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The Grand Prix de France delivered an exciting weekend for figure skating fans, prominently featuring the impressive performance of Canada’s Deanna Stellato-Dudek and Maxime Deschamps. This pair earned the silver medal in the competition, reinforcing their position as formidable players on the international stage.
Facing a competitive lineup, Stellato-Dudek and Deschamps secured a total score of 197.66. Their free skate was particularly noteworthy, yielding a score of 123.40. Their path to the podium commenced with a strong short program on Friday, where they garnered 73.26 points, setting a positive tone for the event.
Strength in the pairs event
Japan’s reigning world champions, Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara, secured the gold medal, outshining their competitors. They faced minor errors during their free skate, particularly with the initial jump combination. Nevertheless, they amassed a total score of 219.15, leading by over 21 points against Canada’s Stellato-Dudek and Deschamps.
The bronze medal was claimed by Hungary’s Maria Pavlova and Alexei Sviatchenko, who finished with a score of 192.76. Their performance showcased the wide array of talent featured at this prestigious event, contributing to the overall excitement of the competition.
Ice dance highlights
In the ice dance competition, Canadian ice dancers Marie-Jade Lauriault and Romain Le Gac faced tough competition, finishing in sixth place in the rhythm dance segment with a score of 73.75. The final segments of the ice dance competition are approaching, with Great Britain’s Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson currently leading the standings with a score of 84.38.
Lithuania’s Allison Reed and Saulius Ambrulevicius are in second place, while France’s Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron occupy third with a score of 78.00.
The partnership of Fournier Beaudry and two-time Olympic medalist Cizeron, which began earlier this year, is particularly notable.
This comes in light of her previous partner’s recent suspension due to serious allegations, although that suspension was later overturned.
Men’s competition showcases talent
In the men’s event, American figure skater Ilia Malinin, recognized as the quad god, drew significant attention with an outstanding short program performance. He scored 105.22, placing him nearly ten points ahead of his nearest rival. His routine featured a flawless quadruple flip and a demanding quadruple lutz-triple toeloop combination, concluding with an impressive backflip.
In second place was Georgia’s Nika Egadze, who scored 95.67 points, followed by Japan’s Kao Miura in third with 87.25 points. These results set the stage for a thrilling free skate segment scheduled for Sunday.
Women’s event surprises
In a surprising development, Japanese skater Ami Nakai emerged victorious in her first senior Grand Prix competition, surpassing three-time world champion Kaori Sakamoto. Nakai achieved a score of 149.08 in the free skate, a personal best that exceeded her previous score by over 11 points, leading to an overall total of 227.08. Her emotional response to this victory underscored its significance, particularly after she executed the difficult triple axel jump, although she placed a hand down for balance.
Sakamoto finished closely behind with a total of 224.23, while Rion Sumiyoshi secured the bronze medal with a score of 216.06, edging out American skater Isabeau Levito during the free skate.
Looking ahead
The Grand Prix de France signals the start of an exciting competitive series, featuring six events culminating in a final in December. This series provides essential opportunities for elite skaters to hone their skills as they prepare for the upcoming Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics in February. As fans anticipate the next competitions, enthusiasm for figure skating continues to grow.
Fans looking to follow the Grand Prix de France and other skating events can find comprehensive streaming details through CBC Sports.
