Elladj Baldé
Baldé in 2011
Born (1990-11-09) November 9, 1990
Moscow, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
HometownMontreal, Quebec, Canada
Height1.71 m (5 ft 7+1⁄2 in)
Figure skating career
CountryCanada
CoachBruno Marcotte
Skating clubCPA Anjou Kinsmen
Began skating1997
RetiredMay 4, 2018[1]

Elladj Baldé (born November 9, 1990) is a Canadian former competitive figure skater. He won the 2015 Nebelhorn Trophy, an ISU Challenger Series event. He is the 2008 Canadian Junior champion.

Personal life

Elladj Baldé was born November 9, 1990, in Moscow[2] to a Russian mother and a Guinean father, Ibrahim, from the village of Tombon, near Labé.[3][4] He has two younger sisters, Djoulia Baldé and Catherine Baldé, who also skated. His older sister, Djouldé, died from leukemia.[4] After a year in Bonn, Germany during his sister's treatment,[5] the family moved to Canada in 1992.[6] He speaks English, French, and Russian.[6] On March 18, 2020, he announced his engagement to Michelle Dawley,[7] a dancer and choreographer from Calgary.[8]

Career

Baldé at the 2013 Canadian Championships

Elladj Baldé was introduced to skating at the age of seven by his mother.[9] Though at first he would hide his skates in an attempt to avoid practice,[10] he began to love skating when he was ten.[9] He was sometimes discouraged by mocking of the sport.[8][11] His parents also struggled with the expense of skating. In a 2021 interview, he said, "I was lucky that I grew up with coaches that understood our family’s situation and helped us out."[12]

Baldé won the junior silver medal at the 2007 Canadian Championships and won the junior title at the 2008 Canadian Championships. During the 2008–09 season, he won a pair of medals on the ISU Junior Grand Prix series and made his senior national debut at the 2009 Canadian Championships, finishing 10th. Baldé was 8th at the 2009 World Junior Championships.

In 2009, Baldé underwent major surgery after tearing his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his right knee, keeping him off the ice for six months.[13] His doctor gave the go-ahead to resume practicing triples after three months of lighter training on the ice.[13] He missed the entire 2009–10 season.

Baldé returned to competition the following season and placed 5th at the 2011 Canadian Championships. In late 2011, he moved to the United States to train with Yuka Sato and Jason Dungjen at the Detroit Skating Club in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan.[14] He was 4th at the 2012 Canadian Championships.

After identifying a problem with the blade positioning on one of his new boots, Baldé decided to compete at the 2013 Skate Canada International with an older left boot and new right boot, even though one was soft and the other stiff.[10] Both his knees were taped as a result of tendinitis.[10] In the short program, he landed his first quad toe in competition and added a double toe to the end.[10]

Baldé withdrew from the 2014 Skate Canada International on October 30, having sustained a concussion.[15] He relocated to Montreal in or before July 2015, joining Bruno Marcotte and Manon Perron.[16][17] He won an ISU Challenger Series event, the 2015 Nebelhorn Trophy, improving his personal best by 30 points.[18][19]

In early September 2017, Baldé sustained his fifth concussion in three or four years.[20] The 2018 Four Continents Championships was his last competition as an eligible figure skater.[21] Skate Canada announced his retirement on May 4, 2018.[1]

Baldé is a co-founder of the Figure Skating Diversity and Inclusion Alliance.[11] He appeared as a choreographer in season 5 (2019) of Battle of the Blades and served as a judge in season 6.[22] He is also active on social media.[11][23]

Programs

Season Short program Free skating Exhibition
2007–2008
[24]
  • Freedom
    by Mei Li and Yin Yue Hui
    performed by 12 Girls Band
  • Drum solo from Oziem
    by Turku
2008–2009
[25]
  • Freedom
    by Mei Li and Yin Yue Hui
    performed by 12 Girls Band
  • Drum Solo from Ozlem
    by Turku
2011–2012
[26]
  • Malagueña
  • Montana Skies
  • Futuro Flamenco
  • Girlfight
2012–2013
[27]
2013–2014
[14][28]
2014–2015
[5][29]
  • Barrie San Miguel
  • Galicia Flamenca
  • Jumpin' Jack
    by Scotty Morris
2015–2016
[30][16][17]
  • Echoes of Harlem
    by Duke Ellington
    performed by Burgstaller Martignon 4
    choreo. by Julie Marcotte
  • Barrie San Miguel
  • Galicia Flamenca
  • Jumpin' Jack
    by Scotty Morris
    choreo. by Pasquale Camerlengo
2016–2017
[31]
  • The Sound of Silence
    performed by Disturbed
    choreo. by Julie Marcotte
2017–2018
[33]

Competitive highlights

GP: Grand Prix; CS: Challenger Series; JGP: Junior Grand Prix

International[34]
Event 06–07 07–08 08–09 10–11 11–12 12–13 13–14 14–15 15–16 16–17 17–18
Worlds18th
Four Continents18th11th8th
GP Cup of China11th
GP NHK Trophy6th11th10th
GP Rostelecom Cup6th
GP Skate Canada10th7th7thWD
CS Nebelhorn5th1st
CS U.S. Classic8th
Lombardia Trophy4th
Nebelhorn Trophy10th14th
International: Junior[34]
Junior Worlds21st8th
JGP Final7th
JGP Czech Republic6th
JGP Germany14th
JGP Mexico2nd
JGP Romania10th
JGP South Africa3rd
JGP U.K.7th
National[2]
Canadian Champ.2nd J1st J10th5th4th4th4th6th7th6th4th
J = Junior level; TBD = Assigned; WD = Withdrew

