At the figure skating Grand Prix Final in Nagoya, Japan, Canadian ice dance pair Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier secured the third spot following the rhythm dance. The competition showcases the top six performers from each figure skating category throughout the Grand Prix season. Gilles and Poirier earned 82.89 points, with Madison Chock and Evan Bates from the USA leading at 88.74, and Laurence Fournier Beaudry from Montreal, now representing France, alongside partner Guillaume Cizeron in second place with 87.56. The Canadian duo previously clinched the Grand Prix Final in 2022, grabbed the bronze in 2023, and landed fifth in the previous year.
Expressing their satisfaction with their performance, Poirier mentioned, “We’re pretty happy with our performance. We wanted to skate with a lot of confidence and joy, and we succeeded. We felt in control and believed in ourselves.” The free dance segment is scheduled for Saturday.
Chock and Bates, the reigning three-time world champions, triumphed with a record-tying sixth ice dance title at Skate America in November. They also emerged victorious at the Cup of China and previously clinched the Grand Prix Final in 2023 and 2024.
Moving to pairs, Deanna Stellato-Dudek and Maxime Deschamps from Canada secured the sixth position after the short program with 71.07 points. The Canadian pair attained bronze at the 2023 Grand Prix Final and qualified again in 2024 but withdrew due to Deschamps’s illness before the event. Japan’s Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara lead the pairs competition with 77.32 points, followed by Italy’s Sara Conti and Niccolo Macii at 77.22, and Georgia’s Anastasiia Metelkina and Luka Berulava at 75.04.
In the men’s category, Japan’s Yuma Kagiyama unexpectedly claimed the top spot after the short program. United States’ world champion, Ilia Malinin, dropped to third place due to an early mistake, with Japan’s Shun Sato securing the second spot. Malinin, a strong contender for the upcoming Milan Cortina Olympics, mentioned that the error on the quad axel was an experimental move, unlikely to be attempted at the Olympics. Despite the setback, he expressed his confidence, stating, “I don’t think it’s really going to affect my confidence.”
Sato showcased a remarkable performance with two quad jumps and a triple axel, accumulating 98.06 points. The Grand Prix Final, featuring the top six performers in each discipline, serves as a platform for the world’s elite skaters before the Winter Olympics. The event concludes on Saturday with the free skate for men and women.