With previous stops in Norwood and in Mississauga, we’ve now arrived in Angers, France.
Where to feel becomes sentir – and our photographic journey through emotions starts with one of the heroes of the event: the Frenchman Adam Siao Him Fa, winning the first Grand Prix gold of his career.
We’ll rephrase that: the first Grand Prix medal of his career – which also happens to be golden.
Adam Siao Him Fa: New Horizons? He’ll embrace them.
No doubt: there is something fundamentally changed about Adam Siao Him Fa this season, especially when looking at his free skate in Angers: he almost seems like another skater than the one we last saw at 2022 Worlds in Montpellier (and that particular Adam was already good – but now he is exceptional).
A skater that took his fate into his own hands, one responsible for the changes, and the progress in his in his life – because he made them happen.
Because a lot of things happened in Adam’s life since Montpellier: he changed his coaches, his training place, his off-ice training regimen, he took one step further with the music, the concept of his programs – and he came back, this season, as a new Adam Siao Him Fa.
His coach noted in all truthfulness: his entire way of skating/façon de patiner has changed. He now skates freer, higher, more powerful, more true to himself.
And you could feel the (red) despair in his short program, and you could feel the (green) tranquility and the redemption in his free skate.
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But Adam’s triumph was only one of Angers-stories.
We invite you to remember some of them while flipping through the pages of this album made of photos that you #feel.
Only if you need them, find the official results here.
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Maria Kazakova and Georgy Reviya: How to remain sane while living in a Mad World
Yelim Kim: The sweet, fragile layers of the summer of ’42
Rion Sumiyoshi: Casting a spell on you, because she’s The Enchantress
Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Nikolaj Soerensen: Flying through the years that remain, as Gloria sings
Katarina Wolfkostin and Jeffrey Chen: In every one of us shines the light of love
Maé-Bérénice Méité: Surrendering to this beauty of a free skate
Charlène Guignard and Marco Fabbri: Beautiful, perfect lines while skating to Mephisto’s Lullaby
Audrey Shin: Her skating, like a sweet-orange gift
Sena Miyake: I’ll be coming home, wait for me, his eyes say
Mana Kawabe: Dreaming, floating, trusting the waves
Haein Lee: Storms can be beautiful too
Ivan Shmuratko: Hear no more / A downright No to the sound of war and the despair
Adam Siao Him Fa: A journey in time, a punch in the chest, a memory that hurts
Rino Matsuike: Eyes wide open, arms wide open to the world of fantasy
Evgeniia Lopareva and Geoffrey Brissaud: Mon Dieu / Mon Dieu / Laissez-le-moi / Encore un peu / Mon amoureux!
Audrey Shin: Yo Soy Maria / De Buenos Aires (can you hear it?)
Marie Dupayage and Thomas Nabais: colours, dancers, Samba, Rhumba – and a parrot
Adam Siao Him Fa: Redemption
Juulia Turkkila and Matthias Versluis: The precious embodiment of Schubert’s Impromptus
Loena Hendrickx: Sí, Mamá! / Disco Queen
Annika Hocke and Robert Kunkel: Across the room, your eyes are glowin’ in the dark, as Abba sings
Eva Pate and Logan Bye: Beautiful creatures dancing the Samba
Olga Mikutina: Singing, dancing, skating a Nocturnal Serenade / Eyes on you
Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Nikolaj Soerensen: Wanna join them in their journey? They’re convincing, no doubt.
Kazuki-bubble-of-enthusiasm-Tomono / Happy Jazz
Mana Kawabe: Addictive skating to addictive (Billie Eilish) music
Lukas Britschgi: Look at me! And we have no other option but to do so.
Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Nikolaj Soerensen: One Upon a Time in Mexico
Camille Kovalev and Pavel Kovalev: When Billie Eilish’s music becomes a thing in figure skating – and we say We agree.
Charlène Guignard and Marco Fabbri. One word: Impeccable.
Olga Mikutina: Trusting the Dawn of Faith
Sihyeong Lee: Beautiful posture as Cyrano de Bergerac
Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Nikolaj Soerensen: Green Samba waves – or is it the wind that carries the leaves?
Lindsay van Zundert: Shhh, the pirates are coming!
Adam Siao Him Fa: Opening new doors this season
Léa Serna: Bang, Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down), and you can almost see the gun
Karina Safina and Luka Berulava: Feathers in the air, to Danse macabre
Charlène Guignard and Marco Fabbri: Give in to me / My Love Will Never Die
Audrey Shin: Serenity
Sota Yamamoto: Rachmaninoff to the fingertips
Mana Kawabe: A heart that beats
Ivan Shmuratko: See no more / Escaping from the nightmare
Camille Kovalev and Pavel Kovalev: Blue wings of hope
Wesley Chiu: Nella Fantasia
Rion Sumiyoshi: White flowers take their bath
Deanna Stellato-Dudek and Maxime Deschamps: Follow me, carry me, says Cleopatra
Sota Yamamoto: Leaving Yesterday behind – and heading into Today and into the Future
Haein Lee in the arms of a classic: Phantom of the Opera
Yelim Kim: Mercy – and its beautiful, generous layers
Karina Safina and Luka Berulava: A Symphony
Rebecca Ghilardi and Filippo Ambrosini: A sparkling ode to Queen
Kazuki Tomono: having Die Fledermaus as a joyful companion
Loena Hendrickx: I’ll rise again, the fallen angel says
Loicia Demougeot and Theo le Mercier: A tango that you feel
Rino Matsuike: Hymn to love
Rebecca Ghilardi and Filippo Ambrosini: As if the ice becomes an opera stage / Il barbiere di Siviglia
Rion Sumiyoshi: Embracing us all, with her charm, her joy
[Photos by Alberto Ponti at 2022 Grand Prix de France in Angers
Selection by Inside Skating]
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