Ilia Malinin (USA) jumps to lead in Skate America Men’s Short Program

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To the delight of the home crowd, 2023 ISU World bronze medalist Ilia Malinin (USA) is on track to defend his Skate America title after taking the lead in the Men’s Short Program with a confident performance in Allen, Texas (USA) on Friday. Kevin Aymoz of France stands in second place while Japan’s Shun Sato came third. 

Malinin turned into a Flamenco dancer and put out a crisp performance to “Malaguena”, opening with an effortless quad toeloop and following up with a quad Lutz-triple toe and triple Axel. The U.S. Champion picked up a level four for his spins and footwork to post a seasons best of 104.06 points. 

Malinin performed a Flamenco-inspired routine at Skate America 2023 in Allen, USA © ISU

“The skate I had today was one of the best all my career so far. I was so into the music and the performance that I was not aware of what was going around me. I was able to notice that towards the end of the program everyone in the audience was going nuts, and it was just such a good feeling to see how I performed so well,” the 18-year-old shared. 

“I think one of the big things was this season I tried to find music that was really something out of my zone and something that I wasn’t really comfortable with and just something that I wouldn’t expect to be skating to.

“I was really trying to go all out this season with the artistry and creativity. I really found some interesting piece of music that doesn’t usually fit the style that I skate to and I tried to adapt and learn with Shae-Lynn Bourne (choreographer).”

Malinin scored a season’s best 104.06 in the Short Program at Skate America 2023 in Allen, USA © ISU

Performing to “Bird Gerhl”, Aymoz nailed a quad toe-triple toe combination, triple Axel and triple Lutz and shone as well in his footwork and spins. The Frenchman set a seasons best with 97.34 points. 

Kevin Ayoz’s emotional performance earned second place in the Short Program at Skate America 2023 in Allen, USA © ISU

“I am really happy with my performance today. I was confused and upset with myself in the training this morning. I had time to think today and attacked the competition,” Aymoz explained.

“This program is really meaningful, there’s a story behind it and I love to skate and share emotions.”

Sato landed a quad toe-triple toe and triple Axel, but stepped out of his quad flip. Nevertheless, the 2022 ISU Grand Prix Finalist for the first time cracked the 90-point barrier, scoring 91.61 points. 

Shun Sato in action on Day 1 of Skate America 2023 in Allen, USA © ISU

“Obviously I was happy with my jumps but more than that I was really happy that I was able to get the level fours on all of my spins and the steps,” Sato noted. “So I will do the same tomorrow and focus on the spins and steps.”

Nozomu Yoshioka (JPN), who is competing in his first senior-level Grand Prix, came fourth with a clean performance on 87.44 points. Nika Egadze (GEO) sits in fifth (85.76 points) while Deniss Vasiljevs (LAT) came sixth on 75.84 points.

Nozomu Yoshioka finished fourth in the Short Program on his Grand Prix debut at Skate America 2023 in Allen, USA © ISU

The ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Series consists of six events: Skate America, Skate Canada International, Grand Prix de France, Cup of China, the Grand Prix Espoo (FIN) and NHK Trophy (JPN). Skaters collect points to qualify for the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final 2023/24 in Beijing (CHN). 

The General Announcement of the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Series is available here on the ISU website. The individual announcements are published on the ISU Event section under each dedicated Grand Prix event (filter with the relevant Event Series).

For full entry lists and further information regarding the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Series please visit here.

All Media Accreditation details and deadlines for the Grand Prix of Figure Skating Series can be found here.

Where to Watch

The ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating events will be live streamed on the official ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating YouTube Channel in most countries. Find out Where to watch the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating competitions.

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ISU Grand Prix Schedule

The schedules of each ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating events are available below:

20 – 22 Oct, 2023          Skate America, Allen, Texas (USA)

27 – 29 Oct, 2023         Skate Canada International, Vancouver (CAN)

3 – 5 Nov, 2023             Grand Prix de France, Angers (FRA)

10 – 12 Nov, 2023         Grand Prix Cup of China, Chongqing (CHN)

17 – 19 Nov, 2023         Grand Prix Espoo, Espoo (FIN)

24 – 26 Nov, 2023         NHK Trophy, Osaka (JPN)

7 – 10 Dec, 2023           Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final, Beijing (CHN)

About ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating

The ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Series started in 1995 (previously known a s the ISU Champions Series) and consists of six invitational international senior events and the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final. The top six of the past World Championships are seeded. Competitors collect points in their events towards the qualification for the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final. Only the top six Skaters / Couples in each discipline qualify for the Final.