American Amber Glenn continued her stunning season with a victory at the Grand Prix Final in Grenoble, France, on Saturday, December 7. The 25-year-old, who led after the short program, held on with a solid free skate to earn the biggest win of her career.
Glenn became the first American woman to win the GP Final title since Alissa Czisny in 2010. The Texas native's total score in first place was 212.07 points.
Mone Chiba finished second with 208.85, while three-time world champion Kaori Sakamoto was third at 201.13.
Wakaba Higuchi moved up from sixth after the short program to place fourth on 195.96. Hana Yoshida came in fifth at 194.02, while Rino Matsuike was sixth with 189.02.
Glenn skated to "I Will Find You The Return" and opened with a big triple axel and landed six clean triples on the way to the triumph. She earned level fours on two of her spins and a level three on her step sequence.
"It still feels not real for me," Glenn stated. "I won my first international gold this season in Bergamo (at the Lombardia Trophy in Italy) and now sitting here is incredible."
Added Glenn, "I didn't feel my best being here. I am not super excited with this skate. It was not really a performance and more a demonstration of skills today. I hope to build on that.
"In the past I struggled a lot with consistency and I am working on that," Glenn continued. "Before I went on the ice today I told myself, 'You are here, I made it here, just do it!' "
A Strong Grand Prix Final for Chiba
Chiba competed to "Ariana Concerto No. 1" and looked like she might pull out the victory, but she was judged a quarter rotation short on a triple loop and had two other edge calls. Her skating skills were sublime and brought her level fours on all of her spins and step sequence.
"I still don't feel the reality of the silver medal," Chiba commented. "Strongly feel that I got second place because of my performance in my free skate. I hope to have a performance of no mistakes at the nationals."
Added Chiba, "I was able to fix where I fell on my loop back in the [2024] world championships, so I see that as a big improvement for this time. When I feel nervous about under-rotations, I end up not being able to go full in for a jump."
Under-Rotations Impact Sakamoto's Point Total
Sakamoto, who was fourth after the short program, gave a sassy performance to "All That Jazz" but had three different under-rotations on jumps. She did hit four clean triples and recorded level fours on two of her spins and step sequence, but the damage was done.
"First of all, I'm relieved," Sakamoto said. "There weren't any big mistakes today. I could always rely on thinking ‘whatever happens, happens' and I didn't have that in the short program, but for the free skate, I'm satisfied.
"It was important not to lose my concentration. I could act with composure today, which made me feel at ease as well."
For Higuchi, an Opportunity to Prepare for Nationals
Higuchi landed five clean triples in her skate to "Nature Boy" and "Running Up That Hill" but doubled a planned triple salchow and had an edge call on a triple flip.
"The salchow wasn't good, but I was able to perform calmly, there wasn't any error on rotation," Higuchi noted. "I was very tired at the end of my performance but I think my practice paid off, and I could perform with confidence and calm. I regret the mistake on the salchow, but I think it was good training for Japanese nationals (December 19-22)."
Yoshida Maintains Focus Despite Jump Issues
Yoshida had multiple jump issues in her performance to "S.O.S. d'un Terrien en Detresse." She was a quarter rotation short on two jumps and had three different edge calls.
"I made a big mistake during my program but I could focus on my performance afterward," Yoshida stated. "The triple axel wasn't good for me. The other elements were OK. I felt a similar pressure compared to the world championships. Overall I am satisfied with the score I got today."
Matsuike Plagued by Shaky Jumps
Matsuike also endured a tough outing to "Lux Aeterna" with three jumps a quarter rotation short, another under-rotated and two edge calls.
"My jumps weren't very stable, I regret that, that's why my score today wasn't satisfying," Matsuike commented. "I did my best and I decided not to regret this. In the short program I wasn't very worried, but today I was under big pressure and couldn't control my emotions. That's something I have to work on in the future."
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Author: Jack Gallagher
The author is a veteran sports journalist and one of the world's foremost figure skating experts. Find articles and podcasts by Jack on his author page, and find him on X (formerly Twitter) @sportsjapan.
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