France’s Adam Siao Him Fa won a second consecutive Grand Prix figure skating event, overtaking two-time world champion Shoma Uno of Japan at Cup of China.
Siao Him Fa, 22, landed four quadruple jumps in Saturday’s free skate to go into the lead with 298.38 points.
Uno, in his first competition since winning March’s worlds, then went last and fell on a quadruple loop and doubled what could have been a quad flip for his first two jumping passes. Uno, who had a 14.04-point lead from the short, ended up 18.4 behind the Frenchman.
“This week was really hard, not because of the training, but all around, I had skate issues, food poisoning, it was quite catastrophic, but I managed pretty well, stayed strong mentally,” Siao Him Fa said, according to the International Skating Union.
FIGURE SKATING: Results | Broadcast Schedule
Siao Him Fa also won Grand Prix France last week and ranks second in the world this season by best total score behind 18-year-old American Ilia Malinin (whom Siao Him Fa beat at Grand Prix France).
Siao Him Fa, whose parents are originally from Mauritius, climbed from 14th at the 2022 Olympics to 10th at last season’s worlds. He also won a Grand Prix and the European Championships last season after a coaching change.
Siao Him Fa, Malinin and Uno are expected to all be in the same competition at December’s six-skater Grand Prix Final.
Earlier Saturday, 18-year-old Hana Yoshida of Japan rallied to win the women’s event by 75 hundredths of a point over countrywoman Rinka Watanabe.
Yoshida opened her free skate with a triple Axel, losing grade of execution points for landing a quarter turn short. She hit seven more triple jumps over her program.
Two-time world medalist Loena Hendrickx of Belgium, the most decorated skater in the field and the short program leader, had errors on three of her seven jumping passes to drop to third overall. That should still be enough to get her to the Grand Prix Final on the back of her Skate America win.
Deanna Stellato-Dudek and Maxime Deschamps of Canada won the pairs’ event and now own the world’s top three total scores this season. Stellato-Dudek, 40, won the 2000 World junior silver medal in singles, left competition for 15 years, returned as a pairs’ skater in 2016 and switched nationalities from the U.S. to Canada.
Two-time world medalists Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier notched their fifth consecutive Grand Prix victory, overtaking fellow Canadians Marjorie Lajoie and Zachary Lagha in the free dance.
Their total score, 207.83, was well shy of their world-leading 219.01 from Skate Canada two weeks ago.
The Grand Prix season continues next week in Finland, live on Peacock, featuring world champion ice dancers Madison Chock and Evan Bates.
