Minerva Fabienne Hase and Nikita Volodin from Germany showcased an impressive performance to successfully defend their pairs gold title at the ISU Grand Prix Final held in Grenoble on Friday. After leading following Thursday’s short programme, Hase and Volodin executed a nearly flawless routine set to Vivaldi’s Four Seasons. The duo celebrated after achieving a […]
Minerva Fabienne Hase and Nikita Volodin from Germany showcased an impressive performance to successfully defend their pairs gold title at the ISU Grand Prix Final held in Grenoble on Friday.
After leading following Thursday’s short programme, Hase and Volodin executed a nearly flawless routine set to Vivaldi’s Four Seasons. The duo celebrated after achieving a score of 141.38, bringing their total to 218.10.
Former…
Minerva Fabienne Hase and Nikita Volodin from Germany showcased an impressive performance to successfully defend their pairs gold title at the ISU Grand Prix Final held in Grenoble on Friday.
After leading following Thursday’s short programme, Hase and Volodin executed a nearly flawless routine set to Vivaldi’s Four Seasons. The duo celebrated after achieving a score of 141.38, bringing their total to 218.10.
Japan’s former world champions Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara secured the silver medal with 206.71, appearing downcast after a performance filled with errors, including a fall by Miura on the throw triple loop.
In third place were the Georgian pair of Anastasiia Metelkina and Luka Berulava with a score of 205.78.
“This time was definitely much tougher than last year,” Hase shared with the audience in Grenoble.
“Last year, we had no expectations. This year, being the defending champions, we certainly felt more pressure, so we’re glad we succeeded.”
“I was particularly nervous,” Hase reflected. “We’re thankful for having delivered two solid performances.”
The finals took place without Canadian world champions Deanna Stellato-Dudek and Maxime Deschamps, who withdrew at the last minute due to health issues.
American skater Ilia Malinin was impressive in the men’s short programme, achieving a score of 105.43 and earning the nickname ‘Quad God’ for his performance.
Even without his signature quad Axel, Malinin received a standing ovation after his mesmerizing routine, accompanied by the song “Running” by NF.
The world champion is currently ahead of Yuma Kagiyama, the 2022 Olympic silver medalist who fell during his first quadruple Salchow, by a significant margin of 12 points.
Kazakh skater Mikhail Shaidorov stood in third place at the halfway point with a score of 91.26.
The American duo, two-time world champions Madison Chock and Evan Bates, energized both the crowd and judges during the ice dance rhythm dance segment.
Bates, dressed in a full suit and tie, executed an impressive closing rotational lift with his partner, who was adorned in red, while performing to a lively medley featuring songs by the Bee Gees, Village People, and Donna Summer.
Their performance garnered 87.73 points, placing them ahead of Italy’s European champions and real-life couple Charlene Guignard and Marco Fabbri, who scored 83.12.
Britain’s Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson were in third with 82.31, becoming the only ice dance team this season to win both of their Grand Prix events.
Last season’s silver medallists, Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier of Canada, found themselves in sixth place after Poirier fell, resulting in a disheartening score of just 72.15.
The competition concludes on Saturday with the free programmes for both women and men, alongside the ice dance final.