Bela Papp (born 9 March 1994) is a Finnish figure skater. He is the 2011 Finnish national champion. Selected to compete at four consecutive World Junior Championships, he qualified twice for the free skate. Papp also competed at various different Junior Grand Prix events as well as represented Finland at two consecutive University Games (Universiade). Papp has won the Finnish title in all of the categories and was the youngest man to win the Senior title at the age of 16.
Personal life Bela Papp was born on 9 March 1994 in Kuopio, Finland. His mother, Ulla, is a figure skating coach, and his siblings—Beata, Bettina, Benjam—have all competed in the sport. His American-born father is of Hungarian descent and had moved to Finland when he was five years old. He relocated to British Columbia, Canada, in July 2007. As of 2014, he is a student at Simon Fraser University. Papp is currently a master's degree student at the University of Jyväskylä.
Career In the 2007–08 season, Papp was sent to Lake Placid, New York, to compete at his first ISU Junior Grand Prix event. After winning the Finnish national junior title, he was assigned to the 2008 World Junior Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria but did not qualify for the free skate. The following season, Papp repeated as the Finnish junior champion. He was eliminated before the free skate again at the 2009 World Junior Championships but was successful at the 2010 World Junior Championships in The Hague, Netherlands, where he finished 24th.
In the 2010–11 season, Papp won the Finnish national title on the senior level. He was assigned to the 2011 World Junior Championships in Gangneung, South Korea, where he placed 22nd, and the 2011 World Championships in Moscow, where he was eliminated after the preliminary round. Surgery on the L5 bilateral pars in his lower back kept him out of competition in the 2012–13 season.
Programs Season Short program Free skating 2016–2017 Requiem for a Dream Tron Medley 2013–2014 Hotel California Thunder Tango 2011–2012 Butterflies and Hurricanes Summer in the High Grassland Beirut Taxi Crathadh't' Aodaich Zdabda Prarthana 2009–2010 Dramatico Triplets of Belleville La Valse D'Amelie 2008–2009 Satori Mix Stobe's Nanafushi Scorchio 2006–2008 The Godfather soundtrack Acoustic Alchemy The Netting Hill
Competitive highlights CS: Challenger Series; JGP: Junior Grand Prix
International Event 07–08 08–09 09–10 10–11 11–12 13–14 14–15 15–16 16–17 17–18 World Champ. 20th P Finlandia 15th 16th Autumn Classic 13th U.S. Classic 8th 10th Bavarian Open 11th Finlandia Trophy 15th Nebelhorn Trophy 23rd Nordics 8th Volvo Open Cup 21st Universiade 27th 25th International: Junior World Jr. Champ. 29th 30th 24th 22nd Australia 13th Austria 17th Germany 16th Romania 14th U.K. 11th U.S. 12th 13th National Finnish Champ. 4th J 1st J 1st J 3rd J 1st 3rd 3rd 5th 5th 2nd J = Junior level; P = Preliminary round Papp did not compete in the 2012–13 season.
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