Adam Siao Him Fa (FRA) in the Men's Short Program at the ISU European Figure Skating Championships in Kaunas (LTU) © ISU
Adam Siao Him Fa (FRA) took the lead as the ISU European Championships continued Wednesday in Kaunas (LTU) with the Men’s Short Program.
Adam Siao Him Fa (FRA) leaps into the lead
Defending ISU European Champion Adam Siao Him Fa of France took the lead in the Men’s Short Program, but it was a close competition. Switzerland’s 2023 ISU European bronze medalist Lukas Britschgi is not far behind in second place followed by Aleksandr Selevko of Estonia.
Siao Him Fa opened his Blues program to “The Prophet” with a quad Lutz, but had to put down both hands on the ice. The Frenchman recovered to land a triple Axel and a quad toe-triple toe combination. He picked up a level four for his spins and footwork to earn 94.13 points.
Adam Siao Him Fa (FRA) at the ISU European Figure Skating Championships in Kaunas (LTU) © ISU
“It was not the best performance of the season, but I did some good improvements of the rest of the program and it was pretty fun to skate tonight. I will fight for the free skating,” the Grand Prix de France Champion told the press.
“Arriving here in Lithuania was stressful as last year’s European champion. I tried not to think about it the whole season, but I was so excited to compete that when I arrived here there was such stress for me.
“I needed some days to manage all this stress. My team helped me to relax and try to focus on myself and just enjoy the competition,” he continued.
Britschgi put out a strong performance of his entertaining routine to “I’m in the Mood for Love” and “Superstition”, producing a quad toe-triple toe, triple Axel, triple Lutz as well as level-four spins and steps. The Swiss Champion scored 91.17 points.
Lukas Britschgi (SUI) in the Men's Short Program at the ISU European Figure Skating Championships in Kaunas (LTU) © ISU
“I felt good, it was a good performance today. I had a lot of fun skating today here in Kaunas, the audience was very supportive. It’s the European Championships, so to skate well on that ice it's a great feeling,” Britschgi said.
“Last year it was a surprise for me to stand on the podium. Since then things have changed quite a bit. People pay more attention to me and everyone's expectations are going up: ‘He already did it once, so can he do it again’. But it gives me a lot of energy and motivation to keep succeeding and to improve.”
Little-heralded Selevko was the surprise of the day. The Estonian gave an excellent performance of his modern Egyptian-style program “Pharaoh Ramses II” and “The Mummy’s Curse” that was highlighted by a quad toe, triple Axel, triple Lutz-triple toe and innovative spins.
Aleksandr Selevko (EST) in the Men's Short Program at the ISU European Figure Skating Championships in Kaunas (LTU) © ISU
Selevko set a new personal best and broke the 90 points barrier for the first time with 90.05 points.
“I am really surprised (to be in third place). I knew it would be possible if I would do everything, but still it was a huge surprise for me,” Selevko said. “First of all I want to rest and tomorrow we have a practice. I don’t have high expectations. I hope I will be able to show all my elements in the Free Skating and hope for the best.”
Selevko’s younger brother Mihhail (EST) faltered and finished in 30th place. “I was watching the competition and was really worried about my brother, unfortunately not everything worked for him, but I am sure he will keep working and next time he will show a better result,” Aleksandr said.
Gabriele Frangipani (ITA) came fourth on 83.51 points followed closely by 2022 European bronze medalist Deniss Vasiljevs (LAT) on 82.34 points. 2023 ISU European silver medalist Matteo Rizzo (ITA), who is dealing with a hip injury, popped his quad toe to come sixth (80.43 points). ISU Grand Prix Finalist Kevin Aymoz (FRA) faded to 31st following an error-ridden performance.
For full results please see here.
Schedule of the event
The schedule of the ISU European Figure Skating Championships is as follows:
Wednesday, January 10: Pairs & Men’s Short Programs
Thursday, January 11: Women’s Short Program, Pairs Free Skating
Friday, January 12: Rhythm Dance & Men’s Free Skating
Saturday, January 13: Women’s Free Skating & Free Dance
Sunday, January 14: Exhibition Gala
For full entries and results, please see the ISU event page and the official website. Follow the discussion on social media using #EuroFigure and #FigureSkating.
Where to watch the ISU European Figure Skating Championships 2024:
The ISU European Figure Skating Championships will be live streamed on the Skating ISU YouTube Channel. Geo-restrictions will apply in markets where TV rights are in place. You will find the full list in the Where to Watch news here.
Subscribe to the Skating ISU YouTube Channel to receive alerts when the live streams start and when new videos are posted.
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