Just as we had last week with Yuzuru Hanyu at Skate Canada, we have a clear favorite this week at Internationaux de France in the men’s event with Nathan Chen looking for his second win of the season. But the intrigue lies in the other two spots on the podium, with a veteran trying to rediscover his groove and one of the most exciting skaters of the season looking to make a huge mark at home this week.
Internationaux de France predictions
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GOLD Nathan Chen USA - It was an easy win for Chen at Skate America, and it may very well be another one here in France. His technical prowess is what gives him the advantage on paper, his improved attention to detail this season is what sustains his component mark, and his consistency is what will likely result in another blowout win. This competition is less about competing with others and more about prepping for the inevitable head-to-head with Hanyu at Grand Prix Final.
SILVER Kevin Aymoz FRA - I’m going with the upset here - and frankly, if he figures out how to put out consistent programs time in and time out, this kind of prediction won’t even look like an upset in the future. Aymoz started his season off with a silver at Autumn Classic on the heels of two very strong programs, including an artistically innovative short program that will become a signature program for him. It’s not going to be easy for him to take silver over Uno, but the opportunity is there.
BRONZE Shoma Uno JPN - On paper, it doesn’t seem like Uno has had as difficult of a season so far as he actually has had. He was second behind Chen at Japan Open and then he won Finlandia Trophy a week later. But he has been struggling with his consistency and just trying to figure out who he is as a skater - trying out new coaching arrangements and new choreographers. There’s no doubt that he’s taking this season as one of rebuilding, which, timing-wise, could not have been better timed with the Olympics still over two years away. But all that means that he’s vulnerable this week. In every other year, he would’ve been battling for gold.
4. Alexander Samarin RUS - The enigma that is Samarin continues. He can be cold one competition and then hot the very next - and that showed up already with a very subpar fourth-place performance at Nepela Memorial but followed up with a strong showing at Shanghai Trophy. The jumps are what will be absolutely necessary for him to finish near the podium, because without them, the rest of his marks just won’t hold up.
5. Tomoki Hiwatashi USA - Internationaux de France is the World junior champion’s senior Grand Prix debut, and given this field, it may be quite the opportunity for him to make a splash. The second half of last season showed a skater who was brimming with confidence - his jumps were finally firing consistently again after a couple years of uncertainty.
6. Morisi Kvitelashvili GEO - Speaking of enigmas, Kvitelashvili faces similar challenges as Samarin. He won the Denis Ten Memorial in mid-October and comes in with that as his most recent competition memory. Watch out for the mental lapses in the middle of his programs - if he can keep it together, a top five finish is very much in the books.
7. Nicolas Nadeau CAN - Though he went into Skate Canada last week with a couple of programs with lower technical content than we are used to, what we saw was a bit of a more consistent Nadeau with his trademark booming triple axels. He was sixth last week and can be top six again this week, especially if he can clean up some of those landings.
8. Daniel Samohin ISR - And speaking of enigmas again, Samohin at his best can be a total podium contender here. But it’s been rare to see him put two solid programs together, even though he’s just had so much talent to work with.
9. Sergei Voronov RUS - The last two seasons have seen a resurgent Voronov continuing to stay relevant in the men’s field, particularly in the Grand Prix, where he’s made the Final each of the past two years. But his start to this season has not been nearly as promising. He was sixth at Finlandia to open his season.
10. Romain Ponsart FRA - It’s been difficult for Ponsart since the back injury last season that kept him from being competitive after a really strong sixth-place finish at this very Grand Prix last year. He did not start off his season well at French Masters, and it is really a question of where he is at this point in his comeback.
11. Anton Shulepov RUS - At this point, Shulepov is a complete unknown - we haven’t seen him compete internationally since Golden Spin last year.