Iliya Kovler | Golden Skate

Iliya Kovler

siberia82

Addicted to Canadian men's singles skating
Record Breaker
Joined
Jun 18, 2008
Country
Canada
Iliya Kovler is a men's singles skater who represents Canada. He was born on 30th December 2002 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He trains at the Richmond Training Centre and is coached by Andrei Berezintsev and Inga Zusev.

Biographical Information

His ISU bio: http://www.isuresults.com/bios/isufs00101765.htm

His tracings.net entry: http://tracings.net/kovl-iliy.html

His rinkresults entry: http://www.rinkresults.com/skater?skater_id=20584

Wikipedia: not yet

Social Media

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iliya_kovler/?hl=en


TypeScoreCompetition
Personal Best Total Score201.20ISU JGP Armenian Cup 2018
Personal Best Score Short Program72.16ISU JGP Canada 2018
Personal Best Score Free Skating129.82ISU JGP Armenian Cup 2018



Programs and Videos


Season 2019-20
SP: "Natural" by Ben McKee, performed by Imagine Dragons; choreo by Andrei Berenzintsev
FS: The Sound of Silence by Paul Simon, performed by Disturbed; choreo by Andrei Berenzintsev

2019 JPG Chelyabinsk
SP: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJvjjzEYghA
FS: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uynr0KK2OF4

2019 JGP Courchevel
SP: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vAp8YBkFl94
FS: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZU49W4HG1k4

2019 Minto Summer Skate
SP: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X8SfGVB0hg4

Season 2018-19
SP "Maybe I Maybe You" by Scorpions; choreo by Andrei Berezintsev
FS: "Writing's On The Wall" (from "Spectre" James Bond soundtrack) performed by Sam Smith; choreo by Andrei Berezintsev

2018 JGP Richmond
SP: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cyFNMjfxqYw
FS: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zbpbk2y81fw

2018 JGP Yerevan
SP: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vq_aGN-sJC8
LP: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T-r7cwJE0-Q

2018 Minto Summer Skate
FS: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iNRDuG0vIUU

Season 2017-18
SP: Je Pense à Toi by Patrick Fiori; Le Bien Qui Fait Mal from "Mozart, l'Opéra Rock"
FS: Selections from Carmen including Habanera composed by Georges Bizet

2018 Canadian Jr. Championships
LP: https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x70b2rp

2017-2018 Skate Canada Jr. Challenge:
SP: https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x6zpvik
LP: [Dead link]

2017 Autumn Classic (Jr)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vY_DoqX3REc

Season 2016-17
SP Tango Amore by Edvin Marton; choreo by Andrei Berenzintsev
LP Hancock (soundtrack) by John Powell; choreo by Andrei Berenzintsev

2017 Canadian Jr. Championships
SP: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsc7hNfnY3b65mZqXkVKNZw
FS: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1V6kWSFok6g

2016 JGP Dresden
SP: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BOSkWTOPYmA
FS: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6K_VatJ5wYE

2016 Isabelle Henderson Invitational
SP: https://youtu.be/VGfQpryodm8
FS: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zXQbHosWWlA

Season 2015-16
SP: Tchaikovsky (Remix) performed by Edvin Marton
FS: Tim Burton's Corpse Bride Soundtrack by Danny Elfman

2016 Coupe de Printemps
SP: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uUF8ckAWNec
FS: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75TVSRNovv4

