Figure skating 2022/23 season preview: New Olympic quad begins with intrigue and plenty of familiar faces

Let the new Olympic quadrennium begin.

Some eight months after the conclusion of the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022 and over three years until Milano Cortina 2026, the best figure skaters in the world are back on competitive ice in this post-Olympic season.

For many inside the sport, it’s known as a season of transition – and trying new things.

While plenty of ISU Challenger and other small-level events have already been held, Skate America (beginning 21 October in Norwood, Mass.) marks the true start of the major competition calendar as the first of six Grand Prix Series of Figure Skating events in October and November.

The season is set to crescendo first at the exclusive Grand Prix Final in Torino in December (only the top six skaters and teams from each discipline get to take part), and then in front of one of the most robust figure skating crowds in the world as Japan hosts the ISU World Figure Skating Championships in Saitama in March.

Who are the big names to watch out for? Who’s retired, injured, or taking a break? And what about the up-and-comers to know? We break all of that down – and much more – in our season preview.

World champs Uno and Sakamoto lead top returners

Who’s in and who’s out? Let’s first start with the skaters we’re sure to see on the ice this season, including reigning world champions from Japan Uno Shoma and Sakamoto Kaori. Both skaters claimed bronze in Beijing before triumphing at Worlds in Montpellier, France, a few weeks later.

Sakamoto will kick off the season with her fifth appearance at Skate America (she’s a two-time silver medallist there) a week before Uno gets underway at Skate Canada. Both are set to wow the home crowd at NHK Trophy in November.

American pair team Alexa Knierim and Brandon Frazier look to continue their world championship-winning form, as well, although Olympic and world champion ice dancers Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron have opted to sit out the season while telling the French press “all the doors are still open” for future years.

Knierim/Frazier headline a pairs field that is wide open and is also set to feature Miura Riku and Kihara Ryuichi of Japan, the reigning world silver medallists.

Hanyu retires, Chen back to school

The last three Olympic gold medals in men single skating belong to Nathan Chen (2022) and Hanyu Yuzuru (2014 and 2018), but for the first time since 2009 neither skater is set to compete.

Hanyu, 27, announced in July that he would no longer be competing at sanctioned international events as he transitions to a professional and show skating career. Chen, 23, has resumed a full-time school schedule at Yale, where he has two years of classes left.

Will Chen compete post-graduation? “I have no idea,” he told U.S. broadcaster NBC Sports in May. “I’m really happy with the things I have already accomplished.”

His memoir, One Jump at a Time, is due out 22 November.

The reigning Olympic champs in pair skating, China’s Sui Wenjing and Han Cong, are not scheduled for any Grand Prix events.

Russian skaters remain on sidelines internationally

While skaters representing the ROC won five individual medals in Beijing – including Anna Shcherbakova’s triumph in women single skating – Russian skaters remain banned by the International Skating Union (ISU) at international events.

The ban, issued in March, remains in place until further notice. With strong representation in the women’s, pairs, and ice dance disciplines, the Russian absence looms large over the international scene this season.

American teen Malinin eyes major breakthrough

While Hanyu made it his goal at the Winter Games to land the never-done-before quadruple Axel, the two-time Olympic champ fell short on his attempt in the men’s free skate. Enter 17-year-old American Ilia Malinin, the up-and-coming teen who is the reigning world junior champion.

Malinin, competing in his first full season as a senior (he placed ninth at Worlds last year), made history in September at the U.S. International Classic in Lake Placid, becoming the first skater in history to successfully land the jump.

While the jump landed him in the headlines, Malinin already had the attention of some in the top of the sport, including Uno, who said Malinin “can be the new bar for me” after competing against him at the Japan Open earlier this month.

Kihira, Tennell on comeback paths

Injuries often impact the figure skating field more than desired, the sport demanding so much physically out of some of the best athletes in the world. Kagiyama Yuma, the reigning Olympic silver medallist, is out of the Grand Prix Series with a leg injury, while countrywoman Higuchi Wakaba will sit out the entire season due to a stress fracture.

