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2025 Grand Prix de France

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2025 Grand Prix de France
Logo of the Grand Prix de France
Type:Grand Prix
Date:17 – 19 October
Season:2025–26
Location:Angers, France
Host:French Federation of Ice Sports
Venue:Angers IceParc
Champions
Men's singles:
United States Ilia Malinin
Women's singles:
Japan Ami Nakai
Pairs:
Japan Riku Miura
and Ryuichi Kihara
Ice dance:
France Laurence Fournier Beaudry
and Guillaume Cizeron
Navigation
Previous:
2024 Grand Prix de France
Next:
2026 Grand Prix de France
Next Grand Prix:
2025 Cup of China

The 2025 Grand Prix de France is a figure skating competition sanctioned by the International Skating Union (ISU). Organized and hosted by the French Federation of Ice Sports (French: Fédération française des sports de glace), it was the first event of the 2025–26 Grand Prix of Figure Skating: a senior-level international invitational competition series. It was held from 17 to 19 October at the Angers IceParc in Angers.[1] Medals were awarded in men's singles, women's singles, pair skating, and ice dance. Skaters earned points based on their results, and the top skaters or teams in each discipline at the end of the season will be invited to then compete at the 2025 Grand Prix Final in Nagoya, Japan. Ilia Malinin of the United States won the men's event, Ami Nakai of Japan won the women's event, Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara of Japan won the pairs event, and Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron of France won the ice dance event.

Background

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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 same skaters whom they would later encounter at the World Championships. Skaters earn points based on their results at their respective competitions and after the six qualifying events, the top skaters or teams in each discipline are invited to compete at the Grand Prix Final.[2] The Grand Prix de France debuted in 1987,[3] and when the ISU launched the Grand Prix series in 1995, the Grand Prix de France was one of the original qualifying events.[4] It has been a Grand Prix event every year since, except for 2020, when it was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[5] The Grand Prix de France has been held in Angers since 2022.[6]

Changes to preliminary assignments

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The International Skating Union published the initial list of entrants on 6 June 2025.[7]

Discipline Withdrew Added Notes Ref.
Date Skater(s) Date Skater(s)
Men — 30 July
  • France
 Host picks [8]
Women
Pairs
Women 2 September [9]
Pairs
Ice dance
Pairs 29 September 29 September — [10][11]
Women 7 October 9 October Medical reasons (Petrõkina) [12][13]

Required performance elements

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Single skating

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Men competing in single skating performed their short programs on Saturday, 18 October, while women performed theirs on Friday, 17 October.[1] Lasting no more than 2 minutes 40 seconds,[14] the short program had to include the following elements:

For 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.[15]

For 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.[15]

Women performed their free skates on Saturday, 18 October, while men performed theirs on Sunday, 19 October.[1] The free skate performance for both men and women could last no more than 4 minutes,[14] and had to include the following: 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.[16]

Pairs

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Couples competing in pair skating performed their short programs on Friday, 17 October.[1] Lasting no more than 2 minutes 40 seconds,[14] the short program had to include the following elements: 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.[17]

Couples performed their free skates on Saturday, 18 October.[1] The free skate performance could last no more than 4 minutes,[14] and had to include the following: three pair lifts, of which one has to be a 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.[18]

Ice dance

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See also: Competition elements in ice dance

Couples competing in ice dance performed their rhythm dances on Saturday, 18 October.[1] Lasting no more than 2 minutes 50 seconds,[14] 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.[19] The rhythm dance had to include the following elements: one pattern dance step sequence, one choreographic rhythm sequence, one dance lift, one set of sequential twizzles, and one step sequence.[19]

Couples then performed their free dances on Sunday, 19 October.[1] The free dance performance could last no longer than 4 minutes,[14] and had to include the following: three dance lifts, one dance spin, one set of synchronized twizzles, one step sequence in hold, one step sequence while on one skate and not touching, and three choreographic elements.[19]

Judging

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See also: ISU Judging System

