2017 Grand Prix Final Preview: Men
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After a tumultuous Grand Prix season, we’ve come to the end of the line - the top 6 qualifiers in each discipline will compete at the Grand Prix Final in Nagoya, Japan! Here’s our first preview of the competitors making their way to Japan next week. Streaming information for the GPF will be posted on Monday.
“Unexpected” hardly covers the shocking upheavals that have occurred in the men’s discipline so far this season. With numerous cases of illnesses, injuries, and a total of 14 withdrawals from the Grand Prix series, including familiar faces we’ve come to expect at the Grand Prix Final, perhaps it’s necessary to first talk about who won’t be in Nagoya:
Yuzuru Hanyu (JPN): Reigning World, Olympic, and GPF Champion, who withdrew from his second GP event, NHK Trophy, after injuring his ankle on a quad lutz attempt in practice;
Patrick Chan (CAN): 3-time World Champion, who, after finishing 4th at Skate Canada, withdrew from his second GP event in order to focus on Nationals;
Javier Fernandez (ESP): 2-time World Champion, who finished an unfortunate 6th at Cup of China due to a stomach bug. Although he won his second GP event, Internationaux de France, it was not enough to qualify for the Final;
Boyang Jin (CHN): Reigning and 2-time World Bronze Medalist, who qualified for the Final, but withdrew to recover from sprains in both ankles.
We wish full and speedy recoveries to all injured skaters and hope that they can perform to their full potential in the second half of the season. That said, there are still several talented skaters who made it to the Final this year, and it will be very interesting to see how the event pans out. If this season has taught us anything, it’s to expect the unexpected.
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NATHAN CHEN
Representing: USA
Age: 18
ISU Personal bests: SP 104.12, FS 204.34, total 307.46
ISU Season’s best: 293.79
Notable titles: 2017 Four Continents Champion, 2016 Grand Prix Final Silver Medalist, 2017 US National Champion
Programs: SP - Nemesis; FS - Mao’s Last Dancer
Grand Prix events: Rostelecom Cup (1st), Skate America (1st)
The only man this season to win both of his Grand Prix events, Nathan Chen enters his second Grand Prix Final as the top qualifier, although his road to Nagoya was not without some potholes. Nathan started his Grand Prix series with two strong performances at Rostelecom Cup, winning his career-first Grand Prix and beating Yuzuru Hanyu by a small margin. He then set a new personal best score in the short program at Skate America, despite a nick in one of his skate blades. Unfortunately, this high didn’t last; after changing his blade prior to the free skate, Nathan fell twice and popped several jumps. Although he won Skate America overall, he finished second in the free skate behind Adam Rippon.
Media outlets have been calling Nathan the new “quad king” of US skating - he is the first and only man so far to land 5 types of quads in competition, among his many other quad-related records. With his arsenal of quads, especially the high-scoring flip and lutz, Nathan has a decent shot at winning the Grand Prix Final if he’s on. He has also made huge artistic strides this season, with a cool and contemporary short program forming a marked contrast with his Chinese-themed free skate. If Nathan has solved his equipment issues by the Grand Prix Final, look for him to be on the podium for the second year in a row - maybe at the very top.
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SHOMA UNO
Representing: Japan
Age: 19
ISU Personal bests: SP 104.87, FS 214.97, total 319.84
ISU Season’s best: 319.84
Notable titles: 2017 World Silver Medalist, 2017 Four Continents Bronze Medalist, 2-time Grand Prix Final Bronze Medalist, 2016 Japanese National Champion
Programs: SP - Four Seasons: Winter; FS - Turandot
Grand Prix events: Skate Canada (1st), Internationaux de France (2nd)
Bronze at the last two Grand Prix Finals in a row, Shoma Uno enters this competition for the third time with the highest season’s best score among the men. He handily won his first Grand Prix event, Skate Canada, with a score over 300 points. Shoma is the only man to break the 300-point barrier so far this season. However, a bout of flu after Skate Canada prevented him from practicing for his second Grand Prix, Internationaux de France, where he struggled through both programs to finish second behind Javier Fernandez.
Shoma has set quad-related records of his own - he was the first man to land a quad flip back in 2016. With his combination of difficult jumps and high PCS, Shoma also has a good shot at winning the Grand Prix Final title. His season so far has been a mixed bag of record highs and lackluster (though not outright disastrous) lows. The final result will come down to consistency and conditioning. As the only Japanese man competing at the Final in his hometown of Nagoya, Shoma will also have to deal with the pressure of the media and the expectations of his countrymen, an experience that may help him in the future as he looks towards the Olympic Games.
