Canadian figure skaters Kelly Ann Laurin and Loucas Éthier secured the bronze medal in the pairs competition at Skate America in Lake Placid, New York. The duo accumulated a total score of 182.87, with a notable 121.58 points in the free skating segment, landing them in third place.
This marks Laurin and Éthier’s second bronze medal at Skate America, following their third-place finish in the 2022 event with a score of 156.94. Japan’s Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara clinched the gold medal with 215.99 points, while Anastasiia Metelkina and Luka Berulava from Georgia claimed silver with a score of 195.73.
Miura and Kihara dominated the free skating segment on Saturday, earning 141.57 points, securing their top position on the podium. Despite leading after the short program, Metelkina and Berulava slipped to fourth place in the free skating competition.
In the men’s category, Kevin Aymoz of France celebrated his first Grand Prix victory after a challenging journey. Aymoz, a six-time French champion, finally clinched gold after numerous silver medals at Grand Prix events. His stellar performance in the free skate helped him surpass Kazakhstan’s Mikhail Shaidorov and Japan’s Kazuki Tomono.
Aymoz finished with 253.53 points, outperforming Shaidorov who earned 251.09 points for silver, and Tomono who settled for bronze with 245.57 points. The competition sets the stage for the upcoming Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy.
In the ice dance discipline, Madison Chock and Evan Bates from the United States thrilled the audience with their rhythm dance performance, inspired by Lenny Kravitz. The reigning world champions achieved 84.77 points, establishing a comfortable lead over the Canadian duo of Marjorie Lajoie and Zachary Lagha as they head into the free dance program.
Chock and Bates are vying for their 22nd Grand Prix medal, aiming for Olympic gold in February. Meanwhile, Lajoie and Lagha hold a slight lead over the French pair of Evgeniia Lopareva and Geoffrey Brissaud in the battle for the silver medal.
The women’s event commenced with Rinka Watanabe of Japan leading after the short program, scoring 74.35 points. Watanabe’s captivating performance, featuring music from “Moulin Rouge!” and “Moana 2,” positioned her ahead of reigning world champion Alysa Liu from the United States.
The women’s competition remains closely contested, with Liu trailing closely behind Watanabe after scoring 73.73 points. The battle for the bronze medal is intense, with Lara Naki Gutmann, Anastasiia Gubanova, and Kim Chae-yeon all in contention.
The outcomes of the ice dance and women’s competitions at Skate America are set to unfold on the final day, promising more thrilling performances and competitive showdowns.