Wikipedia

Natasha McKay

Natasha McKay(born 14 January 1995) is a former competitive Scottishfigure skaterthat competed in ladies' singles forGreat Britain.She is the 2018Golden Bear of Zagrebchampion, the 2017Skate Helenachampion, the 2017Open d'Andorrachampion, and a six-timeBritish nationalchampion (2017–2020, 2022–23).

Natasha McKay
McKay in 2018
Born(1995-01-14)14 January 1995(age 29)
Dundee,Scotland
Height1.54 m (5 ft1⁄2in)
Figure skating career
CountryGreat Britain
Skating clubDundee ISC
Began skating2002
Retired12 May 2023

Personal life

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McKay was born on 14 January 1995 inDundee,Scotland.[1]She attended St John's School in Dundee before moving, around 2008, toCoventry,England.[2]She returned to Dundee by 2012.[3]

Career

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McKay began learning to skate in 2002.[1]In a 2018 interview, she recalled, "I begged my mum for skates for a whole year [...] until she gave in."[4]

McKay won the junior bronze medal at the British Championships in the 2009–10 season. In February 2011, she placed 22nd at theEuropean Youth Olympic FestivalinLiberec,Czech Republic. She was coached byYuri Bureikoin Coventry.[2]

In the 2012–13 season, McKay made her only appearance on theISU Junior Grand Prixseries, placing 24th inBled,Slovenia, and won her second junior national bronze medal. She was coached by Debi and Simon Briggs inDundee,Scotland.[3]

She won the senior bronze medal at the British Championships in the 2014–15 season and finished 5th the following year.

McKay won gold at theOpen d'Andorrain November 2016 and became theBritish national championthe following month.[5]In January 2017, she took gold atSkate Helena.She was named in the British team to the2017 European ChampionshipsinOstrava.[6]In the Czech Republic, she ranked 24th in the short program, giving her the final qualifying spot, and then rose to 18th overall by placing 16th in the free skate.

In December 2018, McKay won her third consecutive national title.

At the2019 World Championships,McKay qualified for the free skate for the first time and placed twenty-first overall.[7]

British champion for a fourth time in 2020, McKay was assigned to compete at theWorld ChampionshipsinMontreal,but these were cancelled as a result of thecoronavirus pandemic.[8]

With the lockdowns in Britain greatly affecting the availability of ice time, McKay temporarily relocated toBradfordinWest Yorkshireduring the summer of 2020 until the Scottish government revised its guidelines.[9]McKay was named to the British team for the2021 European Championships,but they were cancelled as a result of the ongoing pandemic.[10]Additional lockdown measures introduced by the Scottish government after Christmas resulted in her only being able to train four days a week, an hour and a half a day. Competing at the2021 World ChampionshipsinStockholm,McKay placed twenty-third.[11]This result qualified a place for Great Britain at the2022 Winter OlympicsinBeijing.[12]

McKay was fifteenth at the2021 CS Finlandia Trophyto begin the Beijing Olympic season.[13]After winning another British national title, she was named to theBritish Olympic team.She said it "means everything to me to get to the Olympics – I've been dreaming of this since I was a little girl watching it on television."[14]Before the Games, she finished seventeenth at the2022 European Championships.[13]McKay was twenty-seventh in the short program of theOlympic women's event,and did not advance to the free skate.[15]She then finished twenty-third at the2022 World Championships.[13]

McKay competing her short program at the2022 MK John Wilson Trophy

Originally intending to retire after the Olympics, McKay opted to continue for at least one more season, citing the time lost due to the pandemic.[16]She was sixteenth at the2022 CS Finlandia Trophyto begin the season.[13]Following the cancellation of theCup of Chinaas a result of Chinese pandemic measures, McKay had the unique opportunity to participate in aGrand Prixon home soil whenBritish Ice Skatinghosted the2022 MK John Wilson TrophyinSheffield.She called the event "the last thing on my skating bucket list," noting it was "the biggest competition I've ever done on home ice."[16]

McKay announced her retirement on May 12, 2023.

