Isabeau Levito channeled her inner Holly Golightly in a graceful performance set to music from the film “Breakfast at Tiffany's” on Friday night to lead after the short program at Skate America, the opening event of the figure skating Grand Prix season.
The current world silver medalist, wearing a black dress that invoked the character played by Audrey Hepburn in George Axelrod's 1961 film, scored 68.43 points in the Credit score Union of Texas Occasion Heart in Allen, Texas. American teammate Bradie Tennell was second with 66.99 points in her recovery from a broken ankle, while Japan's Rinka Watanabe was third with 66.54 points.
“I'm really glad I skated well,” said Levito, 17, who endured an up-and-down season a year ago but has matured significantly now as she begins to think about the 2026 Winter Olympics. “I'm excited to keep working in this program. I love it”.
Levito opened with a triple lutz-triple toe loop, which he rotated slightly, and hit a double axel and triple flip later in the program. It was only the second time the former American champion had done it in competition.
“I'm excited to rest, start a new day tomorrow, skate cleanly like I do in practice and see where it takes me,” she said.
SEE | Levito leads after short program at Skate America:
American Isabeau Levito scored 68.43 points to win the women's short program at the Skate America ISU Grand Prix of figure skating in Allen, Texas.
Tennell won lower level events in Hungary and China before last year's Grand Prix season. But during a relatively routine step sequence in practice, the two-time U.S. champion gained an advantage and broke her ankle in the fall. He ended up needing a couple of procedures and spent five months off the ice before finally resuming training earlier this year.
When he took the ice Friday, it seemed as if Tennell had never left him.
His only mistake came when he under-rotated the second half of a triple lutz and triple toe loop combination. Tennell hit her double axel and triple loop to complete her short program with music from the Irish dance show “Lord of the Dance.”
“I wasn't sure I would ever be able to jump again. “It was a very long road and I am very grateful to my recovery team,” Tennell said. “I didn't watch any events last year, it was too painful. I took my recovery because that's where I am in life, and what's happening in skating is not my life right now.”
In the pairs competition, world silver medalists Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara of Japan took a comfortable lead over Ellie Kam and Danny O'Shea of the USA (and the rest of the field) with a rocking program set to “ Paint it Black” by the Rolling Stones.
Miura and Kihara were solid on their side-to-side triple toe loop and threw triple lutz for a score of 77.79 points.
Kam and O'Shea, the reigning American champions, earned 70.66 points for their short program to “Rain, in Your Black Eyes” by Italian composer Ezio Bosso. Anastasiia Metelkina and Luka Berulava from Georgia came in third with 68.64 points.
“We are very pleased to have completed the program without any major errors,” Miura said. “We are especially happy to have reached level four in the death spiral. On the other hand, we worked hard on our turn from the Lombardia Trophy and we aspired to a level four (and) we only achieved a level two. And our goal is to achieve a better result tomorrow.”
Skate America continues Saturday with rhythm dancing opening the ice dance competition and the men in action with their short programs. The pairs and women's medals will also be decided with their free skates on Saturday night.
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