2025–26 Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final

The 2025–26 Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final is a figure skating competition sanctioned by the International Skating Union (ISU), and was organized and hosted by the Japan Skating Federation. It was the culminating event of the 2025–26 Grand Prix of Figure Skating series. It was held from December 4 to 7 at the Aichi International Arena in Nagoya, Japan. Medals were awarded in men's singles, women's singles, pair skating, and ice dance. Skaters had earned points based on their results at qualifying competitions during the season, and the top six skaters or teams in each discipline were then invited to compete at the Grand Prix Final. Ilia Malinin and Alysa Liu of the United States won the men's and women's events, respectively. Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara of Japan won the pairs event, and Madison Chock and Evan Bates of the United States won the ice dance event.

The competition was held concurrently with the 2025–26 Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final, the culminating event of the 2025–26 Junior Grand Prix series. Seo Min-kyu of South Korea won the junior men's event, Mao Shimada of Japan won the junior women's event, Guo Rui and Zhang Yiwen of China won the junior pairs event, and Hana Maria Aboian and Daniil Veselukhin of the United States won the junior ice dance event.

The ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating is a series of seven events sanctioned by the International Skating Union (ISU) and held during the autumn: six qualifying events and the Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final. This allows skaters to perfect their programs earlier in the season, as well as compete against the skaters whom they would later encounter at the World Championships. Skaters earn points based on their results in their respective competitions and the top skaters or teams in each discipline are invited to compete at the Grand Prix Final.^[1]

The ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating (JGP) was established by the ISU in 1997 and consists of a series of seven international figure skating competitions exclusively for junior-level skaters. While all seven competitions feature the men's, women's, and ice dance events, only four competitions each season feature the pairs event.^[9]

The 2025–26 Grand Prix and Junior Grand Prix Finals were held from December 4 to 7 at the Aichi International Arena in Nagoya, Japan.^[17]

The top six skaters or teams in each discipline were determined based on the results of the six qualifying Grand Prix competitions.^[1]

The top six skaters or teams in each discipline were determined based on the results of the seven qualifying Junior Grand Prix competitions.^[9]

Men and women competing in single skating first performed a short program. Junior men and women performed their short programs on Thursday, December 4. Senior men competing in single skating performed their short programs on Thursday, December 4, while senior women performed theirs on Friday, December 5.^[17] Lasting no more than 2 minutes 40 seconds,^[26] the short program had to include the following elements:

For junior men: one double or triple Axel; one double or triple loop; one jump combination consisting of a double jump and a triple jump or two triple jumps; one flying sit spin; one camel spin with a change of foot; one spin combination with a change of foot; and a step sequence using the full ice surface.^[27]

For senior men: one double or triple Axel; one triple or quadruple jump; one jump combination consisting of a double jump and a triple jump, two triple jumps, or a quadruple jump and a double jump or triple jump; one flying spin; one camel spin or sit spin with a change of foot; one spin combination with a change of foot; and a step sequence using the full ice surface.^[28]

For junior women: one double Axel; one double or triple loop; one jump combination consisting of two double jumps, one double jump and one triple jump, or two triple jumps; one flying sit spin; one layback spin, sideways leaning spin, or camel spin without a change of foot; one spin combination with a change of foot; and one step sequence using the full ice surface.^[29]

For senior women: one double or triple Axel; one triple jump; one jump combination consisting of a double jump and a triple jump, or two triple jumps; one flying spin; one layback spin, sideways leaning spin, camel spin, or sit spin without a change of foot; one spin combination with a change of foot; and one step sequence using the full ice surface.^[28]

Men and women in single skating finished their competition with the free skating segment. Junior men and women performed their free skates on Friday, December 5, while senior men and women performed theirs on Saturday, December 6.^[17] The free skate performance for junior skaters could last no more than 3 minutes 30 seconds, while that for senior skaters could last no more than 4 minutes,^[26] and had to include the following:

For junior men and women: seven jump elements, of which one had to be an Axel-type jump; three spins, of which one had to be a spin combination, one had to be a flying spin, and one had to be a spin with only one position; and a choreographic sequence.^[30]

For senior men and women: seven jump elements, of which one had to be an Axel-type jump; three spins, of which one had to be a spin combination, one had to be a flying spin, and one had to be a spin with only one position; a step sequence; and a choreographic sequence.^[31]

Couples competing in pair skating also first performed a short program. Junior and senior pair teams performed their short programs on Thursday, December 4.^[17] Lasting no more than 2 minutes 40 seconds,^[26] the short program had to include the following elements:

For junior couples: one pair lift, one double or triple twist lift, one double or triple toe loop or flip/Lutz throw jump, one double loop or double Axel solo jump, one solo spin combination with a change of foot, one death spiral, and a step sequence using the full ice surface.^[32]

