Nakai shocks Sakamoto to win Grand Prix de France | The Express Tribune

FRANCE:

Japanese teenager Ami Nakai shocked teammate and big favourite Kaori Sakamoto to win her first title at the Grand Prix de France on Saturday as Japan swept the women’s podium.

Nakai, 17, competing in her first season on the senior circuit, extended her lead from Friday’s short programme to seal victory with her free skate to Lexi Walker’s ‘What a Wonderful World’.

Despite a hand on the ice on her triple Axel jump, Nakai scored a combined 227.08 points for her two routines, putting her 2.85 points ahead of three-time world champion Sakamoto.

“I came here aiming for a podium, so when I saw the score and realised I was first, my brain froze and stopped working and then the tears came flowing,” Nakai said.

“My coach was sitting beside me and patted my back and then I realised everything that was going on.”

Sakamoto, 25, suffered her first defeat on the Grand Prix circuit in two seasons.

The Olympic bronze medallist, who will retire next year, collected 224.23 points after her second programme, skated to a cover of Edith Piaf by Patricia Kaas.

“I am not going to leave it at this, and I plan to get better and better throughout the season,” said Sakamoto.

Rion Sumiyoshi (216.06) was third ahead of American Isabeau Levito, who dropped to fourth.

Japan’s reigning world pairs champions Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara also sealed gold, posting 139.71 points in their free skate after winning Friday’s short programme.

They won by 21.49 points overall from Canadian duo Deanna Stellato-Dudek and Maxime Deschamps, who managed 123.40 points in their free.

Hungary’s Maria Pavlova and Alexei Sviatchenko, who both previously competed for Russia, settled for bronze.

British ice dancers spice it up

Two-time world champion Ilia Malinin took a commanding lead after the men’s short programme, scoring 105.22 points.

The American leads by 9.55 points ahead of Georgia’s Nika Egadze going into Sunday’s free skate, with Japan’s Kao Miura in third place.

“I think I can improve a lot of things, the quality of the jumps, the steps and the pirouettes, so that everything is more precise,” said Malinin.

France’s Adam Siao Him Fa, targeting a fourth victory at the event, paid for falling on his first jump and is in fifth spot.

Earlier, British ice dancers Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson’s ‘Spice Girls’ routine proved a big hit as they led after the rhythm dance section.

The world bronze medallists scored 84.38 points to open up a 3.4-point lead on Lithuanians Allison Reed and Saulius Ambrulevicius going into Sunday’s free skate final.

“We really worked hard on the technical side this season,” Fear said.

“But then for us, it’s always perform, perform, perform. It’s what we love to do the most and it’s our strength. We wanted to amplify that.”

Reigning Olympic ice dance champion Guillaume Cizeron and partner Laurence Fournier Beaudry, a Canadian who now represents France, are in third position with 78.00 points.

Olympic champion in 2022 alongside Gabriella Papadakis, Cizeron returned this season with Fournier Beaudry as his new partner with their sights on the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics in less than four months’ time.