ISU World Champion Shoma Uno reigned supreme at the ISU Grand Prix Final in Torino to claim the title, his first after two silver and two bronze. Sota Yamamoto took silver on his final debut and ISU World Junior Champion Ilia Malinin (USA) rose from fifth to earn bronze.
Uno fell over while waiting for the score of Yamamoto who had skated before him, but when Uno started his performance to “Air on the G String” and “Sanctus Petrus et Sancta Maria Magdalena”, he did not put a foot wrong, reeling off a quad loop, flip, Salchow, two quad toes as well as two triple Axels. The two-time Olympic medalist set a personal best of 204.47 points in the Free Skating and racked up 304.46 points overall.
Shoma Uno (JPN) turns in a flawless performance to add Grand Prix gold to his world title © ISU
“I didn’t particularly feel pressure just because I won the World Championship, but at this competition, especially during the Free Program, all the other skaters did so amazing that instead it motivated me to enjoy and do my best for my competition,” the World Champion said. “In terms of the combination I didn’t do the triple Axel-triple flip and the quad toe-triple toe today so the jumps I can improve for the upcoming competitions.”
Yamamoto also put out a personal best performance – to Sergei Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No. 2 –completing three quads as well as a triple Axel and level-four spins. He only slightly underrotated the second triple Axel. The NHK Trophy silver medalist scored 179.49 points and was ranked third in the Free Skating, but overall remained in third place on 274.35 points.
Sota Yamamoto (JPN) 'feels the joy' of skating the Free Program to claim silver © ISU
“I was able to skate very calmly,” Yamamoto said. “To be honest I really practised a lot and I thought not being able to bring it out at this place would've been a waste. I am very happy that I was finally able to do as I practised. I think that my happiness also affected my performance. They (the other Skaters) all had great performances, so when I went into my program, I didn't feel pressured. I just wanted to show everything what I can do. I wanted to give my best and feel the joy of skating the Free Program, and I knew that if I don't skate every element properly, I would lose.”
Malinin stood in fifth place following a sub-par Short Program, but he was on fire when he came out for his Free Skating. The Skate America Champion did his nickname “Quad God” justice, hitting five quads including his quad Axel and, fittingly to his music “Euphoria”, brought the feelgood factor to his step sequence. “I just had a fun time performing after all the jumps were done,” he said. Malinin netted 191.84 points and was second in the Free Skating to accumulate 271.94 overall and claim bronze at his first ISU Grand Prix Final.
Flying free: "Quad God" Ilia Malinin (USA) earned a surprise bronze on his ISU Grand Prix Final debut © ISU
Malinin looked in disbelief at his father and coach, who stood at the boards. “I didn't understand what was going on, so I looked at him to see if this was real or not,” the 18-year-old said. “I guess I just believe in myself and believe in my training and just stay confident, just know that everything that I've done to practice, I'm able to pull it off. My goal is to definitely make sure that I'm able to be comfortable with my Short Program, because as of right now it's been a bit messy, and I think that now that I have a little bit time before other competitions I can really put in the time and effort to work on this program.”
Shun Sato (JPN) pulled up from sixth to fourth with a strong performance (250.16 points), while Kao Miura slipped from third to fifth after missing a triple Lutz (245.74). Daniel Grassl (ITA) came sixth on 244.97 points.
Schedule of the event
The schedule is as follows:
Thursday, December 8: Junior Men, Junior Pairs, Junior Women’s Short Programs, Pairs & Men’s Short Programs
Friday, December 9: Junior Rhythm Dance, Junior Women’s & Pairs Free Skating, Rhythm Dance & Women’s Short Program
Saturday, December 10: Men’s, Junior Pairs & Junior Men’s Free Skating, Junior Free Dance, Free Dance, Women’s Free Skating
Sunday, December 11: Exhibition Gala
The ISU Grand Prix series started with Skate America in Norwood (USA) and continued with Skate Canada in Mississauga, followed by the Grand Prix de France in Angers and the John Wilson Trophy in Sheffield (GBR). The series then stopped at NHK Trophy in Sapporo (JPN) and Grand Prix Espoo (FIN). Great Britain hosted an ISU Grand Prix event for the first time. A total of 151 Skaters/Couples representing 29 ISU Members competed in the series: 44 Men, 45 Women, 26 Pairs and 36 Ice Dance couples.
The General Announcement of the 2022/23 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Series is available here. The individual announcements are published under the respective events. Full entry lists and further information are available on the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Series page.
Selection Criteria
In order for a Skater/Couple to be eligible to compete at an ISU Grand Prix event, a minimum total score must have been achieved in the 2021/22 or current 2022/23 season in an ISU event (Grand Prix, Junior Grand Prix, Championships) or a Challenger Series event. Exceptions apply to host country Skaters, previously ranked Skaters or split ranked Couples who return with new partners. The minimum total score is 3/5 of highest score per discipline at the ISU World Figure Skating Championships 2022 and are as follows: Women: 141.65, Men: 187.49, Pairs: 132.65, Ice Dance: 137.89.
Following the IOC recommendation and in order to protect the integrity of ice skating competitions and for the safety of all the participants of international ice skating competitions, the ISU Council based on Article 17.1.q)i) of the ISU Constitution, agreed that with immediate effect and until further notice, no Skaters belonging to the ISU Members in Russia (Russian Skating Union and the Figure Skating Federation of Russia) and Belarus (Skating Union of Belarus) shall be invited or allowed to participate in International ice skating competitions including ISU Championships and other ISU Events. The same applies to Officials listed in the respective ISU Communications and/or Regulations under Russia and Belarus (see ISU Communication 2469).
Grand Prix Standings
Men Women Ice Dance Pair Skating
Where to Watch
The ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating events will be live streamed on the official ISU YouTube Channel in most countries. Find out where to watch the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating competitions.
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ISU Grand Prix Schedule
The schedules of each ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating events are available below:
21 - 23 Oct, 2022 Skate America, Norwood (USA)
28 – 30 Oct, 2022 Skate Canada International, Mississauga (CAN)
04 - 06 Nov, 2022 Grand Prix de France, Angers (FRA)
11 - 13 Nov, 2022 MK John Wilson Trophy, Sheffield (GBR)
18 - 20 Nov, 2022 NHK Trophy, Sapporo (JPN)
25 - 27 Nov, 2022 Grand Prix Espoo, Espoo (FIN)
08 - 11 Dec, 2022 Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final, Torino (ITA)
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