Zachary Lagha

Zachary Lagha (born April 15, 1999) is a Canadian ice dancer. With his skating partner Marjorie Lajoie, he is the 2023 Four Continents bronze medalist, a four-time Grand Prix medalist, 2022 CS Nepela Memorial champion, 2022 CS Budapest Trophy champion, and a three-time Canadian national medalist. Lajoie and Lagha represented Canada at the 2022 Winter Olympics.

Lajoie and Lagha began their careers with a string of domestic titles in the youth ranks, including gold medals at the 2015 Canadian Novice Championships and 2015 Canada Winter Games, before making their international junior debut. They won four medals on the ISU Junior Grand Prix, three national junior titles, and became the second Canadian dance team to win the World Junior Championships in 2019. They represented Canada at the 2016 Winter Youth Olympics, finishing fourth in the dance event and winning a bronze medal in the team event.

Personal life
Lagha was born on April 15, 1999, in Greenfield Park, Quebec. His family is of Algerian Canadian heritage. His mother, Fella Hammoutene, is an accomplished pianist and encouraged her son to study piano as well. Lagha enters musical competitions in the skating off-season. In June 2018, he won a scholarship after winning the first round and getting to the final at the prestigious Canadian Music Competition.

Currently a student in contemporary dance at Concordia University, he identified coaching as his planned vocation following the end of his competitive career.

He is fluent in both English and French.

Early years
Lagha began learning to skate in 2004. He formed an ice dance partnership with Marjorie Lajoie in 2011, coached by Julien Lalonde, Mylène Girard, and Valérie Allard in Saint-Hubert, Quebec.

After winning the national pre-novice title in the 2013–14 season, they moved up to the novice level for 2014–15. They won the silver medal at the Skate Canada Challenge, and then took the gold medal at the 2015 Canadian Championships. Lagha said of the achievement: "We worked very hard for this. It came with work. No work. No results." The following month they competed at the 2015 Canada Winter Games, winning the gold medal.

2015–2016 season: Junior debut
Following their novice title win, the two ended their partnership, later stating that they had different ideas at the time. Subsequently, Lagha transferred to train with Marie-France Dubreuil, who encouraged them to reunite in the summer of 2015. They then moved to train with Dubreuil, Patrice Lauzon, Romain Haguenauer, and Pascal Denis in Montreal, Quebec.

Making their junior international debut on the Junior Grand Prix, Lajoie/Lagha were seventh at the 2015 JGP Spain in Logroño in early October. Lajoie said that it "went super well, and I didn’t expect us to do this well."

In January 2016, Lajoie/Lagha were awarded the junior silver medal at the Canadian Championships after placing fourth in the short dance and second in the free. The following month, they placed fourth in the main competition at the 2016 Winter Youth Olympics in Hamar, Norway. Lajoie called it "a super fun competition," while Lagha thought "we didn't get the scores we wanted but what's most important is the public and ourselves were satisfied with the performance." Competing as members of Team Discovery, they won the bronze medal in the team event. In March, they ranked eleventh in the short dance, thirteenth in the free dance, and thirteenth overall at the 2016 World Junior Championships in Debrecen, Hungary.

2016–2017 season: First junior national title


Lajoie and Lagha were given two assignments on the 2016–17 Junior Grand Prix series, first coming fourth at the 2016 JGP Japan in Yokohama. They set a new personal best, and Lajoie said that they felt they were "on the right track." At the 2016 JGP Germany in Dresden, they finished third in the short dance segment, but dropped off the podium following the free dance, missing the bronze medal by less than a point. Lajoie admitted it was "unfortunate we couldn’t have placed higher," while vowing "there’s still a lot of work to do in order to increase our scores even more."

At the 2017 Skate Canada Challenge, Lajoie/Lagha broke the Canadian record in junior ice dance, held since 2005 by Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir. They went on to win the junior national title at the 2017 Canadian Championships.

In advance of the 2017 World Junior Championships, the team was sent to compete at the Bavarian Open in February. They won the silver medal, finishing only 0.02 points behind the gold medalists. In March, they placed fifth in the short dance, seventh in the free dance, and sixth overall at the World Junior Championships in Taipei, Taiwan.

