This week’s ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final brings the first half of this Olympic season to a climax in Nagoya, Japan.

When is it on?

The Grand Prix Final begins Thursday, 4 December with the pairs short programme and concludes Sunday, 7 December with the exhibition gala. The Junior Grand Prix Final runs concurrently.

Who is skating?

It is impossible to see beyond Ilia Malinin (USA) coming out on top in the men’s event. The double World champion has been undefeated since autumn 2023 and it would be a mighty upset if he were to lose in Nagoya. Yuma Kagiyama (JPN) still represents his closest rival and is the only other man this season to win both of his Grand Prix assignments. Shun Sato (JPN) is the third skater in the men’s category to win a Grand Prix this season which he did at Cup of China. Two-time European champion Adam Siao Him Fa (FRA), World silver medallist Mikhail Shaidorov (KAZ) and 2022 European silver medallist Daniel Grassl (ITA) complete the lineup.

The women’s event will be a duel between Japan and the United States. Mone Chiba (JPN) captured gold at both Skate Canada and Finlandia Trophy and was the only woman to achieve two victories on this season’s Grand Prix circuit. Three-time World champion Kaori Sakamoto (JPN) was defeated at Grand Prix de France but came back strong to win at NHK Trophy and post the highest total score of any woman so far this season. Ami Nakai (JPN) was the surprise winner in France and her total score in Angers was only fractionally behind what Sakamoto scored in Japan. The American challengers to the Japanese will be two-time national champion Amber Glenn (USA) and World champion Alysa Liu (USA) who each had first and second place finishes at their events. Rinka Watanabe (JPN) made it through by virtue of a second and third place in America and China respectively.

Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara (JPN) have been head and shoulders above the rest of their competition in the pairs event up to this point. The two-time World champions won in France and America, although they will have to maintain that high level of performance if they are to see of the rest of the field. 2023 European champions Sara Conti and Niccolo Macii (ITA), 2025 European champions Minerva Fabienne Hase and Nikita Volodin (GER), two-time World Junior champions Anastasiia Metelkina and Luka Berulava (GEO) and Deanna Stellato-Dudek and Maxime Deschamps (CAN) all took one win and a second place at their assignments. The final pair to make it to Nagoya was Maria Pavlova and Alexei Sviatchenko (HUN) who were second in Japan and third in France.

Ice dance has been in the headlines recently and not for the right reasons. The Grand Prix Final will give us a first opportunity for all the top contenders for glory later on in the season to go head-to-head and see how they compare. Ordinarily Madison Chock and Evan Bates (USA) as three-time World champions would be favoured to win a third straight Grand Prix Final title. However, this year they will face the new team of Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron (FRA) who sensationally have won their first two international events as a team at the Grand Prix de France and Finlandia Trophy. Two-time World silver medallists Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier (CAN) and World bronze medallists Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson (GBR) will also be in the mix for the medals. Allison Reed and Saulius Ambrulevicius (LTU) and Emilea Zingas and Vadym Kolesnyk (USA) are Grand Prix Final debutants.

Everything you need to know (and some things you did not) about the skaters, the competition schedule and results can be viewed here.

When is the skating on?

Through the night in North America, morning till lunchtime in Europe and afternoon till evening in Asia. The times listed for the Grand Prix Final are local and if you want to know what the time difference is between where you are and Nagoya then this link is your friend.

Where can I watch the pretty skaters?

This season’s ISU Grand Prix can be viewed on the Skating ISU YouTube channel. Geographic restrictions may apply.

What are the hashtags?

#GPFigure #FigureSkating