Osmond leads after women’s short program in France
After winning at Skate Canada three weeks ago, Kaetlyn Osmond continued her fine form by taking the lead in the women’s short at the Internationaux de France on Friday.
Skating to Sous le ciel de Paris, the 21-year-old Canadian from Marystown, N.L., scored 69.05 points heading into Saturday’s free skate.
Russian Maria Sotskova, who was second behind Osmond three weeks ago in Regina, Saskatchewan, followed with 67.79. Japan’s Yuna Shiraiwa scored 66.05 to place third.
Vying for a second win this season on the circuit, Osmond landed a triple flip-double toe and a triple Lutz, but the combination was shaky and she put her hand down on the Lutz. She recovered to complete a double Axel as well as level-four spins and footwork.
”Definitely there were a few things in my program I’m not too excited about,“said the world championship silver medallist. ”I wish I would have done the combo and Lutz better, but overall I pushed through my whole program and I’m happy about where I am.”
Russians Evgenia Tarasova and Vladimir Morozov topped the pairs’ short program with 77.84 points, leading from French pair Vanessa James and Morgan Cipres (73.18) and Italians Nicole Della Monica and Matteo Guarise (70.65).
This is the fifth of six Grand Prix series culminating in the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final in Nagoya, Japan, next month - the last competition featuring the world’s top skaters before the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea.
Lubov Ilyushechkina and Dylan Moscovitch of Toronto were in fourth spot with 66.36.
Meanwhile, two-time world champions Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron of France are on course to break their world record after a personal best in the ice dance short program. A technically assured and typically fluent Samba, Rhumba, Samba program saw them score 81.40 points heading into Saturday’s free dance.
Two-time world medallists Madison Chock and Evan Bates of the United States followed them onto the ice with an upbeat Salsa, Rhumba, Samba program that drew warm applause from the French crowd at the Polesud rink in Grenoble.
Chock and Bates, who were second in Beijing, recorded a personal best short score of 73.55 to move into second place.
Alexandra Stepanova and Ivan Bukin of Russia are third but way behind the leaders on 70.02.
Kaitlyn Weaver and Andrew Poje of Waterloo, Ont., were fifth after the short dance less than two points from third place.
The last Grand Prix event is Skate America at Lake Placid next week.