Injuries thwarted the Olympic dreams of Japan’s Kihira Rika and Bradie Tennell of the U.S., both two-time national champions in their respective countries. Each are scheduled to be back on the Grand Prix this season, with Tennell having moved to France to work with choreographer and coach Benoit Richaud full time.

Veterans step up in ice dance

Papadakis/Cizeron realised their longtime dream of Olympic gold, but none of the three medal-winning teams from Beijing are on the international circuit this year. Americans Madison Chock and Evan Bates (fourth at the Games) are the reigning world bronze medallists, while Canada’s Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier won bronze at Worlds in 2021.

Italy’s Charlene Guignard and Marco Fabbri seek to start this quad off on the right foot with their home country due to host the Games in 2026.

A bronze medallist in singles at Vancouver 2010, Takahashi Daisuke continues his foray into ice dance, sharing the ice with partner Muramoto Kana. The Japanese duo missed out on the Olympics by a close margin to teammates Komatsubara Misato and Koleto Tim.

Women: Sakamoto, Hendrickx lead the way

It’s not just Sakamoto who returns to the ice for the women, but also world silver medallist Loena Hendrickx, the two leading women both now 22 years old.

Sakamoto’s countrywoman Kihira’s health and form will be of interest to fans, while 20-year-old Watanabe Rinka of Japan won the title at the Lombardia Trophy Challenger Series event to start the season. Meanwhile, South Korean teen Kim Yelim has two Challenger golds already this year (watch out for her compatriot You Young, too), and 15-year-old Isabeau Levito of the U.S. could make waves – starting with her senior Grand Prix debut at Skate America.

Men: Messing, Aymoz, Cha return

Is Malinin the one to beat? Uno thinks as much, though Shoma will have plenty to say about that himself – as will a fully healthy Kagiyama, who is aiming for a return at Japanese nationals in December.

Canadian veteran Keegan Messing is back at age 30, while fan favourites Kevin Aymoz (France) and Cha Jun-hwan (South Korea) return, too. The men’s field is brimming with potential plot twists, especially with quadruple jumps regularly demanded in both programs.

Seventeen-year-old Stephen Gogolev of Canada won the Junior Grand Prix Final in 2019 (at 14!) but has been marred by injuries since, while Japan’s Sato Shun (18) and Tsuboi Tatsuya (19) aim for breakouts, too.

Oh, and don’t worry Donovan Carrillo fans – the Mexican skater is back! He’ll compete at Skate America on the Grand Prix, with other international events set to feature on his calendar.

U.K., Finland to host Grand Prix events

With no Grand Prix event being held in either Russia or China, two new nations are stepping up: Great Britain will host the MK John Wilson Trophy (11-13 Nov.), while Finland is set to stage the Grand Prix of Espoo two weeks later (25-27 Nov.).

The MK John Wilson Trophy is the first-ever Grand Prix held in the U.K., while Finland hosted a Grand Prix previously in 2018 – in Helsinki.

Age limit rules not in effect... yet

The ISU made headlines in June when the ISU Congress voted to raise the minimum age of competitive skaters, but the rule doesn’t make an impact until the 2023-24 season.

Skaters – such as Levito – who are 15 years old are still allowed to compete, while next year that minimum age will bump up to 16. The 2024-25 season will see the age go up one more time, to 17, where it is set to remain.

See a full schedule of major events for the 2022-23 ISU figure skating season below:

• Skate America 21-23 Oct. Norwood, USA
• Skate Canada 28-30 Oct. Mississauga, Canada
• Grand Prix de France 4-6 Nov. Angers, France
• MK John Wilson Trophy 11-13 Nov. Sheffield, UK
• NHK Trophy 18-20 Nov. Sapporo, Japan
• Grand Prix of Espoo 25-27 Nov. Espoo, Finland
• Grand Prix Final 8-11 Dec. Torino, Italy
• National championships Dec. & Jan. Various locations
• European Championships 23-29 Jan. Espoo, Finland
• Four Continents Champs. 7-12 Feb. Colorado Springs, USA
• Junior Worlds 27 Feb.-5 Mar. Calgary, Canada
• World Championships 20-26 March Saitama, Japan