Programs

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Season Short program Free skating Exhibition
2022–2023
[17] 		Burlesque:
2021–2022
[18]
2019–2021
[19]
  • 5 Years
    by Daniel Pemberton
  • Best Friend
    by Soffi Tucker
  • Moog Necklace
    by Daniel Pemberton
  • Game On
2018–2019
[1]
2017–2018
[20]
2016–2017
[21]
2012–2013
[3]

Competitive highlights

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

2016-17 to Present

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International[13]
Event 16–17 17–18 18–19 19–20 20–21 21–22 22–23
Olympics 27th
Worlds 32nd 32nd 21st C 23rd 23rd
Europeans 18th 27th 20th 23rd C 16th 19th
GPWilson Trophy 11th
CSAlpen Trophy 9th
CSCup of Austria 14th
CSFinlandia Trophy 18th 20th 15th 16th
CSLombardia Trophy 12th
CSNebelhorn Trophy 18th
CSWarsaw Cup 11th
Cup of Nice 6th
Cup of Tyrol 5th 10th
Denkova-Staviski 3rd 2nd
Golden Bear 1st 3rd
Int. Challenge Cup 6th 4th
Merano Cup 2nd
Open d'Andorra 1st
Skate Helena 1st
Tayside Trophy 1st 1st 3rd
Volvo Open Cup 6th
National[13]
British Champ. 1st 1st 1st 1st C 1st 1st
TBD = Assigned; WD = Withdrew; C = Event cancelled

Earlier career

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International: Junior[13]
Event 06–07 07–08 08–09 09–10 10–11 11–12 12–13 13–14 14–15 15–16
JGPSlovenia 24th
Cup of Nice 14th 15th
EYOF 22nd
NRW Trophy 18th
National[13]
British Champ. 8th N 10th N 7th N 3rd J 4th J 4th J 3rd J 4th J 3rd 5th
TBD = Assigned; WD = Withdrew; C = Event cancelled
Levels: N = Novice; J = Junior

References

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  1. ^abc"Natasha MCKAY: 2018/2019".International Skating Union. Archived fromthe originalon 3 December 2018.
  2. ^ab"Figure skating: Natasha McKay heads to European Youth Olympic Winter Festival".Coventry Telegraph.12 February 2011.
  3. ^abc"Natasha MCKAY: 2012/2013".International Skating Union. Archived fromthe originalon 30 March 2013.
  4. ^MacBeath, Amy (29 November 2018)."Natasha McKay: Dundee skater says sacrifices worth it for Olympic dream".BBC News.
  5. ^"British Figure Skating Championships 2016: Senior Ladies Result".4 December 2016.
  6. ^"ISU European Figure Skating Championships Selection 2017".NISA. December 2016. Archived fromthe originalon 19 December 2016.Retrieved20 December2016.
  7. ^Woodger, Calum (20 March 2019)."Dundee ice skating star Natasha McKay dazzles to qualify for World final in Japan".Evening Telegraph.
  8. ^Ewing, Lori (11 March 2020)."World figure skating championships cancelled in Montreal".CBC Sports.
  9. ^Bradley, Jane (21 March 2021)."World Figure Skating Championships: 'The whole experience is going to be strange'".The Scotsman.
  10. ^"Update on ISU Event Calendar season 2020/21".ISU. 10 December 2020.
  11. ^Bradley, Jane (26 March 2021)."World Figure Skating Championships: McKay hopes for Olympic spot after free skate final".The Scotsman.
  12. ^"Communication No. 2388".International Skating Union.1 April 2021.
  13. ^abcdefgh"Competition Results: Natasha MCKAY".International Skating Union.Archivedfrom the original on 3 December 2018.
  14. ^Egelstaff, Susan (12 January 2022)."Figure skating's Natasha McKay wary of Covid with Winter Olympics looming".The Herald.
  15. ^Penny, Brandon (15 February 2022)."As it happened: ROC, U.S. skaters star in women's short program".NBC Sports.
  16. ^abBradley, Jane (12 November 2022)."Dundee skater Natasha McKay: 'I've never had so much fun on the ice'".The Scotsman.
  17. ^"Natasha MCKAY: 2022/2023".International Skating Union.Archivedfrom the original on 9 October 2022.
  18. ^"Natasha MCKAY: 2021/2022".International Skating Union. Archived fromthe originalon 30 September 2021.
  19. ^"Natasha MCKAY: 2020/2021".International Skating Union. Archived fromthe originalon 26 March 2021.
  20. ^"Natasha MCKAY: 2017/2018".International Skating Union. Archived fromthe originalon 29 May 2018.
  21. ^"Natasha MCKAY: 2016/2017".International Skating Union. Archived fromthe originalon 30 May 2017.
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