Mira Leung (born March 28, 1989) is a Canadian former competitive figure skater. She is the 2004 Nebelhorn Trophy bronze medallist and a three-time Canadian national silver medallist (2006–2008). Leung placed 12th at the 2006 Winter Olympics and 5th at the 2008 Four Continents. She now works for Google as a software engineering manager.

Mira Leung
Mira Leung in 2008.
Born (1989-03-28) March 28, 1989 (age 35)
Vancouver, British Columbia
Height1.68 m (5 ft 6 in)
Figure skating career
CountryCanada
Skating clubNorth Shore WC
Vancouver SC
Began skating1992
Retired2010
Mira Leung
Traditional Chinese梁美諾[1]
Simplified Chinese梁美诺
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinLiáng Měinuò
Yue: Cantonese
Yale RomanizationLeùhng Méinohk

Personal life

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Mira Leung was born on March 28, 1989, in Vancouver, British Columbia,[2] to Jennifer and Raymond Leung, a computer programmer.[3] She attended Trafalgar Elementary School in Vancouver and enrolled in the French immersion program.[citation needed] She began playing the piano at age three and studied it through grade 10.[4][5] She graduated from high school in 2008.[4]

Career

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Mira Leung started skating at age three and began taking lessons two years later.[3] As a young child, she skated at the Kitsilano Figure Skating Club, coached by Christine Goodall. She was eight when she first landed a triple salchow and triple toe loop.[6] Joanne McLeod became her coach in 2001 or 2002.[6]

Leung debuted in the ISU Junior Grand Prix series in 2002. Deciding to skip the national novice and junior levels, Leung competed on the senior level at the 2003 Canadian Championships.[6]

In the 2004–05 season, Leung made her senior Grand Prix debut, replacing the injured Annie Bellemare at the 2004 Skate Canada International.[7] She won her first national medal, bronze, at the 2005 Canadian Championships.

After winning the silver medal behind Joannie Rochette at the 2006 Canadian Championships, Leung was named in Canada's team to the 2006 Winter Olympics and 2006 World Championships. She finished 12th at the Olympics in Turin and then 13th at Worlds. Due to a training dispute, McLeod quit as her coach at the end of the season.[8] Leung found a new coach in Christine McBeth at Minoru Arenas in Richmond, British Columbia.[8]

On November 9, 2006, Leung announced that she and McLeod had agreed to resume working together, having been advised to reunite by Canadian skating officials at the 2006 Skate Canada International.[9] Leung won another national silver medal and was sent to the 2007 World Championships. On the day of the Worlds short program, Leung felt pain in her left heel and Canada's team doctor told her she had Achilles tendinitis.[10] She decided to compete and finished 24th at the event.

In the 2007–08 season, Leung was 5th at both of her Grand Prix events, Skate America and Trophee Eric Bompard. She changed her short program in late December 2007, a few weeks before the 2008 Canadian Championships in mid-January.[11] After winning her third silver medal, Leung received assignments to the 2008 Four Continents, where she placed 5th, and the 2008 World Championships, where she came in 14th.

After McLeod decided to end their collaboration in early October 2008, Leung began working with Jennifer Jiang.[12] She finished 6th at the 2009 Canadian Championships.

In 2009, Leung began training at Vancouver's Sunset Skating Club with Sonja Hlynka.[13] She withdrew from the 2010 Canadian Championships after placing 15th of 18 women in the short program.[13]

In March 2010, Leung and fellow figure skater, Joannie Rochette, walked down the runway at The Heart Truth fashion show in Toronto.[14][15]

Programs

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Season Short program Free skating Exhibition
2008–09
[16][2][4]
  • A Transylvanian Lullaby
    John Morris
  • Witches of Eastwick
    John Williams

2007–08
[17][18][11][4]
  • La Bayadère
    by Ludwig Minkus

  • Piano Concerto No. 2
  • Piano Concerto No. 3
    by Sergei Rachmaninov
  • Variation on a Theme of
    The Pink Panther
    by Henry Mancini
2006–07
[19]
  • Freedom
  • Terracotta Warriors
    (soundtrack)
2005–06
[20][21]
  • Freedom
  • Terracotta Warriors
    (soundtrack)

