Matthias Versluis Explained

Matthias Versluis
Birth Date:18 July 1994
Birth Place:Genolier, Switzerland
Hometown:Helsinki, Finland
Discipline:Ice dance (since 2016)
Men's singles (2006–16)
Partner:Juulia Turkkila (since 2016)
Coach:Maurizio Margaglio
Neil Brown
Skating Club:Helsingin Luistelijat
Beganskating:2002

Matthias Versluis (born 18 July 1994) is a Finnish figure skater. Competing in ice dancing with Juulia Turkkila, he is the 2023 European bronze medalist, a two-time Grand Prix of Espoo bronze medalist, 2023 CS Finlandia Trophy gold medalist, and a four-time Finnish national champion (2019, 2022–24).

As a single skater, he is the 2014 Finnish national champion and competed in the final segment at two ISU Championships.

Personal life

Versluis was born on 18 July 1994 in Genolier, Switzerland, to a Finnish mother and Dutch father. He moved to Finland with his family when he was six months old. As of 2018, he was studying physiotherapy at the Arcada University of Applied Sciences.[1]

Career

Early career

Versluis began learning to skate in 2002. Tiiu Valgemäe coached him early in his career. In 2008, he debuted on the ISU Junior Grand Prix series, coached by Virpi Horttana, Sara Lindroos, and Arja Veijola. He competed at the 2012 and 2013 World Junior Championships, qualifying for the free skate at both events.

In December 2013, Versluis won the senior men's title at the 2014 Finnish Championships. He was selected to compete at the 2014 European Championships but withdrew due to a knee injury, sustained in training on 9 January 2014. His coaches were Virpi Horttana, Kati Perokorpi, and Henna Hietala. By 2015, he was being coached by Stefan Zins.

On 1 April 2016, the Finnish Figure Skating Association reported that Versluis had teamed up with Juulia Turkkila to compete in ice dancing.

2016–2017 season: Debut of Turkkila/Versluis

Making their international debut, Turkkila/Versluis placed sixth at the NRW Trophy in November 2016. Later that month, they finished 13th at their first ISU Challenger Series assignment, the 2016 CS Tallinn Trophy. In December, they took the silver medal behind Törn/Partanen at the 2017 Finnish Championships. In February, they represented Finland at the 2017 Winter Universiade, finishing eighth.

2017–2018 season

Turkkila/Versluis competed at a pair of Challenger Series competitions – placing tenth at the 2017 CS Lombardia Trophy, and fifteenth at the 2017 CS Finlandia Trophy – and then finished thirteenth at the International Cup of Nice. In November, they won bronze at the Ice Challenge in Austria. In December, they repeated as national silver medalists, again finishing second to Törn/Partanen.

2018–2019 season: First national title and Worlds debut

Turkkila/Versluis began their season with three Challenger Series events – they finished sixth at the 2018 CS Lombardia Trophy, seventh at the 2018 CS Ondrej Nepela Trophy, and sixth at the 2018 CS Finlandia Trophy. In October, the duo won silver at the Minsk-Arena Ice Star. In November, they debuted on the Grand Prix series, placing sixth at the 2018 Grand Prix of Helsinki, and then took bronze at the Warsaw Cup. The following month, they became the Finnish national champions and were selected to compete at the 2019 European Championships in Minsk, Belarus, where they placed eleventh. They then competed at their first World Championships, placing sixteenth.

2019–2020 season

Turkkila sustained a neck injury in a practice session at the 2019 CS Lombardia Trophy, compelling the team to withdraw from the competition. They subsequently also withdrew from the 2019 CS Finlandia Trophy and the 2019 Rostelecom Cup, their Grand Prix assignment for the year. They were assigned to compete at the World Championships in Montreal, but these were cancelled as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

2020–2021 season

Returning to competition for the first time in two years, Turkkila/Versluis represented Finland at the 2021 World Championships in Stockholm, placing twenty-first after a fluke error on the rotational lift.

