Siao Him Fa Reclaims Gold

Siao Him Fa © Pinterest

France’s Adam Siao Him Fa delivered a commanding performance at the 2026 Grand Prix de France, reclaiming the men’s figure skating title in Angers with a winning margin of more than 36 points.

The two-time European champion finished with 284.24 points, comfortably ahead of Japan’s Kao Miura, who staged an impressive comeback to take silver, and South Korea’s Minkyu Seo, who earned bronze in his senior Grand Prix debut.

The competition produced dramatic changes in the standings, a breakthrough performance from a rising star, and an unexpectedly difficult event for reigning Olympic champion Mikhail Shaidorov.

Siao Him Fa Dominates at Home

Competing in front of his home crowd, Siao Him Fa established a strong lead with an outstanding short program to “Take Five.”

He successfully performed a quadruple toe loop-triple toe loop combination, a quadruple Salchow, and a triple Axel. Two of his spins and his step sequence received level-four ratings, helping him earn 102.46 points.

Despite admitting that he had felt nervous throughout the day, the French skater was pleased with his ability to stay focused and enjoy the performance.

His free skate, set to “Here Comes the River,” included a quadruple toe loop-double toe loop combination, a quadruple Salchow, two triple Axels, and a triple flip.

Although he put a hand down on one quadruple toe loop and received a one-point deduction for a late start, his spins and step sequence were all awarded level four.

He scored 181.78 points in the free skate, bringing his combined total to 284.24.

The victory marked his fourth Grand Prix de France gold medal and provided a promising start to the new Olympic cycle.

Siao Him Fa acknowledged that there were still technical details to improve, emphasizing the importance of managing pressure and maintaining a strong competitive mindset throughout the season.

Kao Miura Makes Remarkable Comeback

Japan’s Kao Miura experienced two very different days in Angers.

His short program to “Historia de un Amor” and “Gopher Mambo” was disrupted by several mistakes. He fell on his opening quadruple Salchow, struggled with his triple Axel, and stepped out of his quadruple toe loop.

His sit spin was also declared invalid, leaving him ninth after the short program with 72.67 points.

However, Miura transformed his competition with a powerful free skate to music from Jekyll & Hyde.

Despite falling on a quadruple toe loop, he successfully completed several important jumping elements, including a quadruple Salchow, triple Axel, quadruple toe loop-triple toe loop combination, and another triple Axel sequence.

All his spins and footwork received level-four ratings.

His free skate earned 175.29 points, lifting his overall score to 247.96 and moving him from ninth place to the silver medal.

The 21-year-old said the performance restored his confidence and demonstrated his ability to compete against leading international skaters.

Looking ahead, Miura hopes to win the Japanese national title and achieve stronger results at the World Championships.

Minkyu Seo Shines in Grand Prix Debut

South Korea’s Minkyu Seo delivered one of the most encouraging performances of the competition.

The 18-year-old, making his senior Grand Prix debut, finished third in the short program with 83.83 points.

Skating to “El Toque de Rafa,” he successfully landed a triple Axel and a triple flip-triple toe loop combination. Although he fell on an underrotated quadruple Salchow, his spins and step sequence all earned level four.

His free skate to music from The Umbrellas of Cherbourg included a quadruple Salchow-triple toe loop combination, a triple Axel sequence, a triple loop, and a triple flip.

He made mistakes on another triple Axel and an intended Salchow but maintained the overall quality of his performance.

Seo scored 161.07 points in the free skate and finished with 244.90 overall, securing bronze.

His achievement was particularly notable because he revealed that a back injury had limited him to just one week of training before the competition.

The 2025–26 Junior Grand Prix Final champion now hopes to increase his technical difficulty and deliver cleaner programs as he develops his senior career.

Selevko and Shaidorov Face Difficulties

Estonia’s Aleksandr Selevko began strongly, placing second in the short program with 85.49 points.

His Michael Jackson medley featured a triple Lutz, triple Axel, and triple toe loop-double toe loop combination, alongside level-four spins.

However, his free skate included several jumping mistakes that prevented him from maintaining his position near the top of the standings.

Reigning Olympic champion Mikhail Shaidorov of Kazakhstan also endured a challenging competition.

He finished fourth in the short program with 80.25 points but struggled further in the free skate, receiving 126.30 points.

Across both programs, Shaidorov fell three times and stepped out of four additional jumps.

His final score of 206.55 placed him tenth overall, an unexpected result for the Olympic gold medallist.

Final Results and Season Outlook

The leading finishers in the men’s event were:

1. Adam Siao Him Fa (France) — 284.24 points
2. Kao Miura (Japan) — 247.96 points
3. Minkyu Seo (South Korea) — 244.90 points

Japan’s Sota Yamamoto finished fifth with 224.24 points, followed by American Jimmy Ma in sixth with 221.44 and France’s François Pitot in seventh with 221.23.

The results highlighted how quickly the standings can change between the short program and free skate.

For Siao Him Fa, the victory reinforced his position among the leading men’s skaters at the start of the season. Miura demonstrated impressive resilience, while Seo announced himself as a promising competitor on the senior international stage.

As the Grand Prix series continues, the athletes will have further opportunities to refine their programs, improve consistency, and compete for places at the Grand Prix Final.

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By Vitalina Andrushchenko, Staff Writer