Noemi Maria Tali (born 22 March 2005) is an Italian ice dancer. With her current skating partner, Noah Lafornara, she is the 2025 World Junior champion, the 2024–25 Junior Grand Prix Final champion, a two-time ISU Junior Grand Prix gold medalist, and a two-time Italian junior national champion (2024–25).

Personal life

Tali was born on 22 March 2005 in Milan, Italy. Her younger sister, Miriam, competes for Italy in women's singles.[1]

Career

Early years

Tali began learning how to skate as a child by attending public rink sessions for fun with her family. She also pursued classical dance and skiing before deciding to take up figure skating more seriously. Tali trained solely as a single skater until age 10, when her choreographer suggested she try ice dance, paired with her first skating partner, Stefano Frasca. She continued to practice both single skating and ice dance until she was 12, at which point she switched her focus completely to dance.[2]

2023–24 season: Debut of Tali/Lafornara

Tali/Frasca made the decision to end their eight-year partnership shortly after finishing in seventeenth place at the 2023 Junior Worlds. Two weeks later, Tali was offered a tryout with American ice dancer Noah Lafornara in New York. Tali and Lafornara agreed to team up for Italy in March 2023 after just two days of skating together, and made the decision to split their training between Tali's coaches, Valter Rizzo and Brunhilde Bianchi in Milan during the competitive season, and Lafornara's coaches, Denis Petukhov and Melissa Gregory in Connecticut during the off-season.[2]

Tali/Lafornara made their international junior debut in October 2023 at the 2023 JGP Armenia. There they won the bronze medal, finishing behind Israeli skaters Tkachenko/Kiliakov and U.S. sibling team Peal/Peal.[3] This was the first JGP medal for an Italian dance team since the 2009–10 circuit, when Alessandrini/Vaturi won silver at the 2009 JGP Germany.[4] While the team did not receive a second JGP assignment, their success continued with podium placements at three international junior B events over the course of October and November. At the 2024 Italian Figure Skating Championships in December, Tali/Lafornara took the junior dance title handily over Ventura/Frasca and Petracchi/Basile.

Due to their success at the national championships, Tali/Lafornara were assigned to compete at the 2024 World Junior Championships in Taipei. There the team placed fourth in the rhythm dance with a new personal best score of 62.58. They encountered problems in the free dance, taking a one-point deduction for an extended lift and both falling on their ending pose, and fell to seventh overall after coming ninth in the segment. They expressed disappointment afterward, though Lafornara added that it "was a good event for us, and we had a good season."[5]

2024–25 season

Due to ISU revision of the age criteria for junior skaters, Tali and Lafornara were able to participate in another junior season.[5] They began their second season together on the Junior Grand Prix with a win at the 2024 JGP Latvia. At their second JGP assignment, the 2024 JGP Thailand, Tali and Lafornara again took the title. With their two wins in hand, Tali/Lafornara became the first ice dance team to qualify to the 2024–25 JGP Final. They subsequently competed on the junior level at the 2024 Mezzaluna Cup and the 2024 Ice Challenge, winning gold at both events.[6]

In December, the duo entered the Junior Grand Prix Final as the top qualifiers and title favourites. They won the rhythm dance with a margin of more than three points over second-place Americans Wolfkostin/Tsarevski.[7] Winning the free dance as well, they took the gold medal, becoming the first Italian dance team to win the Final since Federica Faiella and Luciano Milo had done so 27 years earlier in the first edition. Tali said they were "proud of what we did and hope to do even better in the future."[8] Two weeks later they claimed their second national gold at the 2025 Italian Junior Championships.[6]

Tali/Lafornara entered the 2025 World Junior Championships in Debrecen as the title favourites, and won the rhythm dance with a 70.92 score.[9] In the free dance they set another new personal best (106.58) and took the gold medal by a margin of 9.99 points over Wolfkostin/Tsarevski. They were the first Italian dance team to win the Junior World title. Lafornara said that "I honestly don't know how to put it into words what it feels like."[10] The team announced that they intended to move up to the senior ranks the following season, in the hopes of participated in the 2026 Winter Olympics to be held in Italy.[11]

Programs

Ice dance with Noah Lafornara

Season Rhythm dance Free dance Exhibition
2023–24
[12]
2024–25
[1]

Ice dance with Stefano Frasca

Season Rhythm dance Free dance
2021–22
[13]
  • Blues: Love is a Lie
  • Swing: Bad Woman Blues
    by Beth Hart
    choreo. by Massimo Scali
2022–23
[14]

Competitive highlights

Ice dance with Noah Lafornara

Competition placements at junior level [6]
Season 2023–24 2024–25
World Junior Championships 7th 1st
Junior Grand Prix Final 1st
Italian Championships 1st 1st
JGP Armenia 3rd
JGP Latvia 1st
JGP Thailand 1st
Bavarian Open 5th
Egna Dance Trophy 1st
Ice Challenge 1st
Mezzaluna Cup 3rd 1st
NRW Trophy 1st
Pavel Roman Memorial 2nd

