US skaters Levito, Tennell lead after short program at season-opening Skate America

Wakaba Higuchi, of Japan, competes during the women’s short program at the Skate America Figure Skating event in Allen, Texas

Isabeau Levito channeled her inner Holly Golightly in a stylish performance set to music from the film “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” this weekend to lead after the short program at Skate America, the opening event of figure skating’s Grand Prix season.

The reigning world silver medalist, wearing a black dress that invoked the character played by Audrey Hepburn in the 1961 film by George Axelrod, scored 68.43 points at the Credit Union of Texas Event Center in Allen, Texas. American teammate Bradie Tennell was second with 66.99 points in her comeback from a broken ankle, while Japan’s Rinka Watanabe was third with 66.54 points.

“I’m really glad that I skated well,” said the 17-year-old Levito, who endured an up-and-down season a year ago but has matured significantly as she begins to eye the 2026 Winter Olympics. “I’m excited to keep working on this program. I love it.”

Levito opened with a triple lutz-triple toe loop, which she slightly under-rotated, and landed a double axel and triple flip later in the program. It was only the second time the former U.S. champion had performed it in competition.

“I’m excited to rest, begin tomorrow a new day, skate clean the way I do in practice and see where it takes me,” she said.

Tennell won lower-level events in Hungary and China ahead of last year’s Grand Prix season. But during a relatively routine step sequence in practice, the two-time U.S. champion caught an edge and broke her ankle in the fall. She wound up needing a pair of procedures and spent five months off the ice before finally resuming her training earlier this year.

When she took the ice this weekend, it looked as if Tennell had never left it.

Her only miscue came when she under-rotated the second half of a triple lutz-triple toe loop combination. Tennell hit her double axel and triple loop to complete her short program set to music from the Irish dance show “Lord of the Dance.”

“I wasn’t sure if I was ever going to be able to jump again. It was a very long road and I am so grateful to my recovery team,” Tennell said. “I didn’t watch any events last year it was too painful. I took my recovery as this is where I am in life, and what is happening in skating isn’t 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 U.S. — 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-by-side triple toe loop and throw triple lutz for a score of 77.79 points.

Kam and O’Shea, the reigning American champions, scored 70.66 points for their short program set to “Rain, in Your Black Eyes” by Italian composer Ezio Bosso. Anastasiia Metelkina and Luka Berulava of Georgia were in third with 68.64 points. DAVE SKRETTA, MDT/AP