Timothy LeDuc

Timothy LeDuc (born May 4, 1990) is an American pair skater. With his skating partner, Ashley Cain, he is the 2019 U.S. Champion, 2018 Four Continents silver medalist, 2016 CS Golden Spin of Zagreb bronze medalist, and 2017 U.S. national bronze medalist.

Timothy LeDuc
Cain/LeDuc at the 2018 Rostelecom Cup
Personal information
Country represented	United States
Born	May 4, 1990 Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Home town	Dallas, Texas
Height	1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Partner	Ashley Cain
Former partner	DeeDee Leng Cassie Andrews Lauren Gifford
Coach	Peter Cain, Darlene Cain, Nina Mozer, Vladislav Zhovnirski
Former coach	Sergei Zaitsev
Choreographer	Serge Onik, G. and S. Arena, Cordero Zuckerman
Former choreographer	Sergei Zaitsev, Amy Blades
Skating club	Los Angeles FSC
Former skating club	Eastern Iowa FSC
Training locations	Euless, Texas
Former training locations	Indianapolis, Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Began skating	2002
World standing	Pairs with Cain 14 (As of 24 January 2019)[1] 23 (2017–18) 44 (2016–17) Pairs with Leng 76 (2013–14) 69 (2012–13) Pairs with Andrews 64 (2011–12) 64 (2010–11)
ISU personal best scores
Combined total	205.58 2019 U.S. Classic
Short program	76.23 2019 U.S. Classic
Free skate	129.66 2019 Internationaux de France
Medal record Representing  United States Figure skating: Pairs Four Continents Championships 2018 Taipei Pairs World Team Trophy 2019 Fukuoka Team

Personal life

Timothy LeDuc was born May 4, 1990 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. He became interested in figure skating after watching the 2002 Olympics, and started taking figure skating lessons through the Learn to Skate program.[2] LeDuc is the first openly queer skater to win the Pairs Title at the US National Championships.[3]

Career

Single skating

LeDuc began learning to skate when he was 12 years old and started private lessons two years later.[4] He placed 7th in the novice men's category at the 2008 U.S. Championships.

Early partnerships

Competing in novice pairs, LeDuc placed tenth with Lauren Gifford at the 2010 U.S. Championships.

With Cassie Andrews, he won the junior bronze medal at the 2011 U.S. Championships and finished ninth at the 2011 World Junior Championships in Gangneung, South Korea. Moving up to the senior level the following season, they placed eleventh at the 2012 U.S. Championships.

LeDuc teamed up with DeeDee Leng in June 2012.[5] After placing ninth at the 2013 U.S. Championships, they were assigned to the International Challenge Cup, where they finished fifth. The following season, the pair placed sixth at the 2013 International Cup of Nice and seventh at the 2014 U.S. Championships. After their partnership ended in 2014, LeDuc skated with his sister for two years in Willy Bietak ice shows on Royal Caribbean cruise ships.[6] After completing his contract in March 2016, he decided to return to competition.[7]

Partnership with Cain

Following a suggestion from U.S. Figure Skating's Mitch Moyer, LeDuc tried out with Ashley Cain in May 2016.[8][4] On May 23, 2016, they confirmed their intention to compete together.[9][10] The pair is coached by her father, Peter Cain, in Euless, Texas.[11]

2016–17 season

Cain/LeDuc received three Challenger Series assignments in the 2016–2017 season. After placing fourth at the 2016 Nebelhorn Trophy and 2016 Finlandia Trophy, they were awarded the bronze medal at the 2016 Golden Spin of Zagreb, where they upgraded their twist from a double to a triple. Cain stated, "We just started rotating it days before we left for that competition."[8] At the 2017 US Figure Skating Championships, they placed third. They placed ninth at the 2017 Four Continents Championships.