2017–2018 season: Second junior national title
Lajoie/Lagha opened the 2017–18 Junior Grand Prix series with a silver medal win at the JGP Australia event in Brisbane. This was their first career medal on the circuit, but Lagha insisted that "when you start focusing on results, it never works. We just wanted to do well and build from here because we know we can do better." They went on to win gold at JGP Croatia in Zagreb, setting new personal bests in the short dance and combined total score. These results qualified them for the Junior Grand Prix Final in Nagoya, Japan. Lajoie sustained a concussion and a hip injury due to a fall in practice. After a month of recuperating, she returned to training two weeks before the Junior Grand Prix Final, where the duo placed sixth.

Lajoie/Lagha defended their junior national title at the 2018 Canadian Championships, breaking their own Canadian record. They closed out the season at the 2018 World Junior Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria. They placed second in the short dance, earning a silver small medal, but placed fifth in the free dance, placing them narrowly off the podium in fourth place. Lajoie commented: "The free dance went super well for us. We were in the moment and managed the stress. We achieved our goal by being in the mix for a spot on the podium."

2018–2019 season: Junior World title
After some debate over their free program music for the year, Lagha proposed Richard Addinsell's Warsaw Concerto, which was subsequently adopted. Desiring not to do a classical tango for the rhythm dance, Lajoie and Lagha picked a medley of songs by the contemporary Argentinian group Otros Aires.



Lajoie/Lagha began the 2018 JGP series at the JGP Austria event in Linz, winning the silver medal. The team's choreographic character step sequence was ruled invalid, costing them points. Lajoie expressed dissatisfaction with the performance, stating, "the presentation was good, but there’s a lot of work to do at the technical level." They took gold at JGP Canada, scoring personal bests in both segments, breaking again the junior Canadian record, and qualified to their second Junior Grand Prix Final. At the Final the duo placed fourth, 0.03 points behind bronze medallists Elizaveta Khudaiberdieva and Nikita Nazarov, following a 1 point deduction for an extended lift.

At the 2019 Canadian Championships, Lajoie/Lagha won their third consecutive junior title, a national record. Their margin over silver medallists Alicia Fabbri / Paul Ayer was 21.14 points. As a "test run" for the World Junior Championships, the two then competed at the 2019 Bavarian Open, an event they had won silver at two seasons prior, this time winning gold, 24.7 points ahead of silver medallists Fabbri/Ayer.

Concluding the season at the 2019 World Junior Championships, Lajoie/Lagha placed first in the rhythm dance, setting a new junior world record of 70.14. They were awarded a gold small medal for the result. They then won the free dance as well, setting new world records for that segment and for total score, taking the World Junior title. Lajoie/Lagha were only the second Canadian team to win World Junior gold in ice dance, the first being Virtue and Moir in 2006. Lagha said that rewarding after several disappointing results in the previous two seasons.

2019–2020 season: Senior debut


Lajoie/Lagha began their senior career with two Challenger events. They placed seventh at the 2019 CS Lombardia Trophy, which Lajoie described as a disappointment following twizzle errors by her in the free dance. They next came fourth at the 2019 CS Finlandia Trophy, missing the podium by less than two points due to an invalidated choreographic character step. Despite that, Lajoie called the result "a big step up for us." Making their senior Grand Prix debut at the 2019 Skate Canada International, they placed seventh in the rhythm dance and then moved up to sixth following the free dance. Competing at the 2019 Rostelecom Cup, they placed seventh after struggles in the rhythm dance.

With training mates and presumptive silver medallists Fournier Beaudry/Sørensen sitting out the 2020 Canadian Championships, Lajoie/Lagha competed with Soucisse/Firus for the silver medal. Both teams made errors in the rhythm dance, with Lagha bobbling on his twizzle sequence, but they nevertheless placed second in the rhythm dance. Clean in the free dance, but for Lagha stumbling in a choreographic sequence, they were second in that segment as well and won the silver medal, earning assignments to both the Four Continents Championships and the World Championships in their home town of Montreal.