2004–05
[22][23][6]
2003–04
[24][25]
  • Of Heaven & Earth
    by Cui Lan and Hou Muren
2002–03
[26]
  • Of Heaven & Earth
    by Cui Lan and Hou Muren

Competitive highlights

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GP: Grand Prix; JGP: Junior Grand Prix

International[27]
Event 99–00 02–03 03–04 04–05 05–06 06–07 07–08 08–09 09–10
Olympics 12th
Worlds 13th 24th 14th
Four Continents 5th
GP Bompard 5th
GP Cup of China 7th 11th
GP Skate America 6th 8th 5th 7th
GP Skate Canada 7th 6th 6th
Nebelhorn Trophy 3rd
International: Junior or novice[27]
Junior Worlds 8th
JGP Slovakia 14th
JGP Slovenia 8th
Mladost Trophy 4th N.
National[16]
Canadian Champ. 14th 5th 3rd 2nd 2nd 2nd 6th WD
N: Novice level; WD: Withdrew

References

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  1. ^ 奧運花滑國手梁美諾獲表彰 26學子獲世華商會獎學金, Sing Tao Daily (in Chinese), May 29, 2011, retrieved October 18, 2011
  2. ^ a b "Mira LEUNG: 2008/2009". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on June 19, 2009.
  3. ^ a b "Leung a Canadian Olympic hopeful at 16". The Canadian Press. TSN. October 27, 2005. Archived from the original on December 21, 2013.
  4. ^ a b c d Mittan, Barry (October 5, 2008). "Leung Hopes for Podium Finish at Grand Prixs". Golden Skate.
  5. ^ "New-look Leung gets real". Vancouver Province. Canada.com. October 21, 2007. Archived from the original on December 21, 2013.
  6. ^ a b c d Mittan, Barry (July 31, 2004). "Leung is Youngest on Canada's National Team". Golden Skate.
  7. ^ "Leung added to 2004 MasterCard Skate Canada International entry list". Skate Canada. October 22, 2004.
  8. ^ a b "Mira Leung builds momentum with a different coach". Vancouver Sun. Canada.com. September 18, 2006. Archived from the original on December 21, 2013.
  9. ^ Bell, Terry (November 9, 2006). "Leung reunites with coach". Vancouver Province. Canada.com. Archived from the original on December 21, 2013.
  10. ^ "Leung was injured at world championships". The Canadian Press. TSN. March 27, 2007. Archived from the original on December 21, 2013.
  11. ^ a b "Leung sees potential in new program". Vancouver Province. Canada.com. January 13, 2008. Archived from the original on December 21, 2013.
  12. ^ "Leung parts with coach again". Vancouver Province. Canada.com. October 21, 2008. Archived from the original on December 21, 2013.
  13. ^ a b Barnes, Dan (January 16, 2010). "Vancouver's Leung withdraws from figure-skating championships". Edmonton Journal. Canada.com. Archived from the original on January 21, 2010.
  14. ^ "Heart Truth Fashion Show". Toronto Sun. March 31, 2010.
  15. ^ "Mira Leung wearing Patrice Soku". The Heart Truth. March 31, 2010. Archived from the original on December 21, 2013.
  16. ^ a b "Mira Leung: 2008/2009". Skate Canada. Archived from the original on May 1, 2009.
  17. ^ "Mira LEUNG: 2007/2008". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on June 8, 2008.
  18. ^ "Mira LEUNG: 2007/2008". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on November 30, 2007.
  19. ^ "Mira LEUNG: 2006/2007". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on July 4, 2007.
  20. ^ "Mira LEUNG: 2005/2006". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on May 27, 2006.
  21. ^ "Mira LEUNG: 2005/2006". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on November 2, 2005.
  22. ^ "Mira LEUNG: 2004/2005". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on June 16, 2005.
  23. ^ "Mira Leung: 2004/2005". Skate Canada. Archived from the original on March 16, 2005.
  24. ^ "Mira Leung: 2003/2004". Skate Canada. Archived from the original on May 12, 2004.
  25. ^ "Mira LEUNG: 2003/2004". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on June 17, 2004.
  26. ^ "Mira LEUNG: 2002/2003". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on July 27, 2003.
  27. ^ a b "Competition Results: Mira LEUNG". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on October 13, 2012.
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