France’s Kevin Aymoz snatched the men’s title at Skate America on Saturday, winning his first grand prix title with a battling free skate, while short program leader Kazuki Tomono faltered.
It was an emotional triumph for Aymoz, who made his grand prix level debut in 2017, with seven prior podium finishes, but no gold.
He had struggled with a painful foot injury since a disappointing 10th-place finish at Skate Canada last month.
Photo: Getty Images via AFP
“It was so difficult,” the 28-year-old said. “After Skate Canada I wanted to give up so much and today I’m here and it’s so beautiful to be with my friends competing ... it’s so beautiful.”
Aymoz scored 159.97 points for a rousing free skate to Ravel’s Bolero that delighted the crowd in Lake Placid, New York.
He won with a total of 253.53 points.
He had to fight to hang on to the landing of his opening quadruple jump and added one more quadruple and two triple axels to depart the ice beaming.
World silver medalist Mikhail Shaidorov, third after the short program, topped the free skate with a score of 161.42 despite two falls and claimed silver with 251.09 points.
Tomono, who led by more than two points after the short program, fell on two quadruple jumps and fluffed the landing of a triple axel. His score of 149.80 put him in eighth place in the free skate, but that was still enough for bronze with a total of 245.57 points.
It would be a blow for a skater trying to land one of Japan’s three men’s Olympic team berths for the Milan-Cortina Winter Games in February.
Japan topped the podium earlier on Saturday as reigning world champions Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara won the pairs title as short program leaders Anastasiia Metelkina and Luka Berulava endured a disastrous free skate.
Miura and Kihara, whose world title in Boston in March was their second, claimed their second grand prix gold of the season and punched their ticket to the Grand Prix Final in Nagoya, Japan, next month.
The Japanese duo were not perfect, struggling notably on their side-by-side jumps.
However, their sophisticated components and composure were enough to earn the top free skate score of 141.57 for a total of 215.99 points.
“We made a major mistake yesterday in the short and that did make it hard for me just mentally for the free program,” Miura said. “We did end up making a small mistake [in the free], but I’m still very proud of us for achieving scores in the 140s.”
Georgia’s Metelkina and Berulava delivered a mistake-strewn free skate featuring a fall by her, a botched jump landing by him and the complete failure of one planned lift.
Their fourth-place free skate score of 116.90 was still enough to give them silver with 195.73 points and with their Cup of China crown they, too, are qualified for the Grand Prix Final.
Canadians Kelly Ann Laurin and Loucas Ethier, second in the free skate with 121.85 points, took bronze with a total of 182.87.
Japan’s Rinka Watanabe grabbed a narrow lead in the women’s competition, edging reigning world champion Alysa Liu of the US in the short program.
Watanabe garnered 74.35 points for a program that included a sparkling triple axel.
Liu earned 73.73 points for an elegant program in which an under-rotation on her triple lutz-triple loop combination cost her precious fractions.
Liu, who claimed her surprise world title in March after taking a two-year break from the sport, is seeking a first grand prix title.
Veteran US ice dancers Madison Chock and Evan Bates topped the opening rhythm dance with a total of 84.77 points to position themselves for a record-equaling fifth Skate America title.
Chock and Bates, who won Skate America titles in 2014, 2015, 2022 and 2023, built a 7.35-point lead over Canadians Marjorie LaJoie and Zachary Lagha.
Manchester United on Tuesday confirmed Michael Carrick as interim manager until the end of the season, tasking him with leading the Red Devils back into the UEFA Champions League. “Having the responsibility to lead Manchester United is an honor,” said Carrick, 44, who won 12 major trophies in his 12-year playing career at United. The former midfielder previously had an unbeaten three-game stint as caretaker boss at Old Trafford in 2021. Carrick then took on his first permanent managerial role at second-tier Middlesbrough in October 2022 and was sacked in June last year after the club finished 10th in the
MARRED FINAL: As most of Senegalese players walked off the pitch after a controversial decision, some supporters threw objects and attempted to get onto the pitch Senegal on Sunday won the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) as Pape Gueye’s extra-time winner sunk hosts Morocco 1-0 after a chaotic final that saw the eventual champions storm off the pitch late in the game. Brahim Diaz could have won the trophy for Morocco with a controversial spot-kick in the 24th minute of added time at the end of normal time as ugly scenes broke out in the stands. However, Senegal goalkeeper Edouard Mendy easily saved the weak attempted “Panenka” chip by the Real Madrid winger, who was clearly distracted by the long delay that followed the penalty award.
James Harden on Friday scored 31 points and came up big in overtime to help the Los Angeles Clippers erase a double-digit deficit on the way to a 121-117 NBA victory over the Toronto Raptors. Harden scored 16 points in the fourth quarter and overtime as the Clippers pushed their wining steak to five games despite the absence of star Kawhi Leonard with a sprained right ankle. The Clippers trailed by 11 entering the fourth quarter, but Harden drilled a pair of free-throws with 1:24 left in regulation to tie it and after misses from both teams, they went to
Dallas Mavericks rookie Cooper Flagg on Wednesday was ruled out for the second half of their 118-109 loss to the Denver Nuggets after the No. 1 pick sprained his left ankle in the first half. Flagg was called for a foul while defending against Peyton Watson and turned the ankle as he fell to the floor with 6 minutes, 1 second left in the second quarter. Flagg limped to the bench and continued to the locker room, but returned for the final 2 minutes, 35 seconds before the break. The 19-year-old did not come out for the second half before the announcement that
RSS