Alexa Knierim and Brandon Frazier have made history at every competition they've competed this season.
That trend continued Friday at the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final in Torino, Italy, when Knierim and Frazier became the first U.S. pairs team ever to medal at the Grand Prix Final, earning silver at their first time at the event as a team.
After becoming the first U.S. pairs to win Skate America since 2006 and then the first U.S. pairs team ever to win multiple Grand Prix events in one season, the reigning World champions landed on the podium once again, scoring 213.28 points overall.
Knierim and Frazier's opened their free skate to "Sign of the Times" by Harry Styles with a triple twist and throw triple loop. Once again, their lifts stood out, as their reverse lasso and Axel lifts were their highest scoring elements, and they were awarded 135.63 points.
"I feel very proud," Knierim said. "We fought hard, we pushed hard, we had a lot of stamina at the end and it was a big improvement from Sheffield. We're very pleased and happy with the outcome."Â Â
Wrapping up their first Grand Prix Final, 2022 Four Continents silver medalists Emily Chan and Spencer Howe got off to a strong start as their double Salchow-double Axel-double Axel jump sequence was their highest scoring element. Their free skate also included a triple twist and Level 4 Axel lift, claiming 109.06 for a total score of 162.91 for a sixth-place finish.
Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara of Japan won the event with a score of 214.58 while Sara Conti and Niccolo Macii of Italy earned the bronze with a score of 187.02.
The rhythm dance and women's short program also took place on Friday.
In their sixth time competing at the Grand Prix Final, Madison Chock and Evan Bates put themselves in position to win their fourth Grand Prix Finals medal. The three-time Grand Prix Final silver medalists rank second after the rhythm dance, securing 85.49 points.
Skating to "Let's Dance," Chock and Bates earned Level 4s on their sequential twizzles to start their performance and received high marks for their midline step sequence and pattern dance type step sequence.
"It was super fun," Chock said. "I felt great energy between Evan and myself, plus the audience was wonderful and gave us lots of energy at the end. I really enjoyed it."
Chock and Bates' training mates in Montreal, Kaitlin Hawayek and Jean-Luc Baker, also earned Level 4s for their sequential twizzles as well as their straight line lift. Competing at their second Grand Prix Final, they received 79.50 points to end the day in sixth.
Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier of Canada rank first after the rhythm dance with a score of 85.93. Behind Chock and Bates are Charlene Guignard and Marco Fabbri of Italy with a score of 84.55.
In the women's short program, the youngest of the Team USA senior delegation,
Isabeau Levito, scored 69.26 in her first appearance at the Grand Prix Final. The reigning World Junior champion who clinched a pair of silvers in the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Series received positive grades of execution on all but one element. After a strong triple flip to start, Levito earned Level 4s on each of her spins and her step sequence.
At the top of the standings is Kaori Sakamoto of Japan, who leads the field with 75.86 points. Her teammate, Mai Mihara, ranks second with 74.58 points while Loena Hendrickx of Belgium rounds out the top three with 74.24 points.
The Grand Prix Final wraps up Saturday with the competition beginning at 7:30 a.m. ET. Team USA will compete in the senior men's, women's, and junior pairs and men's free skates as well as the free dance. For full results, news, streaming information and more, visit the
Grand Prix Final Competition Central on the U.S. Figure Skating Fan Zone.
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