Malinin wins Skate Canada for North American Grand Prix double / Photo: © AFP
Malinin wins Skate Canada for North American Grand Prix double
World Champion Ilia Malinin grabbed his second Grand Prix title in as many weeks on Sunday, capturing gold at Skate Canada by more than 40 points on the heels of his third straight Skate America triumph.
The self-styled "Quad god" completed four quadruple jumps in another scintillating free skate on Sunday in which he gave fans in Halifax, Nova Scotia a look at the new back flip added to his routine this season after the International Skating Union lifted it's ban on the dangerous move.
He downgraded one planned quad to a triple, but that was barely a blip in a smooth skate that garnered 195.60 points for a total of 301.82.
Japan's Shun Sato was a distant second on 261.16.
Sato, second after the short programme, claimed silver despite a string of errors that included two falls in the free skate, in which he finished fourth on 164.84 points
South Korea's Cha Jun-hwan, the 2023 world silver medallist, moved up from fourth to third with free skate that featured two quad jumps and earned 171.93 points for a total of 260.31.
Japan's Sota Yamamoto, the defending Skate Canada champion, was fourth.
Malinin, 19, became the first man since Alexei Yagudin in 1999 to win both Skate America and Skate Canada -- the only time a men's skater has won the opening two Grand Prix events of a season.
His victories mean he is qualified for the Grand Prix Final in December.
Later Sunday, Canada's Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier, the 2024 world ice dance silver medallists, took the lead into the free dance seeking a fifth consecutive Skate Canada crown.
The six-event ISU Grand Prix series continues next month in France, Japan, Finland and China leading to the Grand Prix Final in December at Grenoble, France.
(M.LaRue--LPdF)