For senior couples: one pair lift, one double or triple twist lift, one double or triple throw jump, one double or triple solo jump, one solo spin combination with a change of foot, one death spiral, and a step sequence using the full ice surface.^[32]

Senior couples performed their free skates on Friday, December 5, while junior couples performed theirs on Saturday, December 6.^[17] The free skate performance for junior couples could last no more than 3 minutes 30 seconds, while that for senior couples could last no more than 4 minutes,^[26] and had to include the following:

For junior couples: two pair lifts, one twist lift, two different throw jumps, one solo jump, one jump combination or sequence, one pair spin combination, one death spiral, and a choreographic sequence.^[33]

For senior couples: three pair lifts, one twist lift, two different throw jumps, one solo jump, one jump combination or sequence, one pair spin combination, one death spiral, and a choreographic sequence.^[33]

Couples competing in ice dance first performed a rhythm dance. Senior couples competing in ice dance performed their rhythm dances on Thursday, December 4, while junior couples performed theirs on Friday, December 5.^[17] Lasting no more than 2 minutes 50 seconds,^[26] the theme of the rhythm dance this season was "music, dance styles, and feeling of the 1990s". Examples of applicable dance styles and music included, but were not limited to: pop, Latin, house, techno, hip-hop, and grunge.^[34] The rhythm dance had to include the following elements:

For junior couples: one sequence of the rhumba followed immediately by one sequence of the quickstep; one dance lift; one set of sequential twizzles; and one step sequence while not touching.^[34]

For senior couples: one pattern dance step sequence, one choreographic rhythm sequence, one dance lift, one set of sequential twizzles, and one step sequence while not touching.^[34]

All couples performed their free dances on Saturday, December 6.^[17] The free dance could last no longer than 3 minutes 30 seconds for juniors, or 4 minutes for seniors,^[26] and had to include the following:

For junior couples: two dance lifts or one combination lift, one dance spin, one set of synchronized twizzles, one step sequence in hold, one turns sequence while on one skate and not touching, and two choreographic elements.^[34]

For senior couples: three dance lifts or one dance lift and one combination lift, one dance spin, one set of synchronized twizzles, one step sequence in hold, one turns sequence while on one skate and not touching, and three choreographic elements.^[34]

All of the technical elements in any figure skating performance – such as jumps and spins – were assigned a predetermined base value and then scored by a panel of nine judges on a scale from –5 to 5 based on their quality of execution.^[35] Every Grade of Execution (GOE) from –5 to 5 is assigned a value (a percentage of the element's base value) as shown on the Scale of Values (SOV).^[36] For example, a triple Axel was worth a base value of 8.00 points, and a GOE of 3 was worth 2.40 points, so a triple Axel with a GOE of 3 earned 10.40 points.^[37] The judging panel's GOE for each element was determined by calculating the trimmed mean (the average after discarding the highest and lowest scores). The panel's scores for all elements were added together to generate a total elements score.^[36] At the same time, the judges evaluated each performance based on three program components – skating skills, presentation, and composition – and assigned a score from 0.25 to 10 in 0.25-point increments.^[38] The judging panel's final score for each program component was also determined by calculating the trimmed mean. Those scores were then multiplied by the factor shown on the following chart; the results were added together to generate a total program component score.^[39]

Deductions were applied for certain violations like time infractions, stops and restarts, or falls.^[41] The total elements score and total program component score were added together, minus any deductions, to generate a final performance score for each skater.^[42]

The following new record high score was set during this event.

Ilia Malinin of the United States made an uncharacteristic error and finished in third place after the short program. Malinin attempted a quadruple Axel-triple toe loop jump combination. "I just wanted to try this [combination] out," Malinin said afterward. “It was the first time in a competition and it didn’t work out, so I had to just continue with the program."^[46] This allowed Yuma Kagiyama of Japan to finish in first place, while Shun Sato, also of Japan, finished second. Kagiyama set a new season-best score in the short program, successfully performing a quadruple toe loop-triple toe loop combination, a quadruple Salchow, and a triple Axel. "I went in with the mindset that I am the best and it really helped," Kagiyama said. "It felt like the Beijing Olympics."^[46] Kagiyama won the silver medal at the 2022 Winter Olympics.^[46]