2017–18 season

Cain/LeDuc started the 2017–2018 season with a fourth-place finish at the 2017 Lombardia Trophy in mid-September. They placed seventh at the 2017 Nebelhorn Trophy in late September. At their first Grand Prix event, the 2017 Cup of China, they placed sixth. They placed third at the 2018 US Figure Skating Championships. They placed second at the 2018 Four Continents Figure Skating Championships and earned their first medal at a senior ISU Championship.

2018–19 season

At 2018 US International Figure Skating Classic, Cain/LeDuc placed first overall with a score of 173.05. At the 2018 Ondrej Nepela Trophy, they placed first overall with a score of 181.56. At their first Grand Prix event of the season, 2018 Skate America, they placed third overall with a score of 175.05. At 2018 Rostelecom Cup, Cain/LeDuc placed sixth with a score of 170.29.

Following the Grand Prix, Cain/LeDuc competed in a third Challenger event, the Golden Spin of Zagreb. Second after the short program, the two placed fifth in the free skate following two falls. The second fall involved Cain being dropped on her head in the process of exiting a lift, seemingly being knocked unconscious briefly, before getting up and completing the program. She was subsequently taken to hospital. There was considerable controversy amongst commentators that the referee had not halted the performance.[12][13] Cain was subsequently diagnosed with a concussion.

At the 2019 U.S. Championships, Cain/LeDuc won their first US pairs title after placing second in the short program and first in the free skate. Speaking afterward, LeDuc credited Cain's recovery, saying it "was like building a castle, one brick at a time. It’s been so inspiring for me to watch her push through this and give me strength. We are always trying to progress as a team, and this season, we took it very seriously and we wanted to step it up."[14] As national champions, Cain/LeDuc were assigned to compete at the 2019 Four Continents Championships in early February and as America's sole pairs team at the 2019 World Championships in Saitama, Japan.

Cain/LeDuc finished fourth at the Four Continents Championships, the highest placement for an American team, after finishing fourth in both segments. Cain had struggled in the practice sessions beforehand and felt dehydrated, but recovered and said she was satisfied with how they had performed.[15]

At the World Championships, their first, Cain/Le Duc placed ninth. Le Duc described the season as a "rollercoaster", given the issues with injuries, while Cain expressed pleasure at having earned a second pairs spot for the United States at the following year's World Championships.[16][17] Cain/Le Duc concluded their season as part of the gold medal-winning Team USA at the 2019 World Team Trophy.[18]

2019–20 season

Cain-Gribble/LeDuc began the season at the 2019 CS U.S. Classic, where they won gold, defeating reigning World silver medalists Evgenia Tarasova / Vladimir Morozov. They were considered one of the favourites for the gold medal at their first Grand Prix assignment of the year, the 2019 Skate America.[19] They placed third in the short program after Cain-Gribble fell on their throw triple Lutz.[20] In the free skate, they had a second throw Lutz fall, as well as a popped side-by-side jump attempt and an aborted lift, which dropped them to fifth place overall.[21] At their second Grand Prix, the 2019 Internationaux de France, Cain-Gribble again fell on their throw Lutz in the short program, putting them fourth after that segment.[22] They finally landed the throw Lutz in the free skate, but remained in fourth place overall after Cain-Gribble fell on their side-by-side triple Salchow attempt.[23]

Competing at the 2020 U.S. Championships, Cain-Gribble/LeDuc were fourth in the short program after she two-footed the landing of their throw Lutz and an error resulted in their death spiral element being completely invalidated.[24] Struggling with the quality of elements in the free skate, they remained in fourth place overall, winning the pewter medal. LeDuc remarked "it just wasn't in the cards for us today.[25]

Despite their fourth-place at the national championships, Cain/LeDuc were assigned to compete at the World Championships in Montreal, but these were cancelled as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.[26]

2020–21 season

Cain-Gribble/LeDuc were assigned to begin the season at the 2020 Skate America, which, due to the ISU's desire to minimize international travel during the pandemic, was attended only by skaters training in the United States.[27] They placed fourth in the short program after both underrotated their jumps and Cain-Gribble two-footed the land of their throw Lutz.[28] They were third in the free skate, but remained in fourth place overall.[29]

