Ami Nakai defends her title at the 2026 Grand Prix de France in Angers
The Angers IceParc hosted the 2026 Grand Prix de France from 23 to 25 October, the first event of the 2026-27 ISU Grand Prix season. Japan’s 18-year-old Ami Nakai defended the women’s title she won in France in 2025: third after the short program, she won the free skate with 149.08 points — matching her personal best — and took gold with 219.74 overall, 16.92 points ahead of Georgia’s Anastasiia Gubanova. Italy’s Lara Naki Gutmann completed the podium.
Nakai landed the triple Axel in the free skate after missing it in the short program. “This year, for the first time, I think I felt the pressure, but I also thought it was another challenge for me,” she said after her win. Japan’s Yuna Aoki, leader after the short program, finished fourth.
The other titles of the weekend, according to the official ISU results: in ice dance, Olympic champions Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron won at home with 207.57 points; in pairs, Anastasiia Metelkina and Luka Berulava (Georgia) took gold with 204.65; and in the men’s event, France’s Adam Siao Him Fa won with 284.24 points, ahead of Japan’s Kao Miura (247.96) and South Korea’s Minkyu Seo (244.90).
A Grand Prix event demands perfect ice: smooth, level and at a stable temperature for three days of competition. That is the same standard Napapiri has applied since 1993 to its real-ice rinks, mobile and permanent, for municipalities, event organizers and recreational and sports facilities worldwide. Quotation within 24 hours.
Source: NBC Sports — “Ami Nakai rallies for figure skating season-opening win at Grand Prix France” (24 October 2026) and the official ISU results (isuresults.com, 25 October 2026).
Photo: Ami Nakai during the free skate at the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics. Photo by YantsImages, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. Archive photo: not taken at the 2026 Angers competition.
