Canadian ice dance pair Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier are currently in third place following the rhythm dance segment at the figure skating Grand Prix Final held in Nagoya, Japan. The competition showcases the top six performers in each figure skating discipline from the Grand Prix season.
Gilles and Poirier achieved a score of 82.89 points, with Madison Chock and Evan Bates from the United States leading with 88.74 points, and Laurence Fournier Beaudry from Montreal, now representing France, along with partner Guillaume Cizeron in second place with 87.56 points. The Canadian duo secured victory in the Grand Prix Final in 2022, claimed bronze in 2023, and finished fifth last year.
Expressing satisfaction with their performance, Poirier stated, “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.
In the pairs category, Deanna Stellato-Dudek and Maxime Deschamps are currently in sixth place after the short program with 71.07 points. Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara from Japan lead the pairs competition with 77.32 points, followed by Sara Conti and Niccolo Macii from Italy with 77.22 points, and Anastasiia Metelkina and Luka Berulava from Georgia with 75.04 points.
Yuma Kagiyama of Japan unexpectedly took the lead after the men’s short program. Despite an early error, world champion Ilia Malinin from the United States dropped to third place, with Shun Sato from Japan in second. Malinin, a strong contender for the Milan Cortina Olympics, mentioned that the mistake on the quadruple axel-triple toe loop combination was an experimental move and unlikely to be repeated at the Olympics.
The Grand Prix Final gathers the world’s top skaters in each discipline, setting the stage for the Winter Olympics. The competition wraps up on Saturday with the free skate for men and women, featuring top contenders like Alysa Liu and Amber Glenn from the United States. CBC Sports is offering live streams of all the Grand Prix Final performances.
