KELOWNA, Canada — France's Kevin Aymoz, 29, staged a stirring comeback in the free skate to win Skate Canada on Saturday, overturning a 2.38-point deficit from the short programme and beating Japan's teenage world junior champion Rio Nakata by 9.18 points. The victory made Aymoz the second-oldest men's singles champion in Grand Prix history, a remarkable milestone for a skater who spent the summer in hospital with a stomach ailment and lost 22 pounds.
Aymoz, who finished 11th at the 2026 Olympics in Milan as the oldest men's singles skater there, did not have a perfect free skate in Kelowna, British Columbia. He had trouble landing his quadruple toe loop and triple Axel at the start of the programme. But his artistry carried him through: his artistic score was the best in the field by 6.92 points, according to NBC Sports' report on the event, and that quality gap proved decisive as the competition tightened.
Illustration: A figure skater performs an expressive free skate routine in a packed indoor arena.
What Happened
Skate Canada, held in Kelowna, is one of the events on the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating series, the sport's autumn circuit that brings the world's leading skaters together ahead of the Grand Prix Final. The men's event unfolded over two days: Friday's short programme set the order, and Saturday's free skate decided the medals.
After the short programme, Nakata, 18, held the lead, with Aymoz 2.38 points behind. Nakata, the reigning world junior champion, was competing in his senior Grand Prix debut and chasing a piece of history of his own: he was bidding to become the youngest men's Grand Prix winner since Ilia Malinin won twice in 2022 at the age of 17.
That bid faded in the free skate. Nakata finished only fourth in the free skate after doubling two of his three planned quadruple jumps — that is, performing two rotations instead of four — and he could not hold off the charging Frenchman. Aymoz's combination of experience, programme construction and presentation took him past the teenager, and by the end of the free skate he led by 9.18 points.
The result also rewrote a small piece of Grand Prix history. Aymoz, at 29, became the second-oldest man to win a Grand Prix event, behind only Russian Sergei Voronov, who won in 2017 at the age of 30. In a twist noted by NBC Sports, Aymoz had previously held that distinction himself before being supplanted — and now he has reclaimed a place near the top of the age list with a win that few would have predicted after his summer.
Aymoz is no stranger to Grand Prix success. He also won Skate America in 2025, and his Kelowna triumph adds a second major circuit title to a career built as much on artistry and musicality as on jumping power. In a men's field increasingly defined by quadruple jumps, his Skate Canada win was a reminder that the sport's second mark — for composition, presentation and skating skills — can still decide a title.
Illustration: A skater mid-jump during a free skate, with judges and the scoreboard in the background.
Background
Aymoz's road to Kelowna was far from straightforward. According to NBC Sports, he was 11th at the 2026 Olympics in Milan, where he was the oldest men's singles skater in the field. After the Games, a stomach ailment over the summer sent him to hospital and cost him 22 pounds — a serious setback for an athlete whose sport demands explosive power, fine balance and stamina across a four-minute free skate.
Recovering that strength, rebuilding jump consistency and returning to full competitive fitness in time for the autumn Grand Prix season was itself an achievement. That he did so and then won, against a field led by one of the sport's most exciting teenagers, is what gives the Kelowna result its resonance beyond the medal table.
The men's event also underlined how quickly the sport's guard is changing. Nakata, at 18, arrived in Kelowna as world junior champion and left with a lesson in senior competition: a lead after the short programme guarantees nothing when the free skate demands four minutes of jumps, spins, steps and stamina. His doubled quads on Saturday were the difference between a debut victory and a finish off the top step, but his performance across the weekend still marked him as a skater to watch for the rest of the season.
Figure skating's Grand Prix series works as a season-long test. Skaters collect points across the autumn events, and the best in each discipline qualify for the Grand Prix Final. A win at Skate Canada therefore does more than add a medal to Aymoz's collection: it puts him in a strong position in the qualification race and sends a message to rivals that, even at 29 and after a difficult summer, he remains a contender.
Why It Matters
First, the result challenges assumptions about age in men's figure skating. The men's event has become a young person's game in recent years, with quadruple jumps — once a rarity — now a baseline requirement at the top level. Teenagers and skaters in their early twenties dominate most podiums. A 29-year-old winning a Grand Prix, and doing so largely on artistry after an imperfect jumping start, shows that longevity is still possible when a skater's all-round quality is high enough.
