Ami Nakai Wins 2026 Grand Prix de France Gold

A short-program mistake set up the comeback

Nakai’s short program began with a popped triple Axel, leaving the 2026 Olympic bronze medallist in third on 70.66 points. She recovered with a triple Lutz-triple toe combination and a triple loop, while her spins and footwork earned level four grades. The early error proved consequential, but it did not derail the rest of the routine.

Nakai said the mistake briefly left her stunned, then credited staying composed during the six-minute warm-up with helping her refocus. She described the Lutz-toe combination as unaffected by the opening miss. That response kept her within reach of the lead before the free skate, where the standings could still shift.

A strong free skate secured the title

Skating to music from An American in Paris, Nakai placed first in the free skate. Her program included a triple Axel, a triple Lutz-triple toe and four additional triple jumps. An edge call on a triple flip was her only noted error; her spins and footwork received level four, with high grades of execution.

The 149.08-point free skate matched Nakai’s personal best, set at the same event last year. She said defending the title mattered, but she especially wanted to deliver a performance she could feel proud of. The result fulfilled both aims and carried her from third after the short program to the top of the podium.

Angers demonstrations added pressure

Saturday’s competition took place amid demonstrations in Angers over the cost of living and education funding. Protests escalated in the city center, and police used tear gas near the railway station. The unrest disrupted travel around the city, adding an unusual complication for skaters preparing to compete.

Nakai said the demonstrations prevented her group from returning to their hotel and made her anxious ahead of the free skate. She described setting those worries aside to focus on her performance. Her account highlights how disruption away from the ice can add to the ordinary pressure of a major competition, even when a skater must keep attention on the program.

Gubanova and Gutmann completed the podium

Georgia’s Anastasiia Gubanova took silver with 202.82 points, after placing second in the short program and third in the free skate. Her short-program score of 72.63 was a personal best. In the free skate, she landed a triple flip-triple toe, triple loop and triple Salchow, but underrotations in the second half limited her score to 130.19.

Italy’s Lara Naki Gutmann earned bronze. She was fifth after the short program, where a fall on a triple Lutz followed a successful triple toe-triple toe and double Axel. In the free skate, she moved up with a routine to “Arctic Suite” by Christian Kluxen and Eldbjørg Hemsing. The podium therefore reflected a three-way contest shaped by recovery as well as clean execution.

A title defence under new expectations

Nakai, 18, said her first appearance at the event had felt like a challenge and that she had once skated without fear, simply going for it. After strong performances at major competitions, she arrived this time focused on winning and felt the pressure that came with that ambition. Overcoming the short-program mistake—and the anxiety caused by the disrupted trip back to the hotel—made the result especially significant for her.

Her victory also places her among Japan’s leading women’s skaters after Kaori Sakamoto retired in March. Nakai’s performance showed the value of rebuilding a program after an early technical miss: a composed short program recovery preserved her position, and the winning free skate completed the turnaround. For Gubanova and Gutmann, the event brought silver and bronze in a field where the final order remained open until the last segment.

Takeaway: Nakai turned third place into a title defence with the competition’s leading free skate and a decisive triple Axel.

Sources

• nbcsports.com — “Ami Nakai rallies for figure skating season-opening win at Grand Prix France – NBC Sports”
• CBC Sports — “Siao leads after Olympic champ Shaidorov falls on figure skating Grand Prix return”
• sports.yahoo.com — “Grand Prix France kicks off figure skating season with all top returning Olympic medalists – Yahoo Sports”
• vsaworld.com — “Grand Prix de France 2026 Preview – VSA Blog”