Since the post-figures era, there have only been three women who have managed to win consecutive World titles—Kristi Yamaguchi (1991, 1992), Michelle Kwan (2000, 2001), and Evgenia Medvedeva (2016, 2017). The reigning World champ, Kaori Sakamoto, comes in as the favorite, but she has looked less consistent this season leading up to her title defense. But if her last three competitions have been any indication, she seems to have righted the ship as she prepares to take centerstage on home ice. There is a potential for the top 10-12 to be incredibly close.
2023 Worlds predictions
Official hashtag: #WorldFigure
GOLD Kaori Sakamoto JPN - The first half of the season was a ball of nerves for Sakamoto. Whether it was the comfort with being the World champ or the shorter preparation during the post-Olympic off-season, everything about her timing seemed off. And then at Japan Nationals, she flipped the script and hasn’t really looked back since. She put down her best performances a month ago at Challenge Cup and looks to be carrying all the momentum into her home Worlds.
SILVER Mai Mihara JPN - Speaking of home Worlds, Mihara makes her return to this event—and if you can believe it—six years after she debuted in fifth in 2017. Two Olympics and a career-threatening illness have gone by since, but she is stronger than she’s ever been, and she comes into this competition as one of the medal favorites, and arguably the one who has the most likely chance at challenging Sakamoto given her consistency. Observers will note that her last skate at Challenge Cup was perhaps the worst of her season, so that will bring a bit of a question mark to Saitama.
BRONZE Haein Lee KOR - Here’s my dark horse of this event. Though given that she just won the biggest competition of her life at Four Continents six weeks ago, she comes in brimming with confidence. This is a skater who has a history of underrotations on her jumps, but her last two competitions have looked completely different than what we’ve been used to. If she can pull it together again this week, a medal is well within reach.
4. Isabeau Levito USA - The last time we saw the new US champ in competition, it was at Four Continents, where she had a sudden and surprise withdrawal, citing illness. Much like with Sakamoto, it’s been an up-and-down season for her in consistency, even though her results have been very strong, including silver at the Grand Prix Final. Whatever Levito was dealing with at Four Continents could be the difference between podium contender and trying to stay within the top 10.
5. Yelim Kim KOR - She had to withdraw from Worlds last year due to COVID, and her one prior appearance in 2021 was outside the top 10. But you better believe she will be a solid contender for the podium this week, coming in with the best results of her career, including silver at Four Continents in February behind Lee. It has been a very long season for Kim though, and you wonder if stamina is going to play a factor here this week.
Top 24 WOMEN season best pre-#WorldFigure 2023
— Jackie Wong (@rockerskating) March 19, 2023
217.61 Kaori Sakamoto
217.43 Mai Mihara
216.34 Loena Hendrickx
215.74 Isabeau Levito
213.97 Yelim Kim
213.14 Rinka Watanabe
210.84 Haein Lee
205.51 Chaeyeon Kim
199.91 Anastasiia Gubanova / Bradie Tennell
197.61 Amber Glenn
192.51… https://t.co/Fm2SxIzBGu
6. Bradie Tennell USA - It’s been a slow and steady build for Tennell this season. If we rewind back to the beginning of the season, the fact that she’s here at Worlds right now would’ve been a long shot. But she’s had another six weeks since her sixth-place finish at Four Continents to shore up some of the inconsistencies from mid-season and finish strong. She’s got a real shot for a medal if she can put down two clean programs here.
7. Chaeyeon Kim KOR - She’s been on double duty this season, with the first part of her season spent on the Junior Grand Prix circuit and ending at the biggest senior event outside the Olympics. But her senior events have been incredibly strong, with scores over 200 in all three of her competitions. She was fourth at Four Continents.
8. Loena Hendrickx BEL - I underestimated the reigning World silver medalist last year, and it’s very possible that I am doing that here as well. But it’s been a rough go so far this season. Even though she has not been off the podium this season, her last three competitions have been inconsistent, particularly in her free skate. And in a competition as potentially close as this one, one or two jumps can make the difference.
9. Rinka Watanabe JPN - It’s been one program or the other for Watanabe this season. And had it not been for a really strong fall season, she wouldn’t even be here this week. A 12th-place finish at Japan Nationals led to this somewhat controversial berth to Worlds. But she redeemed herself well at Four Continents, taking fifth there. Two clean programs could put her in the medal hunt, but that’s difficult to see given what we’ve seen from her this season in consistency.
10. Anastasiia Gubanova GEO - The new European champion had her best skates of the season there, and that’s her last memory of competition coming into Worlds. She will need to be clean to have a chance to break into the top 6 here. She was sixth last year at Worlds on the heels of a strong free skate.
Others to watch for: Amber Glenn (USA), Ekaterina Kurakova (POL), Niina Petrokina (EST), Nina Pinzarrone (BEL), Madeline Schizas (CAN)