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.
Grand Prix Finland continues later Saturday with the women’s free skate and rhythm dance, both airing live on Peacock.
2024 Grand Prix Finland Figure Skating Results
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)