2021–2022 season: Beijing Olympics

Turkkila/Versluis began the Olympic season at the 2021 CS Lombardia Trophy, where they placed sixth. They were assigned to the 2021 CS Nebelhorn Trophy, seeing to qualify a place for Finland at the 2022 Winter Olympics. They placed first in both programs, setting three new personal bests to take both their first Challenger gold and the first of four available dance spots. At their third Challenger event of the season, the 2021 CS Finlandia Trophy, Turkkila/Versluis came sixth, notably managing fourth place in the free dance. They competed at the 2021 Cup of Nice, also known as Trophée Métropole Nice, where they won gold, before going on to make their Grand Prix appearance at the 2021 Internationaux de France, where they finished in seventh.

After winning their second Finnish national title, Turkkila/Versluis were named to the Finnish Olympic team. Turkkila had a mild case of COVID-19 in late December and recovered, but because she continued to test positive, the team was unable to participate in the 2022 European Championships.

Making their appearance at the Beijing Olympics dance event, Turkkila/Versluis were the first Finnish ice dancers to appear in the Winter Olympics since Rahkamo/Kokko in 1994. They placed sixteenth in the rhythm dance, qualifying for the free dance. They moved up one place in the free dance, finishing fifteenth.

Turkkila and Versluis concluded the season at the 2022 World Championships, held in Montpellier. They finished twelfth.

2022–2023 season: Grand Prix and European medals

Turkkila/Versluis won the bronze medal at the 2022 CS Finlandia Trophy before taking the gold medal at the 2022 Cup of Nice. They were considered medal contenders going into the Grand Prix, but placed eighth in the rhythm dance after Turkkila fell during the twizzle sequence. They were fifth in the free dance, rising to seventh overall. Their second event was the 2022 Grand Prix of Espoo, held on home ice in Finland instead of the Rostelecom Cup as a result of the Russo-Ukrainian War. They finished fourth in the rhythm dance with a new personal best score of 75.06, 1.16 points behind third-place Americans Carreira/Ponomarenko. In the free dance, they rose to third overall with another new personal best (116.73), taking the bronze medal with a total score of 191.79. They were the lone Finnish medalists at the Finnish Grand Prix event and the first Finnish dance team to ever medal in the Grand Prix. Turkkila said that the result "gives us a lot of confidence. We know what we are capable of, and we want to achieve more. This is just the beginning."

After winning their third Finnish national title, Turkkila/Versluis were their country's primary medal hope at a home European Championships, hosted, like the Grand Prix, in Espoo. This was their first appearance at the European Championships since 2019. They finished third in the rhythm dance with a new personal best score of 77.56, 0.23 points ahead of fourth-place Lithuanian team Reed/Ambrulevičius. In the free dance, Turkkila/Versluis set new personal bests in that segment and overall, and won the bronze medal. This was the first European medal for a Finnish dance team since Rahkamo/Kokko's gold in 1995. Versluis called it "absolutely amazing," especially in light of their previous absences.

Turkkila/Versluis concluded the season at the 2023 World Championships in Saitama, where they finished ninth, the first time since 1995 that a Finnish team placed in the top ten. Turkkila commented that "in August, you couldn't have imagined that there would be a season like this. All expectations have been exceeded."

2023–2024 season

Beginning the season at the 2023 CS Nebelhorn Trophy, Turkkila/Versluis won the bronze medal. Competing next on home ice at the 2023 CS Finlandia Trophy, they won the rhythm dance. Second in the free dance, they remain in first place overall, becoming the first Finnish dance team to win the gold medal at the Finlandia Trophy. The duo noted that the Espoo Metro Areena had been the site of many milestones in their careers, including national singles championships, making it a place of "many meanings." With Finland again hosting on the Grand Prix in the same venue, they won another bronze medal at the 2023 Grand Prix of Espoo. Turkkila/Versluis went on to finish fourth at the 2023 NHK Trophy, which they said they considered a strong result given that they were competing on consecutive weekends. Turkkila said they were "overall very happy" with the first half of the season.

