Figure Skating – Crowd hype sparks Sienna to quality free skate performance

Sienna Kaczmarczyk concluded her Youth Olympic competition with a stellar effort in the free skate routine, scoring 72.49, to rank 17th.

Combined with her short program score of 39.97 from Sunday, Sienna totalled 112.46 for 17th place overall.

She selected Sam Yung’s Hikari as her song of choice for the free skate. The double loop, double axel and SEQ element Sienna opened with earned the Brisbane based figure skater 6.44 points, more than any other manoeuvre.

“I was really nervous, but by the end of the program I got better and more comfortable with the crowd and the actual performance being closer to the crowd,” Sienna said. “This is the biggest crowd I've competed in front of and I was able to get energy from the crowd clapping and cheering.

“I love competing for Australia, it's such an amazing opportunity and I've enjoyed making more friends. Hopefully one day I can make it to the Olympics.”

Cross-Country Skiing – 7.5km classic tests Aussies

Australian cross-country skiers Rosie Franzke, Satara Moon, Clancy Merrick Harvey and Samuel Johnson showcased their skills on the icy trails around the Alpensia Biathlon Centre, with Rosie and Satara standing out as top performers in the women’s 7.5km classic.

Placing 38th and 44th respectively in the 78-athlete field Rosie, from Mt Beauty in Victoria, had the added incentive to perform for her dad and little sister who were cheering on from the sideline.

"It was really nice to be able to see and hear them during the race,” she said. “I went a bit too hard in the first lap, other than that it was good. Representing Australia is something I've wanted to do for a long time, so it's quite exciting to finally realise that.”

Satara took a lot out of the event.

"I was quite happy with it,” she said. “The hills were nice and steep. The Downhills were nice and fast, overall a good race.”

Clancy from Albert Park, Victoria and Samuel from Deakin in the ACT commendably completed the challenging course 48th and 52nd respectively.

Day 11 Schedule

With no Aussies competing on Day 12 at Gangwon 2024, the next Team Australia event will be the men’s and women’s snowboard halfpipe on Day 13 this Thursday.