Nagoya (Japan) (AFP) – United States figure skater Ilia Malinin can burnish his credentials as the red-hot favourite for Olympic gold when he faces his rivals at the Grand Prix Final in Japan this week. The 21-year-old, whose dazzling array of quadruple jumps has earned him the nickname “Quad God,” is a two-time world champion and front-runner to claim the title when he makes his Olympic debut in Milan-Cortina in February. He will take his preparations to the next level this week against an elite field in Nagoya, with Japanese pair Yuma Kagiyama and Shun Sato as well as France’s Adam Siao Him Fa also looking to make a statement ahead of the Winter Games.
Malinin, Grand Prix Final champion for the past two years, qualified with maximum points after winning at the Grand Prix de France and Skate Canada. He was imperious in both, breaking his own world record with a free-skate score of 228.97 in Canada. He finished a staggering 76.6 points clear of his nearest rival overall and did so without even including his signature quadruple axel, a jump that only he has landed in competition. The quad axel could return to Malinin’s programme this week as he ramps up his Olympics preparations—an ominous prospect for his opponents.
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“It almost felt like I was on autopilot and everything was just happening one element after the other and I felt really confident even going into that second half,” he said after his victory in Canada. “I know that hopefully that record can be even higher.” Kagiyama is Malinin’s closest rival for Olympic gold and qualified for the final as the only other men’s singles skater with maximum points. The 2022 Olympic silver medallist won at both the NHK Trophy and the Finlandia Grand Prix, although he was not satisfied with either performance. “There were some jump mistakes so that is a disappointment,” the 22-year-old said in Finland, where he won despite a fall on his quadruple toe loop. Sato won at the Cup of China while Siao Him Fa qualified with two runner-up finishes. Kazakhstan’s Mikhail Shaidorov and Italy’s Daniel Grassl complete the six-man field.
In women’s singles, American world champion Alysa Liu continued her triumphant comeback to skating by qualifying with one first place and one runner-up finish. The 20-year-old, who retired in 2022 but returned two years later, won at Skate America but admitted she still had work to do heading towards the Olympics. “I did not like my performance and when I did it, jump-wise, it did not feel very good,” she said in New York. Japan’s Mone Chiba was the only woman to qualify with two wins, coming top in Canada and Finland. Chiba is one of four Japanese skaters in the six-woman final, along with three-time world champion Kaori Sakamoto, Rinka Watanabe, and 17-year-old debutant Ami Nakai. American Amber Glenn completes the field.
In pairs, Germany’s Minerva Fabienne Hase and Nikita Volodin are on the hunt for their third straight Grand Prix Final title. They will have stiff competition from Japan’s world champions Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara, who won both their grand prix assignments and are aiming to claim their country’s first Olympic pairs medal next year. In ice dance, Americans Madison Chock and Evan Bates and France’s Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron head to the finals with two grand prix wins each under their belts. Britain’s Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson and Canada’s Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier are also in contention.
© 2024 AFP
