Deanna Stellato-Dudek and Maxime Deschamps from Canada clinched the silver medal in the pairs competition at the figure skating Grand Prix de France on Saturday. The pair achieved a total score of 197.66, with a notable score of 123.40 in the free skate. In the short program on Friday, they scored 73.26.
The reigning world champions Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara from Japan secured the gold medal in the pairs event with a significant 21-point lead, despite Miura making errors in the free skate. Their total score was 219.15. Maria Pavlova and Alexei Sviatchenko from Hungary claimed the bronze with a total score of 192.76.
On the other hand, Canadian ice dancers Marie-Jade Lauriault and Romain Le Gac landed in sixth place in the rhythm dance, scoring 73.75. The free dance is scheduled for Sunday. Currently leading the ice dance competition are Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson from Great Britain with a score of 84.38, followed by Allison Reed and Saulius Ambrulevicius from Lithuania in second place (80.98), and Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron from France in third place (78.00).
Fournier Beaudry, originally from Montreal, partnered with two-time Olympic medallist Cizeron in January. Her previous partner, Nikolaj Sorensen, faced a six-year suspension for sexual misconduct in October 2024, which was later overturned by an arbitrator in June.
In the men’s category, American figure skater Ilia Malinin, known as the “quad god,” dominated the short program, landing difficult jumps and earning a commanding lead with a score of 105.22. Nika Egadze from Georgia followed in second place with 95.67, and Kao Miura from Japan placed third with 87.25.
Ami Nakai caused an upset by winning the women’s title at the Grand Prix de France, outperforming three-time world champion Kaori Sakamoto and leading a Japanese podium sweep. Nakai’s remarkable performance in her debut senior Grand Prix included a personal best score of 149.08 in the free skate, resulting in an overall score of 227.08.
The Grand Prix de France marks the beginning of the six regular season Grand Prix events leading up to the final in December, serving as a crucial competition for skaters aiming for success at the upcoming Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina in February.
