SASKATOON, Saskatchewan (AP) — Mone Chiba of Japan held off American standout Isabeau Levito with a near-flawless free skate to win Skate Canada on Saturday night, while Deanna Stellato-Dudek and Maxime Deschamps of Canada took the pairs competition title. The men’s title and ice dance events will be decided Sunday.
Chiba entered the free skate with a narrow lead over Levito after the short program. The 18-year-old from Philadelphia put the pressure on with a brilliant free skate set to music from the Italian comedy-drama *Cinema Paradiso*. Levito landed all seven of her jumping passes with her typical balletic precision and scored 209.77 points.
However, Chiba, the 20-year-old world bronze medalist, followed with a sprightly program set to “Csárdás,” a traditional Hungarian folk dance tune, and never faltered. She posted a season-best score of 217.23 points, earning her first Grand Prix gold medal after runner-up finishes in both of her assignments last year.
Ami Nakai, fresh off her Grand Prix de France title, finished third with 203.09 points. Levito’s silver medal marks a strong result after her fourth-place finish in France. The reigning world silver medalist is aiming to secure one of three U.S. spots for the Milano-Cortina Olympic Games. With two spots almost assured for world champion Alysa Liu and two-time defending U.S. champion Amber Glenn, the competition for the final Olympic berth will be tight, likely coming down to Levito and Bradie Tennell, who finished fourth at Skate Canada with 195.07 points on Saturday night.
Earlier in the evening, Canadian pair Stellato-Dudek and Deschamps thrilled the home crowd at SaskTel Centre by coming from behind to win their third consecutive Skate Canada gold medal, edging out German rivals Minerva Fabienne Hase and Nikita Volodin.
Stellato-Dudek and Deschamps scored 213.40 points, while Hase and Volodin finished with 207.18. Ellie Kam and Danny O’Shea rounded out the podium in third place with 199.11 points, marking a strong showing for the American pairs team.
Hase and Volodin, reigning Grand Prix Final champions and world silver medalists, led after Friday night’s short program but struggled during their free skate, suffering two falls—Hase on their throw-triple flip and Volodin on their side-by-side triple toe loop.
In rhythm dance earlier Saturday, Canadian world silver medalists Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier began their pursuit of a sixth consecutive Skate Canada title by posting the top score of 85.38 points. Allison Reed and Saulius Ambrulevicius of Lithuania were second with 80.89, and Christina Carreira and Anthony Ponomarenko, an emerging American dance team, placed third with 76.83 points.
The ice dance medals will be decided Sunday following the free dance, along with the men’s event.
Two-time reigning world champion Ilia Malinin, favored to win gold at the Milano-Cortina Games, scored 104.84 points in the men’s short program to claim a commanding lead heading into the free skate. Kazuki Tomono of Japan was the closest contender with 92.07 points, followed by Aleksandr Selevko of Estonia in third with 91.28.
