'We know exactly where we want to go'
Marjorie Lajoie and Zachary Lagha, the rising stars of Canadian ice dance, took a large step toward their biggest goals in Montreal. And they're not even close to done yet.
For sure, Marjorie Lajoie and Zachary Lagha are aware of the comparisons. It is hardly anything new. It has been there since their junior days, back when they matched the historic feat produced more than a decade earlier by the greatest ice dance team Canada (and perhaps the world) has ever seen.
On the one hand, Lajoie and Lagha are clearly flattered to be mentioned in the same breath as the iconic Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir, they of the two Olympic gold medals and three World titles … and so much more. But on the other, they will tell you, the path they are now taking is one of their own choosing. One designed to make them the first Marj and Zach, one could suggest, rather than the second coming of somebody else. It is exactly how they want it to be.
“It’s everybody’s goal to be with the top teams. Often, we are compared to those teams, but we would like to create our own path and our own name,” the 23-year-old Lajoie said in a Zoom interview with her partner this week. “I’ve seen comments like ‘oh, you’re the future Tessa and Scott’ and things like this. It’s an honour and it’s super nice and we want to join those teams for sure, and it means the world (to us) and we’re working for that. To win (a World title) would be amazing. But it would be nice to have our own path and story, not be too much compared (to others), but it’s also an honour, for sure.”
Their path is indeed their own and its direction is most definitely tilted in a decidedly upward direction. The Montreal-based duo are the rising stars of ice dance in Canada, fresh off a fifth-place finish at the 2024 World Championships right in their backyard at the Bell Centre. And they are clearly hungry for more, not wanting to rest on their laurels. This is a driven pair of skaters for whom continued improvement is always a perpetual goal.
“We know exactly where we want to go. A lot of stuff is not under our control, so it’s always the same sauce … you work, you improve your skating skills and the recipe remains the same,” said the 25-year-old Lagha. “The only thing that is important is not to sleep on that result. We got fifth in the world, it’s already very good to be top five in the world. But now we have to put this on the side and still work, and hopefully, next year we can be fourth. The most important (thing) is just to get better every year.”
It has been that way in the 13 years they have been together, since they were first paired by coach Julien Lalonde in Saint-Hubert, Quebec, back in 2011 (Lajoie was 10 years old at the time, Lagha was 11). Success came quickly for the duo, who skated to national titles at both the pre-novice and novice levels, but it was during their time as juniors that the ice dance world began to truly take notice of their talents. Beginning in 2017, Lajoie and Lagha won three straight Canadian junior titles, but the bigger breakthrough came in the form of a World Junior championship in 2019. They became only the second Canadian ice dance team ever to earn that distinction (we’ve already alluded to who did it first), producing world record scores across the board.
Needless to say, their arrival in the senior ranks was greatly anticipated, with Lajoie and Lagha earning a silver medal at the Canadian Championships in 2020 (their World Championships debut would have to wait, as the event planned for Montreal that year became a casualty of the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic). And it has been onward and upward from there — including their Olympic debut in 2022 in Beijing, where they placed 13th — but not without some adversity along the way.
Surely, there was plenty of that in the previous season, which began with Lagha dealing with shoulder issues, and nearly crashed to an early halt when Lajoie suffered a severe concussion during a training accident in December (it caused them to miss both the Canadian and Four Continents Championships, and put their participation at Worlds in some jeopardy). But the duo, who train at the powerhouse Ice Academy of Montreal under the direction of Marie-France Dubreuil, Patrice Lauzon, Romain Haguenauer and Pascal Denis, would not let any of it stand in their way.
It was perhaps their No. 1 lesson from Montreal — even after all that, they produced personal best scores across the board at Worlds and the fifth-place finish. And along the way, back in the fall, secured their first trip to the Grand Prix Final, where they placed sixth.