Competing next at the 2021 U.S. Championships, also held in Las Vegas, they placed fourth in the short program after Cain-Gribble fell on her jump attempt and again two-footed the throw Lutz landing.[30] Second in the free skate, they rose to the bronze medal position overall.[31]

Programs

With Cain

Season	Short program	Free skating	Exhibition
2020–2021 [32]	Never Tear Us Apart by Bishop Briggs	Piano Concerto No. 2 by Sergei Rachmaninoff
2019–2020 [33]	A Storm is Coming by Tommee Profitt, Liv Ash	The Middle of the World (from Moonlight) by Nicholas Britell Experience by Ludovico Einaudi
2018–2019 [34]	Bella Belle by The Electric Swing Circus	W.E. (soundtrack) by Abel Korzeniowski choreo. by Pasquale Camerlengo	Get Up by Leah LeDuc
2017–2018 [35]	I'll Take Care of You by Joe Bonamassa	The Great Gatsby (soundtrack) Bang Bang Young and Beautiful A Little Party Never Killed Nobody
2016–2017 [11]	I Put a Spell on You by Jay Hawkins performed by Annie Lennox	The Prayer performed by Andrea Boccelli, Celine Dion

With Leng

Season	Short program	Free skating
2013–2014 [36]	The Last Temptation of Christ by Peter Gabriel	Romeo and Juliet Overture: Love Theme by Pyotr I. Tchaikovsky
2012–2013 [36]	Incantation by Benoit Jutras	Romeo and Juliet Overture: Love Theme by Pyotr I. Tchaikovsky

With Andrews

Season	Short program	Free skating
2011–2012 [37]	Ancient Lands by Ronan Hardiman	Carmen Suite by Georges Bizet, Rodion Shchedrin
2010–2011 [38]	Big Love Adagio by Bond	Carmen Suite by Georges Bizet, Rodion Shchedrin

Results

CS: Challenger Series; JGP: Junior Grand Prix

With Cain

International[39]
Event	16–17	17–18	18–19	19–20	20–21
Worlds			9th	C
Four Continents	9th	2nd	4th
GP Cup of China		6th
GP France				4th
GP Skate America			3rd	5th	4th
GP Rostelecom Cup			6th
CS Finlandia	4th
CS Golden Spin	3rd		5th	1st
CS Lombardia		4th
CS Nebelhorn	4th	7th
CS Ondrej Nepela			1st
CS U.S. Classic			1st	1st
National[40]
U.S. Championships	3rd	4th	1st	4th	3rd
ISP Points Challenge					3rd
Team events
World Team Trophy	3rd T 5th P		1st T 5th P
T = Team result; P = Personal result; C = Cancelled Medals awarded for team result only.

With Leng

International[41]
Event	2012–13	2013–14
Challenge Cup	5th
Cup of Nice		6th
National[36]
U.S. Championships	9th	7th

With Andrews

International[42]
Event	2010–11	2011–12
World Junior Champ.	9th
JGP United Kingdom	8th
National[37]
U.S. Championships	3rd J	11th
J = Junior level

With Gifford

National
Event	2009–10
U.S. Championships	10th N
Midwestern Sectionals	5th N
N = Novice level

Men's singles

National
Event	2007–08	2008–09	2009–10
U.S. Championships	7th N
Midwestern Sectionals	4th N
Upper Great Lakes Regionals	4th N	3rd J	6th J
Levels: N = Novice; J = Junior

Detailed Results

ISU personal best scores highlighted in bold. Historic personal bests highlighted in bold and italicized.