After claiming their fourth national gold medal, Turkkila/Versluis sought to defend their podium place at the 2024 European Championships. They came sixth in both segments, placing sixth overall. They received a deduction of an extra element in the free dance, which they said they would research for future performances to understand the error. They then finished the season at the 2024 World Championships, coming tenth. Turkkila praised the crowd at the Montreal event as "amazing," while admitting that "result wise, we could have done even a bit better this season, especially at Europeans. But the field is big and competitive."

2024–25 season

Turkkila and Versluis began the season by competing on the 2024–25 ISU Challenger Series, winning bronze at the 2024 Budapest Trophy and finishing fourth at the 2024 Nepela Memorial. Going on to compete on the 2024–25 Grand Prix series, the team won bronze at the 2024 Finlandia Trophy and fifth at the 2024 Cup of China.

Programs

Ice dance with Juulia Turkkila

SeasonRhythm danceFree danceExhibition
2024–25
  • Bewitched
  • Obcy Astronom (Remastered 2021)
2023–24
  • Mass (Re-Imagined)
  • Loss
  • Hullaannun
2022–23
  • Rebelado
  • Wicked Game
  • Jao Geralderry
  • Banto
  • 4 Impromptus, Op. 90, D. 899:
    No. 3 in G-Flat Major: Andante
  • Piano Sonata No. 20 In A Major, D.959:
    IV. Rondo (Allegretto)
  • 4 Impromptus, Op. 90, D. 899:
    No. 3 in G-Flat Major: Andante
  • Hullaannun

----

  • Smiles for Y
  • Unconditioned (Following, A Bird)
  • Fortitude
2021–22
  • Breathe You In My Dreams
  • River
2019–21
  • Overture
  • What Do I Need With Love?
  • Forget About the Boy
  • Smiles for Y
  • Unconditioned (Following, A Bird)
  • Fortitude
2018–19
Short dance
2017–18
  • Beautiful Maria Of My Soul
  • Afro Bongo
  • De Donde Soy
2016–17
  • Romeo & Juliet

Single skating

SeasonShort programFree skating
2013–14
  • Infiltrado
  • Grand Guignol
  • Medley
2012–13
2011–12
  • Still Got the Blues
  • Feeling Good
2009–10
  • Tidor
  • Gamade
2008–09

Competitive highlights

Single skating

International
Event07–0808–0909–1010–1111–1212–1313–1414–1515–16
align=left 14th12th10th11th
align=left 20th
align=left 6th
align=left 7th
align=left bgcolor=gold 1st
align=left 4th
align=left 5th 8th 4th
align=left 23rd 7th 16th
align=left 5th
Sofia Trophy2nd
align=left 13th
International: Junior
align=left 21st 19th
align=left 13th
align=left 9th
align=left 20th
align=left 12th
align=left 11th
align=left 17th
align=left 9th
align=left 11th
align=left 7th
align=left 14th
align=left 4th
align=left 5th
align=left bgcolor=cc9966 3rd 5th
align=left bgcolor=cc9966 3rd bgcolor=silver 2nd
National
align=left bgcolor=cc9966 3rd J 4th J bgcolor=silver 2nd J 5th J bgcolor=gold 1st J bgcolor=silver 2nd bgcolor=silver 2nd bgcolor=gold 1st 4th bgcolor=cc9966 3rd

