Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson celebrate their first ISU Grand Prix gold at NHK Trophy 2023 in Osaka, Japan © ISU
ISU European silver medalists Lilah Fear/Lewis Gibson (GBR) edged out ISU European Champions Charlène Guignard/Marco Fabbri (ITA) for gold as the NHK Trophy continued in Osaka (JPN) with the Free Dance on Saturday. The NHK Trophy is the sixth and concluding event of the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating series and provides the last chance to qualify for the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final 2023/24 in Beijing (CHN) December 7-10. The bronze went to Allison Reed/Saulius Ambruvelicius of Lithuania.
Fear/Gibson turned in a strong performance of their entertaining “Rocky” program, collecting a level four for the twizzles, lifts, dance spin and her part of the diagonal step sequence. The multiple British Champions achieved a personal best score of 130.26 points and totaled 215.19 points to move up to first place and claim gold.
Fear and Gibson topped the Free Skating to move up from silver to gold overall at NHK Trophy 2023 in Osaka, Japan © ISU
“It really just feels like a dream come true,” Gibson said. “We of course train to progress and move up over our years in skating.
"To finally win a Grand Prix is everything and it's so exciting and I can't really put that into words right now.”
“Lewis and I are over the moon. It was a very fulfilling performance and so much fun with that crowd. They were so welcoming and energetic and we're still shaking,” Fear shared.
Guignard/Fabbri impressed as well with their smooth and elegant performance to “The Theory of Everything”. The ISU European Champions produced intricate footwork and beautiful lifts, earning a level four for four elements. The Grand Prix de France Champions set a season’s best with 129.29 points, but nevertheless slipped to second place at 214.56 points.
Overnight leaders Charlene Guignard and Marco Fabbri ended NHK Trophy 2023 with silver in Osaka, Japan © ISU
“It's a mix of feelings,” Fabbri admitted. “We know that we skated well. That was basically the performance that we aimed at before coming here.
"Of course, a couple of things, small details were not as we wanted. On the other hand, of course, we cannot say that we're happy because of the results.”
Dancing to “Enough of Our Machines” and “Children”, Reed/Ambruvelicius produced level-four lifts, twizzles and a level-four spin, but their step sequences were rated a level two and one. The Skate Canada bronze medalists scored 118.15 points, another season’s best, and accumulated 196.86 points overall to win their second ISU Grand Prix medal this season.
Allison Reed and Saulius Ambruvelicius earned their second bronze of the season at NHK Trophy 2023 in Osaka, Japan © ISU
“We are very happy about our competition overall. The second (Grand Prix) medal is something more than we ever dreamed of,” Ambruvelicius commented. “Today's performance went pretty good.
"There are some things that we still want to work on and get things better but overall, (we are) very ecstatic and super proud of ourselves.”
Juulia Turkkila/Matthias Versluis (FIN) remained in fourth place with their program to “Mass” and “Loss” (191.01 points). Loicia Demougeot/Theo Le Mercier (FRA) finished fourth (187.76) followed by Emily Bratti/Ian Summerville (USA) on 183.43 points.
Juulia Turkkila and Matthias Versluis finished fourth at NHK Trophy 2023 in Osaka, Japan © ISU
Full results for NHK Trophy are available here.
Fear/Gibson qualify with their gold from NHK Trophy and silver from Skate Canada for their second consecutive ISU Grand Prix Final (28 points). Guignard/Fabbri also finish on 28 points with a gold and a silver from the circuit and therefore return to the Final. Reed/Ambruvelicius collected 22 points with two bronze medals and are first alternates for the ISU Grand Prix Final.
The ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Series consists of six events: Skate America, Skate Canada International, Grand Prix de France, Cup of China, the Grand Prix Espoo (FIN) and NHK Trophy (JPN). Skaters collect points towards to qualify for the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final 2023/24 in Beijing (CHN).
ISU Grand Prix Standings
The General Announcement of the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Series is available here on the ISU website. The individual announcements are published on the ISU Event section under each dedicated Grand Prix event (filter with the relevant Event Series).
For full entry lists and further information regarding the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Series please visit here.
All Media Accreditations details and deadlines for the Grand Prix of Figure Skating Series can be found here.
Where to Watch
The ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating events will be live streamed with English commentary on the official ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating YouTube Channel in most countries. Find out Where to watch the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating competitions.
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ISU Grand Prix Schedule
The schedules of each ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating events are available below:
20 - 22 Oct, 2023 Skate America, Allen (Texas, USA)
27 – 29 Oct, 2023 Skate Canada International, Vancouver (CAN)
03 - 05 Nov, 2023 Grand Prix de France, Angers (FRA)
10 - 12 Nov, 2023 Grand Prix Cup of China, Chongqing (CHN)
17 - 19 Nov, 2023 Grand Prix Espoo, Espoo (FIN)
24 - 26 Nov, 2023 NHK Trophy, Osaka (JPN)
07 - 10 Dec, 2023 Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final, Beijing (CHN)
About ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating
The ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Series started in 1995 (previously known as the ISU Champions Series) and consists of six invitational international senior events and the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final. The top six of the past World Championships are seeded. Competitors collect points in their events towards the qualification for the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final. Only the top six Skaters / Couples in each discipline can qualify for the Final.
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