Grand Prix de France 2023: Ilia Malinin, Adam Siao Him Fa break 100-point barrier in tight short program duel
An unexpected fall for Malinin on his step sequence means his lead over home favourite Siao Him Fa is barely half a point, while Kagiyama Yuma sits third.
Figure Skating
Ilia Malinin may lead after the men's short program at the figure skating Grand Prix de France 2023 on Friday (3 November), but an unlikely fall late into his routine means his lead over Adam Siao Him Fa is far narrower than he would like.
Malinin had completed his jumps – a quad toe loop, quad Lutz–triple toe combination, and the triple Axel – with seeming ease, earning Grades of Execution scores over +3 (on a -5 to +5 scale) for all three elements.
But the rogue fall on his step sequence cost him, with a one-point deduction putting his final score on 101.58 points – just 0.51 points ahead of Siao on 101.07.
"It was a bit challenging, because the day before I had to leave my blade unfortunately broke so I had to change my blade and that threw me off a bit. But overall I'm happy with my performance. There's a couple of small mistakes, but it happens," Malinin laughed.
"I think I was too excited from what I did and I got a little bit ahead of myself, but it taught me to focus on my program."
Kagiyama Yuma, making his just his second international competition appearance since the 2022 World Championships, sits third on 97.91 points.
Siao Him Fa wows for big personal best, Kagiyama solid on injury comeback
Siao Him Fa was an understandable fan favourite, but was not overwhelmed by the occasion of competing as European champion in front of his home fans.
The 22-year-old wowed the crowd with a solid skate which included a cartwheel in the performance, drawing raptuous cheers from the audience.
Two quads in the program – a Lutz and a toe loop in combination with a triple toe – and his triple Axel were impressive, as was the rest of his routine, which scored a personal best 101.07, taking Siao Him Fa over the 100-point mark for the first time ever.
The score makes Siao Him Fa the 10th skater to score 101 points or better under the current scoring system first adopted for the 2018/19 season.
"Today was fun to skate. Really stressful, but it was a pleasure to skate here in France. Some little mistakes but I kept going to the end of the program but I enjoyed it," Siao Him Fa reflected.
"We want to bring something new in our sport and incredible things, not jumps but other things, it's a way to bring something new to figure skating," he added of incorporating new moves in his routine.
Kagiyama looked to enjoy himself on ice as he made his much-awaited Grand Prix return.
Skating to Imagine Dragons' Believer, the 20-year-old Japanese appeared at ease with his routine, and that the choreography work he has been doing with Lori Nichol and new coach Carolina Kostner has paid off.
The jumps – a quad Salchow, triple Lutz–triple toe loop combination, and triple Axel – looked faultless, but more importantly Kagiyama's interpretation of his program and expression shone through.
Indeed, Kagiyama was greeted by Kostner, not father Masakazu, as he came off ice, although Masakazu was still at rink-side casting an eye over his son's perfomance.
The reward was his strong 97.91 score, including 43.95 in program components score (PCS) for his artistry and performance – higher than anyone else.
"After recovering from my injury, this is my first Grand Prix in a while. I was really excited but the competition is a very high level and I was wondering how far I could go. In this short program, I put 100 per cent of myself and I am relieved for that," Kagiyama said.
"I'm trying not to repeat the injuries. Everyday I practised and that's why I have confidence to compete in this Grand Prix. I started this season from zero but at the same time I have this strong will to aim for the top. I am taking it step-by-step and my target was for the World Championships – for that, I would like to do my best for it to be the best competition."
No quad Axel for Malinin in Angers
On the quad Axel which he is known for being the only skater to perform, Malinin said he does not intend to perform it in the free skate due to a devaluation of the jump.
"I think I will not be doing it here in France and it's better to play it safe and get a good score for a triple Axel. It's too risky and the base value is not enough for me to risk it and I will leave it for a future competition.
"When I first heard the value was lowered I was upset. When I was going for it I was excited I would get a lot of points for it. I was really inspired to change the sport and make it unique and really push myself in the technical jumping aspect."
Siao Him Fa agreed. "I agree the quad Axel is undervalued. We should try to keep pushing our sport to the limits."
Pereira/Michaud narrowly lead pairs as Conti/Macii falter
In the pairs event, Canada's Lia Pereira and Trennt Michaud – silver medallists from Skate America – are a step closer to a maiden title in their first Grand Prix season together.
Pereira and Michaud, who teamed up last year after the latter's partnership with Evelyn Walsh ended through Walsh's retirement, were clean if not breathtaking in their routine set to River by Bishop Briggs, scoring 65.97.
"We're really proud of our skate today. We put a lot of work on our programs in the off-season and we're always excited to show the work we put in and I'm glad we did that today," Pereira said.
Favourites Sara Conti and Niccolò Macii of Italy, the European champions, faltered on the throw triple loop as Conti had to step out of the landing, a notable error that left them sitting second on 65.31.
The hosts' Camille and Pavel Kovalev are third on 59.04.