GRAND PRIX GOLD SIGNIFIES WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP INTENTIONS FOR ILIA MALININ

Ilia Malinin of the USA won the Figure Skating Grand Prix Final, solidifying his lead in the March world championship.

With a cumulative score of 314.66 points, the 19-year-old defeated Japan’s Shoma Uno by a margin of 17.32 points to win gold in Beijing. While Japan’s Kaori Sakamoto won the women’s singles, Madison Chock and Evan Bates continued the American success in the ice dance competition.

Ilia Malinin of the USA won the Beijing Grand Prix Final, solidifying his lead for the March global championship.
The 19-year-old aggregated the top six finishers from the Grand Prix series in each discipline to win gold in the renowned event with a total score of 314.66 points.

Shoma Uno of Japan was able to maintain her silver medal position with a 17.32-point margin thanks to Malinin’s performance.

The youngster attempted to emulate Nathan Chen, the last American man to win the Grand Prix singles championship, by landing five quads during the free skate after falling on a quad Axel.
Siao Him Fa, who has won two Grand Prix in a row, commends mental tenacity.
With Madison Chock and Evan Bates winning gold in the ice dance, there was even more American glory.
Among the few major championships that had escaped the duo was the Grand Prix, which they won with a world-leading total of 221.61, better than that of Charlene Guignard and Marco Fabbri of Italy.
On their sixth try, they achieved their first-ever triumph in the Grand Prix final.
Japan’s double world champion Kaori Sakamoto won her first Grand Slam in the women’s singles.