For the 2025–26 season, all of the technical elements in any figure skating performance – such as jumps and spins – were assigned a predetermined base point value and were then scored by a panel of seven or nine judges on a scale from -5 to 5 based on their quality of execution.[20] The judging panel's Grade of Execution (GOE) was determined by calculating the trimmed mean (that is, an average after deleting the highest and lowest scores), and this GOE was added to the base value to come up with the final score for each element. The panel's scores for all elements were added together to generate a total element score.[21] At the same time, judges evaluated each performance based on three program components – skating skills, presentation, and composition – and assigned a score from .25 to 10 in .25 point increments.[22] 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.[23]

Program component factoring[24]
Discipline Short program
or Rhythm dance 		Free skate
or Free dance
Men 1.67 3.33
Women 1.33 2.67
Pairs 1.33 2.67
Ice dance 1.33 2.00

Deductions were applied for certain violations like time infractions, stops and restarts, or falls.[25] The total element score and total program component score were added together, minus any deductions, to generate a final performance score for each skater or team.[26]

Medal summary

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Ilia Malinin at the 2024 World Championships
Ami Nakai at the 2024 Grand Prix Final
Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara at the 2024 World Championships
The 2025 Grand Prix de France champions: Ilia Malinin of the United States (men's singles); Ami Nakai of Japan (women's singles); and Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara of Japan (pair skating)
Not pictured: Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron of France (ice dance)
Medalists[27]
Discipline Gold Silver Bronze
Men United States Ilia Malinin France Adam Siao Him Fa Georgia (country) Nika Egadze
Women Japan Ami Nakai Japan Kaori Sakamoto Japan Rion Sumiyoshi
Pairs
Ice dance

Results

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Men's singles

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Ilia Malinin of the United States won the men's event overwhelmingly, defeating second-place finisher Adam Siao Him Fa of France by a margin of over forty points. The last time that Malinin had been defeated in competition was by Siao Him Fa at the 2023 Grand Prix de France; he had not lost a competition since.[28] Malinin took a commanding lead after his short program, which included a quadruple Lutz-triple toe loop jump combination and his signature backflip.[29] Malinin's free skate featured a quadruple flip, triple Axel, and quadruple Lutz, among other elements. "One of the things that I have done differently this year than all the other years was not to worry about being at my best shape so early on," Malinin said afterward. "This year I’m really able to understand how much I need to do in order for me to be one hundred percent that I want to be for the Olympics.”[28] Nika Egadze of Georgia won the bronze medal; it was Egadze's first Grand Prix medal.[28] Maxim Naumov placed ninth in what was his first Grand Prix competition since his parents died in the crash of American Airlines Flight 5342.[29]

Men's results[30]
Rank Skater Nation Total points SP FS
1st place, gold medalist(s) Ilia Malinin  United States 321.00 1 105.22 1 215.78
2nd place, silver medalist(s) Adam Siao Him Fa  France 280.95 5 84.87 2 196.08
3rd place, bronze medalist(s) Nika Egadze  Georgia 259.41 2 95.67 4 163.74
4 Lukas Britschgi  Switzerland 249.04 7 78.68 3 170.36
5 François Pitot  France 233.98 8 78.50 6 155.48
6 Andrew Torgashev  United States 233.36 12 71.52 5 161.84
7 Tatsuya Tsuboi  Japan 232.78 4 87.04 9 145.74
8 Mihhail Selevko  Estonia 232.17 6 80.17 7 152.00
9 Maxim Naumov  United States 226.74 9 75.27 8 151.47
10 Kao Miura  Japan 209.57 3 87.25 12 122.32
11 Luc Economides  France 208.86 10 75.20 10 133.66
12 Gabriele Frangipani  Italy 197.99 11 71.81 11 126.18

Women's singles

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It was a Japanese sweep of the women's podium at the Grand Prix de France. Ami Nakai, in her first season on the senior skating circuit, won the women's event, defeating her teammate and skating idol, Kaori Sakamoto. "I came here aiming for a podium, so when I saw the score and realized I was first, my brain froze and stopped working and then the tears came flowing," Nakai said afterward.[31] Sakamoto finished in second place; it was her first defeat at a Grand Prix event in two seasons. "I am not going to leave it at this, and I plan to get better and better throughout the season," Sakamoto stated afterward.[31] Rion Sumiyoshi won the bronze medal.[31]

