Amber Glenn wins ISU GP Cup of China 2024 to surge into Grand Prix Final
Glenn posted a huge free skate personal best to make it two GP wins out of two this year. Chiba Mone took second to join her in Grenoble with Kim Chaeyeon third.
Figure Skating
Amber Glenn just keeps getting better and better.
The 25-year-old US skater added seven points to her previous free skate personal best to take victory in the women's event at the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Cup of China 2024 on Saturday (23 November).
Overnight leader Chiba Mone took second place in Chongqing to join Glenn in next month's Grand Prix Final in Grenoble, France. Kim Chaeyeon of Republic of Korea rounded out the podium in third.
Just over three points separating the top six after Friday's short program, but Glenn blew the competition open with by far the best skate of her career.
In her routine to Audiomachine's 'I Will Find You The Return', the Texas native set the tone with a flawless triple Axel and backed that up with excellent jumping and musical interpretation, managing to hang on to her final triple loop despite an awkward take-off.
She screamed with delight as she received a score of 144.70 for a career-best total of 215.54 as she backed up her victory at the Grand Prix de France three weeks ago.
Mone, last to skate after leading Glenn by just 0.02 overnight, was looking good but a trip and fall on her step sequence ended any chances she had of victory.
She put her hands to her hand at the end of her skate, rueing that mistake, but did enough to take second place and deny world bronze medallist Kim a place in the Grand Prix Final. That means five Japanese skaters - plus Glenn - will do battle in Grenoble in two weekends' time.
Kim, who turns 19 next month, had an under-rotation on a triple Lutz but was otherwise clean as she scored 139.20 - just shy of her personal best set at the 2023 World Championships - for a new career-best total of 208.47.
Sumiyoshi Rion and Watanabe Rinka both struggled with their jumping as they finished fourth and fifth respectively ahead of Switzerland's Kimmy Repond.
Another Korean skater, Kim Minchae, had a scary incident as she crashed into the boards attempting a triple flip. She managed to keep going but dropped from seventh overnight to 11th overall.
Earlier, Italy's Charlène Guignard and Marco Fabbri took the free dance to complete victory in the ice dance.
The podium placings remained the same from the short program with Canada's Marjorie Lajoie and Zachary Lagha taking second ahead of Christina Carreira and Anthony Ponomarenko of the United States.
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ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Cup of China 2024 results
Women's final result
- Amber Glenn (USA) 215.54
- Chiba Mone (JPN) 211.91
- Kim Chaeyeon (KOR) 208.47
- Sumiyoshi Rion (JPN) 202.45
- Watanabe Rinka (JPN) 196.95
- Kimmy Repond (SUI) 195.91
- Madeline Schizas (CAN) 180.77
- Anastasiia Gubanova (GEO) 177.34
- Zhu Yi (CHN) 166.04
- An Xiangyi (CHN) 163.74
- Kim Minchae (KOR) 154.39
- Chen Hongyi (CHN) 139.57
Ice dance final result
- Charlène Guignard / Marco Fabbri (ITA) 209.13
- Marjorie Lajoie / Zachary Lagha (CAN) 205.16
- Christina Carreira / Anthony Ponomarenko (USA) 198.18
- Olivia Smart / Tim Dieck (ESP) 196.52
- Juulia Turkkila / Matthias Versluis (FIN) 192.57
- Caroline Green / Michael Parsons (USA) 189.86
- Loicia Demougeot / Theo le Mercier (FRA) 185.23
- Diana Davis / Gleb Smolkin (GEO) 182.32
- Ren Junfei / Xing Jianing (CHN) 156.51
- Xiao Zixi / He Linghao (CHN) 146.16