Kateřina Mrázková Explained

Kateřina Mrázková
Birth Date:25 August 2006
Birth Place:Vrchlabí, Czech Republic
Hometown:Nymburk, Czech Republic
Partner:Daniel Mrázek
Coach:Matteo Zanni, Barbora Řezníčková
Choreographer:Matteo Zanni
Skating Club:KK Nymburk
Currenttraininglocations:Egna, Italy
Beganskating:2010
Dance Score:177.43
Dance Date:2023 CS Lombardia Trophy
Sd Score:71.87 (JWR)
Sd Date:2022 JGP Italy
Fd Score:110.12
Fd Date:2023 CS Lombardia Trophy
Show-Medals:yes

Kateřina Mrázková (born August 25, 2006) is a Czech ice dancer. With her brother and skating partner, Daniel Mrázek, she is the 2023 World Junior champion, the 2022–23 Junior Grand Prix Final bronze medalist, a two-time ISU Junior Grand Prix gold medalist, and the 2023 Czech junior national champion. She holds the junior world record for the rhythm dance and combined total.

Personal life

Mrázková was born on August 25, 2006, in Vrchlabí, Czech Republic.

Career

Early years

Mrázková/Mrázek made their competitive debut internationally at the Egna Dance Trophy at the end of the 2020–21 season, finishing in ninth place. The following season saw them make their ISU Junior Grand Prix debut, finishing fourth at the first French JGP in Courchevel and the 2022 JGP Slovakia in Košice. Silver medalists at the Ice Challenge in the junior category, and then taking gold at the Pavel Roman Memorial were only the silver medalists at the Czech Junior Championships. As a result, they were not assigned to compete at the 2022 World Junior Championships but went on to win the gold medal at the Egna Trophy in their second appearance there.

2022–23 season: Junior World champions

Mrázková/Mrázek opened their season at the 2022 JGP Czech Republic on home soil in Ostrava. In the rhythm dance, they set a new junior world record, breaking a three-year-old record set by 2019 World Junior champions Lajoie/Lagha. They went on to win the gold medal, the first ever for a Czech junior dance team. Mrázek observed that "in 2018, I was here in the same Junior Grand Prix as a single skater, and I finished, like, fifteenth. Today I'm here with my sister, my partner. We achieved something we didn't believe in four years." The 2022 JGP Italy, their second assignment, was held at their training base in Egna. Mrázková/Mrázek improved upon their previous junior world record in the rhythm dance by over a point and led the segment going into the free dance. The siblings maintained their lead in the free to take the title by a nearly 15-point margin over silver medalists Lim/Quan of South Korea. Due to their placements across their two JGP assignments, Mrázková/Mrázek qualified to the 2022–23 Junior Grand Prix Final as the top-seeded junior dance team. They are the first Czech team to qualify for the Final since Kadlčáková/Bílek in 2000.

Mrázková/Mrázek entered the Junior Grand Prix Final in Torino as the favourites for the gold medal but placed fourth in the rhythm dance after both fell at the end of their Argentine tango pattern dance segment. The siblings opened their free dance with another double-fall on their rotational lift. Despite this, they still placed third in that segment and rose to third overall, 0.99 points behind silver medalists Lim/Quan. She remarked on winning the bronze medal, "we were not so happy because we made some mistakes." Assessing the situation afterward, they attributed the initial fall in the rhythm dance to Mrázek tripping on Mrázková's calf-length skirt, a costuming choice they had made at the start of the season specifically to acquire a different look than the typical dance program. The siblings also said they were nervous in the face of the best possible junior competition, some of whom, such as the eventual gold medalist Canadian team Bashynska/Beaumont, they had never met before.

Shortly after their disappointment in Torino, Mrázková/Mrázek appeared at the 2023 Four National Championships, finishing first overall among junior ice dance teams and winning the Czech junior national title. In the new year, they won gold at the Egna Dance Trophy in February.

