Two World medalists vie for the men’s title at the last Grand Prix event of the season before the Grand Prix Final. While the outlook for the Grand Prix Final itself in the men’s event looks to not be a rollercoaster ride like some of the other disciplines, there is quite a bit of intrigue here when it comes to who makes the last splash going into the Final. That said, as always, domestic battles will be the secondary storyline here for some of the skaters in this field.
2025 Finlandia Trophy predictions
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GOLD Yuma Kagiyama JPN - His win at NHK Trophy was not without errors, but there was something about that competition that felt like he rediscovered a bit of the swagger that was perhaps missing earlier in the season. The four-time World medalist has the chance to join Ilia Malinin as the two guys to win both of their Grand Prix events, and how he continues to push his own boundaries as the Olympics approaches will be important for how the rest of his season will go.
SILVER Adam Siao Him Fa FRA - It was touch and go earlier in the season, but Siao finally found his stride at Grand Prix de France as he balances getting the technical content out there and putting down more consistent programs. His free skate in Angers was as good a free skate he’s delivered in a since he wont bronze at Worlds in 2024. We never really know what we will get from him though, and that’s the treat (or pain?) for skating observers.
BRONZE Jason Brown USA - In the general mess that was the Skate America men’s competition last week, Brown still managed to come in fourth, and he made a number of mistakes in both programs that kept him from the podium. He had a strong start to his season but hasn’t kept up his overall consistency. Two stronger programs here put him in contention for the podium.
4. Matteo Rizzo ITA - After Nikolaj Memola’s struggles last week at Skate America, the door is open again for Matteo Rizzo as they battle for an Olympic spot for Italy. What has not been going in his favor is his score trends, which were higher in late September and has come down a good 30-40 points in his last two competition. At this point, a clean skate without quads could do him a lot of good—getting his triples done is even more important.
5. Sota Yamamoto JPN - His back injury has slowed him this season, and after a strong short program at Cup of China, he completely unraveled in the free skate there, dropping to ninth. He noted in China that he did not feel his injury at that point but was just lacking training. He’s won four medals on the Grand Prix before, and it will be important for him to rediscover some of that magic this week with a month to go to Japan Nationals.
6. Stephen Gogolev CAN - In the three head-to-head matchups between Gogolev and Sadovsky since August, both of them convincingly won one of them, and the practically tied in their last matchup at Skate Canada. This will be another opportunity for them to see where they stand against each other before the all-important Canadian Nationals.
7. Roman Sadovsky CAN - When it is counting the most—this Olympic season—Sadovsky has been more consistent than he has been in a long time, and he narrowly edged out Gogolev at Skate Canada. For him, it may be even more important for him to focus on the simpler stuff than the more difficult elements.
8. Mihhail Selevko EST - The younger Selevko brother has been consistently around 230 this season, and he’s shown that he’s got potential, both in his jumps and in his artistry. He could very well make the top 6 in this field, but more importantly, a strong skate here can put him back in contention with his brother, who had a very strong Skate Canada and is 30 points ahead.
9. Jimmy Ma USA - Tenth at NHK Trophy, Ma had his strongest free skate of the season there but faltered in the short, where he had greater success earlier in the season. It’s another chance for him to get himself into the conversation for the Olympic spots.
10. Deniss Vasiljevs LAT - Still—as far as we know—without a coach after leaving Stephane Lambiel’s guidance a few months ago, Vasiljevs was tenth at Cup of China last month. He will be looking to clean up the rotations here.
11. Andreas Nordeback SWE - After a very strong opening competition at Lombardia Trophy, where he hit a personal best score, Nordeback could not continue his momentum at Denis Ten Trophy a few weeks later, where he finished 12th.
12. Valtter Virtanen FIN - In his 20th season (yes, 20th!) on the senior international circuit, Virtanen is back at his home Grand Prix for the fourth time. He was most recently fifth at Volvo Open earlier this month.