Ice dance with Stefano Frasca

Competition placements at junior level [15]
Season 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23
World Junior Championships 17th
Italian Championships 6th 3rd 2nd 1st
JGP France 6th
JGP Italy 11th
JGP Poland 7th
JGP Slovenia 12th
Bavarian Open 2nd 4th
Egna Dance Trophy 9th 8th 6th 2nd
Ice Star 13th
Mentor Toruń Cup 24th
Mezzaluna Cup 16th 2nd 2nd
NRW Trophy 3rd 2nd
Open d'Andorra 6th 1st
Pavel Roman Memorial 9th
Trophée Métropole Nice 3rd

Detailed results

With Lafornara

ISU personal best scores in the +5/-5 GOE System [6]
Segment Type Score Event
Total TSS 177.50 2025 World Junior Championships
Rhythm dance TSS 70.92 2025 World Junior Championships
TES 39.85 2025 World Junior Championships
PCS 31.07 2025 World Junior Championships
Free dance TSS 106.58 2025 World Junior Championships
TES 57.30 2025 World Junior Championships
PCS 49.28 2025 World Junior Championships

Junior level

2024–2025 season
Date Event RD FD Total
February 28 – March 2, 2025 2025 World Junior Championships 1
70.92
1
106.58
1
177.50
December 19–21, 2024 2025 Italian Junior Championships 1
74.57
1
108.98
1
183.55
December 5–7, 2024 2024–25 JGP Final 1
68.66
1
101.32
1
169.98
November 5–10, 2024 2024 Ice Challenge 1
66.91
1
104.29
1
171.20
October 25–27, 2024 2024 Mezzaluna Cup 1
70.86
1
102.87
1
173.73
September 11–14, 2024 2024 JGP Thailand 1
68.80
1
100.67
1
169.47
August 28–31, 2024 2024 JGP Latvia 1
62.95
1
98.31
1
161.26
2023–2024 season
Date Event RD FD Total
February 26 – March 3, 2024 2024 World Junior Championships 4
62.58
9
85.99
7
148.57
February 8–11, 2024 2024 Egna Dance Trophy 1
69.38
1
101.01
1
170.39
January 30–February 4, 2024 2024 Bavarian Open 2
59.43
8
74.07
5
133.50
December 10–14, 2023 2024 Italian Junior Championships 1
59.17
1
98.55
1
157.72
November 16–19, 2023 2023 NRW Trophy 2
62.71
1
93.11
1
155.82
November 10–12, 2023 2023 Pavel Roman Memorial 2
64.20
1
92.41
2
156.61
October 20–22, 2023 2023 Mezzaluna Cup 3
58.92
2
94.40
3
153.32
October 4–7, 2023 2023 JGP Armenia 4
52.79
3
93.25
3
146.04

References

  1. ^ a b "Noemi Maria Tali / Noah Lafornara: 2024/2025". International Skating Union. Retrieved 18 September 2024.
  2. ^ a b "New Team Series: Noemi Tali & Noah Lafornara". Ice-Dance.com. 12 August 2024.
  3. ^ "Shimada (JPN), Martynov (USA) and Tkachenko/ Kiliakov (ISR) take last tickets for the Final at ISU Junior Grand Prix Yerevan". International Skating Union. October 9, 2023. Retrieved March 1, 2025.
  4. ^ "Figura, Tali/Lafornara terzi a Yerevan. L'Italia torna sul podio della danza nello Junior GP dopo 14 anni!" [Figure skating: Tali/Lafornara third in Yerevan. Italy returns to the Junior GP dance podium after 14 years!]. Federazione Italiana Sport del Ghiaccio. October 7, 2023. Retrieved March 1, 2025.
  5. ^ a b Slater, Paula (March 2, 2024). "Neset and Markelov secure Junior World gold in Taipei". Golden Skate. Retrieved February 27, 2025.
  6. ^ a b c d "ITA–Noemi Tali/Noah Lafornara". SkatingScores.
  7. ^ "Noemi Tali/Noah Lafornara (ITA) lead Junior Dance at ISU Grand Prix Final". International Skating Union. December 6, 2024. Retrieved February 27, 2025.
  8. ^ "Tali/Lafonara win first Ice Dance Junior Grand Prix Final gold for Italy in 27 years". International Skating Union. December 8, 2024. Retrieved February 27, 2025.
  9. ^ "Tali/Lafornara (ITA) in rhythm for strong lead at ISU World Junior Championships 2025". International Skating Union. February 26, 2025. Retrieved February 27, 2025.
  10. ^ "Tali/Lafornara dance to first ISU World Junior title for Italy in Debrecen". International Skating Union. February 27, 2025. Retrieved February 27, 2025.
  11. ^ Dombrowski, Judith (December 15, 2024). "Tali and Lafornara will bid junior ranks farewell after Debrecen". Golden Skate. Retrieved February 27, 2025.
  12. ^ "Noemi Maria Tali / Noah Lafornara: 2023/2024". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 6 October 2023.
  13. ^ "Noemi Maria Tali / Stefano FRASCA". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on 14 March 2022.
  14. ^ "Noemi Maria Tali / Stefano FRASCA". International Skating Union. Retrieved 3 October 2024.
  15. ^ "ITA–Noemi Tali/Stefano Frasca". SkatingScores.
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