Javier Fernandez falls twice, still wins Grand Prix France (video)

By Nick ZaccardiNov 18, 2017, 4:54 PM EST

Javier Fernandez and Shoma Uno are Olympic medal contenders, but neither looked like it Saturday night.

Both skaters fell twice in their free skates at Grand Prix France and had more errors on jump landings.

Fernandez got the victory — thanks to a 13.94-point lead after Friday’s short program — bouncing back from a disastrous sixth-place finish at a Grand Prix two weeks ago.

The two-time world champion from Spain reportedly had a stomach bug at that opener.

Uno, the world silver medalist from Japan, had the highest-scoring free skate Saturday, but it was 35.57 points off the best score in the world this season that he owns.

Uno finished 10.39 behind Fernandez, with Uzbekistan’s Misha Ge in third.

GP FRANCE: Full Results

Americans Max Aaron and Vincent Zhou were seventh and ninth, respectively, after struggling with jumps.

Zhou, the U.S. silver medalist and world junior champion, fell four times between two programs, two weeks after falling three times at his senior Grand Prix debut.

Neither Aaron nor Zhou helped his case for the three-man Olympic team that will be named after nationals in January.

Nathan Chen is a runaway favorite to claim an Olympic spot. Past U.S. champions Jason Brown and Adam Rippon are also in the mix with Aaron and Zhou.

Uno joined Russian Mikhail Kolyada as the first two qualifiers for December’s six-skater Grand Prix Final, the biggest competition before the Olympics. Uno owns the two best total scores in the world this season, and the only scores above 300 points (though he managed much fewer, 273.32, in France).

Chen, who ranks No. 2 in the world behind Uno, will make his second Grand Prix Final if he finishes fourth or better at next week’s Skate America.

Incredibly, it looks like every active skater who owns a world title (and an individual Olympic medal) will not be at the Grand Prix Final.

Japanese Yuzuru Hanyu is out with an ankle injury. Canadian Patrick Chan skipped his second Grand Prix after he was fourth at Skate Canada. Fernandez needs some disasters from top skaters at Skate America to have a shot.

Brown and Rippon could both make the Grand Prix Final along with Chen depending on how Skate America shakes out.

OlympicTalk is on Apple News. Favorite us!

MORE: Figure skating season broadcast schedule

Follow @nzaccardi

Internationaux de France
Men
1. Javier Fernandez (ESP) — 283.71
2. Shoma Uno (JPN) — 273.32
3. Misha Ge (UZB) — 258.34
7. Max Aaron (USA) — 237.20
9. Vincent Zhou (USA) — 222.21

View this post on Instagram

Thank you. #idf2017 #wegetup

A post shared by Vincent Zhou (@govincentzhou) on Nov 18, 2017 at 3:49pm PST

Kaori Sakamoto leads figure skating worlds; U.S. in medal mix in women’s, pairs’ events

By OlympicTalkMar 22, 2023, 9:03 AM EDT

Getty

Defending champion Kaori Sakamoto of Japan topped the women’s short program at the world figure skating championships, while Americans are in the medal mix in the women’s and pairs’ events going into the free skates.

Sakamoto, trying to become the first Japanese skater to win back-to-back world titles, tallied 79.24 points, taking a significant 5.62-point lead over South Korean Lee Hae-In going into Friday’s free skate in Saitama, Japan. It’s the largest lead after a women’s short program at worlds since 2015.

“Usually, when I go into my short program, there’s some uncertainties and anxiety,” Sakamoto, who skated clean with a triple flip-triple toe loop combination, said through a translator. “But today I was doing very well in practice, and I wasn’t making any mistakes. So I knew that I could just put everything out there, and that’s exactly what I was able to do.”

U.S. champion Isabeau Levito is in fourth (just 59 hundredths out of second), one year after winning the world junior title. Levito, 16, can become the youngest world medalist since 2014.

“I am really happy with my score,” said Levito, who had a negative grade of execution on her triple Lutz-triple toe combination but still had her best score of the season. “Based on this performance, I’m very excited for the long program.”

Fellow Americans Bradie Tennell and Amber Glenn are eighth and 10th, respectively, about in line with their world rankings. The top two American finishes after the free skate must add up to no more than 13 (sixth and seventh, for example) to avoid dropping down to two spots for next year’s worlds.

