2023 Grand Prix Espoo preview: World champions Sakamoto Kaori, Chock/Bates eye GP season sweep in Finland
The Grand Prix Series enters its fifth week, with top skaters looking to secure their spots at December's Grand Prix Final. See the full preview of the action in Espoo, Finland.
Figure Skating
Reigning Olympic bronze medallist and two-time world figure skating champion Sakamoto Kaori eyes a return to the site of the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022 this week at Grand Prix Espoo in Finland.
Sakamoto will look to go two-from-two in her ISU Grand Prix Series assignments this season after emphatically claiming gold at Skate Canada International last month.
A top-three finish in Espoo will all but assure her a spot in December's Grand Prix Final, which will take place in Beijing, People's Republic of China, inside the Capital Indoor Stadium.
Sakamoto was a run-away winner in Vancouver, scoring a fourth career Grand Prix victory as she debuted two new programs, including her Lauryn Hill medley free skate.
She's joined by fellow world champions in ice dancers Madison Chock and Evan Bates, who captured gold at Skate America in the first week of the season.
Kevin Aymoz of France looks to lead the men's field, which also features Japanese youngster Miura Kao and Sato Shun. Korean teen Kim Chae-yeon, who won the silver behind Sakamoto in Canada, also makes the trip to Espoo, while the pairs field is led by world bronze medallists Sara Conti and Niccolo Macii of Italy.
See a full preview of the action below - plus a full schedule of the action and how you can tune in on TV or livestream.
Grand Prix Espoo 2023: Sakamoto, Aymoz lead singles fields
Are figure skating fans in for more surprises after Cup of China last weekend saw wins for Adam Siao Him Fa (over Uno Shoma) and Yoshida Hana (over Loena Hendrickx)?
Sakamoto began this Grand Prix with a splash, her 226.13 overall lifted by an impressive 151.00 in the free skate in which Sakamoto said she performed "exactly the way I wanted to."
The 16-year-old Kim was runner-up to Sakamoto in Vancouver in her Grand Prix debut. They are joined in Espoo by Amber Glenn, the American who landed a triple Axel at Skate America, as well as Kim's teammate You Young, and Sakamoto's teammates Kawabe Mana and Sumiyoshi Rion.
Aymoz, the fan favourite from France, won silver at Skate America and is joined by three other GP medallists all eyeing a Beijing berth: Miura, the Skate Canada runner-up; as well as Sato and Italy's Matteo Rizzo, the bronze medallists from Skate America and Canada, respectively.
Rizzo's Italian teammate Nikolaj Memola, the 2022 Junior Grand Prix Final champion, continues to look to level up in the senior ranks.
It's more Italians - Conti and Macii - who will lead the pairs field, though they finished runners-up at Grand Prix de France. They should see a host of challengers, including Peng Cheng and Wang Lei, the new Chinese duo that won bronze just last weekend.
Chock/Bates are favoured in ice dance, though should receive healthy competition from Montreal training partners Laurence Founier-Beaudry and Nikolaj Sørensen of Canada.
Grand Prix Espoo 2023: Schedule
All times listed are local Espoo, Finland, time (Eastern European Time GMT +2). See a full schedule here.
Friday, 17 November
- 13:00 - Men's short program
- 14:50 - Pairs short program
- 17:00 - Women's short program
- 18:50 - Ice dance rhythm dance
Saturday, 18 November
- 12:30 - Men's free skate
- 14:40 - Pairs free skate
- 17:30 - Women's free skate
- 19:40 - Ice dance free dance
Sunday, 19 November
- 14:00 - Exhibition gala
Grand Prix Espoo 2023: How to watch live
American fans can catch the action via livestream on Peacock throughout the weekend. NBC will host a recap show at 16:00 ET on Sunday (19 November).
See the full U.S. broadcast schedule here. Canadians can watch on CBC and its subsequent platforms.
For international fans, the ISU provides a "where to watch" page here. Some regions may be geo-restricted when it comes to availability.