World pairs’ champions Deanna Stellato-Dudek and Maxime Deschamps of Canada won Grand Prix Finland and joined a host of figure skaters to qualify for December’s Grand Prix Final.
Stellato-Dudek and Deschamps earned their second Grand Prix victory this season to clinch their spot in the Final, the first event of the season that gathers all of the world’s top-ranked skaters.
Stellato-Dudek, a 41-year-old who spent 15 years in figure skating retirement, and Deschamps totaled 207.44 points between two programs in Finland.
After a season’s best short program, Stellato-Dudek fell after spinning out of a landing of a throw triple Lutz in the free skate. They rank fourth in the world by best total score this season.
FIGURE SKATING: Broadcast Schedule
The Grand Prix Final takes the top six per discipline over the six-event Grand Prix regular season. Finland marked the fifth event. The world’s top skaters are split up in two events each over the regular season.
U.S. pairs’ champions Ellie Kam and Danny O’Shea, who were not in the Finland field, have now clinched their first Grand Prix Final berth after second- and third-place finishes in prior events. They became the fourth U.S. pair to qualify for the Grand Prix Final over the last 15 editions.
The U.S. could have skaters compete in all four disciplines in the Final for the third time since it began in 1996 if Amber Glenn wraps up her spot at Cup of China next weekend. She will definitely get in with a top-three finish after winning Grand Prix France.
In ice dance at Grand Prix Finland, Brits Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson earned their second Grand Prix win this season by overtaking three-time world medalists Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier of Canada in the free dance.
Fear and Gibson prevailed 203.22 to 200.79 after Poirier fell coming out of a twizzle in Sunday’s free dance.
Americans Madison Chock and Evan Bates, the two-time reigning world champions, previously qualified for the Final. They own the world’s top total score this season of 215.95.
Another U.S. couple, Christina Carreira and Anthony Ponomarenko, will qualify for their first Final if they place in the top two at Cup of China.
2024 Grand Prix Finland Figure Skating Results
Pairs
1. Deanna Stellato-Dudek/Maxime Deschamps (CAN) -- 207.44
2. Maria Pavlova/Alexei Sviatchenko (HUN) -- 184.21
3. Rebecca Ghilardi/Filippo Ambrosini (ITA) -- 181.59
4. Kelly Ann Laurin/Loucas Ethier (CAN) -- 178.57
5. Emily Chan/Spencer Howe (USA) -- 174.40
6. Yuna Nagaoka/Sumitada Moriguchi (JPN) -- 171.80
7. Milania Vaananen/Filippo Clerci (FIN) -- 160.73
8. Naomi Williams/Lachlan Lewer (USA) -- 153.34
Ice Dance
1. Lilah Fear/Lewis Gibson (GBR) -- 203.22
2. Piper Gilles/Paul Poirier (CAN) — 200.79
3. Juulia Turkkila/Matthias Versluis (FIN) -- 196.60
4. Natalie Taschlerova/Filip Taschler (CZE) -- 190.43
5. Emilea Zingas/Vadym Kolesnik (USA) -- 189.48
6. Yuka Orihara/Juho Pirinen (FIN) -- 183.64
7. Eva Pate/Logan Bye (USA) -- 180.35
8. Oona Brown/Gage Brown (USA) -- 176.57
9. Hannah Lim/Ye Quan (KOR) -- 175.36
10. Mariia Pinchuk/Mykyta Pogorielov (UKR) -- 134.34
2024 ISU Grand Prix Final Figure Skating Qualifying Standings
These are the Grand Prix Final qualification standings with one event left in the six-event Grand Prix Series regular season. Skaters’ two results over the course of the series determine the standings: first place in an event is 15 points, second place is 13 points and third place is 11 points on a descending scale through three points for eighth place in singles and five points for sixth place in pairs and ice dance. Bolded skaters have already clinched spots in the Final.
Women
1. Kaori Sakamoto (JPN) — 30 points
2. Wakaba Higuchi (JPN) — 28
3. Hana Yoshida (JPN) — 26
4. Rino Matsuike (JPN) — 26
5. Lara Naki Gutmann (ITA) — 16
6. Sarah Everhardt (USA) — 16
Top contenders in Cup of China field: Amber Glenn (USA — 15 points), Mone Chiba (JPN — 13 points), Rinka Watanabe (JPN — 13 points), Rion Sumiyoshi (JPN — 11 points)
Men
1. Ilia Malinin (USA) — 30
2. Yuma Kagiyama (JPN) — 30
3. Kevin Aymoz (FRA) — 26
4. Daniel Grassl (ITA) — 24
5. Andrew Torgashev (USA) — 20
6. Koshiro Shimada (JPN) -- 18
Top contenders in Cup of China field: Adam Siao Him Fa (FRA — 15 points), Shun Sato (JPN — 13 points)
Pairs
1. Deanna Stellato-Dudek/Maxime Deschamps (CAN) — 30
2. Riku Miura/Ryuichi Kihara (JPN) — 28
3. Anastasiia Metelkina/Luka Berulava (GEO) — 24
4. Ellie Kam/Danny O’Shea (USA) — 24
5. Rebecca Ghilardi/Filippo Ambrosini (ITA) — 22
6. Maria Pavlova/Alexei Sviatchenko (HUN) — 20
Top contenders in Cup of China field: Minerva Fabienne Hase/Nikita Volodin (GER — 15 points), Sara Conti/Niccolo Macii (ITA — 13 points)
Ice Dance
1. Lilah Fear/Lewis Gibson (GBR) — 30
2. Madison Chock/Evan Bates (USA) — 28
3. Piper Gilles/Paul Poirier (CAN) — 28
4. Evgenia Lopareva/Geoffrey Brissaud (FRA) — 26
5. Allison Reed/Saulius Ambrulevicius (LTU) — 20
6. Natalie Taschlerova/Filip Taschler (CZE) — 18
Top contenders in Cup of China field: Marjorie Lajoie/Zachary Lagha (CAN — 13 points), Christina Carreira/Anthony Ponomarenko (USA — 13 points), Charlene Guignard/Marco Fabbri (ITA — 13 points)
