عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Sports

Yuma Kagiyama Wins Despite Errors at Finlandia Trophy in Figure Skating Grand Prix Series

Figure Skating - ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating - Finlandia Trophy 2024 - Helsinki Ice Hall, Helsinki, Finland - November 16, 2024 Japan's Yuma Kagiyama performs during the men's free skating Vesa Moilanen/Lehtikuva via Reuters
Figure Skating - ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating - Finlandia Trophy 2024 - Helsinki Ice Hall, Helsinki, Finland - November 16, 2024 Japan's Yuma Kagiyama performs during the men's free skating Vesa Moilanen/Lehtikuva via Reuters
TT
20
TT

Yuma Kagiyama Wins Despite Errors at Finlandia Trophy in Figure Skating Grand Prix Series

Figure Skating - ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating - Finlandia Trophy 2024 - Helsinki Ice Hall, Helsinki, Finland - November 16, 2024 Japan's Yuma Kagiyama performs during the men's free skating Vesa Moilanen/Lehtikuva via Reuters
Figure Skating - ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating - Finlandia Trophy 2024 - Helsinki Ice Hall, Helsinki, Finland - November 16, 2024 Japan's Yuma Kagiyama performs during the men's free skating Vesa Moilanen/Lehtikuva via Reuters

Yuma Kagiyama skated what he thought might be his “worst program” of the season but still won the Finlandia Trophy figure skating Grand Prix on Saturday, securing his place at next month's Grand Prix Final.

The Olympic silver medalist from Japan had a big lead from Friday's short program. He needed it. Kagiyama bailed out of his opening quadruple flip and had to put a foot down to steady himself on the landing of his second quad jump.

Kagiyama credited the crowd with helping him stabilize the skate, landing two more quads and finishing with a total score of 263.09 to win by less than four points from France’s Kevin Aymoz, who had been nearly 19 adrift following the short program.

“More than the feeling of being happy, I have regrets of how I skated in the free skate and I think it may have been the worst program that I’ve done this season,” Kagiyama said through an interpreter. “I regret not having been able to bring my best to you all here today.”

Kagiyama joins Ilia Malinin of the United States on two Grand Prix wins this season. Kagiyama won his titles back-to-back a week apart on opposite sides of the world after victory at the NHK Trophy in Japan last week.

Aymoz picked up his fourth career Grand Prix silver medal and second of this season — he has yet to win a gold in the series — after some problems of his own. Aymoz fell on his opening quad toeloop but recovered for a total 259.15, narrowly beating Italy's Daniel Grassl on 258.55.

Grassl had been sixth in the short program and rose to a podium place in the free skate for the second week running after improving from fifth to second at the NHK Trophy.

The 2023 world championship silver medalist Cha Jun-hwan of South Korea withdrew from the event overnight with an unspecified injury after placing seventh in the short program.

Hana Yoshida shrugged off a fall on her opening triple axel to become the third Japanese skater to win a women's Grand Prix this season. She won by the tightest of margins.

Yoshida's score of 199.46 was only ahead of fellow Japanese skater Rino Matsuike on 199.20 because Matsuike was given a one-point deduction for a time violation.

“I’m really happy that I got to win a gold medal but I wanted to land the triple axel, so I think I could do better. But I’m happy because I didn’t give up until the last second,” Yoshida said.

The field for the competition had been depleted by the withdrawals last week of world silver medalist Isabeau Levito of the United States and European champion Loena Hendrickx of Belgium.

Italy's Lara Naki Gutmann wasn't even meant to be in the competition, but those withdrawals handed her a spot and she turned it into her first career Grand Prix medal with bronze on 198.49, denying Sarah Everhardt of the United States a podium spot.

Gutmann is the only skater not from the US or Japan to win a women's medal in a Grand Prix this season. The ice dance event begins with the rhythm dance later Saturday.

Most Viewed

 
Sports

Verstappen Proves a Point at Suzuka but Challenges Remain 

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen of the Netherlands gets a pit service during the Japanese Formula One Grand Prix race at the Suzuka Circuit in Suzuka, central Japan, Sunday, April 6, 2025. (AP)
Red Bull driver Max Verstappen of the Netherlands gets a pit service during the Japanese Formula One Grand Prix race at the Suzuka Circuit in Suzuka, central Japan, Sunday, April 6, 2025. (AP)
TT
20
TT

Verstappen Proves a Point at Suzuka but Challenges Remain 

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen of the Netherlands gets a pit service during the Japanese Formula One Grand Prix race at the Suzuka Circuit in Suzuka, central Japan, Sunday, April 6, 2025. (AP)
Red Bull driver Max Verstappen of the Netherlands gets a pit service during the Japanese Formula One Grand Prix race at the Suzuka Circuit in Suzuka, central Japan, Sunday, April 6, 2025. (AP)

World champion Max Verstappen exploded the idea that McLaren might absolutely dominate the Formula One season with victory at the Japanese Grand Prix at the weekend, but the Dutchman was by no means certain he would be able to repeat the feat elsewhere.

Verstappen steered his Red Bull to a pole-to-flag victory for an unprecedented fourth year in a row at Suzuka on Sunday, continuing his love affair with the home circuit of his team's engine providers Honda.

The four-times world champion was delighted with his weekend in Japan, highlighted by the brilliant qualifying lap that snatched pole position away from McLaren's Lando Norris, but cautious about what it meant for the remaining 21 races.

"I think we know our limitations," he said. "So we just have to try and run against that limitation as much as we can. But yeah, it's still not fixed.

"So this is hopefully going to be fixed soon, but I cannot give you a timeline on that. It's just about trying to find that limit, which is really sensitive for us at the moment."

Team principal Christian Horner was clear about what the Suzuka win, coming after dominant wins for McLaren in Australia and China, meant for Red Bull.

"Max, without any debate, is the best driver in the world currently," he said.

"I think for the drivers' championship, Max is, what, one point behind now? So for us, all priority is on that.

"The constructors is going to be harder, but it's a long year, and you never give up, and I think there's no better tonic or motivator than winning."

After three races, Red Bull are a hefty 50 points behind McLaren in the constructors' championship and Verstappen does indeed trail Norris by a single point in the drivers' standings heading to next week's race in Bahrain.

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella was equally clear that he wants both titles and, convinced that the best cars in Formula One are in his garage, was satisfied with second for Norris and third for Oscar Piastri.

A cool track and very little tire degradation meant qualifying position was crucial at Suzuka with Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton, who was seventh, the only driver in the top 10 finishers managing to overtake during the race.

The Bahrain heat is likely to offer very different conditions but Piastri warned he and Norris would need to be wary of Mercedes and Ferrari as well as Red Bull in the Gulf kingdom, the home of McLaren's owners.

"I think we have a small advantage, but I think this weekend has really shown that any small mistake and there's a lot of competition there to capitalize," the Australian said.