Olympic and world silver medalist Yuma Kagiyama of Japan won a figure skating Grand Prix event for a second consecutive week to set up a showdown with world champion Ilia Malinin at December’s Grand Prix Final.
Kagiyama, 21, followed his win at NHK Trophy in Japan last week by taking Grand Prix Finland despite several jumping errors in Saturday’s free skate.
Kagiyama totaled 263.09 points between two programs in Finland, placing fifth in the free skate and holding off runner-up Kevin Aymoz of France by 3.94 overall.
Kagiyama and Malinin combined to win four of the first five competitions on this season’s Grand Prix Series.
GRAND PRIX FINLAND: Broadcast Schedule
On the Grand Prix, the world’s top skaters are split up across six regular-season events from October to November. Each competes twice over the series.
Then the top six per discipline across the series qualify for December’s Grand Prix Final, the first competition of the season where all of the world’s top-ranked skaters gather. The Final, which this year is in Grenoble, France, is often a preview of the following March’s world championships.
Malinin has the world’s two highest total scores this season, 312.55 and 301.82, followed by Kagiyama, who has recorded 300.09 and 291.54. Nobody has else scored more than 286.
Kagiyama was the only skater within 49 points of Malinin at last March’s world championships — yet still 24.11 points behind.
South Korean Cha Jun-Hwan, the 2023 World silver medalist, withdrew before Saturday’s free skate due to injury. He was seventh in the short.
Later Saturday, Hana Yoshida became the third different Japanese woman to win a Grand Prix this season.
Yoshida, the 2023 Grand Prix Final bronze medalist, fell on an under-rotated triple Axel attempt to open her free skate but still held on to win by 26 hundredths of a point over countrywoman Rino Matsuike.
It is likely that the Grand Prix Final field of six women will have five from Japan, including the already qualified Yoshida, Kaori Sakamoto (three-time reigning world champion) and Wakaba Higuchi (Skate America winner).
U.S. champion Amber Glenn, who won Grand Prix France two weeks ago, headlines the last Grand Prix, Cup of China, next week. She will qualify for the Grand Prix Final with a top-three finish in China.
Grand Prix Finland concludes Sunday with the pairs’ free skate and free dance, live on Peacock.
2024 Grand Prix Finland Figure Skating Results
Men Final
1. Yuma Kagiyama (JPN) -- 263.09
2. Kevin Aymoz (FRA) -- 259.15
3. Daniel Grassl (ITA) -- 258.55
4. Sota Yamamoto (JPN) -- 249.91
5. Lukas Britschgi (SUI) -- 246.70
6. Kazuki Tomono (JPN) -- 238.41
7. Aleksandr Selevko (EST) -- 214.15
8. Vladimir Samoilov (POL) -- 205.47
9. Camden Pulkinen (USA) -- 195.18
10. Makar Suntsev (FIN) -- 180.48
11. Valtter Virtanen (FIN) -- 166.25
WD. Cha Jun-Hwan (KOR)
Women Final
1. Hana Yoshida (JPN) -- 199.46
2. Rino Matsuike (JPN) -- 199.20
3. Lara Naki Guttman (ITA) -- 198.49
4. Sarah Everhardt (USA) -- 191.17
5. Yun Ah-Sun (KOR) -- 187.68
6. Lorine Schild (FRA) -- 182.36
7. Niina Petrokina (EST) -- 178.66
8. Mai Mihara (JPN) -- 174.74
9. Lindsay Thorngren (USA) -- 170.64
10. Janna Jyrkinen (FIN) -- 157.44
11. Nella Pelkonen (FIN) -- 155.22
12. Olivia Lisko (FIN) -- 153.67
Rhythm Dance
1. Piper Gilles/Paul Poirier (CAN) -- 84.65
2. Lilah Fear/Lewis Gibson (GBR) -- 82.03
3. Juulia Turkkila/Matthias Versluis (FIN) -- 78.31
4. Natalie Taschlerova/Filip Taschler (CZE) -- 75.50
5. Oona Brown/Gage Brown (USA) -- 73.35
6. Emilea Zingas/Vadym Kolesnik (USA) -- 72.72
7. Eva Pate/Logan Bye (USA) -- 72.58
8. Yuka Orihara/Juho Pirinen (FIN) -- 72.56
9. Hannah Lim/Ye Quan (KOR) -- 69.00
10. Mariia Pinchuk/Mykyta Pogorielov (UKR) -- 54.39
