French figure skater Kevin Aymoz secured the men’s title at Skate Canada on Saturday, claiming his second Grand Prix victory after a strong free skate performance in Montreal. Aymoz, 29, entered the free skate as the short program runner-up but capitalized on errors made by the initial leader, Japan’s Rio Nakata, who faltered in the free skate.
Aymoz posted a free skate score of 168.17 points, overcoming issues with his opening quadruple toe loop and triple Axel to finish with a total of 258.43 points. Nakata, the 18-year-old two-time defending world junior champion making his senior Grand Prix debut, had led after the short program but dropped to second overall after placing fourth in the free skate with 249.25 points. The Japanese skater doubled two of his three planned quadruple jumps, which limited his score and final standing.
Finishing closely behind in third place was Estonia’s Mihhail Selevko, who won the free skate segment and ended with a total score of 248.66 points. Aymoz’s victory marks his second Grand Prix title, following his first win at Skate America last year, which came eight years after his Grand Prix debut.
In the pairs competition, Canadian duo Lia Pereira and Trennt Michaud captured gold with a combined score of 202.17 points. The pair led after the short program and maintained their top position with a strong free skate performance. American pair Alisa Efimova and Misha Mitrofanov secured second place with 191.90 points, while Swiss team Oxana Vouillamoz and Tom Bouvart took third with 183.12 points.
Meanwhile, in the women’s short program held earlier on Saturday, Japan’s Mao Shimada, who celebrated her 18th birthday on Friday, delivered a commanding performance to lead the field with 82.11 points. Shimada, a four-time Junior Grand Prix Final and World Junior Championships winner, made an impactful entry into the senior Grand Prix circuit by landing a triple Axel. She finished ahead of the United States’ Isabeau Levito, the 2024 world silver medalist, who scored 78.50 points.
The Skate Canada event continues to showcase rising talents entering senior competition alongside established veterans, reflecting a highly competitive international field as the Grand Prix series progresses.