Detailed results

Ice dance with Juulia Turkkila

2024–2025 season
DateEventSPFSTotal
November 22–24, 20242024 Cup of Chinaalign=center 4
77.80		align=center 5
114.77		align=center 5
192.57
November 15–17, 20242024 Finlandia Trophyalign=center 3
78.31 		align=center 2
118.29 		align=center bgcolor=cc9966 3
196.60
October 25–27, 20242024 CS Nepela Memorialalign=center 3
76.31		align=center 5
109.73		align=center 4
186.04
October 11–13, 20242024 CS Budapest Trophyalign=center 3
72.34 		align=center 2
116.67		align=center bgcolor=cc9966 3
189.01
2023–2024 season
DateEventSPFSTotal
March 18–24, 20242024 World Championshipsalign=center 9
75.89		align=center 10
116.45		align=center 10
192.34
January 8–14, 20242024 European Championshipsalign=center 6
76.36		align=center 6
115.72		align=center 6
192.08
December 10–14, 20232024 Finnish Championshipsalign=center 1
80.84		align=center 1
124.57		align=center bgcolor=gold 1
205.41
November 24–26, 20232023 NHK Trophyalign=center 4
74.66		align=center 4
116.35		align=center 4
191.01
November 17–19, 20232023 Grand Prix of Espooalign=center 3
77.65		align=center 3
118.15		align=center bgcolor=cc9966 3
195.80
October 26–29, 20232023 Swiss Openalign=center 1
73.04		align=center 1
122.93		align=center bgcolor=gold 1
195.97
October 4–8, 20232023 CS Finlandia Trophyalign=center 1
75.76		align=center 2
117.97		align=center bgcolor=gold 1
193.73
September 20–23, 20232023 CS Nebelhorn Trophyalign=center 3
69.68		align=center 3
113.95		align=center bgcolor=cc9966 3
183.63
2022–23 season
DateEventSPFSTotal
March 20–26, 20232023 World Championshipsalign=center 8
76.97		align=center 9
116.57		align=center 9
193.54
January 23–29, 20232023 European Championshipsalign=center bgcolor=cc9966 3
77.56		align=center bgcolor=cc9966 3
120.65		align=center bgcolor=cc9966 3
198.21
December 16–18, 20222023 Finnish Championshipsalign=center 1
79.74		align=center 1
121.80		align=center bgcolor=gold 1
201.54
November 25–27, 20222022 Grand Prix of Espooalign=center 4
75.06		align=center 3
116.73		align=center bgcolor=cc9966 3
191.79
November 4–6, 20222022 Grand Prix de Francealign=center 8
63.85		align=center 5
108.63		align=center 7
172.48
October 18–23, 20222022 Trophée Métropole Nice Côte d'Azuralign=center 1
71.17		align=center 1
112.66		align=center bgcolor=gold 1
183.83
October 5–9, 20222022 CS Finlandia Trophyalign=center 3
74.35		align=center 3
111.95		align=center bgcolor=cc9966 3
186.30
2021–22 season
DateEventSPFSTotal
March 21–27, 20222022 World Championshipsalign=center 12
71.88		align=center 12
104.07		align=center 12
175.95
February 12–14, 20222022 Winter Olympicsalign=center 16
68.23		align=center 15
105.65		align=center 15
173.88
December 17–19, 20212022 Finnish Championshipsalign=center 1
75.93		align=center 1
120.78		align=center bgcolor=gold 1
196.71
November 19–21, 20212021 Internationaux de Francealign=center 7
64.62		align=center 5
106.40		align=center 7
171.02
October 20–24, 20212021 Trophée Métropole Nice Côte d'Azuralign=center 1
71.43		align=center 1
109.51		align=center bgcolor=gold 1
180.94
October 7–10, 20212021 CS Finlandia Trophyalign=center 8
71.92		align=center 4
113.27		align=center 6
185.19
September 21–25, 20212021 CS Nebelhorn Trophyalign=center 1
70.92		align=center 1
110.27		align=center bgcolor=gold 1
181.19
September 10–12, 20212021 CS Lombardia Trophyalign=center 7
67.26		align=center 5
