The pairs competition at the Grand Prix de France showcased a tight battle for the gold medal between two sets of world champions. Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara from Japan, reigning world champions in 2023 and current champions, took the lead in the short program on Friday. They skated to “Paint It Black” and scored 79.44, slightly ahead of Canada’s Deanna Stellato-Dudek and Maxime Deschamps, who earned 74.26 points.
Hungary’s Maria Pavlova and Alexei Sviatchenko secured third place with a score of 70.15, followed by two American pairs: Katie McBeath and Daniil Parkman with 63.31 points, and Audrey Shin and Balazs Nagy with 61.79 points.
In the women’s event, the competition kicked off with a surprise as Ami Nakai surpassed three-time world champion Kaori Sakamoto in the short program. Nakai, a former world junior bronze medalist, impressed with a flawless triple axel jump at the beginning of her program, earning a total of 78 points.
Nakai’s compatriot, Sakamoto, trailed with 76.20 points, while Isabeau Levito from the United States, the 2024 world silver medalist, secured third place with a score of 73.37 heading into the free skate on Saturday.
The competition will resume on Saturday at 7 a.m. ET with the ice dance rhythm dance. The Grand Prix de France serves as the initial event of the six regular season Grand Prix competitions leading up to the final in December. This series is crucial for elite skaters aiming for success at the upcoming Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics in February.