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Isabeau Levito

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Isabeau Levito
Born (2007-03-03) March 3, 2007 (age 17)
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
HometownMount Holly, New Jersey
Height1.56 m (5 ft 1+1⁄2 in)
Figure skating career
Country United States
CoachYulia Kuznetsova, Otar Japaridze, Slava Kuznetsov, Evgeni Platov, Zhanna Palagina
Skating clubSkating Club of Southern NJ
Began skating2010
Medal record
Figure skating: Women's singles
Representing  United States
World Junior Championships
Gold medal – first place 2022 Tallinn Women's singles

Isabeau Levito (born March 3, 2007) is an American figure skater. She is the 2022 Skate America silver medalist, the 2022 MK John Wilson Trophy silver medalist, the 2022 CS Nepela Memorial champion, and the 2022 U.S. national bronze medalist.

On the junior level, Levito is the 2022 Junior World champion, the 2021 JGP France II champion, the 2021 JGP Austria silver medalist, and the 2021 U.S. junior national champion.

Personal life

Levito was born on March 3, 2007, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and lives in Mount Holly, New Jersey.[1] Her mother, Chiara Garberi, is a clinical embryologist who immigrated to the United States from Italy in 1997. Levito is named after Michelle Pfeiffer's character, Isabeau d'Anjou, in the film Ladyhawke. She speaks English, Italian, and some Russian.

Levito cites skaters Alena Kostornaia, Evgenia Medvedeva, Elizaveta Tuktamysheva, and Kaori Sakamoto as her skating inspirations and role models.[2][3]

Career

Early years

Levito began learning how to skate in 2010 at the age of three in Mount Laurel, New Jersey. Her mother, a fan of figure skating, initially put her in learn-to-skate classes as a way to improve her balance.[4] Levito began taking private lessons with her current coach Yulia Kuznetsova, a former pair skater, at age three. She competed at her first U.S. Figure Skating Championships at the juvenile level in 2018 where she took the title, and would later go on to win the silver medal in the intermediate category in 2019, the junior silver medal in 2020, and the junior national title in 2021.

2021–22 season: Junior World champion

Levito made her junior international debut at the 2021 JGP France II, the second of two Junior Grand Prix event held in Courchevel, in August. She won both segments of competition to take the title ahead of South Korean skater Kim Chae-yeon and Canadian competitor Kaiya Ruiter.[5] At her second event in October, the 2021 JGP Austria, Levito took the silver medal between Russian skaters Sofia Muravieva in first and Anastasia Zinina in third.[6] Due to her win in France, Levito qualified as the fifth seeded skater to the junior women's event at the 2021–22 Junior Grand Prix Final in Osaka, Japan under the qualification rules established for the 2021–22 season, but she withdrew from the event in November due to injury.[7] The Final was later cancelled due to concerns related to the Omicron variant.[8]

After recovering from an unspecified lower body injury, Levito competed at her first senior-level U.S. Championships in January. She placed fourth in the short program and narrowly advanced to second in the free skate to take the bronze medal overall, behind Mariah Bell and Karen Chen. Due to her age, she was ineligible to be named to the American Olympic team.[9]

Levito was assigned to finish her season at the 2022 World Junior Championships, but these were soon disrupted by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. In response to the invasion, the International Skating Union banned all Russian and Belarusian athletes from competing at ISU championships.[10] With the Russian women having dominated the women's discipline in recent years, their absence made Levito a medal favorite at Junior Worlds.[11] However, due to both the invasion and concerns related to the Omicron variant, the World Junior Championships could not be held as scheduled in Sofia in early March, and were later moved to mid-April in Tallinn, Estonia.[12] At Junior Worlds, Levito won the short program, introducing a Lutz-loop combination into competition, with a score of 72.50, 3.12 points ahead of Shin Ji-a of South Korea.[13] She finished second in the free skate, behind Shin, but remained in first overall by 0.54 points and took the gold medal. She was the first American woman to win the World Junior Championships since Rachael Flatt in 2008.[14]

2022–23 season: Senior international debut

Entering the new quadrennial, Levito said that she was looking ahead to the 2026 Winter Olympics, noting "my mom is from Milano." Though she initially said she was unsure whether she would compete as a junior or senior, she ultimately moved up to the senior level.[15] Levito opened her debut senior season at the Philadelphia Summer International. She placed first in both segments of the competition to win the competition with a score of 207.67, four points ahead of second-place finisher Lindsay Thorngren.[16] In her first appearance on the Challenger circuit, she won the gold medal at the 2022 CS Nepela Memorial.[17]

Levito was then invited to make her senior Grand Prix debut at the 2022 Skate America. She finished second, behind reigning World champion Kaori Sakamoto. Levito afterward said she was glad to perform in her first Grand Prix "in front of a home crowd in America."[18] At her next assignment, the 2022 MK John Wilson Trophy, Levito placed second in both segments of the competition, including a personal best free skate, to take the silver medal behind Japan's Mai Mihara. These results qualified her for the 2022–23 Grand Prix Final.[19][20] She was the youngest American to qualify for the Final since Caroline Zhang in 2007.[21]

Programs

Season Short program Free skating Exhibition
2022–2023
[22]
  • Una noche más
    by Yasmin Levy
    choreo. by Yulia Kuznetsova
2021–2022
[23]
2020–2021

Competitive highlights

JGP: Junior Grand Prix. Pewter medals (4th place) awarded only at U.S. national, sectional, and regional events.

