Piper Gilles/Paul Poirier of Canada danced off with their first medal in the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final in Torino on Saturday – and it was gold. Madison Chock/Evan Bates (USA) collected silver ahead of Italy’s Charlene Guignard/Marco Fabbri.
Gilles/Poirier told the story of “Evita” in their inspiring performance. The Skate Canada Champions collected a level four for the lifts, twizzles and dance spin while the circular step sequence merited a level two. The 2021 World bronze medalists scored 129.71 points and racked up 215.64 to take the Grand Prix Final crown.
That winning feeling: Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier of Canada celebrate gold © ISU
“I think we felt great today, from start to finish,” Gilles said. “I said to Paul after we finished I felt that was the most present we felt all season. I think going out for the first time in Canada it's fresh, it's new, we don't really know how it's going to show the audience and then having to repeat it in Espoo, I think we were a little bit nervous trying to compete against how we did at Skate Canada. We didn't compete against any of the times we did it before, we just let it skate today and I think it topped the other programs because we just fell in love with the moment and the feeling and it was wonderful.”
Chock/Bates interpreted the spirit of air and fire in their performance to “Souffrance” and “Les Tectoniques”. The three-time ISU World medalists produced three level-four elements, but the diagonal step sequence was graded a level one. Nevertheless, the Skate America Champions posted a season’s best of 126.45 points and accumulated 211.94 overall to claim their fourth silver medal in the ISU Grand Prix Final.
'Everything we hoped it would be': Madison Chock (USA) on her Free Dance performance with Evan Bates © ISU
“It was everything we hoped it would be for where we have been and the amount of work we’ve put in since Skate America and NHK (Trophy) and pushed and evolved that program in a short amount of time,” Chock said “We are so pleased with how we performed today, we had a great time connecting with each other and it felt like we were present in every moment.”
Guignard/Fabbri’s passionate dance to “My Love Will Never Die” was highlighted by difficult lifts and fast twizzles. The multiple Italian Champions collected a level four for the lifts and his twizzles, while the dance spin and circular footwork garnered a level two. The John Wilson Trophy Champions scored 122.29 points which added up to 206.84 total. The Italians earned their second Grand Prix Final bronze medal after 2018.
Passionate but not perfect: Charlene Guignard/Marco Fabbri (ITA) skate off with bronze © ISU
“Our performance wasn't perfect; we were feeling hard on our legs," Fabbri said. "However, we are pretty satisfied with our performance, just a little disappointed about the score. Honestly, this is one of the lowest scores we ever had, especially compared to our usual one. By the way we have the bronze medal.”
Lilah Fear/Lewis Gibson (GBR) moved up one spot to fourth place at 200.90 points followed by the USA’s Kaitlin Hawayek/Jean-Luc Baker (198.06) and Laurence Fournier Beaudry/Nikolaj Soerensen (CAN, 196.15), who missed a lift.
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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