“I guess the biggest takeaway (from Worlds) is that it doesn’t matter what happens in your career, if you’re focused and determined and you’re willing to do the necessary work, you will achieve whatever you want to achieve,” said Lagha. “We started the season and I had a shoulder issue and then I had a back issue … our beginning of the season was kind of slow. But then in two weeks, we kind of reversed the situation and then we skated very good at Skate America (where they won the silver medal). Then (Cup of) China came (another podium finish for them) and everything.
“The same kind of thing happened before the World Championships. We had a lot of things happen — Marjorie had a concussion and I was training alone — but it’s more about how you’re able to remain calm and stay focused, and adapt with the situation. Marjorie knows this metaphor, but I would say it’s like an airplane pilot. When there is a problem, the first thing they learn is to stay calm and figure (out) the problem. It’s the same thing here. Marjorie has a concussion? Okay, we stay calm. What is the solution? Marjorie, you rest and when you come back, you make sure you are as healthy as possible. Then I work on my side so that when Marjorie comes (back), I’m able to help her and I’m always in shape so we can just blossom for the competition.”
In Montreal, after their rhythm dance to Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” that brought down the house with its energetic vibe, Lajoie talked about the moments of uncertainty that led up to that magical occasion. The idea that yes, there were concerns that the most unpredictable of injuries could cause them to miss out on a dream moment. It was a thought she reiterated again this week as she recalled the drama behind it all.
“It was a crazy time; very, very hard. It’s a hard injury when it’s your head. No one can see it, and you’re the only one that can feel it,” she explained. “It’s a lot of pressure … it was really, really hard. At the same time, it was beautiful, the outcome of it. We trained to go to Worlds, like I said before. But that period of time, I can say it was really hard. It’s the worst injury you can have, I think, a concussion. Just because if you don’t heal well, you will feel headaches and stuff like this. It’s also a lot of pressure to get well with the proper time and to follow the instructions.
“We had a deadline at the same time with Worlds, and to deal with this pressure to get well in the right way. Everything happened in a good way at the end … But that time was really, really hard for sure.”
(a short video on Lajoie’s Instagram details some of these moments).
Given how everything played out, it would have indeed been sad if the memories created in Montreal did not happen because of it all. But Lajoie remains steadfast in saying (and rightly so) that she always prioritized her health, that she would have given up that once in a lifetime Worlds opportunity if it meant preserving the bigger picture for the both of them.
“It would have been okay not to compete because our goal is long term. We want to do two more Olympics and we want to be there at our best with everybody,” she said. “If I didn’t compete because my head was not okay … yeah, it would have been very sad to miss it, but for a good reason.”
The rush to get ready in time for Worlds also forced Lajoie and Lagha to work more efficiently than ever in training, and it is something they continue to reap the benefits from as they prepare for a new season. But at the time, the performances they delivered in Montreal — their best of the season, at just the right moment — validated everything they had done ahead of time.
“I can say I’m pretty proud of us and how we handled everything that happened before, my concussion and stuff, and how we delivered, even if we knew we didn’t have the training that we usually have,” said Lajoie. “And I feel like, because we had less time, we really learned even more how to work more efficiently. When we’re going out on the ice, we’re working even better than we have before.
“(The whole experience at Worlds) was amazing. To be at home, all the family and friends that were in the crowd, the standing ovations (we got) … it was like a dream come true. It was really magical.”
That efficiency also has them ahead of the game when it comes to building new programs at I.AM for the coming season. While they’re not yet ready to reveal what kind of surprises they have in store for their many fans, who have taken to lovingly calling them “LaLa,” they’ll tell you everything is progressing as it should be. And they’re excited to show what’s next on the Grand Prix Series this fall, when they’ll compete at Skate Canada International in Halifax and make a return trip to Cup of China, where they were silver medallists a year ago behind eventual Canadian champions and World silver medallists Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier (most notably, Lajoie and Lagha won the rhythm dance there).
“We don’t like to say our musical choice too early … We open (ourselves to) criticism before we even compete. That’s why we really don’t like to say our music. But it’s going well,” said Lagha. “We’re ahead of schedule. Usually, we’re always late. But now, because of the experience we’ve gained over the past years, we know exactly how to work. We know what works or what doesn’t work, or what do we need to change now. So even though we’re really busy outside of the ice, when we’re on the ice it’s a lot more effective now that it ever was before.”
