Kaiya Ruiter
| Kaiya Ruiter | |
|---|---|
| Born | 13 May 2006 Calgary, Alberta |
| Height | 1.52 m (5 ft 0 in) |
| Figure skating career | |
| Country |  Canada |
| Discipline | Women's singles |
| Coach | Scott Davis Jeff Langdon |
| Skating club | Calalta Figure Skating Club |
| Began skating | 2010 |
Kaiya Ruiter (born 13 May 2006) is a Canadian
On the junior level, Ruiter is a two-time ISU Junior Grand Prix medalist and the 2020 Canadian junior national champion.
Personal life
Ruiter was born on 13 May 2006 in Ottawa, Ontario, to parents Kris and Victoria. She is the second of four children. Her three sisters – Keaghan, Vaunya, and Vyan – have all competed in figure skating.[1] Ruiter attends school through a homeschooling program.[2]
Career
Early years
Ruiter began learning to skate with her parents and sisters at age four on the Rideau Canal in Ottawa. She officially began training at age six at the Gloucester Skating Club under Darlene Joseph.[2]
Ruiter's family relocated from Ottawa to Edmonton in 2016 when Ruiter was 10, and there she began training under Ravi Walia, coach of the 2018 Olympic bronze medalist Kaetlyn Osmond. However, ten months later, the family moved again, this time to Calgary, and Ruiter began working with her current coaches, Jeff Langdon and Scott Davis, per Walia's recommendation. Ruiter landed her first triple jump, a triple toe loop, in November 2018 and went on to learn the rest of her triple jumps and triple-triple combinations within a year.[1]
In January 2019, Ruiter won the 2019 Canadian novice national title, setting a new national record for the novice women's event with a score of 139.57 (later broken by Amy Shao Ning Yang in 2020).[3] The following month, she competed at her first international assignment, the 2019 Bavarian Open, where she placed third in the novice women's category behind Kimmy Repond of Switzerland, and Lindsay Thorngren from the United States.[4]
2019–20 season: International junior debut
As the reigning national novice champion, Ruiter was selected to appear twice on the
Following her international outings, Ruiter competed at and won the junior event at the 2020 Skate Canada Challenge, the final qualifying event for the 2020 Canadian Junior Championships.[9] She took the gold medal with a total score of 174.83 points, bettering her own national junior record and winning by a margin of 31.52 points over silver medallist Emily Millard.[8] By the time of the championships, Ruiter was attracting significant media attention due to both her technical content and the comparatively weak women's field at the senior event that occurred. She was the only competitor at either the senior or junior levels to successfully perform a triple Lutz-triple toe loop combination and one of only a few to even attempt it. Her score was slightly short of senior national champion Emily Bausback's winning score of 175.54, but would have surpassed it with the additional senior choreographic sequence included.[8][10]
Ruiter was given additional international assignments for the remainder of the season, first winning gold in the junior event at the Bavarian Open.[11] Her season had a disappointing finish at the 2020 World Junior Championships in Tallinn, where she fell twice in the short program and did not qualify for the free skate segment, coming in thirty-first.[1]
2020–21 season: Pandemic
The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic significantly disrupted training and competitions for all skaters.[1] With the international junior season and the Canadian domestic season largely cancelled, Ruiter's lone major competitive appearance came at a virtually-held 2021 Skate Canada Challenge. Competing in the senior women's category for the first time, she won the short program but dropped to fourth place following the free skate.[12]
2021–22 season: JGP medals
With the resumption of international junior competition, Ruiter was again given two
Following the Junior Grand Prix, Ruiter had planned to compete at the senior level as well, aiming to qualify for the Canadian Olympic team for Beijing.[17] However, she sustained a significant injury in training in November 2021, falling and slicing her calf muscles with the blade of her own skate.[18] She later developed scar tissue problems, and was unable to resume proper training for almost a year.[17]
2022–23 season: International senior debut
In her return to international competition, Ruiter made her
After finishing sixth at Skate Canada Challenge, Ruiter qualified to the 2023 Canadian Championships, her first appearance at the senior level. Sixth in the short program after a jumping error, she went on to win the free skate and rise to second overall. Ruiter called her silver medal result "absolutely incredible."[17] Coach Scott Davis called it "a testament to her daily training," after all the difficulties of the preceding year.[20]
Ruiter was named as Canada's lone women's entry at the 2023 World Junior Championships.[21] The World Junior Championships were held in Ruiter's hometown of Calgary, in the WinSport Arena at Canada Olympic Park, her primary training location. She called it "a dream come true to get to perform not only in front of the home crowd but this is my home rink."[22] Eleventh in the short program, she moved up to tenth after the free skate, and said it was "really special to perform here in front of friends and family."[23] Ruiter's placement guaranteed two spots for Canadian women at the 2024 World Junior Championships.
