Canadian ice dance pair Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier are positioned in third place following the rhythm dance segment at the figure skating Grand Prix Final in Nagoya, Japan. The competition showcases the top six performers in each figure skating category from the Grand Prix season.
Gilles and Poirier obtained a score of 82.89 points, with American duo Madison Chock and Evan Bates leading with 88.74 points, and Montreal’s Laurence Fournier Beaudry, now representing France alongside partner Guillaume Cizeron, in second place with 87.56 points. The Canadian pair previously clinched the Grand Prix Final title in 2022, secured bronze in 2023, and finished fifth in the previous year.
Expressing contentment with their performance, Poirier commented, “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, achieved a record-tying sixth ice dance title at Skate America in November. They also emerged victorious at the Cup of China and secured the Grand Prix Final title in 2023 and 2024.
In the pairs category, Deanna Stellato-Dudek and Maxime Deschamps are currently in sixth place after the short program with 71.07 points. The Canadian pair attained bronze at the 2023 Grand Prix Final and qualified for the event in 2024 but had to withdraw due to Deschamps’s illness.
Leading the pairs competition are Japan’s Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara with 77.32 points, followed by Italy’s Sara Conti and Niccolo Macii at 77.22 points, and Georgia’s Anastasiia Metelkina and Luka Berulava at 75.04 points.
Yuma Kagiyama of Japan emerged as the unexpected leader after the men’s short program. Despite a mishap early on, world champion Ilia Malinin of the United States dropped to third place, with Shun Sato of Japan securing the second spot.
Malinin, the favorite for the gold medal at the upcoming Milan Cortina Olympics, remained unruffled by the error on the quadruple axel, considering it an experimental move unlikely to be attempted at the Olympics. “I just wanted to try this combo out,” Malinin explained. “It was the first time in a competition, and it didn’t work out, so I had to continue with the program.”
The competition continues with the pairs free skate and women’s short program on Friday, featuring prominent figures like Alysa Liu, the reigning world champion, and Amber Glenn, the winner of last year’s GP Final in Grenoble, France. The event will conclude on Saturday with the free skate segments for men and women.