Early Career

2014 Challenge Montreal
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GG8HrqV6mQ4

2013 South Florida Challwnge
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qwY9d-_PBT4



Competitive History

CompetitionLevelSPLPFinal
Season 2022-2023
2022 Skate OntarioSenior6 (56.61)5 (106.75)5 (163.36)
Season 2019-2020​
2020 Skate Canada Senior ChallengeSenior5 (66.09)13 (90.55)11 (156.64)
2020 Skate Ontario Senior SectionalsSenior2 (65.35)3 (112.38)2 (177.73)
JGP Chelyabinsk 2019Junior10 (58.90)6 (120.84)6 (179.74)
JGP Courchevel 2019Junior10 (61.24)11 (108.38)10 (169.62)
Season 2018-2019​
2019 Canadian Senior National ChampionshipsSenior4 (72.56)9 (117.02)6 (189.58)
2019 Skate Canada Senior ChallengeSenior5 (66.09)13 (90.55)11 (156.64)
2019 Skate Ontario Senior Sectional ChampionshipsSenior4 (69.11)3 (125.70)3 (194.81)
JGP Yerevan 2018Junior2 (71.38)5 (129.82)3 (201.20)
JGP Richmond 2018Junior3 (72.16)11 (102.44)7 (174.60)
Season 2017-2018​
2018 Canadian Junior National ChampionshipsJunior11 (50.10)2 (119.70)4 (169.80)
2018 Skate Canada Junior ChallengeJunior1 (64.40)1 (119.44)1 (183.84)
2018 Skate Ontario Junior SectionalsJunior4 (54.34)3 (106.17)4 (160.51)
Skate Canada Autumn Classic Junior 2017Junior3 (51.66)3 (86.96)3 (138.62)
Season 2016-2017​
2017 Canadian Junior National Championship4 (104.61)sJunior10 (50.17)3 (103.99)5 (154.16)
2017 Skate Canada Junior ChallengeJunior9 (54.46)3 (117.05)4 (171.51)
47th Pokal der Blauen Schwerter 2016Junior26 (41.96)17 (100.91)19 (142.87)
Skate Canada Autumn Classic Junior 2016Junior3 (44.75)3 (86.34)3 (131.09)
Season 2015-2016​
Coupe du Printemps 2016Advanced novice4 (38.71)3 (77.58)3 (116.29)
2016 Canadian Novice National ChampionshipsNovice8 (34.95)3 (71.46)4 (106.41)
2016 Skate Canada Novice ChallengeNovice15 (32.98)8 (70.24)10 (103.22)
2016 Central Ontario Novice SectionalsNovice6 (32.00)4 (72.63)4 (104.63)
Season 2014-2015​
2015 Skate Canada Pre-Novice ChallengePre-Novice3 (35.44)2 (60.11)2 (95.55)
2015 Central Ontario Pre-Novice SectionalsPre-Novice4 (28.89)3 (52.02)3 (80.91)


Galas and Exhibitions

2019 Richmond Training Center Christmas Show
Santa Claus is Coming To Town
https://youtu.be/1oIKexd238Y

Interviews and Articles

Interview with P.J. Kwong
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V6ghqAOka-E

From the OP by siberia

----

I don't really consider myself the adopted parent of his Fan Fest since I know that I'd do a terrible job maintaining it, but I was desperate for a space where I could gush about his skating.

I became a fan of Iliya when I saw him compete in person at the 2017-2018 Skate Canada Challenge, which he had won. I realized after he had finished his dazzling LP that he had the talent to become one of the best junior-level male skaters in the world (and not just in Canada), and I firmly believe that his bronze medal at the 2018 JGP Yerevan is the beginning of him fulfilling his potential.
 
Last edited by a moderator:

skatenewbie

Medalist
Joined
Mar 16, 2017
His 3A is beauty. Great height and distance! If he can up his consistency surely he can make it into JGPF next season. i hope he can go to JW but it's not easy with Gogolev, Phan and Orzel and only 2 spot.
 

siberia82

Addicted to Canadian men's singles skating
Record Breaker
Joined
Jun 18, 2008
Country
Canada
His 3A is beauty. Great height and distance! If he can up his consistency surely he can make it into JGPF next season. i hope he can go to JW but it's not easy with Gogolev, Phan and Orzel and only 2 spot.

