It would be an understatement to say that the skating world has missed Rika Kihira, the two-time Japanese champion, and one of the skaters many thought would’ve been in the mix for an Olympic medal last season. But nagging right ankle and right foot injuries took her out of the running altogether last season. She’s back this week, but at limited technical content. And even though she won’t be one of the favorites at 2022 Skate Canada International, she will be getting a very warm welcome-back from this crowd.
2022 Skate Canada International predictions
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GOLD Rinka Watanabe JPN - Given that she not only has one of the highest scores of the season so far but she’s also notched an international win against Kaori Sakamoto, it would be tempting to think that Watanabe could make a golden Grand Prix debut. Well, I took the bait, even though her performance at Tokyo Regionals a few weeks later was less than stellar. She has a solid triple axel and, like many of her teammates, buttery-smooth skating. With the potential of this field being unpredictable, there’s a huge opening for Watanabe to get the win in her first ever Grand Prix event - junior or senior.
SILVER Young You KOR - Top six at the Olympics and then top five at Worlds, You has the most decorated recent resume in this field. She was second in her first event of the season at US Classic, but her triple axel is not quite getting the rotational quickness that it used to have. Her path to gold this week will hinge on the cleanness of her jumps. This might be a really close call between the top two here for gold.
BRONZE Lindsay Thorngren USA - After a strong opening in August at the Philadelphia Summer event, Thorngren was uncharacteristically sloppy at Finlandia Trophy in the short, and got dinged multiple times for underrotations in the free. At her best, she’s got a strong shot at the podium.
4. Rika Kihira JPN - Still recovering from her injuries, Kihira is planning two lower-difficulty programs. And with only the sal, toe, and loop in hand, it will be very difficult for her to really figure in for the very top spots. That said, there’s a reason I’ve got her in fourth. It is altogether possible that a clean Kihira with lower difficulty gets on the podium, because the quality of her elements will do the talking for her. We did see a glimpse at Japan Open, where she wasn’t doing the triple loop yet. With three more weeks of training, we may be in for an underdog surprise.
5. Madeline Schizas CAN - The free skate has been something of a problem for Schizas this season so far, and she will need to figure that out if she is to figure into the medal conversation. Her fifth place finish at Nebelhorn Trophy was on the heels of a strong short, and then a drop in the free.
6. Ava Marie Ziegler USA - Perhaps the biggest surprise of the season so far in the women’s event was Ziegler’s win at Budapest Trophy just two weeks ago. She skated a 130+ free skate to grab the title there. But the biggest issue is that she doesn’t have a reliable triple-triple, which may very much keep her from being in contention after the short.
7. Niina Petrokina EST - There was some greatness last season from Petrokina in her first year on the senior circuit, including an unforgettable free skate at Europeans. But her season so far has been a bit rocky, first with an 11th place at Nebelhorn, but rebounding with a bronze at Budapest Trophy. Both times, however, she’s had to make a comeback after issues in the short program.
8. Yuhana Yokoi JPN - Our only data point for Yokoi this season so far was Chubu Regional, where she took bronze with a solid short program - but she was having trouble with her lutz at that event, and that could prove to be an issue for her this week internationally,.
9. Gabrielle Daleman CAN - Back on the Grand Prix for the first time since 2019 Skate Canada, Daleman has been nothing but resilient in facing the challenges that she’s had. She returned to the Canadian podium earlier this year with a bronze at Canadians, and this week will be a gauge of how close she is to form.
10. Lindsay van Zundert NED - After making lots of history last season for the Netherlands, van Zundert is back and skating in her first Grand Prix event. She was seventh at Finlandia most recently.
11. Starr Andrews USA - Sixth at Nebelhorn earlier in the season, Andrews returns to Skate Canada for the first time since 2018. She was ninth last year at US Nationals.
12. Eliska Brezinova CZE - Back-to-back Grand Prix events for Brezinova, she was tenth last week at Skate America.