Anna Cappellini - Career

Career

Cappellini started skating at the age of three and switched to ice dance when she was 11 or 12. She skated with Federico Bassi, Luca Lombardi, and Matteo Zanni. She and Zanni placed fifth at the 2004 World Junior Championships. The next season, they won the bronze medal at the Junior Grand Prix Final but had to withdraw from the 2005 Junior Worlds after the original dance due to Zanni's food poisoning. Their partnership ended after his father was severely injured in a car accident and he decided to stop competing.

Cappellini was partnered with Lanotte in May 2005 by the Italian skating federation. Following a strong season together on the junior circuit, Cappellini and Lanotte made their senior debut in 2006–07. They finished 8th at their first Europeans. Before their next event, Worlds, Cappellini suffered a torn labrum in her left shoulder. In the free dance at Worlds, they fell during a lift and finished 13th.

In 2007–08, they won their first Grand Prix medal, a silver at Skate Canada, moved up to seventh at Europeans, and finished in the top ten at Worlds.

In 2008–09, Cappellini and Lanotte did not medal in either of their Grand Prix appearances, but moved up to 5th at Europeans and were again tenth at Worlds. In the off-season, they decided to change coaches, and moved to Lyon, France to train with Muriel Boucher-Zazoui and Romain Haguenauer.

Cappellini and Lanotte got off to a strong start in 2009–10, winning silver medals at the Cup of Russia and Skate America and qualifying for their first Grand Prix Final, where they finished fifth. They then dropped to sixth at the European Championships, and finished outside the top ten at their first Olympics. They then had a very disappointing showing at the 2010 World Championships; in the free dance, the two collided during the twizzle sequence, which caused Cappellini to fall. They also had low levels on several elements, and dropped to 11th overall.

Cappellini and Lanotte began the 2010–11 season at the Nebelhorn Trophy. They were first in the short dance and fourth in the free dance, finishing in second place overall. They then placed a disappointing fifth at the 2010 NHK Trophy, after which they decided to leave coach Muriel Zazoui and move back to Milan to train with Paola Mezzadri. They withdrew from 2010 Skate America in order to prepare a new free dance. Cappelini and Lanotte later missed Italian nationals and the European Championships because Lanotte had a knee injury. In 2011, they began splitting their time between Milan and Nikolai Morozov in Novogorsk, Russia. They returned to competition at the Mont Blanc Trophy, which they won. They finished 8th at the 2011 World Championships.

Cappellini and Lanotte won bronze medals at 2011 Skate Canada International and the 2011 Trophee Eric Bompard. Their next event was the Italian National Championships, where they won their first national title. They finished a career-best sixth at the 2012 World Championships.

In June 2012, Cappellini and Lanotte began training with Igor Shpilband in Novi, Michigan. During the season, they will be based in Milan, where they will continue to work with primary coach Paola Mezzadri, but will also travel often to Novi. Cappellini sprained her left shoulder during the summer. In July, they decided to change their planned free dance.

Cappellini and Lanotte won silver at their first event of the 2012–2013 season, the 2012 Finlandia Trophy. They won silver at both of their Grand Prix events, the 2012 Skate Canada and the 2012 Trophée Eric Bompard, and qualified for their second Grand Prix Final.