HELSINKI, Finland (AP) — Yuma Kagiyama skated what he thought might be his “worst program” of the season but still won the Finlandia Trophy figure skating Grand Prix on Saturday, securing his place at next month’s Grand Prix Final.
The Olympic silver medalist from Japan had a big lead from Friday’s short program. He needed it. Kagiyama bailed out of his opening quadruple flip and had to put a foot down to steady himself on the landing of his second quad jump.
Kagiyama credited the crowd with helping him stabilize the skate, landing two more quads and finishing with a total score of 263.09 to win by less than four points from France’s Kevin Aymoz, who had been nearly 19 adrift following the short program.
“More than the feeling of being happy, I have regrets of how I skated in the free skate and I think it may have been the worst program that I’ve done this season,” Kagiyama said through an interpreter. “I regret not having been able to bring my best to you all here today.”
Kagiyama joins Ilia Malinin of the United States on two Grand Prix wins this season. Kagiyama won his titles back-to-back a week apart on opposite sides of the world after victory at the NHK Trophy in Japan last week.
Aymoz picked up his fourth career Grand Prix silver medal and second of this season — he has yet to win a gold in the series — after some problems of his own. Aymoz fell on his opening quad toeloop but recovered for a total 259.15, narrowly beating Italy’s Daniel Grassl on 258.55.
Grassl had been sixth in the short program and rose to a podium place in the free skate for the second week running after improving from fifth to second at the NHK Trophy.
The 2023 world championship silver medalist Cha Jun-hwan of South Korea withdrew from the event overnight with an unspecified injury after placing seventh in the short program.
The women’s free skate and the rhythm dance of the ice dance event are both later Saturday.
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