“In the Loop” is a column by Valerie Fang dedicated to the sport of figure skating.
Note: This article was written on 12/7 when only the Men’s Short Program competition had taken place.
Figure skating is ending this year with an ultimate showdown featuring the top six single skaters or teams from each of its four disciplines. The 2023 ISU (International Skating Union) Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final is being held at Beijing’s National Indoor Stadium, the same venue that hosted last year’s Winter Olympics.
The lineup for this prestigious event truly reflects the status of the sport ever since Beijing 2022, with Sakamoto Kaori steadily maintaining her lead in women’s single skating and a crowded, yet level playing field in the men’s event. My one disappointment about this season so far is the withdrawal of Kihara Ryuichi and Miura Riku from all of the Grand Prix competitions this season due to Kihara’s back injury. I had high hopes for the history-making pair skaters after their unbeatable past season and witnessing in person how they brought Japan its first Four Continents gold medal in pairs skating. Let’s wish Kihara a speedy recovery and hope to see the pair on ice for the second half of the season in the new year.
If you missed some of the six stops that have led up to the Grand Prix Final, here is a detailed summary of the results from each of the previous events. Before the new champions emerge this Saturday morning, I present my predictions for men’s and women’s titles.
The gold for men’s singles will most likely be snatched by either Ilia Malinin (USA) or Adam Siao Him Fa (FRA), and my best guess is that it will still go to Malinin. Yes, I understand that Siao was able to edge out the “quad god” with the free skate of his life earlier during the Grand Prix de France. But that happened when Malinin stepped out on the triple salchow, a rare mistake for the young skater who is best known for his jumping prowess. It cost Malinin a positive GOE (Grade of Execution) and very likely the two points that allowed Siao to defeat him. I believe that this time, Malinin has done what he needed to do to get into his top shape, while it is still relatively uncertain if Siao can maintain his momentum through the end of the Grand Prix series.
By the way, have you noticed the coincidence? It was on the same ice when the first Olympic attempt of a quadruple axel happened last year. Check out this clip from the press conference just after Ilia Malinin made history by becoming the first skater to land the sport’s most difficult jump during a short program. He mentioned that he “felt the connection” to what went down at the last Winter Olympics. I also think this really puts in perspective how fast figure skating has been progressing in terms of technicality — people marveled at the mere attempt at the quadruple axel just last year, but today, a 19-year-old teenager has managed to land the jump consistently.
For the women’s single skating, my bet is on Sakamoto Kaori. Some of her best qualities as a figure skater are her stability, physical strength and positive attitude. Earlier this year, Sakamoto confessed that she feels the pressure from the ongoing “quad revolution” waged by the Russian skaters in women’s skating. However, I admire how she is able to steadily improve her techniques without being risky and putting herself in danger. She has already gained gold at the two stops she was assigned to. I think there is nothing in her way to do the same at the Final.
And finally, let me talk a little about how my delight, Watanabe Rinka, is doing in this season so far. After finishing sixth at Skate Canada, her first assigned stop, Watanabe bounced back to silver at the Cup of China (only 0.75 points away from gold) with impressive tenacity. Look at this glorious double axel at the opening — so light, so far, so effortlessly done. It also almost shared the same GOE with Sakamoto’s famous double axel. I hope Watanabe will keep working on the underrotations and height of some of her jumps, which would likely help her land the triple axel more consistently, as well as her spins. Although she wasn’t able to make it to the Final, I look forward to seeing any improvements in the second half of the season.
That’s a wrap on In the Loop for the fall semester! Thanks so much for staying with me until the end. I wrote this article while watching the free skate event of the Junior Grand Prix Final. So, whenever you see the next edition of this column, I will probably discuss why junior competitions are often more interesting to watch than the senior ones, and why Shimada Mao is such a big deal.
“In the Loop” runs every other Friday.