Competing at Four Continents in Seoul, Lajoie/Lagha placed fifth in the rhythm dance with a new personal best score of 76.43, an increase of over five points internationally. They unexpectedly placed ahead of American national bronze medallists Hawayek/Baker, who fell out of their lift. They placed behind Hawayek/Baker in the free dance but remained in fifth place overall, again recording significant improvements in their free dance and total scores. Lagha said afterwards, "there was not one time this season yet when we skated without any major mistakes. Even at nationals, there were some stumbles, but now we finally did two good performances."

Though scheduled to make their World Championship debut, this was prevented by the cancellation of the Montreal World Championships due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Both reported being disappointed, but Lajoie added, "our season before this was very good, so it’s not the end of the world."

2020–2021 season: Worlds debut
Lajoie/Lagha were assigned to the 2020 Skate Canada International, but this event was also cancelled due to the pandemic.

With the pandemic continuing to make holding in-person competitions difficult domestically, Lajoie/Lagha made their competitive debut at a virtually-held 2021 Skate Canada Challenge, where they placed third in both segments to take the bronze medal. The 2021 Canadian Championships were subsequently cancelled.

On February 25, Lajoie/Lagha were announced as part of the Canadian team for the 2021 World Championships, their senior World Championship debut following the earlier cancellation of the 2020 World Championships. They placed fourteenth in Stockholm.

2021–2022 season: Beijing Olympics
Lajoie and Lagha made their season debut at the 2021 CS Autumn Classic International, where they placed fourth. At their second Challenger event, the 2021 CS Finlandia Trophy, they came seventh in a very competitive field. On the result, Lajoie said, "in the end, we were quite happy about it."

On the Grand Prix at the 2021 Skate Canada International, the first Canadian competition with an audience in over a year and a half, Lajoie/Lagha placed sixth. Lagha said afterwards, "we didn't get the score and placement we wanted, but the standing ovation was great!" At their second Grand Prix, the 2021 NHK Trophy in Tokyo, they placed fifth, including a fourth-place finish in the free dance.

Competing at their second senior Canadian championships, held in Ottawa without an audience due to restrictions prompted by the Omicron variant, Lajoie/Lagha placed third in the rhythm dance. They were third in the free dance as well, despite Lajoie flubbing a twizzle set and won the bronze medal. She said afterwards, "every element we did, there was a little something; we were struggling, and we are not used to that." They nevertheless were pleased with the result. The following day they were named to the Canadian Olympic team.

Lajoie/Lagha placed thirteenth in the rhythm dance at the 2022 Winter Olympics dance event. Scott Moir, commentating on the segment, called them "the team that we're all going to be watching in 2026." They remained thirteenth after the free dance, with Lajoie saying, "I think we did a pretty good job, especially because it’s such a stressful environment." They concluded the season at the 2022 World Championships in Montpellier, with the International Skating Union banning all Russian athletes due to their country's invasion of Ukraine. Lajoie/Lagha finished thirteenth in the rhythm dance, a disappointing result, but rose to eleventh overall with a tenth-place free dance.

2022–2023 season: Four Continents bronze, Challenger and Grand Prix success
In the first of two Challenger assignments, Lajoie/Lagha won gold at the 2022 CS Nepela Memorial, their first international senior medal and title. Lagha considered their effort "O.K. for a first skate despite a little mistake. We don't want to do mistakes anymore." Weeks later at the 2022 CS Budapest Trophy, they set a new set of personal bests, clearing 80 points in the rhythm dance, 120 points in the free dance, and 200 points in total score, all for the first time. Lagha said he remained unsatisfied with the free dance performance, which he considered "a bit too safe."

On the Grand Prix at the 2022 Skate Canada International, Lajoie/Lagha were fourth in the rhythm dance after errors put them narrowly behind Americans Green/Parsons. In the free dance, they overtook Green/Parsons for the bronze medal, their first on the senior Grand Prix. Two weeks later, they won a second bronze medal at the 2022 MK John Wilson Trophy in Sheffield. They had spent the intervening time working on their twizzle element, which had given the issues at their first Grand Prix event, and said they were pleased with the resulting performance.

