In the pairs event at the Grand Prix de France, a showdown for the gold was anticipated between two sets of reigning world champions. Japan’s Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara, world champions in 2023 and current titleholders, led the short program on Friday. They were closely followed by Canada’s Deanna Stellato-Dudek and Maxime Deschamps, who claimed world gold in 2024.
Both pairs delivered almost flawless short programs, with Miura and Kihara, performing to a rendition of “Paint It Black” on strings, taking the lead with a score of 79.44. Stellato-Dudek and Deschamps secured a score of 74.26.
Canada’s Deanna Stellato-Dudek and Maxime Deschamps scored 74.26 in the pairs short program, securing second place at the Grand Prix de France in Angers.
Securing the third spot were Hungary’s Maria Pavlova and Alexei Sviatchenko with a score of 70.15, followed by two American pairs: Katie McBeath and Daniil Parkman with 63.31 points and Audrey Shin and Balazs Nagy with 61.79 points.
Japan’s Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara scored 79.44 points in the pairs short program, leading the standings at the ISU Grand Prix de France in Angers, France.