Malinin rebounded in the free skate, setting a new world record and becoming the first skater to successfully perform seven quadruple jumps in competition. He performed all six figure skating jumps – toe loop, Salchow, loop, flip, Lutz, and Axel – plus an extra Lutz, as quadruples; both Lutzes and the Salchow were in combination and in the second half of his routine.^[47] His free skate score of 238.24 was a new world record; the previous record was set by Malinin one month earlier at the 2025 Skate Canada International.^[48] "I’m really satisfied with my performance and I know that I’m able to get these jumps under pressure and now that I’m able to figure that out, I can add a lot more to the program to really make it one piece," Malinin stated afterward.^[47] His total score was nearly thirty points higher than silver medalist Yuma Kagiyama of Japan.^[47] Figure skating commentator Philip Hersh described Malinin thusly: "Everyone should revel in watching a generational talent, one who is taking full advantage of the way the sport is scored and judged today, one who has leapt past presumed athletic barriers. Malinin is sui generis, one of a kind."^[48]

Alysa Liu of the United States set a new season best score to win the women's event. There was less than two points separating Liu from Ami Nakai of Japan, who finished in second place. Kaori Sakamoto, also of Japan, rallied back from a fifth place finish in the short program, scoring the highest free skate of the evening to ultimately finish in third place. Mone Chiba, also of Japan, had been in first place after the short program, but ultimately finished in fifth place after numerous errors in her free skate. "I’m still not sure of how I feel at the moment but today I felt weak like I never have before," Chiba stated afterward. "This is the worst humiliation I’ve felt all season. I betrayed myself and that’s incredibly disappointing and sad."^[50]

Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara finished in first place, narrowly beating out Sara Conti and Niccolò Macii of Italy, and Minerva Fabienne Hase and Nikita Volodin of Germany, who finished second and third, respectively. Kihara is from the Nagoya area, which he said helped give him and Miura an emotional boost. "We wouldn’t have been able to finish the skate the way we did without the crowd getting behind us," Miura said. "We owe it to those who have supported us from the beginning of our partnership."^[52] Conti and Macii scored new personal bests in both the short program and free skate, successfully landing all of their jumps while landing in second place.^[52] Hase and Volodin, the reigning Grand Prix Final champions, had an error-ridden short program, which left them in fifth place, but rallied back to finish first in the free skate, ultimately finishing the competition in third place. "We were hoping the whole season for a free program like that," Hase explained. "Today was the first time everyone saw our intention and I think we can still do better in a lot of things, but it was a great start."^[52]

In their first match-up with Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron of France, Madison Chock and Evan Bates emerged victorious, setting new season best scores in both the rhythm dance and free dance in the process. However, Fournier Beaudry and Cizeron received two deductions during their free dance, initially leaving them six points behind Chock and Bates.^[54] It was the first time the two teams had competed against each other this season.^[54] Cizeron had competed for years with Gabriella Papadakis, winning five World Championship titles and the gold medals at the 2022 Winter Olympics before they ended their partnership in December 2024.^[55] Fournier Beaudry had competed for Canada with Nikolaj Sørensen before Sørensen received a six-year suspension from competitive skating in October 2024. Fournier Beaudry and Cizeron announced their new partnership in March 2025 with a stated goal of competing at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan.^[56] Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson of Great Britain finished in third place.^[54] She and Gibson had been in fourth place behind Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier of Canada after the rhythm dance, separated by less than one point, but were able to make up the difference during the free dance to ultimately finish third.^[54]

Seo Min-kyu became the first men's singles skater from South Korean to win a gold medal at the Junior Grand Prix Final. He defeated Rio Nakata of Japan, who had been in the lead after the short program. Seo set new personal best scores in both the free skate and overall total. Lucius Kazanecki of the United States finished in third place.^[58]

Mao Shimada of Japan won a record fourth Junior Grand Prix title, scoring nearly twenty points higher than silver medalist, Kim Yu-jae of South Korea. This was Shimada's last competition at the junior level; next year, she will compete at the senior level.^[60]

Guo Rui and Zhang Yiwen of China won the competition, while Zhang Xuanqi and Feng Wenqiang, also of China, finished in second place. Ava Kemp and Yohnatan Elizarov of Canada finished in third place despite a fourth-place finish in the free skate. "We’re disappointed with our free skate today... Still, we made it onto the podium, so it’s encouraging to win the bronze medal,” Kemp stated afterward.^[62] Jazmine Desrochers and Kieran Thrasher, also of Canada, finished in fourth place.^[62]

Hana Maria Aboian and Daniil Veselukhin of the United States finished in first place, Ambre Perrier Gianesini and Samuel Blanc Klaperman of France finished in second place, and Iryna Pidgaina and Artem Koval of Ukraine finished in third.^[62]

• "Special Regulations & Technical Rules – Single & Pair Skating and Ice Dance 2024" (PDF). International Skating Union. Archived (PDF) from the original on June 3, 2025. Retrieved August 15, 2025.

• 2025 Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final at International Skating Union