Denis Margalik (born June 3, 1997) is an Argentine-Canadian former figure skater. He became the first skater representing Argentina to win a medal on the ISU Junior Grand Prix series, obtaining bronze at JGP Bratislava in 2015. He is the first male skater to compete for Argentina in an ISU Championship, appearing at Four Continents in 2015 and at the World Championships in 2016.
| Denis Margalik | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | June 3, 1997 Buenos Aires, Argentina |
| Height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)[1] |
| Figure skating career | |
| Country |  Argentina (2014–2016) Canada (until 2014) |
| Coach | Andrei Berezintsev, Inga Zusev |
| Skating club | AREPH |
| Began skating | 2005 |
| Retired | July 12, 2016 |
Personal life
editDenis Margalik was born on June 3, 1997, in Buenos Aires, Argentina.[2] His parents, born in Ukraine, relocated the family to New York, United States, in late December 1999, and soon after, to Canada.[3] Margalik, the second of three boys, grew up in Mississauga before moving to Richmond Hill, Ontario.[3][4] He attended Silverthorn Collegiate Institute,[5] then graduated from Richmond Green Secondary School in June 2016.[6] He attended Western University in London, Ontario, where he obtained his Bachelors of Medical Sciences (BMSc). He was assistant coach and captain of the Varsity Figure Skating Team, and a member of the Kappa Sigma Fraternity.[7] After graduating from Western University he completed a MASc at University of Toronto in the field of biomedical engineering.[8] Currently, he studies Medicine at University of Toronto.[9]
Career
editMargalik began skating in 2005.[2] His first coach was Robert O'Toole, who taught him for eight years, mainly at the Woodbine Winter Club in Toronto.[5] Margalik's early career was hindered by Osgood–Schlatter disease, which affected his knees.[5] Competing on the junior level, he won the silver medal at the 2013 Canadian Championships and gold at the 2013 Mladost Trophy, his only international appearance for Canada. He changed coaches later in 2013, joining Andrei Berezintsev and Inga Zusev at the Richmond Training Centre in Richmond Hill, Ontario.[3][10] He won the national junior title at the 2014 Canadian Championships.
Margalik debuted for Argentina in September 2014, placing fourth at the ISU Junior Grand Prix in Japan. Making his senior international debut, he finished seventh at the 2014 Skate Canada Autumn Classic, a part of the ISU Challenger Series.[11] In February 2015, he competed at his first ISU Championship, the Four Continents in Seoul, South Korea. This is the first time an Argentine skater have participated in the Four Continents Championships. This is also the first time a male skater represented Argentina in an ISU Championship.[2] Ranked 18th in the short program, he qualified for the free skate, where he placed 15th and rose to 16th overall.[12] At the Junior Worlds, he achieved 12th place.[11]
In August 2015, Margalik won Argentina's first ISU Junior Grand Prix medal, taking bronze at the 2015 JGP in Bratislava, Slovakia. In February 2016, he placed 17th at the Four Continents in Taipei. In March 2016, he participated at the World Championships in Boston, as the first skater representing Argentina in history.[13]
Margalik announced his retirement on July 12, 2016.[14] In a related news article, an ankle injury was cited.[15]
Programs
edit| Season | Short program | Free skating |
|---|---|---|
| 2015–2016 [13] |
|
|
| 2014–2015 [2][3] |
|
|
| 2013–2014 [3] |
|
Competitive highlights
editCS: Challenger Series; JGP: Junior Grand Prix
For Argentina
edit| International[11] | ||
|---|---|---|
| Event | 2014–15 | 2015–16 |
| World Champ. | 29th | |
| Four Continents Champ. | 16th | 17th |
| CS Autumn Classic | 7th | |
| Autumn Classic | 7th | |
| International: Junior[11] | ||
| World Junior Champ. | 12th | |
| JGP Japan | 4th | |
| JGP Slovakia | 3rd | |
| JGP Spain | 8th | |
For Canada
edit| International: Junior[11] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Event | 2011–12 | 2012–13 | 2013–14 |
| Mladost Trophy | 1st J. | ||
| National[11] | |||
| Canadian Champ. | 14th J. | 2nd J. | 1st J. |
| J. = Junior level | |||
References
edit- ^ "Denis Margalik - Figure Skating". University of Toronto Athletics. Retrieved 6 November 2024.
- ^ a b c d "Denis MARGALIK: 2014/2015". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on May 23, 2015.
- ^ a b c d e Slater, Paula (August 29, 2014). "Canada's Denis Margalik to represent Argentina". Golden Skate.
- ^ Colpitts, Iain (January 23, 2014). "Skaters place first and second at nationals". The Mississauga News.
- ^ a b c Girard, Daniel (January 15, 2013). "Canadian figure skating championships: Promising teen finding his legs after bout with growing pains". Toronto Star.
- ^ Margalik, Denis (June 28, 2016). "See ya later RGSS! 😅 #Graduation" (Instagram).
- ^ "uwo student directory". October 26, 2018.
- ^ "Faces of BME – Denis M. - MASc candidate at Zheng lab". University of Toronto. October 19, 2020.
- ^ "Log into Facebook". Facebook. Retrieved 2022-07-21.
{{cite web}}: Cite uses generic title (help) - ^ Smith, Beverley (January 15, 2014). "Grenier and Deschamps claim junior pair title in first season together; Margalik tops podium in junior men's". Skate Canada.
- ^ a b c d e f "Competition Results: Denis MARGALIK". International Skating Union.
- ^ "ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships 2015 - Protocol" (PDF). International Skating Union. February 15, 2015.
- ^ a b "Denis MARGALIK: 2015/2016". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on July 1, 2016.
- ^ Margalik, Denis (July 12, 2016). ""Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened" - Dr. Suess" (Instagram).
- ^ Grieco, Flavio (July 15, 2016). "Se retiró Denis Margalik, emblema del patinaje sobre hielo argentino" [Denis Margalik, emblem of Argentine ice skating retired]. Cinco Anillos (in Spanish).