FIGURE SKATING WORLDS: Results | Broadcast Schedule

Earlier, Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara won the pairs’ short program, distancing defending champions Alexa Knierim and Brandon Frazier of the U.S., who placed second despite Frazier’s fall on their side-by-side triple toe loops.

Miura and Kihara, the world’s top-ranked pair this season, can become the first Japanese pair to win a world title, a year after taking silver behind Knierim and Frazier.

Knierim and Frazier, who will likely retire after this season, are trying to become the first U.S. pair to win multiple world titles. They’re skating without their primary coaches, Jenni Meno and Todd Sand, who didn’t travel after Sand had a heart attack three weeks ago.

“Todd’s condition is very serious, so it’s difficult to train when you feel broken inside, when your person is not there,” Knierim said. “However, that person is the one that instilled fight in us, so we’re able to work hard every day to make him proud, and I think we did a good job of that today.”

In fourth place are Canadians Deanna Stellato-Dudek and Maxime Deschamps. Stellato-Dudek, the 2000 World junior silver medalist in singles, came out of a 15-year retirement in 2016 and can become, at 39, the oldest world championships medalist in recent memory.

Worlds continue Wednesday night (U.S. time) with the pairs’ free skate, followed Thursday morning with the men’s short program, live on Peacock and USA Network.

OlympicTalk is on Apple News. Favorite us!

Follow @nbcolympictalk

2023 World Figure Skating Championships TV, live stream schedule

By OlympicTalkMar 22, 2023, 8:55 AM EDT

The world figure skating championships from Saitama, Japan, air live on USA Network and Peacock this week.

The U.S. has medal contenders in all four disciplines, one year after winning a medal in all four events for the first time since 1967 (note Russia’s ban, and China sent no skaters).

In the pairs’ event that starts Tuesday night (U.S. time), Alexa Knierim and Brandon Frazier can become the first U.S. duo to win multiple world titles, one year after becoming the first American pair to take gold since 1979.

They rank second in the world this season behind Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara, last year’s silver medalists who look to earn Japan’s first pairs’ world title.

Japan has the world’s top two women’s singles skaters in reigning world champion Kaori Sakamoto and Grand Prix Final winner Mai Mihara.

Isabeau Levito, a 16-year-old American who won last year’s world junior title, ranks fourth in the field by best score this season. She can become the youngest world medalist since 2014.

Ilia Malinin, an 18-year-old American who this season became the first skater to land a quadruple Axel, is seeded second in the men’s field behind Shoma Uno, the reigning world champion from Japan.

In ice dance, Americans Madison Chock and Evan Bates posted the world’s top score this season at last month’s Four Continents Championships in Colorado Springs. After 12 seasons together, their goal is to win their first world title after silver in 2015, bronze in 2016 and bronze in 2022.

OlympicTalk is on Apple News. Favorite us!

Follow @nbcolympictalk

2023 World Figure Skating Championships Broadcast Schedule

Day	Competition	Time (ET)	Network
Tuesday	Pairs’ Short	10 p.m.-2 a.m.	Peacock \| LIVE STREAM \| Skate Order
Wednesday	Women’s Short	2:45-8 a.m.	Peacock \| LIVE STREAM \| Skate Order
	Women’s Short	6-8 a.m.	USA \| LIVE STREAM \| Peacock
	Pairs’ Free	10 p.m.-2 a.m.	Peacock \| LIVE STREAM \| Skate Order
Thursday	Men’s Short	2:45-8 a.m.	Peacock \| LIVE STREAM \| Skate Order
	Men’s Short	6-8 a.m.	USA \| LIVE STREAM \| Peacock
	Pairs’ Free	8-10 a.m.*	USA \| STREAM LINK
	Rhythm Dance	10 p.m.-3:30 a.m.	Peacock \| LIVE STREAM
Friday	Women’s Free	4:15-8:30 a.m.	Peacock \| LIVE STREAM \| Skate Order
	Women’s Free	6:30-8:30 a.m.	USA \| LIVE STREAM \| Peacock
	Free Dance	11:30 p.m.-3 a.m.	Peacock \| LIVE STREAM
Saturday	Men’s Free	4:15-8:30 a.m.	Peacock \| LIVE STREAM
	Men’s Free	6:30-8:30 a.m.	USA \| LIVE STREAM \| Peacock
	Highlights	8-10 p.m.*	NBC \| STREAM LINK

*Delayed broadcast.

More: Olympics

More: Olympics