New York (AFP) - France’s Kevin Aymoz snatched the men’s title at Skate America on Saturday, winning his first grand prix title with a battling free skate as short program leader Kazuki Tomono faltered.

It was an emotional triumph for Aymoz, who made his grand prix level debut in 2017, with seven prior podium finishes but no gold.

He had struggled with a painful foot injury since a disappointing 10th-place finish at Skate Canada in October.

“It was so difficult,” said the 28-year-old. “After Skate Canada I wanted to give up so much and today I’m here and it’s so beautiful to be with my friends competing … it’s so beautiful.”

Aymoz scored 159.97 points for a rousing free skate to Ravel’s Bolero that delighted the crowd in Lake Placid, New York.

He won with a total of 253.53 points.

He had to fight to hang on to the landing of his opening quadruple jump and added one more quadruple and two triple axels to depart the ice beaming.

World silver medallist Mikhail Shaidorov, third after the short program, topped the free skate with a score of 161.42 despite two falls and claimed silver with 251.09 points.

Tomono, who led by more than two points after the short program, fell on two quadruple jumps and fluffed the landing of a triple axel. His score of 149.80 put him in eighth place in the free skate but that was still enough for bronze with a total of 245.57 points.

It will be a blow, however, for a skater trying to land one of Japan’s three men’s Olympic team berths for the Milan-Cortina Winter Games in February.

Japan topped the podium earlier Saturday as reigning world champions Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara won the pairs title as short program leaders Anastasiia Metelkina and Luka Berulava endured a disastrous free skate.

Miura and Kihara, whose world title in Boston in March was their second, claimed their second grand prix gold of the season and punched their ticket to the Grand Prix Final in Nagoya, Japan, next month.

The Japanese duo were not perfect, struggling notably on their side-by-side jumps.

But their sophisticated components and composure were enough to earn the top free skate score of 141.57 for a total of 215.99 points.

“We made a major mistake yesterday in the short and that did make it hard for me just mentally for the free program,” Miura said. “We did end up making a small mistake (in the free) but I’m still very proud of us for achieving scores in the 140s.”

Georgia’s Metelkina and Berulava delivered a mistake-strewn free skate featuring a fall by her, a botched jump landing by him and the complete failure of one planned lift.

Their fourth-place free skate score of 116.90 was still enough to give them silver with 195.73 points and with their Cup of China crown they, too, are qualified for the Grand Prix Final.

Canadians Kelly Ann Laurin and Loucas Ethier, second in the free skate with 121.85 points, took bronze with a total of 182.87.

- Watanabe shines -

Japan’s Rinka Watanabe grabbed a narrow lead in the women’s competition, edging reigning world champion Alysa Liu of the United States in the short program.

Watanabe garnered 74.35 points for a program that included a sparkling triple axel.

Liu earned 73.73 points for an elegant program in which an under-rotation on her triple lutz-triple loop combination cost her precious fractions.

Liu, who claimed her surprise world title in March after taking a two-year break from the sport, is seeking a first grand prix title.

Veteran US ice dancers Madison Chock and Evan Bates topped the opening rhythm dance with a total of 84.77 points to position themselves for a record-equalling fifth Skate America title.

Chock and Bates, who won Skate America titles in 2014, 2015, 2022 and 2023, built a 7.35-point lead over Canadians Marjorie LaJoie and Zachary Lagha.