World pairs champions Deanna Stellato-Dudek and Maxime Deschamps of Canada won the Finnish Grand Prix and joined a host of figure skaters to qualify for December’s Grand Prix final.
Stellato-Dudek and Deschamps achieved their second Grand Prix victory this season and secured their place in the Final, the first event of the season where all the world’s top skaters come together.
Stellato-Dudek, a 41-year-old who was retired from figure skating for 15 years, and Deschamps totaled 207.44 points between two programs in Finland.
After the best short program of a season, Stellato-Dudek fell after a spin from landing a triple Lutz in the free skate. They rank fourth in the world in terms of best overall score this season.
FIGURE SKATING: Broadcast schedule
The Grand Prix Final takes the top six per discipline over the regular Grand Prix season of six events. Finland marked the fifth event. The best skaters in the world are split into two events each during the regular season.
American pairs champions Ellie Kam and Danny O’Shea, who were not in the Finnish field, have now secured their top spot in the Grand Prix Final after finishing second and third in previous events. They became the fourth American duo to qualify for the Grand Prix Final in the past fifteen editions.
The US could have skaters in all four disciplines compete in the Finals for the third time since its inception in 1996 if Amber Glenn can clinch her spot at the Cup of China next weekend. She will certainly finish in the top three after winning the French Grand Prix.
In ice dancing at the Finnish Grand Prix, Britain’s Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson claimed their second Grand Prix victory this season by overtaking three-time world medalists Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier of Canada in the free dance.
Angst and Gibson prevailed 203.22 to 200.79 after Poirier fell during Sunday’s free dance during a concussion.
The Americans Madison Chock and Evan Bates, the two-time reigning world champion, previously qualified for the Final. They have the highest total score in the world this season of 215.95.
Another American couple, Christina Carreira and Anthony Ponomarenko, will qualify for their first final if they finish in the top two of the Cup of China.
Figure Skating Grand Prix Finland 2024 Results
Couples
1. Deanna Stellato-Dudek/Maxime Deschamps (CAN) — 207.44
2. Maria Pavlova/Alexei Sviatchenko (HUN) — 184.21
3. Rebecca Ghilardi/Filippo Ambrosini (ITA) – 181.59
4. Kelly Ann Laurin/Loucas Ethier (CAN) – 178.57
5. Emily Chan/Spencer Howe (USA) – 174.40
6. Yuna Nagaoka/Sumitada Moriguchi (JPN) — 171.80
7. Milania Vaananen/Filippo Clerci (FIN) — 160.73
8. Naomi Williams/Lachlan Lewer (USA) – 153.34
Ice dance
1. Lilah Fear/Lewis Gibson (GBR) — 203.22
2. Piper Gilles/Paul Poirier (CAN) — 200.79
3. Juulia Turkkila/Matthias Versluis (FIN) — 196.60
4. Natalie Taschlerova/Filip Taschler (CZE) – 190.43
5. Emilea Zingas/Vadym Kolesnik (USA) – 189.48
6. Yuka Orihara/Juho Pirinen (FIN) – 183.64
7. Eva Pate/Logan Bye (USA) – 180.35
8. Oona Brown/Gage Brown (USA) — 176.57
9. Hannah Lim/Ye Quan (KOR) – 175.36
10. Mariia Pinchuk/Mykyta Pogorielov (UKR) – 134.34
Figure Skating Qualifying Rankings 2024 ISU Grand Prix
These are the Grand Prix Final qualifying standings with one event remaining in the six-event Grand Prix Series regular season. The skaters’ two results over the course of the series determine the rankings: first place in an event is 15 points, second place is 13 points, and third place is 11 points on a descending scale of three points for eighth place in singles and five points for sixth place in pairs and ice dance. Daring skaters have already achieved a place in the Final.
Women
1. Kaori Sakamoto (JPN) – 30 points
2. Wakaba Higuchi (JPN) — 28
3. Hana Yoshida (JPN) — 26
4. Rino Matsuike (JPN) — 26
5. Lara Naki Gutmann (ITA) — 16
6. Sarah Everhardt (USA) — 16
Top contenders in the Cup of China field: Amber Glenn (USA – 15 points), Mone Chiba (JPN – 13 points), Rinka Watanabe (JPN – 13 points), Rion Sumiyoshi (JPN – 11 points)
Gentlemen
1. Ilia Malinin (USA) – 30
2. Yuma Kagiyama (JPN) — 30
3. Kevin Aymoz (FRA) — 26
4. Daniel Grassl (ITA) — 24
5. Andrew Torgashev (USA) — 20
6. Koshiro Shimada (JPN) – 18
Top contenders in the Cup of China field: Adam Siao Him Fa (FRA – 15 points), Shun Sato (JPN – 13 points)
Couples
1. Deanna Stellato-Dudek/Maxime Deschamps (CAN) — 30
2. Riku Miura/Ryuichi Kihara (JPN) — 28
3. Anastasiia Metelkina/Luka Berulava (GEO) — 24
4. Ellie Kam/Danny O’Shea (USA) — 24
5. Rebecca Ghilardi/Filippo Ambrosini (ITA) — 22
6. Maria Pavlova/Alexei Sviatchenko (HUN) — 20
Top candidates in the Cup of China field: Minerva Fabienne Hase/Nikita Volodin (GER – 15 points), Sara Conti/Niccolo Macii (ITA – 13 points)
Ice dance
1. Lilah Fear/Lewis Gibson (GBR) — 30
2. Madison Chock/Evan Bates (USA) — 28
3. Piper Gilles/Paul Poirier (CAN) — 28
4. Evgenia Lopareva/Geoffrey Brissaud (FRA) — 26
5. Allison Reed/Saulius Ambrulevicius (LTU) — 20
6. Natalie Taschlerova/Filip Taschler (CZE) — 18
Top contenders in the Cup of China field: Marjorie Lajoie/Zachary Lagha (CAN – 13 points), Christina Carreira/Anthony Ponomarenko (USA – 13 points), Charlene Guignard/Marco Fabbri (ITA – 13 points)
Deanna Stellato-Dudek, a 39-year-old pairs figure skater for Canada, is competing in the world championships after retiring.