Photo credit Getty Images
By Troy Schwindt
Reigning ISU Grand Prix Final champions Ilia Malinin and Madison Chock and Evan Bates took big steps in defending their titles with dominant performances on day two of the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final 2024 in Grenoble, France.
Ellie Kam and Danny O’Shea, the 2024 U.S. pairs champions, wrapped up their first Grand Prix Final by placing fifth in the free skate and fifth overall. At the coinciding Junior Grand Prix Final, Jacob Sanchez, the top-seeded man, sits in second place after the short program.
The reigning World champion, Malinin came through once again with a short program to “RUNNING” by NF that included two quads and a pair of Level 4 spins. His score of 105.43 is nearly 12 points more than the second-place skater.
“I felt confident going out on the ice,” Malinin, who wore a different costume than earlier in the season, said. “I was able to be 100 percent focused in that performance. I was able to even, at the end, let everything go and just let the crowd take the wave.”
Malinin, who after winning the Grand Prix Final last year has not lost in the 2024 calendar year, noted that his biggest improvement lies with his increased confidence.
“I’m able to be in that zone and be focused and ready to deliver the program,” he said. “Also, the artistry has increased a lot and the creativeness of how I put the program together. I think it has a little deeper meaning than just skating to the music.”
Two-time and reigning World champions Chock and Bates posted the top rhythm dance score in the world this season with 87.83 points for their performance to popular, upbeat 50s, 60s and 70s songs.
Chock and Bates lead the field by 4.61 points heading into Saturday’s free dance.
The Montreal-based team cut loose to tracks from such iconic tunes like “Rock Around the Clock,” “Y.M.C.A” and “Stayin’ Alive.” They achieved the event’s top technical and program component scores, tallying more than 12 points on two elements. No other team reached 12 points on a single element.
“We had great energy and a great chemistry between the two of us,” Chock said. “As we always do, but especially in competition, it’s fun to keep that light-hearted, fun energy, especially when we are dancing through the decades and really wanting to showcase all of these dances that bring so much life out of people because they are social dances.”
Chock and Bates’ routine included event-best presentation and composition scores of 9.57 each and a skating skills score of 9.46.
The team has put in a lot of work this season to make the program shine, including doing considerable research on the different musical genres and making sure they stay true and authentic with the performance, Bates said.
“We’ve been tinkering with different music cuts and so I feel this is our season-best and best performance,” Bates said. “It feels like the experimentation we’ve been going through is paying off.”
The veteran team, which currently has five total Grand Prix Final medals on their resume, would tie for most ice dance medals all-time at the Grand Prix Final with a podium finish on Saturday.
Kam and O’Shea delivered a solid free skate to “Stand by Me” by Florence & the Machine, producing an overall score of 198.26 and a segment score of 129.35. They finished fifth.
“We are so happy,” O’Shea said. “It was a great program. The throws were exactly as we’ve practiced, so it’s nice to put those out in the performance and let the world see what we know we can do.”
The reigning U.S. champions tried a three-jump combination for the first time with mixed results.
“It was a little bit off, but a good program overall,” O’Shea said.
From France, Kam and O’Shea will travel to Montreal to work on some choreography with Marie-France Dubreuil before performing later in the month in local holiday shows.
“We just want to keep trusting ourselves and the process,” O’Shea said. “Today was a good step in the right direction.”
In the junior men’s event, Sanchez earned 79.24 points in his Junior Grand Prix debut and sits a close second (.15 points from the lead) after the short program.
The New York native, skating to a John Miles medley, received Level 4s for two spins at the end of his program. His triple Lutz-triple toe loop generated a program-best 11.28 points.
“I’m really happy with the way I did,” Sanchez said. “My goal coming here was to embrace the experience – just come here and skate and show everyone what I can do.”
Sanchez, who is friends with World champion Ilia Malinin, said watching the seniors practice and compete this week has been valuable to his growth as a skater.
“As I start to transition from junior to senior, being able to be a spectator with all the senior skaters has been great,” he said. “I’m taking in what they are doing and incorporating those things into my own skating.”
Sanchez, the 2023 U.S. junior silver medalist, finished first at both of his Junior Grand Prix Series events to qualify for the Junior Grand Prix Final.
Saturday’s final day of action includes the senior women’s and men’s free skates, the senior free dance and the junior men’s and pairs free skate.
For full results at the Grand Prix Final, as well as watch information, Team USA bios and more, visit the Grand Prix Final Competition Central on the U.S. Figure Skating Fan Zone.
