Mitchell Islam

Mitchell Islam
Paul and Islam at 2010 Junior Worlds
Personal information
Country represented	Canada
Born	(1990-01-24) January 24, 1990 Barrie, Ontario
Height	1.81 m (5 ft 11 in)
Partner	Alexandra Paul
Former partner	Joanna Lenko
Coach	Marie-France Dubreuil, Patrice Lauzon, Romain Haguenauer
Former coach	Pasquale Camerlengo, Anjelika Krylova, David Islam, Kelly Johnson, Pavol Porac, Tyler Myles
Choreographer	Kelly Johnson, Pasquale Camerlengo, Anjelika Krylova, Jeffrey Buttle
Former choreographer	Pavol Porac
Skating club	Gadbois Centre
Training locations	Montreal, Quebec
Former training locations	Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, Barrie, Ontario
Began skating	1993
ISU personal best scores
Combined total	149.92 2015 Four Continents
Short dance	61.34 2015 Four Continents
Free dance	91.08 2014 Worlds
Medal record Figure skating: Ice dancing Competitor for  Canada World Junior Championships Silver 2010 The Hague Ice dancing

Mitchell Islam (born January 24, 1990) is a Canadian ice dancer. He teamed up with partner Alexandra Paul in 2009. They are the 2010 World Junior silver medalists, 2013 Nebelhorn Trophy bronze medalists, and three-time Canadian national bronze medalists (2011, 2014, 2015). They have qualified for the 2014 Winter Olympics.

Career

Early career

From 2000 through 2008, Islam competed with Joanna Lenko.^[1] They trained at the Mariposa School of Skating,^[2] coached by Mitchell Islam's father, David.^[1]

In the 2006–07 ISU Junior Grand Prix season, Lenko/Islam were 5th in the Netherlands and won a silver medal in Hungary. After taking silver on the junior level at the 2007 Canadian Championships, they were assigned to the 2007 World Junior Championships but withdrew after the original dance due to Lenko's illness.^[3]

Lenko/Islam won a pair of medals in the 2007–08 ISU Junior Grand Prix — silver in the U.S. and bronze in Estonia — which qualified the team for the 2007 JGP Final. Health issues forced them to withdraw prior to the event. They were also unable to compete at the 2008 Canadian Championships, where they had intended to skate at the senior level for the first time. Despite missing the event, Skate Canada named them to the 2008 Junior World team.^[4] However, Lenko's health issues persisted, leaving them unable to compete at the event.

Partnership with Alexandra Paul

Paul/Islam at the 2011 Canadian Championships

In February 2009, Mitchell Islam had a successful tryout with Alexandra Paul, a fellow skater at the Mariposa School of Skating in Barrie, Ontario.^[5] His father was on his coaching team.

Paul/Islam began competing together during the 2009–2010 season. In July 2009, they beat the Canadian junior champions at the Minto Summer Skate and were given a Junior Grand Prix assignment. They competed at two 2009–10 JGP events, finishing fourth in Poland and fifth in Turkey. They won gold at the Canadian Junior Championships and were assigned to Junior Worlds where they captured the silver medal.

Paul/Islam moved up to the senior ranks for the 2010–2011 season. They finished fourth in their senior Grand Prix debut at 2010 Skate Canada International. Their next event was 2010 Cup of Russia. They had a fall in the short dance and withdrew from the free dance after Paul sustained a rib injury.^[6] Paul/Islam made their senior national debut at the 2011 Canadian Championships, finishing in third. They were first alternates for the 2011 World Championships.^[7]

Paul/Islam finished eighth at the 2011 Skate America. They withdrew before the free dance at 2011 NHK Trophy after placing seventh in the short — Paul suffered a cut to the back of the thigh in a collision with Italy's Lorenza Alessandrini / Simone Vaturi during the morning practice on November 12.^[8]

In June 2012, Paul/Islam decided to train full-time at the Detroit Skating Club in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan.^[2][9] They had no Grand Prix events in 2012. At the 2013 Canadian Championships, they finished fourth.^[10]

Paul/Islam began the 2013–14 season by taking bronze at the 2013 Nebelhorn Trophy. They placed fifth at their sole Grand Prix assignment, the 2013 Skate Canada International. After winning the bronze medal at the 2014 Canadian Championships, they were assigned to the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, where they placed 18th.

Personal life

Mitchell Islam's mother, Debbie, is a former ladies' singles skater who won the Canadian junior title and senior national bronze medal. She is also a figure skating judge; she was on the judging panel for the men's event at the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver.^[5] His father, David, is Director of Ice Dance at the Mariposa School of Skating. His sister, Rachel, competes in track and field. Mitchell Islam has played AAA hockey, rep level lacrosse, and soccer. He is a political science student at Oakland University.^[11]

Programs

With Paul

With Lenko

Competitive highlights

With Paul

With Lenko

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Mitchell Islam.

• Alexandra Paul / Mitchell Islam at the International Skating Union
• Alexandra Paul / Mitchell Islam at Skate Canada
• Joanna Lenko / Mitchell Islam at the International Skating Union