2023–24 season: National title and Youth Olympics
Ruiter began the season by winning the bronze medal at the 2023
At the Skate Canada Challenge, the final qualifier to the 2024 Canadian Championships, Ruiter finished second.[27] Shortly after this, she was named to the Canadian delegation to the 2024 Winter Youth Olympics. Ruiter said she was "honoured and beyond excited" at the opportunity, noting that "I get to compete on the same ice where my idol, Kaetlyn Osmond, won two Olympic medals."[28]
Competing at the 2024 Canadian Championships in her hometown of Calgary, Ruiter placed second in the short program but won the free skate, edging out two-time Canadian champion, Madeline Schizas, and taking the gold medal. Following the event, Ruiter said, "Just having that skate out there, that just felt like magic to me. That was one of the most special performances I've ever had in my life and just to get to share that with my family and friends and everyone that I love, it's just surreal."[29]
Ruiter was sixth in the short program at the Youth Olympic women's event, but struggles in the free skate saw her twelfth in that segment, dropping to eleventh overall. She admitted that "there were certainly some highlights that I'm really proud of, and it wasn't what I was hoping for."[30] She was part of Team Canada in the team event, coming fourth of five skaters in her segment and contributing to the team's bronze medal win. Ruiter credited the team atmosphere for boosting her performance in comparison to the prior outing, and called wearing an Olympic medal "surreal."[31] At the 2024 World Junior Championships, she came twenty-first.[32]
Programs
| Season | Short program | Free skating | Exhibition |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023–2024 [33][34] |
|
|
|
| 2022–2023 [35] |
| ||
| 2020–2022 [36] |
|
|
|
| 2019–2020 [37] |
|
|
Competitive highlights
CS: Challenger Series; JGP: Junior Grand Prix.
| International[24] | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Event | 19–20 | 20–21 | 21–22 | 22–23 | 23–24 |
| GP Skate Canada | 10th | ||||
| CS Autumn Classic | 2nd | ||||
| CS Ice Challenge | 2nd | ||||
| Cranberry Cup | 3rd | ||||
| International: Junior[24] | |||||
| Youth Olympics | 11th | ||||
| Junior Worlds | 31st | 10th | 21st | ||
| JGP France I | 2nd | ||||
| JGP France II | 3rd | ||||
| JGP Italy | 6th | ||||
| JGP Latvia | 11th | ||||
| Bavarian Open | 1st | ||||
| National[24] | |||||
| Canadian Champ. | 1st J | C | 2nd | 1st | |
| Skate Canada Challenge | 1st J | 4th | 6th | 2nd | |
| Team | |||||
Youth Olympics |
3rd T 4th P | ||||
| 1JGP France I; 2JGP France II C = Canceled J = Junior | |||||
Detailed results
| Segment | Type | Score | Event |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total | TSS | 179.92 | 2021 JGP France II |
| Short program | TSS | 63.17 | 2021 JGP France II |
| TES | 35.43 | 2021 JGP France II | |
| PCS | 28.73 | 2023 CS Autumn Classic International | |
| Free skating | TSS | 118.10 | 2021 JGP France I |
| TES | 61.59 | 2021 JGP France I | |
| PCS | 59.14 | 2023 CS Autumn Classic International |
Current personal best scores are highlighted in bold.
