Charlene Guignard and Marco Fabbri topped the Rhythm Dance standings at NHK Trophy 2023 in Osaka, Japan © ISU
ISU European Champions Charlène Guignard/Marco Fabbri (ITA) danced to the lead as the NHK Trophy opened in Osaka (JPN) with the Rhythm Dance on Friday. The NHK Trophy is the sixth and concluding event of the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating series and provides the last chance to qualify for the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final 2023/24 in Beijing (CHN) December 7-10.
Reigning ISU World silver medalists Guignard/Fabbri rocked in the Rhythm Dance, edging out Great Britain’s ISU European silver medalists Lilah Fear/Lewis Gibson for a narrow lead. Allison Reed/Saulius Ambruvelicius of Lithuania came third.
Dancing to “Holding Out For a Hero” and “Against All Odds”, Guignard/Marco Fabbri had the crowd behind them from the first second. The ISU European Champions produced smooth steps, twizzles as well as a straight line lift, earning a level four for the lift and the twizzles. The pattern dance type step sequence garnered a level two while the midline step sequence was rated a level three for her and a level two for him. The Grand Prix de France Champions scored 85.27 points.
Guignard and Fabbri's rocking routine earned 85.27 points at NHK Trophy 2023 in Osaka, Japan © ISU
“We competed in France for our first Grand Prix and our feeling about the Rhythm Dance was very good there. We wanted to do another good Rhythm Dance here and the performance today was what we wanted,” Fabbri shared. “Our scores were a little bit lower than in France because of the levels but that is not the most important thing.
"The most important thing is getting into a good rhythm and feeling comfortable with the program and that is how we felt today.”
Fear/Gibson entertained the audience with their dance set to “Sweet Dreams”. The Grand Prix Skate Canada silver medalists picked up a level four for the twizzles and the lifts while the two step sequences merited a level three. The British team posted a season’s best of 84.93 points.
Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson finished second in the Rhythm Dance at NHK Trophy 2023 in Osaka, Japan © ISU
“We were both very happy with the performance and felt like we have continued to build upon our Rhythm Dance this season so far,” Gibson said.
“For us a big project this season has been skating skills and I think that every competition is a great opportunity to put that to the test and to allow the program and performances to grow and expand,” Fear added.
“Turns have been a big focus for us over the past few weeks, just building that consistency, that technical strength. And I'm really proud that we implemented that today.”
Reed/Ambruvelicius turned in a dynamic dance to “Welcome to the Jungle” and “Paradise City” that included level-four twizzles and a level-four lift. The Skate Canada bronze medalists improved their personal best by three points with a score of 78.71 points.
Allison Reed and Saulius Ambruvelicius claimed a personal best in the Rhythm Dance at NHK Trophy 2023 © ISU
“Today was a very good day for us. We made some changes since Canada and we feel that the changes are working for us. We still need some time to build the program and we enjoyed the performance,” Ambruvelicius said.
“It was very fun to skate in front of this crowd. To see a lot of Lithuanian flags in Japan is always a special thing as we love skating here.”
Juulia Turkkila/Matthias Versluis (FIN) finished fourth at 74.66 points followed by Loicia Demougeot/Theo Le Mercier (FRA) on 73.58 points and Emily Bratti/Ian Summerville (USA) 71.47 points.
Juulia Turkkila and Matthias Versluis danced to fourth on day one of NHK Trophy in Osaka, Japan © ISU
Full results for NHK Trophy are available 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.
Subscribe to the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating YouTube Channel to receive all the latest videos and follow the conversation with #GPFigure.
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.
Stay connected with the ISU:
ISU Website: ISU News
ISU Newsletter: Subscribe to our weekly Newsletter to get the latest news and press releases
.png)