References

  1. 1 2 "National Team Skater Elladj Baldé Retires from Competitive Competition" (Press release). Skate Canada. May 4, 2018. Archived from the original on January 3, 2021.
  2. 1 2 "Elladj Balde". Skate Canada. Archived from the original on December 29, 2014. Retrieved September 15, 2014.
  3. ↑ Mittan, Barry (August 9, 2008). "Balde Wins Canadian Junior Men's Gold". Skate Today. Archived from the original on November 11, 2013.
  4. 1 2 Brannen, Sarah S. (March 17, 2015). "The Inside Edge: Emotional Baldé meets grandpa". IceNetwork.com. Archived from the original on May 3, 2015.
  5. 1 2 Jangbro, Eva Maria (November 1, 2014). "Elladj Baldé: "You take both cultures and learn from them"". Absolute Skating.
  6. 1 2 Nealin, Laurie (February 24, 2009). "Balde seeking redemption in Sofia". IceNetwork.com. Archived from the original on November 2, 2013.
  7. ↑ "Instagram".
  8. 1 2 Walton, Monica (February 16, 2021). "Elladj Baldé Talks Viral Figure Skating Videos And Finding Freedom On The Ice". ET Canada. Archived from the original on February 17, 2021.
  9. 1 2 Boisvert, Philippe (February 23, 2008). ""Le patin, c'est ma vie" – Elladj Baldé" [Elladj Baldé: "Skating is my life"]. Cités Nouvelles (in French). Archived from the original on November 13, 2013.
  10. 1 2 3 4 Smith, Beverley (November 6, 2013). "Elladj Baldé finds his quad in Detroit". SkateCanada.ca. Archived from the original on February 9, 2014.
  11. 1 2 3 Sims, Megan (February 5, 2021). "Biracial figure skater Elladj Baldé uses his talent and platform to fight for inclusion". Yahoo!. Archived from the original on February 20, 2021.
  12. ↑ Saxberg, Lynn (February 5, 2021). "Canadian figure skater Elladj Baldé revolutionizing the sport with activism, viral videos". Ottawa Citizen. Archived from the original on February 5, 2021.
  13. 1 2 Smith, Beverley (October 27, 2011). "Baldé always the thriller". The Globe and Mail.
  14. 1 2 "Elladj BALDE: 2013/2014". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on May 23, 2014.
  15. ↑ Ewing, Lori (October 30, 2014). "Figure skaters Weaver and Poje enjoy being Canada's top team". CTV News. The Canadian Press. Archived from the original on August 26, 2015.
  16. 1 2 Rutherford, Lynn (July 27, 2015). "Skaters gear up for new season at Skate Detroit". IceNetwork.com. Archived from the original on September 30, 2015.
  17. 1 2 Smith, Beverley (October 6, 2015). "Change of scenery pushes Baldé to realize potential". IceNetwork.com. Archived from the original on June 30, 2018.
  18. ↑ Kany, Klaus-Reinhold (September 25, 2015). "Baldé takes gold behind dominant flamenco free". IceNetwork.com. Archived from the original on September 27, 2015.
  19. ↑ "Canada's Elladj Balde wins gold at international figure skating competition". The Canadian Press. Winnipeg Free Press. September 25, 2015. Archived from the original on September 29, 2015.
  20. ↑ Smith, Beverley (January 13, 2018). "The miracle of Elladj Balde". bevsmithwrites.wordpress.com. Archived from the original on February 4, 2018.
  21. ↑ "I might be done competing but I'm not done skating". International Skating Union (Facebook video). January 29, 2018.
  22. ↑ Bent, Jyneé Linnea (January 27, 2021). "From 'Battle of the Blades' judge to social media star: the world is falling in love with Elladj Baldé". CBC News. Archived from the original on February 9, 2021.
  23. ↑ Cecco, Leyland (February 19, 2021). "How Elladj Baldé took on ice skating's elitism and went viral". The Guardian.
  24. ↑ "Elladj BALDE: 2007/2008". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on May 29, 2008.
  25. ↑ "Elladj BALDE: 2008/2009". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on June 28, 2009.
  26. ↑ "Elladj BALDE: 2011/2012". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on January 3, 2012.
  27. ↑ "Elladj BALDE: 2012/2013". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on September 21, 2013.
  28. ↑ "Elladj Balde: 2013/2014". Skate Canada. Archived from the original on April 7, 2014.
  29. ↑ "Elladj BALDE: 2014/2015". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on May 23, 2015.
  30. ↑ "Elladj BALDE: 2015/2016". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on May 27, 2016.
  31. ↑ "Elladj BALDE: 2016/2017". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on May 29, 2017.
  32. ↑ Annenkova, Tatiana (September 17, 2017). "Elladj Baldé: "After I finish my competitive career I want to have my own show"". insideskating.net. Archived from the original on November 23, 2020.
  33. ↑ "Elladj BALDE: 2017/2018". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on May 29, 2018.
  34. 1 2 "Competition Results: Elladj BALDE". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on March 8, 2019.

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