U.S. figure skater Isabeau Levito withdraws from Grand Prix of Finland
The world silver medallist will not compete at the Finlandia Trophy one week after finishing third on her Grand Prix debut at Skate America.
Figure Skating
Isabeau Levito has withdrawn from next week’s ISU Grand Prix of Finland 2024, according to an update on Monday (4 November) to the list of skater assignments. No reason has been given for the world silver medallist’s withdrawal.
The 17-year-old won the short program at Skate America two weeks ago but struggled in the free skate, finishing third.
Skaters must compete twice in the elite figure skating Grand Prix series to be eligible for December’s Grand Prix Final in Grenoble, which includes the top six per discipline over the regular season.
Reigning European champion and two-time world medallist Loena Hendrickx also withdrew from the 15-17 November event in Helsinki, known as the Finlandia Trophy. The Belgian didn’t compete at last week’s Grand Prix de France citing the need for additional preparation.
The next event in the Grand Prix series is the NHK Trophy beginning Friday night (8 November) in Tokyo, with the Cup of China in Chongqing (November 22-24) the last of the six competitions in the lead-up to the GP Final.
After the Grand Prix Series, the next top-level event that American Levito could be involved in is the U.S. Championships the final weekend of January.
The three-woman U.S. team for March’s world championships is announced after nationals, and athletes can make the team without taking part at nationals.
Levito was also the top-ranked U.S. woman at the World Championships for the last two seasons with silver in 2024 and a fourth-place finish in 2023.
Note: This article was amended to clarify that the news of Levito's withdrawal came through a change in the skater assignments list, rather than a U.S. Figure Skating Press Release.