There’s always a palpable buzz in the air when the Grand Prix season opens in the world of figure skating, and with huge names set to take to the ice – from multiple world champion Kaori Sakamoto, Great Britian’s Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson, as well as ice phenom Ilia Malinin and beloved pair Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara – it’s safe to say that the rink in Angers was more than ready for proceedings to begin.
Men’s
Hometown hero Adam Siao Him Fa’s assignment to the French GP was always going to be big news, and to those that have followed the ups and downs of his career, it came as no surprise that a rocky short program was followed by a stunning free skate. Would he have caught up with starboy Malinin even with a flawless short? Perhaps not, but Siao Him Fa constantly gives us teasers of the great heights he can reach if he can just beat his biggest rival: himself.
Ilia Malinin was, in the end, the winner and the talk of the town. After a stunning routine that included five quadruple jumps, he was rewarded for his efforts with a total of 321.00 points. Thus, he claimed the top spot with a margin of more than 40 points over Siao Him Fa (280.95), with Nika Egadze (259.41) rounding out the podium.
Women’s
It has been no secret that one of the GOATs of the women’s discipline, Kaori Sakamoto, aims to retire at the end of this Olympic cycle, and that she intends to go out enjoying her skating as the young guns come through was exemplified in her silver medal. Her free skate to a medley of “The Sound of Silence” and “Hallelujah,” is surely set to leave fans in tears throughout the season, leaving her with a total score of 224.23 after while countrymate Rion Sumiyoshi took bronze 216.06.
However, ingenue Ami Nakai put smiles on faces throughout the stadium as she captured gold in her senior Grand Prix debut, posting a total of 227.08 thanks to a fantastic short program (78.00) and an equally beautiful free skate (149.08). With a Japanese 1-2-3 and a wonderfully happy podium it’s more than exciting to consider just how well Japan might do when it comes to the Milan Olympics close on the horizon.
Pairs
Japanese skating rose to the occasion again when it came to the pairs, Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara claimed gold with 219.15 points, for errors left Canadian pair Deanna Stellato‑Dudek and Maxime Deschamps chasing, finally claiming silver with 197.66, followed by Hungary’s Maria Pavlova and Alexei Sviatchenko, who scored 192.76.
If you’re on the lookout for a little moment to put a smile on your face, Stellato‑Dudek / Deschamps performed the first assisted backflip in competition, following in the steps of other female skaters who have dared to do backflips during competition, most famously, Surya Bonaly.
Ice Dance
The controversial French pair comprising Olympic medallist Guillaume Cizeron, skating for the first time internationally with Laurence Fournier Beaudry, ended up taking the crown with 211.02 points, closely trailed by the World Number 1s, British pair Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson (210.24). Despite being in the lead after the rhythm dance, the French pulled off a skate that left none in denial of their skating skills, leapfrogging them over Fear / Gibson.
Whilst popular Lithuanian pair Allison Reed and Saulius Ambrulevičius claimed a third place podium (201.05) that left many glad for the duo, one of the shocks of the discipline came by way of Charlène Guignard and Marco Fabbri. The World Number 2s placed 5th after the rhythm dance and 4th overall (195.98), just over a point ahead of Georgia’s Diana Davis and Gleb Smolkin (194.27). Are they already at risk of not making the Grand Prix Final? It would indeed be a shame to not see them present.
Overall
The Olympic season is always one set to be full of buzz, tension and speculation, with injured skaters pulling out of the GP season in order to prioritise the international run-up before the Olympics. From the opening weekend alone, tantalising questions arise: will Malinin maintain golden form going into 2026? How dominant will the Japanese be and how much can they challenge the USA and Canada for Olympic gold? Are Fournier Beaudry / Cizeron already setting themselves up to to be the biggest contenders for Ice Dance gold against Chock / Bates and Gilles / Poirier?
It’s early days, but we’re sure there are many more exciting moments to come from this season’s Grand Prix series.