Iliya must win the Canadian junior title in January if he wants to be even remotely considered for Junior Worlds, but I honestly don't know if that's enough considering that there are three other candidates who compete as a senior nationally. Since it's not really fair to compare junior-level scores with senior-level ones, I have no clue how Skate Canada will proceed. Will it give priority to whoever is top 2 at Nationals among Gogolev, Phan and Orzel, or pick 1 from that group and select the national junior champion? :scratch2:
 

Colonel Green

Record Breaker
Joined
Mar 3, 2018
Country
Canada
He certainly had a very solid JGP season. He delivered in the short program both times, and while things didn't go so well in Richmond in the free skate, he learned from that the next time.

His 3A is one of the best amongst the Canadians competing on the international junior scene.

Iliya must win the Canadian junior title in January if he wants to be even remotely considered for Junior Worlds, but I honestly don't know if that's enough considering that there are three other candidates who compete as a senior nationally. Since it's not really fair to compare junior-level scores with senior-level ones, I have no clue how Skate Canada will proceed. Will it give priority to whoever is top 2 at Nationals among Gogolev, Phan and Orzel, or pick 1 from that group and select the national junior champion? :scratch2:
I expect it will simply come down to whoever they think will perform the best at Junior Worlds. Iliya is at a disadvantage there because he doesn't have as long of a track record as some of the others and is the only one without quadruple jumps, but if some of the guys above him are splatting all over the ice at nationals and he's solid, it's conceivable they might decide to send him.
 

siberia82

Addicted to Canadian men's singles skating
Record Breaker
Joined
Jun 18, 2008
Country
Canada
Don't mind me, I'm just doing more gushing. :biggrin:


I did record Iliya's LP from last season's SC Challenge, so you get a different camera angle than the official video. Considering that he was only 14-going-on-15 at the time, I was impressed by his elegant skating and his natural flair for drama. His performance was more intense and captivating in person than when it's viewed through a camera lens, so sadly, neither Skate Canada's footage nor my fancam can fully capture the "WOW! This kid is outstanding!" :rock: feeling that he generated at the arena.


2017-2018 SC Challenge LP (Fancam 1080p): http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x6b2dmy

Btw, I only noticed after I had finished filming that there was a slight problem with my camera lens because he doesn't look as sharp and clear as the other skaters/teams that I've recorded from that event. My video is still okay, it just doesn't look quite as nice as my other fancams.

There were two women who screamed their heads off after the end of his performance; one of them was me, and it turned out that the lady sitting on my right side was Iliya's mother! I had no clue who she was initially, but then I heard her cheer something in (what I assume to be) Ukrainian. I thought at that moment, "His mom is a bigger fangirl than I am!" :laugh:


2017-2018 SC Challenge Junior Men Medal Ceremony (Fancam 1080p): http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x6bknwo

Before his podium finish in Armenia yesterday, becoming the SC Challenge champion was his most significant accomplishment as a skater, and I'm happy to have witnessed it firsthand. :)



2018 JGP Yerevan Men Medal Ceremony: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WwGM-hx3xfE

Snapshots of Iliya with his bronze medal and the Canadian flag: https://www.facebook.com/richmondtc/posts/696069037423143

Podium: https://www.facebook.com/isufigureskating/photos/a.2109264502431813/2109264782431785/?type=3&theater


For those of you who haven't looked at the protocols from this competition, his 3A was the highest-scoring in the SP, and his 3A-3T was also the highest-scoring element in the LP, where he was awarded nearly 2 points more than another skater who did a 4T-3T. (y)
 
Last edited:

siberia82

Addicted to Canadian men's singles skating
Record Breaker
Joined
Jun 18, 2008
Country
Canada
It turns out I was dead wrong in assuming that Iliya was aiming for a national junior title; he's listed under Senior Men in this "2019 Skate Ontario Sectional Qualifying Series" document :eek: : http://skateontario.org/wp-content/...alifying-Series-Final-Results-Oct-15-2018.pdf

Wow, the men's event at the 2019 Canadian Championships is going to be an even bigger blood bath than I initially thought. Iliya doesn't have a novice or junior-level Nationals medal, so why would he skip on the opportunity to become a Canadian junior champion (especially when the odds are very strongly in his favour this season)?