At the 2023 World Junior Championships in Calgary, Mrázková/Mrázek placed first in the rhythm dance, 0.11 points clear of Lim/Quan in second place, while expected rivals Bashynska/Beaumont finished fourth in the segment due to errors on the pattern. The siblings' lone error was her missing a twizzle level. They went on to win the free skate as well by a wider margin over the South Koreans, becoming the first Czech dance team to win the Junior World title. He said they were "incredibly happy" at the outcome after the problems in Torino, also indicating that they planned to compete at the senior level the following season.

2023–24 season

For their senior debut free dance, the duo selected Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake, which Mrázek called "a big challenge for us," explaining "our goal is for the audience to feel like they are in the National Theatre." Mrázková/Mrázek made their senior debut on the Challenger circuit, coming fifth at both the 2023 CS Lombardia Trophy and 2023 CS Nebelhorn Trophy.In what was a historic moment for the Czech Republic, Mrázková/Mrázek joined fellow Czech sibling team Taschlerová/Taschler on the Grand Prix, the first time two Czech teams competed on the circuit in the same year. They both started at the 2023 Skate America, which Taschlerová called "nice" as "we are great friends all together." Mrázková/Mrázek finished eighth at the event, which he said "wasn't our best, but not our worst performance either. Last season I was always a super-perfectionist and I wanted to give a flawless performance, which led to some mistakes. I think we have improved a little in this sense." At the 2023 Grand Prix of Espoo, the siblings placed sixth in the rhythm dance, but dropped to seventh place after Mrázková stumbled on the one-foot step sequence.

With Taschlerová/Taschler absent from the 2024 Four Nationals Championships due to the latter's injury, Mrázková/Mrázek won their first senior Czech national title by a wide margin, and finished 24 points ahead of the second-place finishers at the Four Nationals. They went on to make their European Championship debut at the 2024 edition in Kaunas, where they finished ninth in the rhythm dance. They were eleventh in the free dance after a step error by Mrázek, but remained ninth overall. With their fellow sibling team returning to competition at the event and placing seventh, it was the first time since 1980 that two Czech dance teams placed in the top ten.

Mrázková/Mrázek were assigned to make their World Championship debut at the 2024 edition in Montreal. They placed thirteenth in the rhythm dance, while Taschlerová/Taschler, who had placed in the top ten the previous year, were eighteenth in the segment after a lift error. Mrázková/Mrázek were eleventh in the free dance with another improved personal best, but remained thirteenth overall, while their fellow Czechs moved up to fifteenth.

Programs

With Mrázek

SeasonRhythm danceFree danceExhibition
2023–2024
  • A Evaristo Carriego
2022–2023
  • Surrounded
  • Heart of a King
2021–2022
  • Flor de noche
  • Nada puede dormir
  • Poeta en el viento

Records and achievements

Junior world record scores

Mrázková/Mrázek are the current junior world record holders for the rhythm dance and total scores.

Junior ice dance combined total records
DateScoreEventNote
March 4, 2023177.362023 World Junior ChampionshipsCurrent junior world record holder.
Junior ice dance rhythm dance records
DateScoreEventNote
October 13, 202271.872022 JGP ItalyCurrent junior world record holder.
September 2, 202270.832022 JGP Czech RepublicSurpassed on October 13, 2022.

Achievements

With Mrázek for Czech Republic:

Competitive highlights

GP: Grand PrixCS: Challenger SeriesJGP: Junior Grand Prix

With Mrázek

International: Senior
Event20–2121–2222–2323–24
align=left 13th
align=left 9th
align=left 7th
align=left 8th
align=left 5th
align=left 5th
International: Junior
align=left bgcolor=gold 1st
align=left 3rd
align=left bgcolor=gold 1st
align=left 4th
align=left bgcolor=gold 1st
align=left 4th
align=left 6th bgcolor=gold 1st bgcolor=gold 1st
align=left bgcolor=silver 2nd bgcolor=gold 1st
align=left bgcolor=gold 1st
align=left Trophée Métropole Nicebgcolor=gold 1st
National
align=left bgcolor=silver 2nd J bgcolor=gold 1st J bgcolor=gold 1st
align=left Four Nationalsbgcolor=silver 2nd J bgcolor=gold 1st J bgcolor=gold 1st
TBD = Assigned
Levels: J = Junior

Detailed results

Small medals for short and free programs awarded only at ISU Championships.

