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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
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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.

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Jeddah Circuit Sparks Cross-Cultural Love Story Between Saudi Architect, Spanish Engineer

Lamia and Abdulrahman show their rings while standing next to the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix Trophy. Photo: Asharq Al-Awsat
Lamia and Abdulrahman show their rings while standing next to the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix Trophy. Photo: Asharq Al-Awsat
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Jeddah Circuit Sparks Cross-Cultural Love Story Between Saudi Architect, Spanish Engineer

Lamia and Abdulrahman show their rings while standing next to the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix Trophy. Photo: Asharq Al-Awsat
Lamia and Abdulrahman show their rings while standing next to the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix Trophy. Photo: Asharq Al-Awsat

A wedding ring inspired by the design of the 2023 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix trophy has brought together a Spanish groom and a Saudi bride in matrimony. The Spanish national, Calderon Mari - who converted to Islam and changed his name to Abdulrahman - presented the custom-made ring to his Saudi wife, Lamia Al-Husail, as a symbol of their shared love for motorsports and their unique journey.

The couple spoke to Asharq Al-Awsat during their visit to the Formula 1 paddock area in Jeddah. "We met, by the grace of Allah, through Formula 1. Our professional paths crossed during the Kingdom’s early years of hosting the championship and throughout several races in recent seasons," said Abdulrahman.

He explained that he works as a mechanical engineer for a Formula 1 team, while Lamia is an architect who was involved from the very beginning in constructing the Jeddah Corniche Circuit.

When they decided to get married, Abdulrahman knew he didn’t want to offer a conventional wedding ring. Instead, he wanted a ring that represented both their shared passion for motorsports and the unique story that brought them together.

While visiting the Red Bull Racing headquarters in the UK - by coincidence - he found himself in a room displaying the team's trophies. One in particular caught his eye: The Saudi Arabian Grand Prix trophy won by Max Verstappen in 2023. The intricate beauty of the trophy’s design inspired him.

Abdulrahman already had a vision for the ring: he and his bride wanted it to incorporate materials like carbon fiber, gold, and silver. He took a video of the trophy and shared it with Lamia, explaining his dream of turning its design into their wedding ring.

To his surprise, Lamia responded with exciting news - she personally knew the trophy’s designer. "I know the artist behind this piece," she told him. That designer was none other than Richard Fox.

Lamia contacted Fox, who met Abdulrahman in the UK and listened to their story from the beginning - the story of how they met, how motorsport brought them together, and how they wanted their ring to symbolize that very connection.

After several months of design sketches, materials discussions, and collaborative ideas, the couple and Fox finally arrived at the perfect design: Lamia’s ring features a sapphire, Abdulrahman’s favorite stone, while his ring is adorned with a ruby, her favorite.

Lamia shared her side of the story, saying: “I was working on the circuit as an architect, passionate about cars, and I always made it a point to showcase our culture and historical heritage to the Formula 1 community through the renowned Saudi hospitality.”

She noted that Abdulrahman, even before converting to Islam, had shown a deep interest in Islamic culture and architecture. During his time in Saudi Arabia, he was struck by the architectural similarities between traditional houses in Jeddah’s historic district and Andalusian design.

“He saw something of Andalusia in Jeddah’s old homes, in their mashrabiyas and warm spirit, despite the difference in language,” Lamia said. With her background in architecture, she helped him appreciate the details of Islamic design and its aesthetic depth.

Lamia also described her own experience visiting Spain, her husband’s homeland: “I felt at home, among my own people - only the language was different.”

As for the man behind the ring’s inspiration, renowned British designer Richard Fox revealed to Asharq Al-Awsat the philosophy behind his trophy designs. Fox has been crafting the Formula 1 World Championship trophies for nearly four decades and has designed all Saudi Arabian Grand Prix trophies since the inaugural race in 2021.

Fox explained that his designs aim to reflect Saudi Arabia’s rich cultural identity. The top of the Saudi Grand Prix trophy features a pink-gold palm tree, symbolizing the Kingdom. Below it are six columns plated inside and out, representing a dialogue between the past and the future, and vice versa.

The upper section of the trophy features design elements inspired by traditional Jeddah mashrabiyas. The trophy’s silhouette draws from a mosque in Riyadh designed by the late Iraqi architect Zaha Hadid, while its base includes a silver dome engraved with the golden palm-and-crossed-swords emblem of Saudi Arabia.

Around the dome are intricate traditional patterns from various regions of the Kingdom, modeled after the royal carpet. The base of the trophy represents the championship platform, and the trophy itself stands nearly three-quarters of a meter tall.

Through a blend of heritage, symbolism, and personal meaning, the ring designed for Abdulrahman and Lamia stands as a testament to how love, motorsport, and culture can intertwine in the most unexpected ways, ultimately forming a bond that transcends borders.