“I felt so proud!” said Isabeau Levito, the fifteen year old prodigy who made her senior ladies debut and beat two- time champion Braide Tennel in the 2023 U.S Championships. 

Though Levito won the short program by a small margin of 0.02 points, scoring 73.78 to Tennell’s 73.76, she later increased the point gap by approximately 10 points in the final tally of the long program. 

Braide’s cause became almost insurmountable as she stumbled on her triple toe loop causing a deduction of points in the long program. In this reporter’s opinion and maybe even to the untrained eye, Tennel may have won the short, but after watching Levitos long program, there was no doubt she was worthy of gold.

Levitos’ long program was flawless; she made her extremely difficult jumps look effortless. Skating to Catalina Caraus & Eugen Dogas Dulcea Si Tandra Mea Fiara, she executed the most difficult jump attempted in the competition: a triple lutz triple loop combination. Levito easily landed another major combo, garnering extra points with its execution coming in the second half of the program: an amazing triple lutz, half loop triple salchow jump, stunning the cheering crowd.