Adam Siao Him Fa Reclaims Grand Prix de France Title

Siao Him Fa controls the competition

Siao Him Fa led from the short program, scoring 102.46 points with a routine to “Take Five.” His planned elements included a quad toe-triple toe combination, a quad Salchow and a triple Axel. Two spins and his footwork received level-four grades.

He carried that advantage into the free skate, where he scored 181.78 points despite a one-point deduction for a late start. He opened with a quad toe-double toe and quad Salchow, then recovered from putting a hand down on a quad toe with a triple Axel sequence and a solid triple flip. His spins and footwork all earned level fours.

A title won on home ice

The victory marked Siao Him Fa’s return to the top of the Grand Prix de France podium after earlier wins in 2022 and 2023. It was also his fourth gold medal at the event. The two-time European champion competed in front of the home crowd in Angers, making the result a significant start to his season.

After the competition, the 25-year-old said he was happy to have given everything across both programs and called the event a good beginning to the season. He also described the short program as enjoyable, despite feeling stressed during the day. His stated focus for the coming months is to keep improving his performance and manage pressure as he competes.

Miura turns ninth into silver

Miura’s short program left him ninth with 72.67 points after a fall on his opening quad Salchow, errors on the triple Axel and quad toe, and an invalid sit spin. The two-time Four Continents champion responded with 175.29 points in the free skate, the second-best segment score.

His free program included a landed quad Salchow, a quad toe-triple toe combination, a triple Axel sequence and a triple loop. He fell on the quad toe but otherwise assembled enough strong elements to finish with 247.96 points overall. The recovery carried him from ninth place to silver and gave him a strong finish after a difficult opening segment.

Seo makes a podium debut

Seo placed third in the short program with 83.83 points in his first senior Grand Prix appearance. He fell on an underrotated quad Salchow but landed a triple Axel and a triple flip-triple toe combination. His spins and footwork were all graded level four.

The 18-year-old scored 161.07 points in the free skate and finished third overall with 244.90. A fall on the triple Axel and a doubled Salchow were his main errors; he also landed a quad Salchow-triple toe combination, a triple Axel sequence, a triple loop and a triple flip. Seo said a back injury had limited his preparation to one week of training before Angers. The result nevertheless put him on the podium at his senior Grand Prix debut.

What the result means

The standings in Angers reflected contrasting paths to the podium: Siao Him Fa led throughout, Miura recovered sharply after the short program, and Seo converted his first senior Grand Prix start into third place. Their final totals placed Miura 36.28 points behind the winner and Seo 39.34 points behind.

For Siao Him Fa, the win restores him as Grand Prix de France champion and provides an early-season benchmark. Miura leaves with silver after a major comeback, while Seo’s bronze marks a notable first step at senior Grand Prix level. The three skaters now have distinct priorities: maintaining form, building consistency and, for Seo, adding difficulty as he develops.

Takeaway: Siao Him Fa reclaimed the Grand Prix de France men’s crown, with Miura rallying to silver and Seo taking bronze on his senior debut.

Sources

• goldenskate.com — “Adam Siao Him Fa reclaims Grand Prix de France title”
• uk.sports.yahoo.com — “French skater Siao Him Fa soars to victory in season”
• olympics.com — “ISU – International Skating Union”
• cbc.ca — “CBC Sports – sports news, opinion, video and streaming”