Ilia Malinin of the United States won his third consecutive Grand Prix Final on Saturday, landing seven quadruple jumps in a record free skate score of 238.24 points. The 20-year-old, known as 'The Quad God', finished with an overall total of 332.29, moving up from third after the short program. His jumps included a quadruple axel and a quad loop.
Malinin said the performance was one of his best, adding that the Grand Prix Final is a place to test new elements ahead of the Olympics. Yuma Kagiyama of Japan took silver with 302.41 points, while compatriot Shun Sato earned bronze with 292.08. Malinin, the two-time world champion, has not lost a competition in over two years.
In the women's event, world champion Alysa Liu of the US won gold with 222.49 points, despite finishing third in the free skate. She landed seven triple jumps and a double axel. Ami Nakai of Japan took silver with 220.89, and three-time world champion Kaori Sakamoto earned bronze with 218.80. Liu said the result boosts her confidence for the Olympics.
In ice dance, Madison Chock and Evan Bates of the US won their third straight Grand Prix Final title with a season's-best score of 220.42. Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron of France took silver, while Britain's Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson won bronze with 208.81. Chock and Bates are gold medal favourites for the Olympics.
