Lia Cho achieved an exceptional score that took a moment to sink in during the 2026 Canadian figure skating championships. The 13-year-old prodigy from Calgary broke her own Canadian junior women’s record, securing the gold with a total of 199.60 points, surpassing her previous record of 188.79 set at the previous year’s nationals in Laval, Quebec.
Expressing her surprise, Cho mentioned that the score was the highest she had ever received, and she initially had to confirm its significance with her coach due to the language barrier. She landed an impressive seven triple jumps at Centre Slush Puppie, outperforming Victoria Barakhtina who secured the silver with 171.93 points, and Quinn Startek who clinched the bronze with 157.93 points.
Training under coach Scott Davis at The Glencoe Club, Cho, who served as an ice patcher at the 2024 nationals, is now eligible to compete in the world junior championships starting in 2027. Meanwhile, in the junior men’s category, Parker Heiderich from Calgary claimed the gold with 188.16 points, leading ahead of William Chan and James Cha who took the silver and bronze medals, respectively.
Additionally, Layla Veillon and Alexander Brandys triumphed in the junior ice dance category, scoring 170.33 points.