With defending national champions Gilles/Poirier absent from the 2023 Canadian Championships due to Gilles requiring an appendectomy, the national ice dance title was considered more open than previously, to which Lagha remarked "we try not to focus on that, but we can always dream right?" They finished second in the rhythm dance, narrowly behind training partners Fournier Beaudry/Sørensen. They won the free dance after Fournier Beaudry/Sørensen botched their closing element, but remained narrowly second overall by 0.60 points and won their second national silver. Lajoie said afterward that it had been a "mental fight" for both of them that day, "but, we did it." As Canada had only two berths at the 2023 World Championships due to Gilles/Poirier and Fournier Beaudry/Sørensen's ordinals the prior year, Lajoie/Lagha were assigned only to compete at the 2023 Four Continents Championships.

With Gilles/Poirier absent as well from the Four Continents Championships, Lajoie/Lagha were considered challengers for the podium. Despite low step sequence levels, they placed third in the rhythm dance, 2.07 points clear of fourth-place Carreira/Ponomarenko, while expected rivals Green/Parsons were a distant fifth after Parsons fell. They were third in the free dance as well with a new personal best score of 120.96, for a total score of an even 200.00 points. They won the bronze medal, their first ISU championship medal at the senior level. Lagha called the result "the cherry on top of a perfect season," with Lajoie noting "we have a podium finish in every competition" that they had entered.

2023–2024 season: Injury and home World Championships
Lagha suffered a shoulder injury in May 2023, hindering their preparations for the 2023–24 season, further complicated by subsequent back strain. Lajoie would later say "we kind of didn't have an off season." To fit the 1980s rhythm dance theme, they settled on Michael Jackson's "Thriller," Lagha citing Jackson as one of his favourite singers. Wanting to use a Montreal artist for their free dance, in celebration of the World Championships being held in their home city that year, they eventually settled on "Roses", a piece by local pianist Jean-Michel Blais.

The team was initially assigned to the 2023 CS Autumn Classic International, but withdrew. They were able to participate in their second Challenger assignment, the 2023 CS Nepela Memorial, coming fifth. Lajoie said that "we will take the situation how it is and will work from here." They first appeared on the Grand Prix at the 2023 Skate America, where they placed second in the rhythm dance, 0.60 points clear of French training mates Lopareva/Brissaud in third, despite getting only a level 1 on the midline step. They were second in the free dance as well, winning their first Grand Prix silver. At the 2023 Cup of China, they unexpected won the rhythm dance over pre-event favourites and fellow Canadians Gilles/Poirier after the latter had a twizzle error. They placed second in the free dance, and second overall. Lagha said afterward that it "was a struggle at the beginning of the season, as I had a few injuries. But we handled it like professionals and came ready for the Grand Prix."

The team's results qualified them to their first senior Grand Prix Final, held in Beijing, where they came sixth. Lagha described it as "a new experience to skate first and only with the best of the best." The team was unable to compete at the Canadian Championships after Lajoie was placed in concussion protocol. They subsequently withdrew from the 2024 Four Continents Championships as well. Lajoie was sidelined from training from months during recovery. Lagha continued to train by himself in the interim.

Lajoie was able to resume training for their hometown World Championships, having received full clearance from her physicians a week beforehand. They placed an unexpected fifth in the rhythm dance, following errors by fellow Canadians Fournier Beaudry/Sørensen, and thus skated in the final flight of the free dance for the first time. Lajoie/Lagha were fifth in that segment as well, setting new personal bests in all categories, and finished fifth overall. They called the result their proudest moment of the season. Lagha concluded that "we still have work to do and we're just going to focus on that. If the judges want to put us on top, they will. We're just going to continue our performances and let the world appreciate what we're doing, hopefully."

Programs

 * with Lajoie

Ice dance with Marjorie Lajoie

 * GP – Event of the ISU Grand Prix Series
 * JGP – Event of the ISU Junior Grand Prix Series
 * CS – Event of the ISU Challenger Series
 * C - Event was cancelled



Ice dance with Marjorie Lajoie

 * Small medals for the short program and free skating are only awarded at ISU Championships.