Women's results[32]
Rank Skater Nation Total points SP FS
1st place, gold medalist(s) Ami Nakai  Japan 227.08 1 78.00 1 149.08
2nd place, silver medalist(s) Kaori Sakamoto  Japan 224.23 2 76.20 2 148.03
3rd place, bronze medalist(s) Rion Sumiyoshi  Japan 216.06 4 71.03 3 145.03
4 Isabeau Levito  United States 212.71 3 73.37 4 139.34
5 Lorine Schild  France 189.31 5 62.45 5 126.86
6 Kim Chae-yeon  South Korea 187.59 6 62.24 6 125.35
7 Shin Ji-a  South Korea 182.33 8 59.23 7 123.10
8 Elyce Lin-Gracey  United States 172.07 7 59.30 9 112.77
9 You Young  South Korea 171.82 10 54.40 8 117.42
10 Léa Serna  France 164.79 9 57.06 10 107.73
11 Clémence Mayindu  France 136.91 11 48.05 12 88.86
12 Livia Kaiser  Switzerland 134.83 12 42.30 11 92.53

Pairs

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Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara of Japan won the pairs event by a margin of over twenty points. "In the last competition [the 2025 Kinoshita Group Cup], in the second half of the program, we had two mistakes so we tried coming into this event to completely erase those mistakes. Today, we were able to land those two elements cleanly, so we are very happy about that," Miura said afterward.[33] Deanna Stellato-Dudek and Maxime Deschamps of Canada finished in second place, while Maria Pavlova and Alexei Sviatchenko of Hungary finished third.[34]

Stellato-Dudek and Deschamps performed an assisted backflip during their short program.[35] Stellato-Dudek performed the actual backflip with an assist from Deschamps, who pulled up one of her skates. Stellato-Dudek, who cited Surya Bonaly of France as an inspiration, became the first woman to perform the backflip since it became a legal element in figure skating in 2024.[36] Bonaly had performed a backflip at the 1998 Winter Olympics when it was an illegal maneuver, for which she received a point deduction.[37] An error on their opening twist lift in their free skate – Stellato-Dudek clipped Deschamps' boot with her toepick – disrupted their momentum, leading to a series of small errors on their next few elements. Deschamps stated afterward: "For every athlete, missing the first element, especially when it’s a solid one, it’s always hard. The first one usually is the element that gives you the mood for a program, gives you the rhythm and everything, and to not have it is more difficult."[33]

Pairs results[38]
Rank Team Nation Total points SP FS
1st place, gold medalist(s)  Japan 219.15 1 79.44 1 139.71
2nd place, silver medalist(s)  Canada 197.66 2 74.26 2 123.40
3rd place, bronze medalist(s)  Hungary 192.76 3 70.15 3 122.61
4  United States 178.08 4 63.31 4 114.77
5  United States 173.30 5 61.79 5 111.51
6  France 160.62 6 59.00 6 101.62
7  France 148.10 7 54.09 7 94.01
8  France 139.21 8 50.41 8 88.80

Ice dance

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Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron of France, who had been in third place after the rhythm dance, rallied back in the free dance to win the ice dance event. Their 133.02 score in the free dance was also the fourth highest score ever in the free dance. "We're really happy with the performance and the feeling that we had today," Cizeron stated afterward. "It's the kind of performance that we train and live for... It felt amazing remembering how much we love competing and doing this first competition together."[39] 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.[40] Cizeron had also previously won six Grand Prix de France titles with Papadakis.[39] Fournier Beaudry had competed for Canada with Nikolaj Sørensen before Sørensen received a six-year suspension from competitive skating for sexual misconduct 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.[41]

Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson of Great Britain had been in the lead after the rhythm dance, but finished in second place. "It’s nice to win, but we’re also just so proud of that performance," Fear said afterward. "Having that added layer of a crowd that is so supportive and wants to be entertained; it’s just such a joy and something that we love more than anything in the world, so we’re really holding on to that feeling and also definitely fired up for the next Grand Prix.”[39] Allison Reed and Saulius Ambrulevičius of Lithuania finished in third place.[39]

Ice dance results[42]
Rank Skater Nation Total points RD FD
1st place, gold medalist(s)  France 211.02 3 78.00 1 133.02
2nd place, silver medalist(s)  Great Britain 210.24 1 84.38 2 125.86
3rd place, bronze medalist(s)  Lithuania 201.05 2 80.98 3 120.07
4  Italy 195.98 5 77.25 4 118.73
5  Georgia 194.27 4 77.80 5 116.47
6  Canada 186.49 6 73.75 6 112.74
7  United States 178.68 7 71.32 8 107.36
8  United States 172.80 9 65.09 7 107.71
9  France 171.80 8 68.08 9 103.21
10  France 148.92 10 56.92 10 92.00

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g "Grand Prix de France – Announcement" (PDF). International Skating Union. Archived (PDF) from the original on 30 September 2025. Retrieved 17 October 2025.
  2. ^ Hines, James R. (2006). Figure Skating: A History. University of Illinois Press. pp. 246–247, 332–335. ISBN 978-0-252-07286-4.
  3. ^ Berlot, Jean-Christophe (January 1988). "Grand Prix de Paris" (PDF). Skating. Vol. 65, no. 1. pp. 14–15. ISSN 0037-6132. Archived (PDF) from the original on 15 December 2024. Retrieved 20 April 2025.
  4. ^ "Lucrative Grand Prix gets green light" (PDF). Skating. Vol. 72, no. 8. August 1995. p. 8. ISSN 0037-6132. Archived (PDF) from the original on 25 April 2025. Retrieved 20 April 2025.
  5. ^ "Grand Prix of France figure skating event canceled due to coronavirus". Olympic Channel. 20 October 2020. Archived from the original on 22 March 2021. Retrieved 18 April 2025.
  6. ^ "2022 GP de France". Skating Scores. Archived from the original on 5 February 2024. Retrieved 18 April 2025.
  7. ^ "ISU announces 2025–2026 Grand Prix assignments". Figure Skaters Online. 6 June 2025. Archived from the original on 15 June 2025. Retrieved 6 June 2025.
  8. ^ @AnythingGOE (30 July 2025). "🇫🇷 Francois Pitot, Lea Serna, and Camille Kovalev/Pavel Kovalev have been assigned to Grand Prix de France" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  9. ^ @AnythingGOE (2 September 2025). "🇫🇷 Clemence Mayindu, Megan Wessenberg/Denys Strekalin, Celina Fradji/Jean-Hans Fourneaux, and Natacha Lagouge/Arnaud Caffa have been assigned host picks at Grand Prix de France" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  10. ^ @AnythingGOE (29 September 2025). "🇦🇺 Anastasia Golubeva/Hektor Giotopoulos Moore have withdrawn from Grand Prix de France America" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  11. ^ @AnythingGOE (29 September 2025). "🇺🇸 Katie McBeath/Daniil Parkman have been assigned to Grand Prix de France America" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  12. ^ @AnythingGOE (7 October 2025). "🇵🇱 Ioulia Chtchetnina/Michal Wozniak have been assigned to Skate Canada" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  13. ^ @AnythingGOE (9 October 2025). "🇰🇷 Jia Shin has been assigned to Grand Prix de France" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  14. ^ a b c d e f International Skating Union 2024, p. 82.
  15. ^ a b International Skating Union 2024, p. 106.
  16. ^ International Skating Union 2024, pp. 110–111.
  17. ^ International Skating Union 2024, p. 119.
  18. ^ International Skating Union 2024, p. 122.