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MIKHAIL KOLYADA
Representing: Russia
Age: 22
ISU Personal bests: SP 103.13, FS 185.27, total 279.41
ISU Season’s best: 279.38
Notable titles: 2017 European Bronze Medalist, 2017 Russian National Champion
Programs: SP - Piano Concerto No.23 (Mozart); FS - Elvis Presley Medley
Grand Prix events: Rostelecom Cup (3rd), Cup of China (1st)
On the cusp of breaking through to the top for a couple of seasons now, Mikhail Kolyada caught his biggest break so far at Cup of China, where he won his career-first Grand Prix with a 100+ score in the short program. He also became one of the few men to land a clean quad lutz in competition, although the jump is still fairly inconsistent for him. He has the capability to stand on the Grand Prix Final podium - maybe even win it, if others falter - in his first appearance there, but he is just as capable of bombing. It’s difficult to predict how he’ll do, but Mikhail has certainly inserted his name into the conversation this season.
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SERGEI VORONOV
Representing: Russia
Age: 30
ISU Personal bests: SP 90.33, FS 181.06, total 271.12
ISU Season’s best: 271.12
Notable titles: 2014 European Silver Medalist, 2015 European Bronze Medalist
Programs: SP - Adios Nonino; FS - Sarabande Suite
Grand Prix events: NHK Trophy (1st), Skate America (3rd)
At 30 years of age, Sergei Voronov is one of the oldest skaters in the men’s field - but that hasn’t stopped him from winning a Grand Prix for the first time in his career and qualifying for the Final. Still landing quad toe loops with remarkable consistency, Sergei produced steady performances at both of his Grand Prix events. Although his technical content isn’t quite high enough to compete for the top spots, he might find himself on the Grand Prix Final podium again if other skaters underperform. More importantly, strong performances at the Final can help secure a spot for Sergei on Russia’s 2-person men’s Olympic team.
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ADAM RIPPON
Representing: USA
Age: 28
ISU Personal bests: SP 89.04 FS 182.28, total 267.53
ISU Season’s best: 266.45
Notable titles: 2016 US National Champion, 2010 Four Continents Champion
Programs: SP - Let Me Think About It; FS - Arrival of the Birds/O
Grand Prix events: NHK Trophy (2nd), Skate America (2nd)
Another veteran of the men’s field, Adam Rippon simply keeps getting better with age. Although he missed the second half of last season with a foot injury, Adam has picked up right where he left off. Two solid performances at NHK Trophy nabbed him a silver medal behind Sergei Voronov. At Skate America, he set a personal best score in the short program, but disaster almost struck in the free skate - Adam dislocated his shoulder for the second time this season after a fall on a quad lutz, but he promptly popped it back in and finished the rest of his program with no errors. He ended up winning the free skate and finished second overall behind Nathan Chen, qualifying for his second Grand Prix Final and making a strong case for the US Olympic team.
Although Adam’s lack of reliable quads makes it difficult for him to compete with the top, he is one of the most engaging and versatile performers in the current field, and one of the most consistent jumpers. Look out for his energetic, club-themed short program, as well as his mesmerizing free skate to “Arrival of the Birds” and Coldplay’s “O”. Adam also popularized the “Rippon” jump variation with both arms above a skater’s head, but he has not performed it this season due to his shoulder dislocations.
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JASON BROWN
Representing: USA
Age: 22
ISU Personal bests: SP 94.32, FS 182.63, total 273.67
ISU Season’s best: 261.14
Notable titles: 2015 US National Champion
Programs: SP - The Room Where It Happens (Hamilton); FS - Inner Love
Grand Prix events: Skate Canada (2nd), NHK Trophy (4th)
Called up to his first Grand Prix Final after Boyang Jin’s withdrawal, Jason Brown will have a chance to redeem his lackluster performances at NHK Trophy and improve his case for the 3-person US men’s Olympic team. Although he is an energetic performer and usually receives high PCS, costly jump errors at NHK Trophy left Jason in 4th place after a strong showing at Skate Canada where he won the silver medal. Perhaps one of the most interesting matchups at the GPF will be how Jason fares against Adam - both men have inconsistent quads, although Adam attempts the harder quad lutz, and both need to be spot-on with their triples in order to make a dent.
