Keegan Messing climbs to fifth at ISU Grand Prix

MOSCOW – Canada’s Keegan Messing gained two spots in the overall standings with his free skate Saturday to place fifth in men’s competition at the Rostelecom Cup, the fifth stop on the ISU Grand Prix figure skating circuit.

Olympic champion Yuzuru Hanyu of Japan won the gold medal with 278.42 points followed by Morisi Kvitelashvili of Georgia in second at 248.58 and Kazuki Tomono of Japan third at 238.73.

Messing was seventh after Friday’s short program and produced the sixth best free skate. Interpreting his Charlie Chaplin routine, Messing opened with a perfect triple Lutz but wasn’t smooth on most of his other jumps falling on both his quad toes and landing one of his two triple Axels cleanly.

“I really had to fight for everything,” said Messing, a silver medallist earlier this month at Skate Canada. “I can leave here knowing I gave it a solid fight.”

Messing was the only Canadian entry at the competition.

The next stop on the circuit is in Grenoble, France.

Full results: http://www.isuresults.com/results/season1819/gprus2018/