While last season’s rhythm dance was a literal “Thriller,” filled with plenty of fun and energy, Lagha agrees the theme for the 2024-25 season — “Social Dances and Styles of the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s” — is a blank canvas that he and Lajoie can paint into something equally spectacular.
“It’s definitely as fun or even more fun than it was with Michael Jackson. It’s a thing that everybody is going to know,” he says in offering the smallest of hints about the program. “It’s going to be a lot of work as well, like kind of theatrical work, acting work, as opposed to Michael Jackson, which was more like the feeling of the essence of the music. This one, we have to do a bit more acting.”
(which, if you know anything about Lajoie’s past, will be right up her alley. Between the ages of 10 and 14, she worked as an actress in commercials and on the Canadian TV series “Just Kidding.” But that part of her life has been dormant for a while now).
One thing is for certain. These two will put in the work. It is how they have achieved everything to this point, even going back to their formative years. There was no magical moment when Lajoie and Lagha suddenly realized the kind of greatness they could achieve. They’ve always known what it would take to reach their biggest dreams and aspirations.
“I don’t think we really told that to each other. We just skated and it was ‘okay, this is going well, let’s continue.’ At one point it started going really well and I guess both of us got more motivation and we started to work more,” said Lagha. “But we never said ‘hey, we’re really good. We can do something.’ It’s like work and work and work, and life will do its thing.”
While the climb up the ladder in ice dance can often take many years, it’s nothing Lajoie and Lagha ever put front of mind. In his view, that would be wasted energy best saved for more important things.
“The climb up to your level and your improvement is in your hands. But the climb up to the result is not necessarily in your hands. It’s just important not to think about this kind of stuff,” he said. “First of all, it’s a bad way of working, to focus on the result instead of focusing on the effort. That can be stressful, and the stress is absolutely not necessary. So yeah, it’s important to just focus on yourself.”
Maybe that’s why, when asked if the couple has put “Canadian title” on their list of goals for the upcoming season, Lagha brushes that to the side. At least for now. Sure, the results matter in the end, but the getting there and the journey matter just as much, if not more.
“Our goal is to skate clean. This is our goal. We want to skate good, we want the public to have fun. Of course, if we can please the judges, that’s great. But at the same time, you also can’t lose the essence of your program,” he says. “You don’t skate on Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” to win. You skate to enjoy this dance and have fun on the ice, and you hope to bring the people with you, too. When you train, you train really hard; you think about your result a little bit at that time. But once you’re in the competition … if you’re ready to be first at Canadian national championships, then you are ready to be first. You don’t need to think about it.”
While what follows was a response to a broader question about the success of ice dancers in Canada in recent years — it’s been the most productive discipline for skaters from this country in terms of World medals for at least two decades now — it also says a lot about the attitude and the mentality that has carried Lajoie and Lagha to their greatest successes so far.
“Marjorie and myself are really driven. We will not fail. Not matter what happens, we have to succeed. So when we are in a bad situation (we know how to react) when it was really a catastrophe, (and) it happened twice. It happened the year of Olympics, when we did Autumn Classic. And then it happened last year when we did Nepela,” said Lajoie. “When we looked at ourselves and it was awful, when we looked at the video … then after, we make a plan and we are on a mission for two weeks. The year of Olympics, when we did Finlandia Trophy, it was much better. And same thing this year when we went to do Skate America, it was much better.
“I don’t know how the other skaters work, but for me, for sure it’s a thing of work ethic. It’s as simple as that. And working smart. If you’re really smart about the things that you do, if you do a good plan and you train well, you have no reason to fail.”
Ask either of them about the “secret” to their success, and it’s no surprise, then — given what you read above — that the answers land in that area.