Senior results
| 2023–2024 season | ||||
| Date | Event | SP | FS | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8–14 January 2024 | 2024 Canadian Championships | 2 58.25 |
1 122.61 |
1 180.86 |
| 30 Nov. – 3 Dec. 2023 | 2024 Skate Canada Challenge | 2 60.22 |
3 116.20 |
2 176.42 |
| 27–29 October 2023 | 2023 Skate Canada International | 9 55.82 |
11 99.62 |
10 155.44 |
| 14–17 September 2023 | 2023 CS Autumn Classic International | 4 58.87 |
2 113.81 |
2 172.68 |
| 9–13 August 2023 | 2023 Cranberry Cup International | 5 56.19 |
5 108.24 |
3 164.43 |
| 2022–23 season | ||||
| Date | Event | SP | FS | Total |
| 9–15 January 2023 | 2023 Canadian Championships | 6 59.54 |
1 129.82 |
2 189.36 |
| 30 Nov. – 3 Dec. 2022 | 2023 Skate Canada Challenge | 1 65.86 |
9 95.40 |
6 161.26 |
| 9–13 November 2022 | 2022 CS Ice Challenge | 6 55.36 |
1 117.06 |
2 172.42 |
| 2020–21 season | ||||
| Date | Event | SP | FS | Total |
| 8–17 January 2021 | 2021 Skate Canada Challenge | 1 62.91 |
7 100.26 |
4 163.17 |
Junior results
| 2023–24 season | ||||
| Date | Event | SP | FS | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb. 26 – Mar. 3, 2024 | 2024 World Junior Championships | 19 54.62 |
20 106.57 |
21 161.19 |
| 1 February 2024 | 2024 Winter Youth Olympics (Team) | – | 4 103.41 |
3T/4P 103.41 |
| 28–30 January 2024 | 2024 Winter Youth Olympics | 6 58.78 |
12 96.17 |
11 154.95 |
| 2022–23 season | ||||
| Date | Event | SP | FS | Total |
| 27 Feb. – 5 Mar. 2023 | 2023 World Junior Championships | 11 57.71 |
11 111.94 |
10 169.65 |
| 2021–22 season | ||||
| Date | Event | SP | FS | Total |
| 25–28 August 2021 | 2021 JPG France II
|
3 63.17 |
4 116.75 |
3 179.92 |
| 18–21 August 2021 | 2021 JPG France I
|
3 59.50 |
2 118.10 |
2 177.60 |
| 2019–20 season | ||||
| Date | Event | SP | FS | Total |
| 2–8 March 2020 | 2020 World Junior Championships | 31 47.27 |
— | 31 47.27 |
| 3–9 February 2020 | 2020 Bavarian Open | 2 57.71 |
1 107.51 |
1 165.22 |
| 13–19 January 2020 | 2020 Canadian Junior Championships | 1 59.30 |
1 115.53 |
1 174.83 |
| 27 Nov. – 1 Dec. 2019 | 2020 Skate Canada Junior Challenge | 1 59.33 |
1 110.56 |
1 169.89 |
| 2–5 October 2019 | 2019 JPG Italy
|
5 58.28 |
6 100.79 |
6 159.07 |
| 4–7 September 2019 | 2019 JPG Latvia
|
12 52.96 |
11 98.17 |
11 151.13 |
References
- ^ a b c d e Russell, Susan D. (1 May 2020). "Kaiya Ruiter: Canadian junior chasing her dreams". International Figure Skating.
- ^ a b c Cleary, Martin (3 March 2020). "Sky's the limit for figure skater Kaiya Ruiter". Ottawa Sun.
- ^ a b "Figure skating: 2019 Canadian Tire National Skating Championships". Sport Information Resource Centre. 15 January 2019.
- ^ a b "Bavarian Open 2019 Advanced Novice Girls I Result". German Ice Skating Union. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
- ^ a b "Canadian skaters headed to Latvia for Junior Grand Prix #3". Skate Canada. 3 September 2019.
- ^ a b "Canadians in medal hunt at ISU Junior Grand Prix". Skate Canada. 6 September 2019.
- ^ a b "Kaiya Ruiter shows big improvement in second ISU Junior Grand Prix appearance". Skate Canada. 5 October 2019.