With Mrázek

Senior

2023–24 season
DateEventRDFDTotal
March 18–24, 20242024 World Championshipsalign=center 13
73.05
align=center 11
115.23
align=center 13
188.28
January 10–14, 20242024 European Championshipsalign=center 9
75.19
align=center 11
107.14
align=center 9
182.33
December 14–16, 20232024 Four Nationals Championshipsalign=center 1
64.87
align=center 1
131.31
align=center bgcolor=gold 1
196.18
November 17–19, 20232023 Grand Prix of Espooalign=center 6
70.59
align=center 7
101.99
align=center 7
172.58
October 20–22, 20232023 Skate Americaalign=center 8
67.95
align=center 9
102.89
align=center 8
170.84
September 20–23, 20232023 CS Nebelhorn Trophyalign=center 5
67.83
align=center 5
109.75
align=center 5
177.38
September 8–10, 20232023 CS Lombardia Trophyalign=center 6
67.31
align=center 3
110.12
align=center 5
177.43

Junior

2022–23 season
DateEventRDFDTotal
Feb 27 – March 5, 20232023 World Junior Championshipsalign=center bgcolor=gold 1
71.19
align=center bgcolor=gold 1
106.17
align=center bgcolor=gold 1
177.36
February 9–12, 20232023 Egna Dance Trophyalign=center 1
76.22
align=center 1
111.06
align=center bgcolor=gold 1
187.28
December 15–17, 20222023 Four National Junior Championshipsalign=center 1
69.89
align=center 1
103.20
align=center bgcolor=gold 1
173.09
December 8–11, 20222022–23 Junior Grand Prix Finalalign=center 4
64.08
align=center 3
97.46
align=center bgcolor=cc9966 3
161.54
November 9–13, 20222022 Ice Challengealign=center 1
72.48
align=center 1
98.99
align=center bgcolor=gold 1
171.47
October 12–15, 20222022 JGP Italyalign=center 1
71.87
align=center 1
101.13
align=center bgcolor=gold 1
173.00
Aug 31 – Sept 3, 20222022 JGP Czech Republicalign=center 1
70.83
align=center 1
105.43
align=center bgcolor=gold 1
176.26
2021–22 season
DateEventRDFDTotal
February 4–6, 20222022 Egna Dance Trophyalign=center 1
67.54
align=center 1
99.52
align=center bgcolor=gold 1
167.06
December 16–18, 20212022 Four National Junior Championshipsalign=center 3
52.20
align=center 2
92.20
align=center bgcolor=silver 2
144.40
November 10–14, 20212021 Ice Challengealign=center 1
61.06
align=center 2
89.97
align=center bgcolor=silver 1
151.03
November 5–7, 20212021 Pavel Roman Memorialalign=center 1
62.55
align=center 1
92.78
align=center bgcolor=gold 1
155.33
October 20–24, 20212021 Cup of Nicealign=center 1
58.68
align=center 1
91.06
align=center bgcolor=gold 1
149.74
September 1–4, 20212022 JGP Slovakiaalign=center 5
59.18
align=center 4
91.38
align=center 4
150.56
August 18–21, 20212022 JGP France Ialign=center 3
57.04
align=center 4
83.89
align=center 4
140.93
2020–21 season
DateEventRDFDTotal
February 6–7, 20212021 Egna Dance Trophyalign=center 9
45.45
align=center 4
77.94
align=center 6
123.39

External links

! colspan="3" style="border-top: 5px solid #78FF78;" |World Junior Record Holders