The 2022 World Figure Skating Championships will be the first Worlds without either Nathan Chen or Yuzuru Hanyu, the most recent two men to win the Olympics, since 2011. Whether it’s just a one-off or it’s the end of an era remains to be seen, but even without Chen and Hanyu — and the Russian men —, the men’s field has so much depth that there’s still a great deal of fantastic skating to be had, including two of the three Olympic medalists, a former World medalist, the Four Continents champion, and a young upstart making his Worlds debut.
2022 World Championships predictions
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GOLD Shoma Uno JPN - Just as was the case at the Olympics, Uno comes into these World Championships with the most consistent skating of his career - at least that’s been the case in practices. He’s never known to be a practice skater - but the sheer fact that it’s clicked for him on practice ice means that he’s at a level of consistency that he’s never had before. At the Olympics, he couldn’t hold it all together in the free skate - he’s got a chance to redeem himself here. And what an opportunity it is for him to win his first World title.
SILVER Yuma Kagiyama JPN - And what an opportunity it is for the Olympic silver medalist as well - in only his second senior international season, he’s won medals that many skaters can only imagine winning. He comes in with an Olympic silver and a World silver, and he’s looking to take one more step up to get himself a World title. His skating this week has been less consistent than it was at the Olympics, but he shines when the spotlight is on him.
BRONZE Ilia Malinin USA - Is this bold? Yes. Is it possible? Yes. Malinin was super impressive at the US Championships, where he finished second behind Nathan Chen. Chosen for Worlds but not for the Olympics surely makes Malinin eager to prove himself and announce his arrival even more. What he needs to bring is that confidence and bravado that propelled him at Nationals - that, with the big technical tricks and greatly improved basics since last season, could very well make him the big surprise of this competition.
4. Junhwan Cha KOR - Fifth at the Olympics, Cha has the lowest planned difficulty of the top guys here, and that’s where he could potentially lag behind the others. His flair for the dramatic and superb musical interpretation can sometimes be overlooked, and it will require some clean skating and the judges making the right components calls for him to get himself onto the podium. No Korean man has ever medaled at the World Championships.
5. Vincent Zhou USA - The bronze medalists here from three years ago, Zhou comes in after an incredibly surreal last few weeks. From helping the US team win a medal in the Team Event in Beijing to getting COVID and quarantining the day after to missing the individual event to missing the closing ceremony even after he tested negative, he has had to focus and refocus himself on the task at hand. It doesn’t help that he comes into Worlds on the heels of a subpar free skate at Nationals and the memories of his Olympic experience. It will require a lot of resilience, but he’s absolutely got a shot at getting back on the podium.
6. Kevin Aymoz FRA - For the first time all season, Aymoz is injury free and has had a sustained period of concentrated training that he can look to before a competition. And perhaps that’s what he needs to get it done this week. Last year, he took ninth in his second appearance at Worlds, and he was 12th at the Olympics. He can substantially move up this week if he can find two clean programs at his home Worlds.
7. Daniel Grassl ITA - A career-best free skate at the Olympics pulled him all the way up to seventh with the fourth-highest free skate score of the event. It has been a very strong season for Grassl, including silver at Europeans.
8. Kazuki Tomono JPN - The surprise four years ago, Tomono was fifth in his debut and only appearance thus far at Worlds. But in many ways, this season has been a career best for him, with stronger skates and better finishes than he’s ever had internationally. He enters this event very fresh, having just competed and won Coupe du Printemps last week. He’s ready to shine again.
9. Deniss Vasiljevs LAT - After taking bronze at Europeans, Vasiljevs didn’t live up to the confidence that he had there when he was in Beijing. Four years ago, he was sixth at the post-Olympic Worlds. And he’s got another great look at a top ten finish in Montpellier.
10. Morisi Kvitelashvili GEO - The surprise skater in the final group at the Olympics after a strong short program, Kvitelashvili is known to be a feast-or-famine skater. Without his coaching team here in Montpellier because of the ban on Russian coaches due to the war, he will need to figure this one out by himself.