Lia Cho, a promising figure skater from Calgary, achieved an outstanding score at the 2026 Canadian figure skating championships, breaking her own Canadian junior women’s record. The 13-year-old prodigy earned a remarkable 199.60 points, surpassing her previous record of 188.79 set in the previous year’s nationals in Laval, Quebec.
Expressing her surprise, Cho remarked on the high score, recalling her initial confusion due to the announcements being in French. Her coach’s confirmation in English left her in awe of her achievement. Cho’s flawless performance included landing seven triple jumps at Centre Slush Puppie, securing her victory over Victoria Barakhtina, who claimed the silver medal with 171.93 points, and Quinn Startek, who took bronze with 157.93 points.
Skating under the guidance of coach Scott Davis at The Glencoe Club, Cho’s journey from being an ice patcher at the 2024 nationals has now propelled her into eligibility for the world junior championships in 2027. In the junior men’s event, Parker Heiderich of Calgary clinched the gold medal with 188.16 points, outperforming silver medallist William Chan and bronze medallist James Cha. Additionally, Layla Veillon and Alexander Brandys secured the gold in junior ice dance, scoring 170.33 points.