Yuma Kagiyama wins despite errors at Finlandia Trophy in figure skating Grand Prix series
Japanese star joins American Ilia Malinin as skaters with 2 Grand Prix wins this season
Yuma Kagiyama skated what he thought might be his "worst program" of the season but still won the Finlandia Trophy figure skating Grand Prix on Saturday, securing his place at next month's Grand Prix Final.
The Olympic silver medallist from Japan had a big lead from Friday's short program. He needed it. Kagiyama bailed out of his opening quadruple flip and had to put a foot down to steady himself on the landing of his second quad jump.
Kagiyama credited the crowd with helping him stabilize the skate, landing two more quads and finishing with a total score of 263.09 to win by less than four points from France's Kevin Aymoz, who had been nearly 19 adrift following the short program.
"More than the feeling of being happy, I have regrets of how I skated in the free skate and I think it may have been the worst program that I've done this season," Kagiyama said through an interpreter. "I regret not having been able to bring my best to you all here today."
WATCH | Kagiyama claims another Grand Prix title with Finlandia Trophy win:
Kagiyama joins Ilia Malinin of the United States on two Grand Prix wins this season. Kagiyama won his titles back-to-back a week apart on opposite sides of the world after victory at the NHK Trophy in Japan last week.
Aymoz picked up his fourth career Grand Prix silver medal and second of this season — he has yet to win a gold in the series — after some problems of his own. Aymoz fell on his opening quad toeloop but recovered for a total 259.15, narrowly beating Italy's Daniel Grassl on 258.55.
Grassl had been sixth in the short program and rose to a podium place in the free skate for the second week running after improving from fifth to second at the NHK Trophy.
The 2023 world championship silver medallist Cha Jun-hwan of South Korea withdrew from the event overnight with an unspecified injury after placing seventh in the short program.
Hana Yoshida shrugged off a fall on her opening triple axel to become the third Japanese skater to win a women's Grand Prix this season. She won by the tightest of margins.
WATCH | Yoshida claims Finlandia Trophy title:
Yoshida's score of 199.46 was only ahead of fellow Japanese skater Rino Matsuike on 199.20 because Matsuike was given a one-point deduction for a time violation.
"I'm really happy that I got to win a gold medal but I wanted to land the triple axel, so I think I could do better. But I'm happy because I didn't give up until the last second," Yoshida said.
The field for the competition had been depleted by the withdrawals last week of world silver medallist Isabeau Levito of the United States and European champion Loena Hendrickx of Belgium.
Italy's Lara Naki Gutmann wasn't even meant to be in the competition, but those withdrawals handed her a spot and she turned it into her first career Grand Prix medal with bronze on 198.49, denying Sarah Everhardt of the United States a podium spot.
Gutmann is the only skater not from the U.S. or Japan to win a women's medal in a Grand Prix this season.
Canadian ice dancers Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier brought their figure skating beach party to the Finlandia Trophy Grand Prix and won Saturday's rhythm dance.
This year's world championship silver medallists scored top marks of 84.65 points with their "Barbie and Ken at the beach" routine set to music by The Beach Boys.
"I just want to thank the Finnish audience," Gilles told the International Skating Union. "It was absolutely a blast.
"The moment we started, we could hear them clapping and it was like 'OK, take your time.' They've got great energy.
"We need to enjoy what we're doing in order to continue to skate. By choosing music that we really love and we really believe in, makes performing and doing our job just that much easier."
Britain's Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson ranked second with 82.03 points and Finland's Juulia Turkkila and Matthias Versluis third with 78.31.
Toronto's Gilles and Poirier of Unionville, Ont., will skate the free dance Sunday.
World pairs champions Deanna Stellato-Dudek and Maxime Deschamps of Montreal also led heading into Sunday's free skate after finishing first in Friday's short program.
Both teams were victorious at Skate Canada International in Halifax in October.
"There were a few things we had to think about throughout the performance, but overall, for me, it felt better than Skate Canada," Gilles said.
"I felt we levelled up with the performance and I'm super-happy about that, but I know we have more to do for tomorrow."
The ice dance and pairs competitions conclude on Sunday.
WATCH | Canada's Gilles and Poirier lead after rhythm dance:
With files from CBC Sports and The Canadian Press
