Kagiyama Wins Finlandia Trophy, Secures Grand Prix Spot

Yuma Kagiyama of Japan secured his place at the Grand Prix Final in December by winning the Finlandia Trophy, despite considering his performance the worst of the season, with a total score of 263.09 points, narrowly beating France’s Kevin Aymoz. Kagiyama's victory follows his win at the NHK Trophy, marking consecutive Grand Prix wins and setting up a potential showdown with world champion Ilia Malinin. In the short program, Kagiyama took an early lead with a score of 103.97, aided by a strong performance of a quadruple salchow and a quad toeloop-triple toeloop combination. The Finlandia Trophy is the fifth of six events in the Grand Prix series, which determines the top skaters for the Grand Prix Final, scheduled in Grenoble, France. The women's competition saw Japan's Hana Yoshida leading after the short program, with notable performances by Italian skater Lara Naki Gutmann and Sarah Everhardt of the United States.