In the Skate Ontario document, I assume that "bye" in this case refers to a bye to the Skate Canada Challenge, and Iliya has one.
 
Last edited:

siberia82

Addicted to Canadian men's singles skating
Record Breaker
Joined
Jun 18, 2008
Country
Canada
My belated congratulations to Iliya for winning the bronze medal at the Skate Ontario Sectionals! (y) I was very busy 1.5 weeks ago, so I wasn't able to watch the livestream, and then when I finally had the chance to catch up, I was extremely disappointed to learn that Skate Ontario didn't archive its footage of the Senior Men SP. The only video I can thus share from this competition is his free program.

2018-2019 Skate Ontario Sectionals LP (the original file is only 20 frames per second, which is why it doesn't look smooth): [Dead link]
 
Last edited:

siberia82

Addicted to Canadian men's singles skating
Record Breaker
Joined
Jun 18, 2008
Country
Canada
I apologize for not being diligent in updating his Fan Fest recently, but I have the best (and worst) excuse ever; if you haven't already heard about my life-threatening incident, you can read about it here: https://www.goldenskate.com/forum/s...gure-skating&p=2266347&viewfull=1#post2266347

At the SC Challenge a few days ago, Iliya barely qualified for Nationals :eek2: (he finished 10th out the 12 skaters who made the cut and who don't have a bye). I'm relieved that he still got through, but considering that he was the winner of last year's event in the junior division, I was heartbroken by how much he struggled during the free skate. :(

His SP was a little better, though:


When I feel better, perhaps I will upload his LP, but I'm not sure anyone really wants to watch it... :slink:


I believe this may be the first video interview that Iliya has ever done: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V6ghqAOka-E I've just realized that I didn't know what his voice sounded like until now.
 
Last edited:

siberia82

Addicted to Canadian men's singles skating
Record Breaker
Joined
Jun 18, 2008
Country
Canada
Happy 16th Birthday, Iliya! :hb:


I've finally uploaded his SC Challenge LP:



Vimeo has deleted all of my videos :( , so I've replaced the dead links in the first post with new ones.
 
Last edited:

Edwin

СделаноВХрустальном!
Record Breaker
Joined
Jan 5, 2019
Many Russian immigrants or children from their descent in CAN skating? I thought I heard some Russian names in the trainers mentioned too??
 

siberia82

Addicted to Canadian men's singles skating
Record Breaker
Joined
Jun 18, 2008
Country
Canada
LP Group 2 Introduction:



Iliya's LP:




He placed 9th over-all, which is not bad for a Nationals senior debut, but considering that he's not going to Junior Worlds, I would've preferred that he remained in the junior ranks and win the junior title. Oh well, it's his career and it's his decision.


Many Russian immigrants or children from their descent in CAN skating? I thought I heard some Russian names in the trainers mentioned too??

Iliya is Toronto-born with a Ukrainian background. I don't know much about his coaches, so I'm not sure where exactly they're from, although it's obvious from their surnames that there's an Eastern European connection.
 
Last edited:

Colonel Green

Record Breaker
Joined
Mar 3, 2018
Country
Canada
He placed 9th over-all, which is not bad for a Nationals senior debut, but considering that he's not going to Junior Worlds, I would've preferred that he remained in the junior ranks and win the junior title. Oh well, it's his career and it's his decision.
When I interviewed him for the Golden Skate twitter feed, I asked him about his decision to move up. He said it was for two reasons: firstly, because not many people watch the junior competitions, so he wanted the opportunity to perform before a larger crowd; and secondly, because he wanted the tougher competition at the senior level to push himself.

