Sara Conti/Niccolo Macii (ITA) skated off with their first ISU Grand Prix title as the competition wrapped up at the ISU Grand Prix Cup of China in Chongqing (CHN) on Saturday with the Pairs Free Skating. Again, the scores were close and the competition exciting until the very end as the skaters impressed with their performances. The gold and silver medalists qualified for the ISU Grand Prix Final.

Sara Conti/Niccolo Macii (ITA) enjoy milestone moment 

Italy’s 2023 ISU European Champions Sara Conti/Niccolo Macii added another prestigious title to their resume by winning their first ISU Grand Prix gold medal. Minerva Fabienne Hase/Nikita Volodin of Germany earned the silver medal and both couples will meet again at the ISU Grand Prix Final. Canadians Lia Pereira/Trennt Michaud redeemed themselves and collected the bronze. 

Sara Conti and Niccolo Macii of Italy celebrate after the Pairs Free Skating at the ISU Grand Prix Cup of China in Chongqing © ISU

Overnight leaders Conti/Macii came out last and delivered. They looked confident and strong in their lyrical performance to “Papa Can You Hear Me”, producing a triple Salchow, throw triple loop and Salchow as well as difficult lifts. The only error was a stumble on the second double Axel in the triple toe-double Axel-double Axel sequence. The Italians set a personal best score of 138.62 points and were second in the Free Skating. They totaled 211.05 points for the win. 

“We are super happy,” Conti said. “It’s our first gold medal in the Grand Prix. The tension was so high. I heard the scores of Minerva and Nikita so it was super hard today. There was a little mistake on the combination but we never skated with these emotions." 

Macii added: “I tried to get to the end of the program. That combination was a nightmare. But I think I reacted well. We still need to improve a lot of things like our speed and unison. We skated a little less well than we do in practice. The next step is to skate for us, not matter what the result is.”  

Hase and Volodin (GER) have stomach for the fight 

The competition was tough. Hase/Volodin really sparkled in their program to “Four Seasons”, breezing through their performance without an error. The couple from Berlin hit a triple twist, triple toe-double Axel-double Axel, triple Salchow as well as level-four lifts and a throw triple loop and Salchow. This was all the more remarkable as Hase suffered from a stomach upset all week. The 2023 ISU Grand Prix Final Champions won the Free Skating segment with 140.92 points but remained in second place overall on 209.36 points.

“For sure it was a fight from beginning to the end," Hase said. "It was not an easy program and I am happy with what we put out on the ice and that we showed a solid Free Skating. We still need to add speed, drama, emotions. That is on the table for sure but today we put everything in what was left in our bodies. 

“To be honest I am not sure how I pulled it off. It was for sure the work we had put in before. In the Free Skating, the conditioning helped and it was nice to have Nikita at my side. I could rely on him, that made it easier."

Minerva Fabienne Hase and Nikita Volodin of Germany compete in the Pairs Free Skating at Huaxi Cultural And Sports Center in Chongqing, China © ISU

Pereira/Michaud (CAN) redeem themselves 

Pereira/Michaud had come to redeem themselves after a disappointing performance at the Grand Prix de France and were much stronger in Chongqing. Their Tango program featured a side-by-side triple Salchow, triple twist, throw triple Salchow and level-four twists. However, Pereira missed the throw triple loop while Michaud stumbled on a double Axel. Nevertheless, the 2023 ISU Grand Prix Finalists achieved a season-best 121.84 points and took bronze with 188.74 points. 

“We are happy with how we skated today. It was an improvement from the Grand Prix de France,” Pereira said. “We practice really well and I think we did a good job since the Grand Prix de France and we were practicing really well once we were at this event. Obviously, we still had some mistakes and we’ll be working to kind of tune that and just continue to grow with this program.”

Ioulia Chtchetinina/Michal Wozniak (POL) placed fourth with a personal-best 177.04 points, . Katie McBeath/Daniil Parkman (USA) pulled up from eighth to fifth at 159.92 points. 

Conti/Macii and Hase/Volodin qualified for the ISU Grand Prix Final with 28 points each. The Italians will compete in their third consecutive Final while the pair from Germany qualified for the second time in what is only their second season as a team. 

For full entries, schedules & results, see the ISU Grand Prix Event Page &  ISU Grand Prix Cup of China Event Page .

Check out the ISU Grand Prix Standings to find out who qualified for the Final:

Men     Women    Pair Skating    Ice Dance

What & When

The schedule of the Cup of China is as follows

Friday, Nov 22: Rhythm Dance, Women’s, Men’s & Pairs Short Programs
Saturday, Nov 23: Free Dance, Women’s, Men’s & Pairs Free Skating
Sunday, Nov 24: Exhibition Gala

Follow the ISU Grand Prix events:

The schedules of each ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating event are available below:

1. 18 - 20 Oct 2024                      Skate America in Allen, TX (USA)
2. 25 - 27 Oct 2024                      Skate Canada International in Halifax (CAN)
3. 01 - 03 Nov 2024                     Grand Prix de France in Angers (FRA)
4. 08 - 10 Nov 2024                     NHK Trophy in Tokyo (JPN)
5. 15- 17 Nov 2024                      Finlandia Trophy in Helsinki (FIN)  
6. 22 - 24 Nov 2024                     Cup of China in Chongqing (CHN)

The ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final: 

1. 05 - 08 Dec 2024                        Grenoble (FRA)

About ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating

The ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Series started in 1995 (previously known a s the ISU Champions Series) and consists of six invitational international senior events and the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final. The top six of the past World Championships are seeded. Competitors collect points in their events towards the qualification for the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final. Only the top six Skaters / Couples in each discipline can qualify for the Final.