This year’s World Figure Skating Championships were a tough nut to crack. After all, it wasn’t just about winning or getting a medal. No, it was all about showing the world that you were ready. Ready for what you ask? Well, the upcoming Winter Olympics, of course. The crown jewel of ISU was the ultimate proving ground. But imagine losing out on this golden opportunity, not due to your own mistake, but due to someone else’s mistake. If you think that’s unfair, then that’s exactly what happened with one French figure skater.

Adam Siao Him Fa, the French firecracker, stepped onto the TD Garden ice in Boston for the final night of the event, eager to make his mark and book his ticket to Cortina, Italy. Adam, known for his quad jumps and emotional depth, entered with a target on his back, but the outcome left fans stunned: a fourth-place finish with a total score of 275.48, missing the podium by a razor-thin margin. But what exactly went wrong? Why did this near-perfect skater fall short of the podium?  

Adam’s X post from Golden Skate paints a vivid picture of what went wrong. Mid-free skate, disaster struck: “After my first Axel, one of my boots broke and got soft,” he revealed, explaining how the equipment failure destabilized his jumps, particularly his second Axel. He admitted, “In hindsight, I probably should have gone for a Lutz instead of the second Axel, but in the heat of the moment, there was just so much going on in my head.” 

That split-second decision, driven by pressure, likely cost him points—Axels are harder to land cleanly than Lutzes, and any downgrade or fall under IJS could’ve dropped his technical score. He also shared the mental toll, saying, “Sitting on the couch last year was more comfortable than the leader chair now,” hinting at the stress of leading that may have clouded his focus.

With rivals likely nailing more quads or cleaner programs, and Adam opting not to include a quad flip, his technical content may have lagged behind the podium finishers. Did this perfect storm of gear failure, strategic missteps, and intense competition seal his fate in fourth place? Adam’s journey in Boston started strong but unraveled under pressure.

In the men’s short program on March 28, he posted a solid 188.26, per the Golden Skate X post, placing him near the top and in contention for gold. His performance featured technical elements like the Axel, but the real drama hit during the free skate on March 30, where he tallied 275.48 overall—impressive, yet not enough to crack the top three.

Ilia Malinin (USA) with 318.56 (208.15 free skate) nailed the gold, while Mikhail Shaidorov (KAZ) with 278.47 (192.70) secured silver, and Kagiyama Yuma (JPN) with 278.19 (171.10) got the bronze medal. Adam’s total of 275.48 suggests he landed most of his planned elements, but errors—like his boot issue and jump choices—cost him crucial points under the International Judging System (IJS), which rewards difficulty, execution, and consistency. Yet Adam seems relaxed and unruffled; is it because he has bigger plans for this sport? 

Adam Siao Him Fa’s Bold Plan of Revolutionizing Skating with Two Short Programs a Season

Adam Siao Him Fa, the French skating sensation who nabbed bronze at the 2024 Worlds and ruled Europe in 2023 and 2024, is shaking up the ice with a game-changing vision. According to Olympics.com, this 24-year-old phenom, born in 2001 and a master of quad jumps, wants to “revolutionize male figure skating” by introducing dual short programs in a single season.

“I think it can be the future for figure skating to be able to show multiple programs during the season, and it’s going to be so much more entertaining to be able to show a different style in the same season.” At the 2025 World Championships in Boston and beyond, he’s tossing out the traditional one-short-program rule, bringing fresh creativity, like his backflips and Star Wars-themed routines, to keep fans on the edge of their seats. But can this bold move redefine the sport as we know it?  

Here’s the deal: Adam’s not just skating for points; he’s skating for a legacy. Olympics.com highlights how his dual short programs, crafted with coach Benoit Richaud, let him mix up styles, like throwing backflips (no points, no penalty) into competitions and galas, wowing crowds worldwide. “It brings a little of surprise to the audience, and also it’s not very repetitive because no one will know which program I will do. Even for myself, I’m not going to get bored at the end of this season about doing the same program all the time.”

But with the ISU’s strict judging under IJS, will judges and fans embrace this risky pivot, or will it trip him up on the scoreboard? The Challenge Ahead: Can Adam Pull Off His Skating Revolution? Adam’s X post and Olympics.com refs reveal he’s already plotting a “new style” free skate for next season, but his two-short-programme dream faces hurdles.

While he dazzled at the 2025 Worlds with a 275.48 total (despite boot trouble), the sport’s quad-heavy, technical focus might clash with his artistic gamble. If he can balance creativity with the IJS’s demand for difficulty, this could inspire a skating renaissance. But will Adam’s revolutionary vision win over the skating world, or leave him skating on thin ice?