Three months ago, the mere thought of competing in a Short Track race was enough to make Elise Christie (GBR) question everything she’d spent the past 16 years working towards.
Watch the highlights as the favorites prevailed at the Internationaux de France in Grenoble. Five skaters grabbed the last available spots for the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final. The Internationaux de France was the sixth and last event of the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Series 2018/19.
Bart Swings won his first career 5000m World Cup gold in Tomakomai. The Dutch men swept the podium in the 1000m, but had to leave the Team Sprint gold to Russia.
Isabelle Weidemann took her career first individual World Cup medal, when she won the ladies' 3000m on the final day in Tomakomai. Nao Kodaira completed a weekend hattrick with gold in the 1000m, and the Dutch ladies' got their act together to win the Team Sprint.
World bronze medalists Vanessa James/Morgan Cipres of France came back from a faulty Short Program in the Free Skating to claim their second Grand Prix gold medal this season as competition wrapped up at Internationaux de France in Grenoble on Saturday.
Rika Kihira led the Japanese Ladies to a one-two finish at the Internationaux de France and took her second Grand Prix gold medal this season. Mai Mihara slipped from first to second while Bradie Tennell (USA) climbed from sixth to third.
Three-time World Champions Gabriella Papadakis/Guillaume Cizeron of France continued their winning ways and cruised to the gold in Grenoble at the Internationaux de France on Saturday. Russians Victoria Sinitsina/Nikita Katsalapov took the silver medal and booked their ticket to the Grand Prix Final while Piper Gilles/Paul Poirier of Canada earned the bronze.
World Champion Nathan Chen (USA) rebounded after a sub-par Short Program to take the gold at the Internationaux de France in Grenoble on Saturday. Jason Brown (USA) claimed the silver and the bronze went to Russia’s Alexander Samarin.
Ireen Wüst clinched her career 22nd World Cup gold in the 1500m in Tomakomai on Saturday. Nao Kodaira grabbed yet another 500m win and Bo-Reum Kim edged out Francesca Lollobrigida in the Mass Start Sprint.
Belarussian Vitaly Mikhailov won his first career World Cup gold with a sensational solo in the Men's mass start, while the Dutch men swept the 1500m podium and Tatsuya Shinhama (JPN) clinched his second 500m win.
Young Russian pair Aleksandra Boikova/Dmitrii Kozlovskii produced an upset to win the Pairs Short Program at the Internationaux de France in Grenoble on Friday. Tae Ok Ryom/Ju Sik Kim of the Democratic Peoples’ Republic of Korea were second, while pre-competition favorites Vanessa James/Morgan Cipres of France placed third.
Mai Mihara of Japan edged teammate Rika Kihira and Russia’s Evgenia Medvedeva to take a slender lead in the Ladies Short Program at the Internationaux de France on Friday. The top three Ladies are separated by less than half a point heading into the Free Skating.
Three-time World Champions Gabriella Papadakis/Guillaume Cizeron of France returned to competition in style, taking a strong lead in the Rhythm Dance at the Internationaux de France in Grenoble on Friday. Russians Victoria Sinitsina/Nikita Katsalapov finished second while Piper Gilles/Paul Poirier of Canada came third.
Jason Brown (USA) upset the favorites to skate into the lead in the Men’s Short Program as the Internationaux de France Grand Prix opened on Friday in Grenoble. Russia’s Alexander Samarin sits in second while World Champion Nathan Chen (USA) had to settle for third place on the first day of competition.
From Wu Dajing’s (CHN) astonishing world-record performance at the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics to Steven Bradbury (AUS) winning Olympic gold as the last man standing at the 2002 Salt Lake City Games, Short Track Speed Skating has drawn up plenty of epic moments which have captivated fans and skaters across the world.