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French skater Siao Him Fa leads at ISU Finlandia Trophy / Photo: © Lehtikuva/AFP
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French skater Siao Him Fa leads at ISU Finlandia Trophy
French skater Adam Siao Him Fa took the lead at the Finlandia Trophy, the final stop on the ISU figure skating Grand Prix circuit, after Friday's opening short programme in Helsinki.
Siao Him Fa scored 92.50 points for his skate, a tribute to Leonardo da Vinci, which he opened with a perfectly executed quadruple lutz.
Despite a mistake on his quadruple toe loop-double toeloop combination, the 24-year-old leads heading into Saturday's free skate final, ahead of Canadian Stephen Gogolev, who unexpectedly placed second with 89.35 points.
Japan's Yuma Kagiyama, the favourite two weeks after his victory at the NHK Trophy, only managed third place with 88.16 points, after a fall on his quadruple salchow and a mistake on his triple axel.
Siao Him Fa, a former world bronze medallist, is bidding to qualify for the Grand Prix Final in Japan next month after finishing second in the season-opening Grand Prix de France in Angers.
Later Friday, reigning ISU Grand Prix Final champion Amber Glenn of the United States takes to the ice in the women's short programme, having won the Cup of China event last month.
Germany's Minerva Fabienne Hase and Nikita Volodin lead the pairs short programme ahead of two US couples -- Ellie Kam and Danny O'Shea and Alisa Efimova and Misha Mitrofanov.
H.Davis--SFF