Pairs with Cain

2020–21 season
Date	Event	SP	FS	Total
January 11–21, 2020	2021 U.S. Championships	4 65.81	2 134.71	3 200.52
October 23–24, 2020	2020 Skate America	4 64.21	3 125.02	4 189.23
2019–20 season
Date	Event	SP	FS	Total
January 20–26, 2020	2020 U.S. Championships	4 67.56	4 128.26	4 197.12
November 1–3, 2019	2019 Internationaux de France	4 66.12	4 129.66	4 195.78
October 18–20, 2019	2019 Skate America	3 68.20	5 109.34	5 177.54
September 17–22, 2019	2019 CS U.S. Classic	1 76.23	1 129.35	1 205.58
2018–19 season
Date	Event	SP	FS	Total
April 11–14, 2019	2019 World Team Trophy	5 66.91	5 125.24	1T/5P 192.15
March 18–24, 2019	2019 World Championships	9 66.93	9 126.88	9 193.81
February 4–10, 2019	2019 Four Continents Championships	4 67.49	4 129.33	4 196.82
December 5–8, 2018	2018 Golden Spin of Zagreb	2 64.34	5 105.33	5 169.67
November 16–18, 2018	2018 Rostelecom Cup	7 58.79	6 112.50	6 170.29
October 19–21, 2018	2018 Skate America	4 57.72	2 117.34	3 176.06
September 19–22, 2018	2018 Ondrej Nepela Trophy	1 65.68	1 115.88	1 181.56
September 12–16, 2018	2018 CS US Classic	1 59.10	1 113.95	1 173.05
2017–18 season
January 22–28, 2018	2018 Four Continents Championships	1 66.76	2 123.85	2 190.61
Dec. 29, 2017–Jan. 8, 2018	2018 US Championships	8 60.03	4 127.11	4 187.14
November 3–5, 2017	2017 Cup of China	7 53.15	6 101.21	6 154.36
September 27–30, 2017	2017 CS Nebelhorn Trophy	10 55.47	5 120.88	7 176.35
September 14–17, 2017	2017 CS Lombardia Trophy	4 60.56	5 105.76	4 166.32
2016–17 season
April 20–23, 2017	2017 World Team Trophy	5 59.57	5 104.23	5 P 163.80 3 T
February 15–19, 2017	2017 Four Continents Championships	9 62.58	10 106.27	9 168.87
January 14–22, 2017	2017 US Championships	1 69.33	3 115.08	3 184.41
December 7–10, 2016	2016 Golden Spin	4 56.60	2 115.58	3 172.18
October 6–10, 2016	2016 CS Finlandia Trophy	6 54.26	4 104.37	4 158.63
September 22–24, 2016	2016 Nebelhorn Trophy	5 52.40	4 98.00	4 150.40

