Grand Prix Final 2024 Preview and Predictions
The Grand Prix Final 2024 is upon us, and with all of the wildly unpredictable skates we’ve seen throughout the Grand Prix series, a lot feels up in the air going in.
Men’s Competition
With all of the men “menning” this season, it still feels relatively safe(ish) to expect a win or a podium finish here for Ilia Malinin. Both Skate America and Skate Canada performances had flaws and showed he’s actually human, but Malinin has said he’s bringing the quad axel back and is likely not stopping there. Ilia has shown that he’s usually reserving the hardest elements for the biggest competitions, so expect a lot of risky elements and a few surprises.
His biggest competition comes from Japan’s Yuma Kagiyama, who has boldly said his goal is to win every competition he enters this season. He lost to Ilia at Lombardia Trophy and had a rough skate when winning Finlandia Trophy. However, Yuma is the best all-around skater out there right now and, if he’s on, can absolutely give Ilia a run for that gold.
The third spot on the podium is entirely up for grabs. On the right day, any of the other four men competing here can rise to the occasion — but Shun Sato from Japan and Kevin Aymoz from France have the other highest scores this season. That said, no one can discount the momentum Mikhail Shaidorov has and, with the least pressure having taken Adam Siao Him Fa’s spot here, he could be up to an upset.
Ice Dance Competition
While its usually the most predictable discipline, Dance has been a little more chaotic this season — which makes this more interesting.
The two teams most likely to be 1 & 2 on the podium are reigning World Champions from the US, Madison Chock & Evan Bates, and Canada’s Piper Gilles & Paul Poirier. Both teams have stellar programs this season, with Gilles & Porrier having the Rhythm Dance advantage and Chock & Bates with the free dance edge. This will likely come down to a narrow margin (and judges preferences) on the day — unless anyone slips up.
As with the men, the third spot seems a bit less certain. Italy’s Guignard & Fabbri are reigning World bronze medalists and, if perfect, will probably take it. However, with a long program that isn’t “hitting” as well as previous years’ material and a very bad performance they’re trying to move past from Grand Prix de France, Great Britain’s Lilah Fear & Lewis Gibson are nipping at their heels. One error and we could see a changing of the guard.
Women’s Competition
If you look at the numbers and the past few years of competitions, Kaori Sakamoto has a large advantage here and should, in theory, be the odds on favorite. However, we’ve seen uneven competitions from Kaori this season — until NHK Trophy, where she really shined. It will be interesting to see which version of Kaori shows up here, but expect her to fight to hold that Grand Prix Final champion spot.
The battle for the rest of the podium is truly between all of the other women. While Amber Glenn from the US has soared with two Grand Prix qualifier wins this season, Japan’s Mone Chiba has scores that have nearly tied Amber’s. Not far behind are three more Japanese women — the brilliant Wakaba Higuchi, the fierce Hana Yoshida, and the elegant Rino Matsuike.
Pairs Competition
After the withdrawal of World Champions, Deanna Stellato-Dudek & Maxime Deschamps, the top teams get much tighter and the fight for gold will be very interesting.
If we look at consistency, Germany’s Minerva Hase & Nikita Volodin should show up well here and be tough to beat. However, the season’s top score belongs to former World Champions Riku Miura & Ryuchi Kihara of Japan. Both team’s have looked excellent this season so far, and come into the final with one win and one silver on the Grand Prix.
Also in the running for the top spot are Georgia’s Metelkina & Berulava and Italy’s Conti & Macii — who both have great momentum coming off of their wins at NHK Trophy and Cup of China respectively. If anyone has a misstep, Kam & O’Shea and Guillardi & Ambrosini are more than capable of moving up the podium as well. So, expect the unexpected here at the GPF.
Chapters
0:00 — Intro
1:25 — Scores and Skating
3:20 — Men’s Competition
15:24 — Men’s Poduim Predictions
16:12 — Ice Dance Competition
26:17 — Dance Podium Predictions
26:53 — Women’s Competition
37:44 — Women’s Podium Predictions
38:44 — Pairs Competition
47:03 — Pairs Podium Predictions
48:25 — Gold in our Hearts
49:50 — Wrap-Up
