If you can believe it, the Grand Prix series is back for a full international stint after the COVID-19 pandemic forced all of last year’s Grand Prix events to be domestic or almost domestic. But in this Olympic season, there’s still something domestic to be had at these international events. And at the 2021 Skate America this week, there are going to be multiple domestic head-to-heads playing out in this very international competition. Nathan Chen comes in looking like the clear favorite, but this field is particularly interesting for its diversity in styles.
2021 Skate America predictions
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GOLD Nathan Chen USA - There’s already plenty of coverage about how Chen is on a long winning streak and that he hasn’t been beaten since he took fifth in PyeongChang. It’s doubtful that extending the win streak is the thing that keeps him going - rather, it’s his continued desire to progress his own skating that has driven his success over the past quad and continues to drive him in this Olympic season. Plus, without an international Japan Open this year, Skate America will be the place where Chen debuts his new programs. And … let’s just say, I think the fans are going to like his selections.
SILVER Shoma Uno JPN - From what we saw at Japan Open from Uno, we know he’s coming into this season going for all the difficulty that he’s got under his belt. But that could also be his downfall, as we’ve not seen him particularly consistent when it comes to adding the edge quads into his programs. At Japan Open, he barely edged out Sato by two points, and even that was purely thanks to his component marks. Getting on the podium this week will require him to find more consistency.
BRONZE Vincent Zhou USA - On a mission since his surprise and disappointing 25th in the short program at Worlds, Zhou is skating with a fire that we’ve never seen from him before. There’s a spring in his step, his jumps have more pop, and his overall basics have improved, partly because he really believes in the material he’s skating to this season. He’s traditionally been a late-season skater, and you wonder how much having to peak a first time at Nebelhorn to qualify that third men’s spot will affect his trajectory this season. Nevertheless, he comes into Skate America on a big high.
4. Shun Sato JPN - Sato is a semi-dark horse this year in the Japanese landscape. There’s no doubt that the big three there is still Hanyu-Kagiyama-Uno, but it’s also true that Sato isn’t a virtual unknown who is ready to demolish someone’s dreams. He’s somewhere in between that - a skater who is already well-known domestically with some effortless big jumps. And thanks to a lot of hard work over the past season, he’s pushed himself in his basics and could insert himself into the conversation, especially if others make mistakes. His showdown with Uno this week could be a sign of what’s to come.
5. Adam Siao Him Fa FRA - It has been a banner season so far for the three-time French silver medalist. Siao took silver at both Lombardia and Nebelhorn, the latter of which qualified a second men’s spot for France for the Olympics. And he followed that up with a win at French Masters over Aymoz, which established him as the surprise frontrunner among the French men early in this Olympic season. His basics have improved, and his short program is perhaps the best material he’s had in his career. He could make some waves here.
6. Michal Brezina CZE - We never know when Brezina’s last season might be, but seeing that he was just named to his 4th Olympic team, it’s very possible that this could be it. His silver here three years ago ushered in the start of the so-called Breznaissance, which took him all the way to the Grand Prix Final for the first time since 2011. With this field, it’ll be tough for him to get back on the podium, but his win at US Classic earlier in the season was a good sign that he may finish up his career with some of his most inspired skating.
7. Daniel Grassl ITA - The three-time Italian champion won Lombardia Trophy to start his season, and a strong showing at Skate America would maintain is status as the best of the Italian men during this Olympic season. He’s got the big elements, and even if his jumps rely on unconventional technique, he can get some big points in if he can be clean.
8. Kevin Aymoz FRA - His summer was not the off-season that he wanted. A painful groin injury kept him off the ice for a couple of months, and he had just gotten back on the ice a couple weeks prior to French Masters. He ended up finishing third behind Siao and Luc Economides with mistakes and watered down programs. It’s only been a couple weeks since that competition, and I’m guessing he’s not near where he would like to be just yet.
9. Jimmy Ma USA - Ma has had a history of not believing that he really belonged on the big stage in figure skating, when in fact he did. Over the past couple of seasons, we’ve seen that belief grow, finally culminating in a career-high sixth-place finish at US Nationals last season. He finished second US Classic behind Brezina with some of the best international skating of his career.
10. Nam Nguyen CAN - The two-time Canadian champ, like many of his Canadian teammates, had his whole season last year greatly interrupted with the pandemic and rink closures. He ended up competing in one international event at the very end of the season at World Team Trophy, which was uneven for him.
11. Artur Danielian RUS - After a surprise silver at Europeans in 2020, a lot of people thought that Danielian was on the verge of something grand the next season. But surgery to fix an ankle injury completely derailed last season for him, and he couldn’t even take advantage of any of the domestic events in Russia. His appearance at the test skates earlier this season was disappointing, and he’ll look to regain some of that form.