Second, it matters for the narrative of the season. Aymoz's win, coming after illness and weight loss, is the kind of comeback story that defines a sporting year. It also sets up an intriguing contrast for the months ahead: the veteran artist against the rising generation led by Nakata and Malinin, with the Grand Prix Final and the rest of the season still to shape that rivalry.
Third, Skate Canada's other disciplines produced storylines of their own, and together they show a sport in healthy, competitive shape. In pairs, Canada's world bronze medallists Lia Pereira and Trennt Michaud completed a sweep of both programmes to win their first Grand Prix title in three years. Two-time United States champions Alisa Efimova and Misha Mitrofanov were second, 10.27 points back, matching their best Grand Prix result.
In the women's event, Japan's Mao Shimada — winner of the last four world junior titles in an undefeated junior career — recorded the highest women's short programme score of the young season. Shimada, who turned 18 on Friday, landed a triple Axel, a triple flip and a triple Lutz-triple toe loop combination for 82.11 points. She led by 3.61 points over United States Olympian Isabeau Levito, who skated cleanly in her season debut, including a triple Lutz-triple loop combination, after not jumping for four months in the off-season because of an injury.
In ice dance, Britain's Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson led the rhythm dance with 81.37 points, taking a 3.47-point lead over Evgeniia Lopareva and Geoffrey Brissaud of France. Those results set up a busy Sunday in Kelowna, with the women's free skate and the free dance still to decide their medals.
Illustration: A skater celebrates on the ice with a bouquet as confetti falls in the arena.
What Happens Next
Skate Canada concludes on Sunday with the women's free skate and the free dance, live on Peacock and NBCSN from 3 p.m. Eastern Time, while the men's free skate highlights air on Sunday at noon Eastern on NBC. Shimada's short-programme lead and the tight ice dance standings mean both remaining events have genuine suspense left.
For Aymoz, the next question is whether Kelowna is a one-off triumph or the start of a late-career run. A Grand Prix win strengthens his qualification case for the Grand Prix Final, and it will also raise expectations for his next assignment on the circuit. For Nakata, the task is different: to learn from a senior debut in which he led after the short programme and then lost ground in the free skate, and to bring the full difficulty of his planned jumps to his next event.
More broadly, the Kelowna weekend offered an early-season snapshot of figure skating in 2026-27: established champions defending their ground, teenagers pushing them hard, and comebacks — from injury, illness and age — still capable of producing the weekend's best story. If the rest of the Grand Prix season is as competitive as Skate Canada, the road to the Final will be worth watching.
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FAQ
Who won the men's event at Skate Canada 2026?
France's Kevin Aymoz, 29, won the men's singles event in Kelowna, British Columbia, after rallying from a 2.38-point deficit after the short programme to beat Japan's Rio Nakata by 9.18 points in the free skate.
How did Aymoz win despite jump errors?
Aymoz had trouble with his quadruple toe loop and triple Axel at the start of his free skate, but his artistic score was the best in the field by 6.92 points, and that presentation advantage carried him past Nakata, who doubled two of his three planned quadruple jumps.
Why is Aymoz's age significant?
At 29, Aymoz became the second-oldest men's Grand Prix winner in history, behind only Sergei Voronov of Russia, who won in 2017 at the age of 30. Men's figure skating is increasingly dominated by teenagers and skaters in their early twenties.
What happened to Aymoz over the summer?
According to NBC Sports, Aymoz had a stomach ailment over the summer, visited hospital and lost 22 pounds. He had finished 11th at the 2026 Olympics in Milan as the oldest men's singles skater there.
What else happened at Skate Canada?
Canada's Lia Pereira and Trennt Michaud won the pairs event, Japan's Mao Shimada led the women's short programme with a season-best 82.11 points, and Britain's Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson led the rhythm dance. The event concludes on Sunday with the women's free skate and the free dance.
Sources
NBC Sports, "Kevin Aymoz rallies to win Skate Canada, second-oldest men's Grand Prix winner", 1 November 2026; ISU results and broadcast schedule as linked in the NBC Sports report.
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