103.97		align=center 6
171.23
2020–21 season
DateEventSPFSTotal
March 22–28, 20212021 World Championshipsalign=center 21
64.59		align=center –align=center 21
64.59
2019–20 season
DateEventSPFSTotal
February 7–9, 20202020 Egna Dance Trophyalign=center 2
73.65		align=center 1
109.23		align=center bgcolor=gold 1
182.88
2018–19 season
DateEventSPFSTotal
March 18–24, 20192019 World Championshipsalign=center 18
66.01		align=center 16
102.11		align=center 16
168.12
March 6–9, 20192019 Winter Universiadealign=center 4
63.80 		align=center 4
107.42		align=center 4
171.22
February 5–10, 20192019 Bavarian Openalign=center 1
72.30		align=center 4
94.30		align=center bgcolor=cc9966 3
166.60
January 21–27, 20192019 European Championshipsalign=center 10
67.18		align=center 12
101.16		align=center 11
168.34
December 15–16, 20182019 Finnish Championshipsalign=center 1
68.79		align=center 1
103.91		align=center bgcolor=gold 1
172.70
November 23–25, 20182018 Warsaw Cupalign=center 3
63.75		align=center 3
101.16		align=center bgcolor=cc9966 3
164.91
November 2–4, 20182018 Grand Prix of Helsinkialign=center 6
63.06		align=center 6
97.56		align=center 6
160.62
October 18–21, 20182018 Ice Staralign=center 3
60.39		align=center 2
99.12		align=center bgcolor=silver 2
159.51
October 4–7, 20182018 CS Finlandia Trophyalign=center 6
62.46		align=center 6
101.03		align=center 6
163.49
September 19–22, 20182018 CS Ondrej Nepela Trophyalign=center 6
60.61 		align=center 7
90.05		align=center 7
150.66
September 12–16, 20182018 CS Lombardia Trophyalign=center 5
57.92 		align=center 6
86.52		align=center 6
144.44
2017–18 season
DateEventSPFSTotal
February 2–4, 20182018 Egna Dance Trophyalign=center 5
55.51		align=center 6
78.04		align=center 5
133.55
January 26–31, 20182018 Bavarian Openalign=center 6
53.28		align=center 6
86.05		align=center 6
139.33
December 16–17, 20172018 Finnish Championshipsalign=center 2
54.93		align=center 2
87.65		align=center bgcolor=silver 2
142.58
November 22–26, 20172017 Open d'Andorraalign=center 8
47.83		align=center 3
84.92		align=center 5
132.75
November 9–12, 20172017 Ice Challengealign=center 4
51.35		align=center 3
83.44		align=center bgcolor=cc9966 3
134.79
October 11–15, 20172017 Trophée Métropole Nice Côte d'Azuralign=center 12
52.08		align=center 14
75.64		align=center 13
127.72
October 6–8, 20172017 CS Finlandia Trophyalign=center 16
46.00		align=center 16
75.66		align=center 15
121.66
September 14–17, 20172017 CS Lombardia Trophyalign=center 10
49.14		align=center 9
71.30		align=center 10
120.44
2016–17 season
DateEventSPFSTotal
February 14–19, 20162017 Bavarian Openalign=center 11
49.86		align=center 11
80.74		align=center 11
130.60
February 1–5, 20162017 Winter Universiadealign=center 8
50.60		align=center 9
79.52		align=center 8
130.12
December 15–18, 20162017 Finnish Championshipsalign=center 2
48.42		align=center 2
72.47		align=center bgcolor=silver 2
120.89
November 19–27, 20162016 CS Tallinn Trophyalign=center 14
50.55 		align=center 12
77.84		align=center 13
128.39
November 4–6, 20162016 NRW Trophyalign=center 8
48.57		align=center 6
71.43		align=center 6
120.00

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Får jag lov? frågade Juulia, och Matthias svarade ja – med motivationen i botten och karriären på fall förändrade en fråga allting . 2023-10-07 . svenska.yle.fi . sv.

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