Photo credit Getty Images
By Belle McLemore
Reigning Grand Prix Final champion Amber Glenn came to compete in Helsinki, Finland, as she secured the top spot in the women’s short program on Friday at 2025 Finlandia Trophy, the sixth and final stop of the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Series.
Glenn secured a season’s best by more than two points, notching a 75.72 for her first skate at the Helsinki Ice Hall. Undefeated in the Grand Prix Series last season and already with a gold to her name this season from 2025 Cup of China, Glenn, who skated to "Like a Prayer" by Madonna, opened with a triple Axel that tallied a program-high 9.60 points. She then went on to successfully record Level 4s on her three spins and step sequence.
2018 Olympic team event bronze medalist Bradie Tenell, skating to "Young and Beautiful" by Lana Del Rey, scored a Level 4 on her combo spin with change of foot and landed a clean triple loop in the second half of her program on route to a 63.92 fourth-place finish in the short program.
In the pairs discipline, Ellie Kam and Danny O’Shea skated into second place in their short program, nabbing 70.24 points, just 0.16 short of first, with their performance to "Hallelujah" by K.D. Lang. Their Level 4 Axel lasso lift and tied for the best grade of execution among all teams at 2.20, and as a result, was the highest-scoring element of the competition and at 9.20 points. The pair is vying for their second Grand Prix medal of the season after earning bronze at 2025 Skate Canada International as well as a return trip to the 2025 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final, where they placed fifth in 2024.
Just 0.05 points behind, the reigning U.S. champions, Alisa Efimova and Misha Mitrofanov, recorded a new personal best mark of 70.19 with their performance to “Cloak and Dagger" by Eternal Eclipse. The Boston-based duo’s final four elements – their Axel lasso lift, death spiral, step sequence and spin – all scored Level 4s, as the team looks to bounce back from a fifth-place finish at the 2025 NHK Trophy.
In ice dance, Emilea Zingas and Vadym Kolesnik continued their impressive run, having surprised the field earlier this season with their silver medal finish at Cup of China. On Friday, they shimmied their way into third in the rhythm dance to the tunes of "Poison" and "Something in Your Eyes" by Bell Biv Devoe. The pair laid down a clean program, earning a total score of 78.51, buoyed by a Level 2 pattern dance type step sequence that earned them 10.67 points and gorgeous set of Level 4 sequential twizzles.
Also represented in the rhythm dance were U.S. sibling pairs Maia Shibutani and Alex Shibutani, and Oona Brown and Gage Brown. The Shibutanis, who are two-time Olympic bronze medalists, continued to improve their scores and performances since returning to competition this season for the first time after seven years, notching an international personal best score of 71.99 for fifth place. Skating in back-to-back Grand Prix events, the Browns recorded a total score of 64.21, finishing ninth in the field.
American darling Jason Brown put on another thrilling performance of his beloved Riverdance short program, scoring an 87.66, which propelled him into fourth, only 0.5 out of third place. In what has become his defining characteristic, Brown’s style and elegance once again led all skaters in the total program component score with a 44.12, while his mesmerizing spins all received Level 4s.
2025 Four Continents bronze medalist Jimmy Ma finished 10th in the men’s short after suffering a fall on his quad toe loop. His program to "The Firebird Suite (Excerpt)" by Isakson Foundation Music Collective and "Witchdoctor" by Camo & Krooked scored him a 67.99.
For full results from 2025 Finlandia Trophy, visit the Grand Prix Series Competition Central on the U.S. Figure Skating Fan Zone.
