Ilia Malinin (USA) wins the Men's Short Program at the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final in Beijing, China © ISU
“Quad God” Ilia Malinin (USA) pulled off his signature quad Axel to win the Men’s Short Program at the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final in Beijing (CHN) Thursday. The ISU Grand Prix Final features the best six Skaters/Couples in each discipline of the Grand Prix events competing against each other for the first time this season. Thirty-six Skaters/Couples representing nine countries will compete in Beijing.
Ilia Malinin (USA) nails quad Axel for lead in the Short Program
“Quad God” Ilia Malinin (USA) pulled off his signature quad Axel to win the Men’s Short Program, edging ISU World Champion Shoma Uno of Japan by less than a point. 2022 Olympic silver medalist Yuma Kagiyama of Japan is not far behind in third place.
Malinin opened his crisp “Malaguena” program with the quad Axel, the jump only he has successfully landed in competition so far. The ISU World bronze medalist followed up with a quad Lutz-triple toe combination, as well as with level-four spins and footwork. Malinin posted a personal best score of 106.90 points.
“Overall I feel really great and I'm glad that I was able to do the quad Axel for the first time in the short program.
“It wasn't one of the best programs that I've done, but I'm just really glad that I was able to pull it together under pressure and stay on my feet,” Malinin said.
“I think that after Grand Prix France it was an idea of mine for a long time (to include the quad Axel in the Short Program). I'm just very glad that I was able to do it under pressure.
“Everyone here is such an amazing skater. It was such a challenge here. Everyone is so capable and they put so much hard work to get here, and it's just amazing that I was able to compete with these guys and land it under pressure.”
Uno’s exquisite performance to “I Love You Kung Fu” and “Clair de Lune” featured a quadruple flip, quad toe-triple toeloop combination, triple Axel as well as difficult spins and steps. The two-time ISU World Champion recorded a season’s best of 106.02 points.
Shoma Uno (JPN) in the Men's Short Program at the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final in Beijing, China © ISU
“As for today's competition, together with my coach Stéphane (Lambiel), both of us feel that this short program is OK, but it's not yet my best performance. And today my state is OK, it's the basic level.
“So as for the next step, for the following performance, I want to challenge myself further,” Uno said.
Performing to “Believer” by Imagine Dragons, Kagiyama nailed a quadruple Salchow, quad toe-triple toe and triple Axel to score 103.72 points.
Yuma Kagiyama (JPN) in the Men's Short Program at the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final in Beijing, China © ISU
“As for today's performance, the performance is quite good, but in terms of quality, today's short program was not as good as the performance at the NHK Trophy,” said Kagiyama.
“Today’s score is over 100 points. So the score is quite high and I'm quite satisfied with today's performance.”
Kao Miura (JPN) came fourth with a solid skate on 94.86 points. Kevin Aymoz (FRA) is ranked fifth (93.20 points). ISU European Champion Adam Siao Him Fa (FRA) doubled his planned quad Lutz and finished sixth (88.36 points).
For full results, see here.
Schedule of the event
Thursday, December 7: Junior Men’s, Junior Women’s & Pairs Short Programs, Men’s & Junior Pairs Short Programs
Friday, December 8: Junior Rhythm Dance, Pairs Free Skating, Junior Women’s Free Skating, Women’s Short Program & Rhythm Dance
Saturday, December 9: Junior Free Dance, Junior Pairs & Junior Men’s Free Skating, Free Dance, Women’s & Men’s Free Skating
Sunday, December 10: Exhibition Gala
The ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Series consisted of six events: Skate America, Skate Canada International, Grand Prix de France, Cup of China, the Grand Prix Espoo (FIN) and NHK Trophy (JPN).
A total of 154 Skaters/Couples competed in the series: 46 Men, 43 Women, 29 Pairs and 36 Ice Dance couples.
The General Announcement of the 2023/24 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.
Prize Money
The global prize money made available by the ISU for the ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final isUS$ 272.000,00.
Men and Women Pair Skating and Ice Dance (per Couple)
1st place: US$ 25,000.00 US$ 25,000.00
2nd place: US$ 18,000.00 US$ 18,000.00
3rd place: US$ 12,000.00 US$ 12,000.00
4th place: US$ 6,000.00 US$ 6,000.00
5th place: US$ 4,000.00 US$ 4,000.00
6th place: US$ 3,000.00 US$ 3,000.00
ISU Grand Prix Standings
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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Selection Criteria
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).
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