International[24]
Event 17–18 18–19 19–20 20–21 21–22 22–23
GP Final TBD
GP Skate America 2nd
GP Wilson Trophy 2nd
CS Golden Spin WD
CS Nepela Memorial 1st
Philadelphia 1st
International: Junior[24]
Junior Worlds 1st
JGP Final WD/C
JGP Austria 2nd
JGP France 1st
International: Advanced novice[24]
Asian Open Trophy 3rd
National[24]
U.S. Champ. 1st V 2nd I 2nd J 1st J 3rd
Eastern Sectional 2nd V 2nd I 1st N
Northern Atlantic 1st V 2nd I 1st N
Championship Series 1st J
ISP Points Challenge 1st J
USCS Virginia WD
TBD = Assigned; WD = Withdrew; C = Canceled
Levels: J = Junior, N = Novice, I = Intermediate, V = Juvenile

Detailed results

Current personal best scores are highlighted in bold.

Senior results

2022–23 season
Date Event SP FS Total
November 11–13, 2022 2022 MK John Wilson Trophy 2
72.06 		2
143.68 		2
215.74
October 21–23, 2022 2022 Skate America 2
71.30 		2
135.36 		2
206.66
September 29–October 1, 2022 2022 CS Nepela Memorial 1
65.37 		1
133.62 		1
198.99
August 4–7, 2022 2022 Philadelphia Summer International 1
70.72 		2
136.95 		1
207.67
2021–22 season
Date Event SP FS Total
January 2–9, 2022 2022 U.S. Championships 4
71.00 		2
139.75 		3
210.75

Junior results

2021–22 season
Date Event SP FS Total
April 13–17, 2022 2022 World Junior Championships 1
72.50 		2
134.05 		1
206.55
October 7–9, 2021 2021 JGP Austria 2
71.32 		2
136.99 		2
208.31
August 25–28, 2021 2021 JGP France II 1
71.25 		1
131.10 		1
202.35
2020–21 season
January 9–20, 2021 2021 U.S. Championships 1
65.66 		1
121.82 		1
187.48

References

  1. ^ Dunkel, Ellen. "South Jersey figure skater is on the rise, but her Olympic dreams are on hold; Isabeau Levito, 14, was born in Philadelphia, lives in Mount Holly, and trains at the Igloo Ice Rink in Mount Laurel. She won the bronze medal at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Nashville.", The Philadelphia Inquirer, January 13, 2022. Accessed January 13, 2022.
  2. ^ Isaac, Dave (February 2, 2020). "Meet South Jersey's phenom figure skater with high Olympic hopes". Courier-Post.
  3. ^ Flade, Tatjana (2022-06-02). "America's new hope: Isabeau Levito". Golden Skate. Retrieved 2022-06-16.
  4. ^ Stigall, Kama (September 1, 2021). "'A BALL OF FIRE'". US Figure Skating.
  5. ^ "USA and Canada strike gold as ISU Junior Grand Prix continues in Courchevel". International Skating Union. August 31, 2021.
  6. ^ "Skaters grab last spots for the ISU Junior Grand Prix Final in Linz (AUT)". International Skating Union. October 11, 2021.
  7. ^ "Isabeau Levito Withdraws from Junior Grand Prix Final" (Press release). U.S. Figure Skating. November 30, 2021.
  8. ^ "Figure skating Grand Prix Final cancelled over travel rules". CBC Sports. December 2, 2021.
  9. ^ Slater, Paula (January 8, 2022). "Mariah Bell takes first National title". Golden Skate.
  10. ^ "ISU Statement on the Ukrainian crisis – Participation in international competitions of Skaters and Officials from Russia and Belarus". International Skating Union. March 1, 2022.
  11. ^ "2022 World Junior Championships". International Figure Skating.
  12. ^ "ISU World Junior Figure Skating Championships 2022 allotted to Tallinn (EST)". International Skating Union. March 4, 2022.
  13. ^ Slater, Paula (April 16, 2022). "USA's Isabeau Levito leads Women at Junior Worlds". Golden Skate.
  14. ^ Slater, Paula (April 17, 2022). "USA's Isabeau Levito skates to gold in Tallinn". Golden Skate.
  15. ^ Walker, Elvin (May 9, 2022). "Isabeau Levito Arrives on the International Scene". US Figure Skating.
  16. ^ "Philadelphia International Championships". USFSA. Retrieved August 6, 2022.
  17. ^ Sausa, Christie (October 1, 2022). "Team USA Secures Two Medals at Ondrej Nepela Memorial". US Figure Skating.
  18. ^ Slater, Paula (October 23, 2022). "Sakamoto captures elusive gold in fifth trip to Skate America". Golden Skate.
  19. ^ "Isabeau Levito Clinches Silver at MK John Wilson Trophy". US Figure Skating. November 13, 2022.
  20. ^ Slater, Paula (November 13, 2022). "Mihara takes first Grand Prix gold in Sheffield". Golden Skate.
  21. ^ "Isabeau Levito likely to become youngest American to make Grand Prix Final in 15 years". NBC Sports. November 13, 2022.
  22. ^ "Isabeau LEVITO: 2022/23". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on November 17, 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  23. ^ "Isabeau LEVITO: 2021/22". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on January 30, 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  24. ^ a b c d "Competition Results: Isabeau LEVITO". International Skating Union.
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