The pairs competition at the Grand Prix de France unfolded as a showdown for the top spot between two pairs of world champions. Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara of Japan, reigning champions from 2023 and current titleholders, led the short program on Friday. They skated to “Paint It Black” and scored 79.44, surpassing Canada’s Deanna Stellato-Dudek and Maxime Deschamps, who secured 74.26 points.
Hungary’s Maria Pavlova and Alexei Sviatchenko claimed the third position with a score of 70.15. Following them were two American pairs: Katie McBeath and Daniil Parkman at 63.31 and Audrey Shin and Balazs Nagy at 61.79.
In the women’s event, Ami Nakai surprised by taking the lead over three-time world champion Kaori Sakamoto in the short program. Nakai, a former world junior bronze medalist, impressively executed the only triple axel jump of the competition, earning 78 points. Meanwhile, Sakamoto scored 76.20, and Isabeau Levito of the United States, the 2024 world silver medalist, secured the third spot with 73.37 points.
The competition will resume with the ice dance rhythm dance on Saturday at 7 a.m. ET. The Grand Prix de France marks the beginning of the season, leading up to the final event in December. This series serves as a crucial test for elite skaters aiming for success at the upcoming Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics in February.
To catch all the action from the Grand Prix of France, viewers can refer to the CBC Sports broadcast schedule for complete streaming details.