. October 21, 2023. Retrieved October 23, 2023.
31. Slater, Paula (October 22, 2023). "Germany's Hocke and Kunkel secure pairs gold at Skate America". Golden Skate. Retrieved October 24, 2023.
32. "Pereira/Michaud (CAN) topple European Champions Conti/Macii (ITA) in Pairs Short in France". International Skating Union. November 3, 2023. Retrieved November 4, 2023.
33. "Pereira/Michaud (CAN) claim first ISU Grand Prix crown at Grand Prix de France". International Skating Union. October 21, 2023. Retrieved November 4, 2023.
34. Slater, Paula (December 8, 2023). "Hase and Volodin seize Grand Prix Final gold". Golden Skate. Retrieved December 13, 2023.
35. Flett, Ted (January 15, 2024). "Stellato-Dudek and Deschamps defend national title". Golden Skate. Retrieved January 15, 2024.
36. Slater, Paula (February 3, 2024). "Stellato-Dudek claims Four Continents title". Golden Skate. Retrieved February 6, 2024.
37. Brodie, Robert (March 21, 2024). "Worlds 2024: 'Our best short program of the year'". R.W. Brodie Writes. Archived from the original on April 1, 2024.
38. Brodie, Robert (March 22, 2024). "Worlds 2024: 'We've got a Hollywood script on our hands'". R.W. Brodie Writes. Archived from the original on April 1, 2024.
39. "Stellato-Dudek and Deschamps crowned pair World champions in Montreal". Skate Canada. March 22, 2024. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
40. "CAN - Lia Pereira / Trennt Michaud". SkatingScores.com.
41. Pereira, Lia. "Short Program: 2024/2025". Instagram. Instagram. Retrieved 23 September 2024.
42. "Lia PEREIRA / Trennt MICHAUD: 2023/2024". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on January 7, 2024.
43. "Lia PEREIRA: 2021/2022". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on April 18, 2022.
44. "Couple Records Lia Pereira / Trennt Michard (CAN)". International Skating Union .

External links

• Lia Pereira at the International Skating Union
• Lia Pereira & Trennt Michaud at the International Skating Union
• Lia Pereira & Trennt Michaud at SkatingScores.com
• Lia Pereira on Instagram