“There is no secret. It’s as simple as this: you work and you have to be smart … Actually, there is a secret. The secret is you have to work more than your opponents. You have to be smart, and you have to know your weaknesses and make your weaknesses your strengths.” explained Lagha. “One of the other secrets would be, never give up. It’s easy to give up and complain. If you have a problem on the ice and you say ‘okay, whatever, I’ll work on something else because I am able to do it.’ Well, no. You have to, all the time, make stuff happen and you have to never give up. As I always tell Marjorie, determination, for me, is a form of talent.”
Lajoie also adds this: “In ice dance, you have to know how to work with your partner in a proper way. Because you can work really hard, but then you pass hours just talking and not agreeing on things. So I think that’s our strength, that we’re together for 13 years now, and we know each other very well. We complement each other very well. On the ice, we know how to work together, and I think that’s also part of the secret, if I can say it like this.”
Of course, a little passion for what you do also matters, and Lajoie and Lagha surely have no shortage of that. And for both of them, passion also extends beyond the competitive world of ice dance. Lagha has an affinity for the piano that goes back many years and while skating pushed that aside for a long time, he says “I started to do it seriously again about six months ago.” So much so that he is currently preparing to take part in a competition at an upcoming music festival in Spain. “It’s a lot of work,” he admits.
Meanwhile, Lajoie was able to revive one of her personal passion projects back on May 18, when the second version of “Patinage Atypique” was held at the Centre Gilles-Chabot in her hometown of Boucherville, Quebec. The event made its debut back in 2019, and a second was planned for the following year but had be cancelled because of the pandemic. Lajoie was thrilled to bring it back again, with many of her skating friends taking part in the fundraiser, which she says “helps raise money for people who are atypical, or who have autism.” It’s a cause that has special meaning for her.
“My little brother (Charles-Etienne, one of her biggest fans) has autism, so I know the reality of having someone around you with autism. We’re doing figure skating, and I wanted to find a way to help people with what I am doing, with my passion. And so I thought of using figure skating to raise money with my friends (for the Fondation Autiste in Quebec).
“I texted a lot of my skating friends to do the show for the crowd, and pretty much everybody accepted the invitation. It was a success (the show raised more than $34,000 to help with autism awareness).”
Among those taking part were reigning World champions Madison Chock and Evan Bates, who also train at I.AM, and Canadian teammates Maddie Schizas, Kelly Ann Laurin and Loucas Ethier (who made their Worlds debut in Montreal), Anthony Paradis and Sara-Maude Dupuis.
The fundraiser was the second special occasion for Lajoie at the arena in her hometown. About a month earlier, one of the rinks at Centre Gilles-Chabot was renamed “Glace Marjorie-Lajoie” in her honour.
“I was really surprised and honoured because usually (that happens) when you’re done and you finish your career,” he said. “And now we’re in the middle of it, not the beginning, but we’re just starting to be at the top and it’s already done. I was surprised and really happy to have this.”
And yes, in some ways they are just getting started toward the biggest of their goals. While Moir said during CBC’s coverage of Beijing 2022 that “they’ll be the ones we’ll all be watching” at the 2026 Winter Games in Milan-Cortina, those Olympics will hardly be the end of the line for a team that is still very much young in ice dance terms (all the podium finishers in Montreal were in their 30s). Wherever the next Games are in 2030 — that’s yet to be decided — Lajoie and Lagha plan to be there. And while nobody can be sure about what will happen six years from now, it would hardly be a surprise if they are challenging for Olympic gold at that time, and have a World championship or two to their credit. And turning all those early comparisons with the greats into reality.
“It’s a difficult question,” Lagha says about what he and Lajoie would like to accomplish before they are done. “I want to say we just want to keep improving. I guess at some point, it’s going to be (about being) in the same league as some of those very good skaters who came before us. Like Gabby (Papadakis) and Guillaume (Cizeron), or even, for example, (Nikita) Katsalapov or Tessa and Scott, or Zach (Donohue) and Madison (Hubbell). To be in this league of skaters … for me, that would be the ultimate goal. But we’re not there yet.”
Like the young man said earlier, they know exactly where they want to go. And count on them following their own path, on becoming known simply as the first Marjorie and Zach. They wouldn’t have it any other way.