- ^ a b c d Smith, Beverley (16 January 2020). "Remember the name: Kaiya Ruiter". Bev Smith Writes.
- ^ a b "Madeline Schizas emerges as women's champion at 2020 Skate Canada Challenge". Skate Canada. 1 December 2019.
- ^ a b Ewing, Lori (3 March 2020). "Ruiter is enjoying breakout season; future of Canadian women's skating is bright". Toronto Star.
- ^ a b "Medal bonanza for Canadian skaters at Bavarian Open". Skate Canada. 7 February 2020.
- ^ a b "Madeline Schizas claims second straight Skate Canada Challenge senior women's crown". Skate Canada. 17 January 2021.
- ^ a b "Russian junior skaters out of French events". International Figure Skating. 10 August 2021.
- ^ a b "USA celebrates gold medal sweep as ISU Junior Grand Prix starts in Courchevel". International Skating Union. 23 August 2021.
- ^ a b "USA and Canada strike gold as ISU Junior Grand Prix continues in Courchevel". International Skating Union. 31 August 2022.
- ^ a b "Canada's Kaiya Ruiter wins a bronze medal and captures a second Junior Grand Prix medal". Skate Canada. 28 August 2021.
- ^ a b c d Ewing, Lori (14 January 2023). "Schizas holds off 16-year-old Kaiya Ruiter to win Canadian figure skating title". CBC Sports.
- ^ a b Simmons, Taylor (23 February 2023). "Calgary's Kaiya Ruiter, 16, competing at World Junior Figure Skating Championships". CBC Sports.
- ^ a b "Canadians win two medals at ISU Challenger Series event". Skate Canada. 13 November 2022.
- ^ a b Flett, Ted (14 January 2023). "Schizas repeats as Canadian national champion". Golden Skate.
- ^ a b "Skate Canada names teams for 2023 ISU championships". Skate Canada. 15 January 2023.
- ^ a b Campbell, Glenn (21 February 2023). "Local figure skater Kaiya Ruiter hits world stage next week in Calgary". CTV News.
- ^ a b Leaver, Jennie (4 March 2023). "Bashynska and Beaumont less than one point from podium after rhythm dance". Skate Canada.
- ^ a b c d e "Kaiya RUITER: Competition Results". International Skating Union. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
- ^ a b "Canadian skaters win four medal on second day of Autumn Classic International". Skate Canada. 15 September 2023. Retrieved 24 September 2023.
- ^ a b Slater, Paula (29 October 2023). "Japan's Kaori Sakamoto seizes Skate Canada gold". Golden Skate. Retrieved 30 October 2023.
- ^ a b "New faces shine at 2023-2024 Skate Canada Challenge - Junior/Senior in Winnipeg". Skate Canada. 3 December 2023. Retrieved 3 December 2023.
- ^ a b "Eight young figure skaters announced to Team Canada's Gangwon 2024 Winter Youth Olympic team". Skate Canada. 5 December 2023. Retrieved 5 December 2023.
- ^ a b Spencer, Donna. "Ruiter halts Schizas's 3-peat bid in women's program at Canadian figure skating championships". CBC Sports. Retrieved 14 January 2024.
- ^ a b "Two Top-10 finishes for Canadian ice dancers at Youth Olympic Games". Skate Canada. 30 January 2024. Retrieved 3 February 2024.
- ^ a b "Historic team bronze to close out Youth Olympic Games for Canada". Skate Canada. 1 February 2024. Retrieved 3 February 2024.
- ^ a b "Lin impresses with 10th place finish at World Junior Figure Skating Championships". Skate Canada. 1 March 2024. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
- ^ a b "Kaiya RUITER: 2023/2024". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 19 September 2023.
- ^ a b Wilson, David (19 May 2023). "2023/24 Free Program". Instagram.
- ^ a b "Kaiya RUITER: 2022/2023". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 18 November 2022.
- ^ a b "Kaiya RUITER: 2021/2022". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 15 April 2022.
- ^ a b "Kaiya RUITER: 2019/2020". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 3 September 2019.
- ^ a b "CAN-Kaiya RUITER". Skating Scores.
- ^ "Kaiya RUITER: 2020/2021". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 15 March 2021.