Michael Marinaro and  Kirsten Moore-Towers. (Photo by Skate Canada)Michael Marinaro and Kirsten Moore-Towers. (Photo by Skate Canada)
Sarnia

Sarnia's Marinaro excited to return to live competition in Sweden

Sarnia's Michael Marinaro says he hasn't been this excited for a figure skating competition in quite some time.

Marinaro and his partner Kirsten Moore-Towers are taking part in the ISU World Figure Skating Championships this week [March 22 to 28] in Stockholm, Sweden.

The competition will be live with COVID safety protocols in place and no spectators.

During a pre-event conference call, Marinaro said he's looking forward to skating again after a long layoff, and added the sport had started to feel like a job before the pandemic.

"Having that layoff and a step away from competition just has rekindled the love for the sport, and the joy for the sport," said Marinaro. "I haven't been looking forward to a competition this much since I was a little kid. So, I can't wait to get back out there for another competition."

Marinaro said the support he and Moore-Towers have received from Sarnia-Lambton has been "endless" throughout his career, and they're hoping to make the community proud once again.

"Especially when my grandmother passed away last year, I was getting reached out to from all over the city and it definitely meant a lot going through some tough times," he said. "The support of the city is definitely going to help me push forward and hopefully we can make you guys proud."

Marinaro and Moore-Towers captured gold at the 2021 Skate Canada Challenge, and were Canadian Pair Champions in 2020.

Last year's World Figure Skating Championship was supposed to be held in Montreal, but was cancelled due to COVID-19.

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