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2022 ISU World silver medalists Riku Miura/Ryuichi Kihara continued to make history in winning gold at the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final in Torino on Friday – Japan’s first Pairs medal at this event. ISU World Champions Alexa Knierim/Brandon Frazier (USA) were edged by little more than a point. In claiming bronze, Sara Conti/Niccolo Macii of Italy also gave their country a first Pairs medal at this event.

Skating to “Atlas: Two” by Sleeping at Last and “Shared Tenderness” by Karl Hugo, Miura/Kihara produced a triple twist, throw triple Lutz and loop as well as level-four lifts. However, Miura doubled the toeloop while Kihara touched down on the triple Salchow. The NHK Trophy Champions earned 136.50 points and for a total of 214.58 to take the title.

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Pure gold: Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara win Japan's first Pairs medal at a Grand Prix Final © ISU

“Today’s performance was not our best but we are really happy to win the first Grand Prix Final as a Japanese team. And we were saved by the power of the audience, thank you,” Kihira said. “We both made some mistakes so we are upset about that. Overall we think it is a great experience for us heading into the World Championships in March in Japan.”

The Skaters then revealed their favorite Italian food to the crowd – pizza for him and tiramisu for her.

Knierim/Frazier landed a triple twist, throw triple Lutz and loop and earned a level four for five elements in their routine to “Sign of the Times” and “Healed Broken Wings”. But Frazier had some problems with the solo jumps, stepping out of the triple Salchow and stumbling on the back end of the triple toe combo. The Skate America Champions netted 135.63 points to accumulate 213.28 points overall.

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All heart: Alexa Knierim/Brandon Frazier (USA) were happy with silver © ISU

“We are very proud, we fought hard, we pushed hard, we had a lot of stamina at the end, it was a big improvement from (the Grand Prix in) Sheffield so we are very pleased and happy with the outcome,” Knierim said. “Every moment on the ice is special, those moments are very limited in life as a skater in your career, so it’s hard to put the training thoughts aside those are the moments that are genuine. The only medal we care about is the one in our hearts. We just skate for the love of it and what comes – comes.”

Conti/Macii’s performance to “Cinema Paradiso” included a level-four triple twist, a throw triple Salchow and somewhat shaky triple toe-single Axel-double Axel sequence. Macii fell on the side-by-side triple Salchow while Conti stepped out of the throw triple loop. The John Wilson Trophy silver medalists slightly improved their personal best with 119.72 points and with 187.02 points overall, moved up from fourth to grab a surprise bronze.

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On the rise: Sara Conti/Niccolo Macii (ITA) move up from fourth to grab bronze © ISU

“It’s our first year with a triple twist, it’s our first year about a lot of things, let’s say we’re still somehow outsiders who are getting almost too many results,” Macii said. “But we’re extremely happy about this result that we didn’t expect it at all. We knew the first two pairs were unreachable, we knew the Canadians were technically really strong and that they have a very high season best, so we knew that basically we had to play it in the first group, from the fourth to the sixth, the gap was there.”

Deanna Stellato-Dudek/Maxime Deschamps (CAN) slipped from third to fourth place with 184.28 points after some small errors. Rebecca Ghilardi/Filippo Ambrosini came fifth (180.39 points) ahead of  Emily Chan/Spencer Akira Howe (USA) on 162.91.

Schedule of the event

The schedule is as follows:
Thursday, December 8: Junior Men, Junior Pairs, Junior Women’s Short Programs, Pairs & Men’s Short Programs
Friday, December 9: Junior Rhythm Dance, Junior Women’s & Pairs Free Skating, Rhythm Dance & Women’s Short Program
Saturday, December 10: Men’s, Junior Pairs & Junior Men’s Free Skating, Junior Free Dance, Free Dance, Women’s Free Skating
Sunday, December 11: Exhibition Gala

The ISU Grand Prix series started with Skate America in Norwood (USA) and continued with Skate Canada in Mississauga, followed by the Grand Prix de France in Angers and the John Wilson Trophy in Sheffield (GBR). The series then stopped at NHK Trophy in Sapporo (JPN) and Grand Prix Espoo (FIN). Great Britain hosted an ISU Grand Prix event for the first time. A total of 151 Skaters/Couples representing 29 ISU Members competed in the series: 44 Men, 45 Women, 26 Pairs and 36 Ice Dance couples.

The General Announcement of the 2022/23 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Series is available here. The individual announcements are published under the respective events. Full entry lists and further information are available on the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Series page.

 

Selection Criteria

In order for a Skater/Couple to be eligible to compete at an ISU Grand Prix event, a minimum total score must have been achieved in the 2021/22 or current 2022/23 season in an ISU event (Grand Prix, Junior Grand Prix, Championships) or a Challenger Series event. Exceptions apply to host country Skaters, previously ranked Skaters or split ranked Couples who return with new partners. The minimum total score is 3/5 of highest score per discipline at the ISU World Figure Skating Championships 2022 and are as follows: Women: 141.65, Men: 187.49, Pairs: 132.65, Ice Dance: 137.89.

Following the IOC recommendation and in order to protect the integrity of ice skating competitions and for the safety of all the participants of international ice skating competitions, the ISU Council based on Article 17.1.q)i) of the ISU Constitution, agreed that with immediate effect and until further notice, no Skaters belonging to the ISU Members in Russia (Russian Skating Union and the Figure Skating Federation of Russia) and Belarus (Skating Union of Belarus) shall be invited or allowed to participate in International ice skating competitions including ISU Championships and other ISU Events. The same applies to Officials listed in the respective ISU Communications and/or Regulations under Russia and Belarus (see ISU Communication 2469).

 

Grand Prix Standings

Men                  Women             Ice Dance         Pair Skating

 

Where to Watch

The ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating events will be live streamed on the official ISU YouTube Channel in most countries. Find out where to watch the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating competitions.

Subscribe to the ISU YouTube Channel to receive all the latest videos and follow the conversation with #GPFigure.

 

ISU Grand Prix Schedule

The schedules of each ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating events are available below:

21 - 23 Oct, 2022          Skate America, Norwood (USA)

28 – 30 Oct, 2022         Skate Canada International, Mississauga (CAN)

04 - 06 Nov, 2022         Grand Prix de France, Angers (FRA)

11 - 13 Nov, 2022         MK John Wilson Trophy, Sheffield (GBR)

18 - 20 Nov, 2022         NHK Trophy, Sapporo (JPN)

25 - 27 Nov, 2022         Grand Prix Espoo, Espoo (FIN)

08 - 11 Dec, 2022         Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final, Torino (ITA)