He also said he's hoping to introduce two types of quads into competition next season, ideally.
 

gpfsilver

Spectator
Joined
Jun 27, 2018
Just popping in to say that i'm 99.9% sure Iliya and his mom speak Russian. I don't really have a formal source on this, but I he is one of my best friends, and am the only one in our little friend group that doesn't speak Russian (which they use to their advantage quite often :laugh:) Also, I have videos I took at Skate Detroit over the summer if anybody is interested :)
 

siberia82

Addicted to Canadian men's singles skating
Record Breaker
Joined
Jun 18, 2008
Country
Canada
For those you who didn't check the Canadian Figure Skating thread, I'm finally active again on this forum after going "missing" for several months. To make a long story short, I did finally get the operation that I needed for my life-threatening condition, so I'm no longer in danger of dying, but my recovery isn't going as well as hoped, so if my current symptoms don't improve after a certain amount of time, I may have to undergo another medical procedure. :confused:


A belated congratulations to Iliya for winning the Junior Men event at the Minto Summer Skate! 🥇 Because I was very sick when the competition took place, I couldn't make any screen recordings, and to my great dismay, Skate Ontario didn't archive the livestreams :cry: , so I couldn't download the files and isolate individual performances. The only video I could find is his SP: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X8SfGVB0hg4


He withdrew from the North York Summer Skate.


His new Next Gen image: https://skatecanada.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Men_Kovler.jpg

Iliya was recently featured in a Skate Canada promo pic: https://twitter.com/SkateCanada/status/1161993700349812736


Just popping in to say that i'm 99.9% sure Iliya and his mom speak Russian. I don't really have a formal source on this, but I he is one of my best friends, and am the only one in our little friend group that doesn't speak Russian (which they use to their advantage quite often :laugh:) Also, I have videos I took at Skate Detroit over the summer if anybody is interested :)

I'm so sorry for taking so long to reply to your post (how the heck did I miss it??! :scratch2: ). I have zero connection to Eastern Europe, so I obviously can't tell the difference between Russian and Ukrainian languages. Since you're one of Iliya's best friends, I hope you can help us keep his Fan Fest updated.

Anything related to his skating is very welcome here, if your offer to share your vids still stands.
 
Last edited:

siberia82

Addicted to Canadian men's singles skating
Record Breaker
Joined
Jun 18, 2008
Country
Canada
After three subpar performances in a row on the JGP circuit, Iliya was able to show the true figure skater that he is with a nearly clean long program at the JGP Chelyabinsk, and he climbed from 10th place to 6th over-all. :) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uynr0KK2OF4 I agree with Ted Barton that the presentation side wasn't as strong as we would normally expect from him, but I can understand that he was extremely focused on getting the jumps done well this time. I hope that this much more positive result will help him regain his confidence.


Here's a 59 frames per second version of his LP (the one on YouTube is 29 fps) for those of you who prefer smoother graphics: [Dead link]
 
Last edited:

siberia82

Addicted to Canadian men's singles skating
Record Breaker
Joined
Jun 18, 2008
Country
Canada
Iliya won the silver medal at the Ontario Sectionals this past weekend, and here are his performances:

SP (720p): [Dead link]

LP (720p): [Dead link]

You'll notice that he skated to "Maybe I, Maybe You" instead of "Natural" for his short, and I assume that he mistakenly submitted last year's music (or he really did ditch the latter and went back to the former---I can't be certain because I can't hear what Iliya or the official(s) were saying during the nearly 3-minute delay).


Podium photo: https://www.facebook.com/SkateOntario/photos/a.10156386834402121/10156389495402121/?type=3&theater
 
Last edited:

siberia82

Addicted to Canadian men's singles skating
Record Breaker
Joined
Jun 18, 2008
Country
Canada
Iliya finally skated a clean SP this season :clap: , and he accomplished this at the SC Challenge last night, where he placed 4th (1080p): [Dead link]
 
Last edited:
Top