References

1. "ISU World Standings for Single & Pair Skating and Ice Dance - Pairs". International Skating Union.
2. "Bio | Ashley Cain and Timothy LeDuc". figureskatersonline.com. Retrieved 2018-11-21.
3. "Timothy LeDuc becomes first openly queer pairs skater to win gold at US Championships". gaystarnews.com. 2019-01-28. Retrieved 2019-06-06.
4. Cloutier, Claire (January 19, 2017). "Cain and LeDuc: "We have to stay connected … and just trust each other"". Figure Skaters Online.
5. Hersh, Philip (January 9, 2014). "Pairs a new beginning for Leng". Chicago Tribune.
6. Hersh, Philip (January 19, 2017). "Cain, LeDuc grab lead in U.S. championships debut". IceNetwork.com.
7. Han, Brooklee (June 21, 2017). "Cain & LeDuc: Full Steam Ahead". IFS Magazine.
8. Rutherford, Lynn (January 19, 2017). "Kansas City strips: New pairs shake up status quo". IceNetwork.com.
9. Cain, Ashley (May 23, 2016). "Ashley Elizabeth Cain (@icegirlash) • Instagram photos and videos". Instagram. Retrieved May 31, 2016.
10. Brannen, Sarah S. (May 31, 2016). "The Inside Edge: Cain, LeDuc reenter pairs fray". IceNetwork.com.
11. "Ashley CAIN / Timothy LEDUC: 2016/2017". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on December 25, 2016.CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
12. "Pairs figure skater suffers scary fall during overhead lift". CBC Sports. December 8, 2018.
13. "Shocking scenes as KO'd figure skater allowed to continue routine". Yahoo Sports. December 7, 2018.
14. Mammoser, Scott (January 26, 2019). "Cain and LeDuc capture Pair's U.S. title". Golden Skate.
15. Slater, Paula (February 9, 2019). "Sui and Han rebound for fifth Four Continents title". Golden Skate.
16. Slater, Paula (March 20, 2019). "Tarasova and Morozov take lead Pairs at Worlds with record score". Golden Skate.
17. Slater, Paula (March 21, 2019). "Sui and Han take second World gold after record-breaking free skate". Golden Skate.
18. Slater, Paula (April 13, 2019). "Team USA wins fourth World Team Trophy gold". Golden Skate.
19. Rutherford, Lynn (October 18, 2019). "Cain and LeDuc target world top 5, starting at Skate America". NBC Sports.
20. Slater, Paula (October 19, 2019). "Cheng and Peng at 2019 Skate America: 'We're satisfied overall'". Golden Skate.
21. Slater, Paula (October 20, 2019). "China's Peng and Jin win first Grand Prix gold at 2019 Skate America". Golden Skate.
22. Slater, Paula (November 1, 2019). "Russia's Pavliuchenko and Khodykin hold top spot in pairs in Grenoble". Golden Skate.
23. Slater, Paula (November 2, 2019). "Russia's Mishina and Galliamov edge out teammates for 2019 Internationaux de France gold". Golden Skate.
24. Slater, Paula (January 23, 2020). "Knierim and Knierim lead Pairs at U.S. Nationals". Golden Skate.
25. Slater, Paula (January 25, 2020). "Knierim and Knierim reclaim U.S. National title in Pairs". Golden Skate.
26. Ewing, Lori (March 11, 2020). "World figure skating championships cancelled in Montreal". CBC Sports.
27. "2020 Skate America". International Figure Skating. October 20, 2020.
28. Slater, Paula (October 24, 2020). "Scimeca Knierim and Frazier take lead in pairs at 2020 Skate America". Golden Skate.
29. Slater, Paula (October 26, 2020). "Golden debut for Scimeca Knierim and Frazier at 2020 Skate America". Golden Skate.
30. Slater, Paula (January 14, 2021). "Scimeca Knierim and Frazier lead Pairs in debut at U.S. Nationals". Golden Skate.
31. Slater, Paula (January 17, 2021). "Knierim and Frazier take title in US Nationals debut". Golden Skate.
32. "Ashley CAIN-GRIBBLE / Timothy LEDUC: 2020/2021". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on November 18, 2020.CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
33. "Ashley CAIN-GRIBBLE / Timothy LEDUC: 2019/2020". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on October 19, 2019.CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
34. "Ashley CAIN / Timothy LEDUC: 2018/2019". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on October 25, 2017.CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
35. "Ashley CAIN / Timothy LEDUC: 2017/2018". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on April 10, 2019.CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
36. "DeeDee Leng / Timothy LeDuc". IceNetwork.com. 2018-09-10. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016.
37. "Cassie Andrews / Timothy LeDuc". IceNetwork.com. 2018-09-10. Archived from the original on September 5, 2011.CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
38. "Cassie ANDREWS / Timothy LEDUC: 2010/2011". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on October 18, 2012.CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
39. "Competition Results: Ashley CAIN / Timothy LEDUC". International Skating Union.
40. "Ashley Cain and Timothy LeDuc". U.S. Figure Skating. Archived from the original on September 21, 2016.
41. "Competition Results: Dee Dee LENG / Timothy LEDUC". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016.
42. "Competition Results: Cassie ANDREWS / Timothy LEDUC". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on November 11, 2013.

External links

• Official website of Cain/LeDuc at FigureSkatersOnline.com
• Ashley Cain / Timothy LeDuc at the International Skating Union