Kao Miura (JPN) in the ISU Grand Prix Men’s Free Skating, in Espoo, Finland © ISU
Kao Miura (JPN) grabbed the lead as the Grand Prix Espoo. kicked off Friday in Espoo (FIN) with the Men’s Short Program. The Grand Prix Espoo is the fifth of six events in the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating series. The best Figure Skaters of the world compete in the series and collect points towards the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final 2023/24 in Beijing (CHN) on December 7-10.
Kao Miura (JPN) in the lead
ISU Four Continents Champion Kao Miura of Japan won the Men’s Short Program ahead of teammate Shun Sato. USA’s Jimmy Ma currently ranks third.
Skating to “This Place Was a Shelter” Miura nailed a quad Salchow-triple toe, triple Axel, quad toe as well as two level-four spins and a level-four step sequence. However, he did not get credit for his change sit spin. Nevertheless, the 2023 ISU World Junior Champion managed a season’s best of 93.54 points.
“I was able to do what I could, but one spin counted zero points,” Miura said. “This is something I need to look over again because these things can decide the competition. I believe in the change sit spin, I was not sitting low enough, so tomorrow would like to do it better.
“Since last season I was not able to win a Grand Prix event. In the free skating, I want to show what I can do and try my best to stay at the top.”
Sato produced a quad-toe triple toe and triple Axel in his Tango program. He also went for a quad flip, but it was slightly underrotated (q) and somewhat wobbly. The Skate America bronze medalist picked up 90.41 points.
Shun Sato (JPN) in the ISU Grand Prix Men’s Free Skating, in Espoo, Finland © ISU
“My skating felt pretty good, but I got a deduction for the quadruple flip and I am a bit disappointed about that. I hope to do it in the free skating tomorrow,” Sato noted.
Ma opened his routine to “Hernando’s Hideaway” with a quad toe and followed up with a triple Axel and triple Lutz-triple toe to achieve a season’s best of 80.19 points.
Jimmy Ma (USA) in the ISU Grand Prix Men’s Free Skating, in Espoo, Finland © ISU
“Everything felt really good,” Ma commented. “I finally start feeling like myself again, going out there with more confidence, more attack.
“A couple of mistakes here and there, nothing major but, as Kao said, those things decide the competition. I’ll keep my head high for the free skating. I want to attack, I want to perform and I want people to enjoy my skating.”
Koshiro Shimada (JPN) came fourth on 77.81 points while Skate America silver medalist Kevin Aymoz (FRA) placed fifth after making errors on two jumping passes (73.94 points). ISU European silver and Skate Canada bronze medalist Matteo Rizzo (ITA) fell on his quadruple toeloop and finished sixth at 73.37 points.
For full results of the ISU Grand Prix Espoo see here.
The ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Series consists of six events: Skate America, Skate Canada International, Grand Prix de France, Cup of China, the Grand Prix Espoo (FIN) and NHK Trophy (JPN). Skaters collect points towards to qualify for the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final 2023/24 in Beijing (CHN).
ISU Grand Prix Standings
The General Announcement of the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Series is available here on the ISU website. The individual announcements are published on the ISU Event section under each dedicated Grand Prix event (filter with the relevant Event Series.
For full entry lists and further information regarding the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Series please visit here.
All Media Accreditations details and deadlines for the Grand Prix of Figure Skating Series can be found here.
Where to Watch
The ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating events will be live streamed with English commentary on the official ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating 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:
20 - 22 Oct, 2023 Skate America, Allen (Texas, USA)
27 – 29 Oct, 2023 Skate Canada International, Vancouver (CAN)
03 - 05 Nov, 2023 Grand Prix de France, Angers (FRA)
10 - 12 Nov, 2023 Grand Prix Cup of China, Chongqing (CHN)
17 - 19 Nov, 2023 Grand Prix Espoo, Espoo (FIN)
24 - 26 Nov, 2023 NHK Trophy, Osaka (JPN)
07 - 10 Dec, 2023 Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final, Beijing (CHN)
About ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating
The ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Series started in 1995 (previously known as the ISU Champions Series) and consists of six invitational international senior events and the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final. The top six of the past World Championships are seeded. Competitors collect points in their events towards the qualification for the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final. Only the top six Skaters / Couples in each discipline can qualify for the Final.
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