The feeling of burning out can be daunting, especially if you’re a professional athlete. For figure skating stars, it’s even more troublesome because of how their sport involves equal amounts of grace as well as the sharpness of the mind. Luckily, Kévin Aymoz managed to find his balance just in time to announce that the tumultuous times might finally be over for him. And he’s understandably emotional about it.

The 2024 Skate America returned to Allen, Texas, after a long time, and while the two-time winner of the event, Ilia Malinin, was obviously the biggest highlight of the show, it was Aymoz who managed to steal the spotlight with his wholesome figure skating performance. Later, he broke down why this year’s top-tier figure skating competition will be a memorable one for him.

At last year’s edition of the competition, Aymoz was seen struggling to maintain his form and also noted he was feeling burned out. But on Sunday, things were completely different. The 27-year-old figure skating star delivered the best performance of his career and finished second in Texas. An article by NBC Sports from October 20 notes why the Frenchman,Kévin Aymoz, was feeling elated by what he dished out at the Credit Union of Texas Event Center. His jubilation was only accentuated by the fact that he was in a bleak position only eight months ago, NBC Sports notes.

In the article, Kévin Aymoz could be heard talking about how January’s European Championships saw him at an all-time low point in his life. Placing 31 out of 32 competitors, he was justifiedly feeling shaky. “The next day after Europeans, I woke up in the morning and I was sad to not be d**d in my sleep,” the article quotes him saying. “So I think today I’m just happy to be alive and having fun on the ice and be myself and don’t care about anything else,” said Aymoz about his ecstatic emotions and how he felt free after tonight’s figure skating performance.

He also stated that Saturday’s short program helped him to find his confidence and love for the sport before Sunday’s main event. On his previous night’s performance, Kévin Aymoz said, “I felt one with my skates. My skates were just an extension of my body.” He also revealed that he’s been doing a lot of mental preparations since January for this very moment. Naturally, it was difficult for him to maintain poise when the 190.84 points came up against his name on the scoreboard. But the American fans had their own reasons to celebrate as well.

More figure skating stars made their return to the rink in Texas

USA’s figure skating star Bradie Tennell was rendered out of action in 2022 after struggling with her form. A harrowing spiral oblique fracture and an ankle fracture during a warm-up session last year added to the misery, and Tennell had to take a temporary leave from the skating rink since October last year. However, in Texas, she was back emphatically.

Bagging the second spot in the short program, Bradie even managed to subdue some figure skating heavyweights including Watanabe Rinka, Higuchi Wakaba, and Nina Pizaronne. The two-time US champ had to sit out the 2022 Winter Olympics and even confessed that watching her figure skating colleagues in action used to be a difficult task with her injuries keeping her from competing.

The 2024 Skate America also saw for the first time in 18 years when two American teams finished on the podium in the pair events. With 201.73 and 191.51 points, respectively, Ellie Kam and Danny O’Shea, along with Alisa Efimova and Misha Mitrfanoy made history. Kam and O’Shea’d point was also the highest figure posted by an American pair in 2023 and 2024. However, it was the Japanese pair of Riku Miura and Kihara Ryuichi that enthralled the attendees with their stunning performances. So what was your favorite part of Sunday’s Grand Prix opener? Tell us in the comments.