  19. ^ a b c "Communication No. 2704: Ice Dance Requirements for Technical Rules, Season 2025/26" (PDF). U.S. Figure Skating. International Skating Union. 8 August 2025. Archived (PDF) from the original on 20 September 2025. Retrieved 31 August 2025.
  20. ^ International Skating Union 2024, pp. 83–84.
  21. ^ International Skating Union 2024, pp. 15–16.
  22. ^ International Skating Union 2024, pp. 84–85.
  23. ^ International Skating Union 2024, pp. 16–17.
  24. ^ International Skating Union 2024, p. 17.
  25. ^ International Skating Union 2024, pp. 18–19.
  26. ^ International Skating Union 2024, p. 20.
  27. ^ "2025 GP de France". Skating Scores. Archived from the original on 19 October 2025. Retrieved 19 October 2025.
  28. ^ a b c Smirnova, Lena (19 October 2025). "Grand Prix de France 2025: Ilia Malinin roars to men's title with impressive 40-point lead". Olympics.com. Archived from the original on 19 October 2025. Retrieved 19 October 2025.
  29. ^ a b "Malinin leads, Nakai wins at Grand Prix de France". ESPN. Associated Press. 18 October 2025. Archived from the original on 19 October 2025. Retrieved 19 October 2025.
  30. ^ "2024 GP de France – Mens Final Results". Skating Scores. Archived from the original on 19 October 2025. Retrieved 19 October 2025.
  31. ^ a b c "Japanese teenager Nakai shocks Sakamoto to win Grand Prix de France". The Japan Times. 19 October 2025. Archived from the original on 19 October 2025. Retrieved 19 October 2025.
  32. ^ "2025 GP de France – Womens Final Results". Skating Scores. Archived from the original on 19 October 2025. Retrieved 18 October 2025.
  33. ^ a b Smirnova, Lena. "Grand Prix de France 2025: Miura/Kihara win pairs event by massive 21.49-point margin as Stellato-Dudek/Deschamps struggle to regroup after early mistake". Olympics.com. Archived from the original on 19 October 2025. Retrieved 19 October 2025.
  34. ^ "Canada's Stellato-Dudek, Deschamps earn pairs silver at figure skating Grand Prix". CBC Sports. Associated Press. 18 October 2025. Archived from the original on 19 October 2025. Retrieved 19 October 2025.
  35. ^ Smirnova, Lena (17 October 2025). "Grand Prix de France 2025: World champions Miura/Kihara win short over 2024 victors Stellato-Dudek/Deschamps". Olympics.com. Archived from the original on 19 October 2025. Retrieved 17 October 2025.
  36. ^ Smirnova, Lena (17 October 2025). "Quadragenarian Deanna Stellato-Dudek out to prove "girls can play the backflip game" – but partner Maxime Deschamps needs some convincing". Olympics.com. Archived from the original on 19 October 2025. Retrieved 17 October 2025.
  37. ^ Walker, Rhiannon (18 February 2022). "Forgotten Fridays: In Her Last Olympic Competition, Surya Bonaly Pulled Something Special out of Her Back Pocket". The Athletic. Archived from the original on 8 December 2024. Retrieved 19 October 2025.
  38. ^ "2024 GP de France – Pairs Final Results". Skating Scores. Archived from the original on 19 October 2025. Retrieved 18 October 2025.
  39. ^ a b c d Smirnova, Lena (19 October 2025). "Grand Prix de France 2025: Guillaume Cizeron/Laurence Beaudry-Fournier turn "magic" comeback golden". Olympics.com. Archived from the original on 19 October 2025. Retrieved 19 October 2025.
  40. ^ "Malinin wins men's figure skating at French Grand Prix". France 24. 19 October 2025. Archived from the original on 19 October 2025. Retrieved 19 October 2025.
  41. ^ Rainbird, Daniel (4 March 2025). "Figure skater Fournier Beaudry talks new partnership after Sorensen suspension". The Albertan. Archived from the original on 5 April 2025. Retrieved 19 October 2025.
  42. ^ "2025 GP de France – Ice Dance Final Results". Skating Scores. Archived from the original on 20 October 2025. Retrieved 20 October 2025.

Works cited

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