There have been a lot of fireworks among the women’s events on the Grand Prix this season, and there will be more this week at 2025 NHK Trophy—three-time World champion Kaori Sakamoto faces off against two-time World medalist Loena Hendrickx, who was out all of last season’s Grand Prix with injury. This is the deepest field that Hendrickx has faced since taking fourth at 2024 Worlds, so it will be a good test for her as she sets her sights on the Olympics.
2025 NHK Trophy predictions
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GOLD Kaori Sakamoto JPN - Even one of her best free skates couldn’t overcome the speeding train that was Ami Nakai three weeks ago at Grand Prix de France, but Sakamoto has perhaps an easier road this week to the title, which would be her fourth NHK Trophy gold. But she still needs to be vigilant—there could be some surprises along the way here with this field.
SILVER Loena Hendrickx BEL - Bronze at the Olympic Qualifying Event in September, Hendrickx returns to competition for the first time since that event, and makes her first Grand Prix appearance since winning silver at the Grand Prix Final in 2023. It will be about consistency and clean skating for her, given that she doesn’t have the highest technical content in the free skate without the triple loop. Her strength has always been execution and components, and she will need all of that here to be competitive with Sakamoto.
BRONZE Sofia Samodelkina KAZ - Coming back from injury, Samodelkina makes her Grand Prix debut this week. She has demonstrated a great deal of consistency, and her skating has gotten better over the past season. Her debut at Cranberry Cup saw her hit 200+ for the first time on the senior level (and representing Kazakhstan). If she’s back in the form that she was in earlier in the season, a medal is very much within your reach.
4. Sarah Everhardt USA - Her rotation calls were a huge mess last week at Skate Canada, and they resulted in the worst scores she’s gotten on the senior levels. Her jumps were uncharacteristically tight, particularly in the free skate, and she will be looking to be more assertive on her technique this week. At her best, she’s got medal potential here.
5. Yuna Aoki JPN - Sixth at Skate Canada last week, she had a number of mistakes that kept her from being competitive with the rest of the field. At her best, she can compete with anyone; she’s got both the technical content and the superb programs to contend. Underrotations have been an issue for her this season domestically and internationally, and she will have to be a lot cleaner to be in contention for a medal here.
6. Anna Pezzetta ITA - This is an important event for Pezzetta if she is to stay in contention for the Olympic spot for Italy. Right now, Lara Naki Gutmann has a fairly comfortable lead, but if Pezzetta can skate more like she did earlier this season at Nepela Memorial, it would help her immensely.
7. Wakaba Higuchi JPN - We literally have no idea what her condition is coming into this week. Higuchi’s only event this season was Kinoshita Group Cup, where she had a solid short but faltered in the free. She has not competed since because of injury, and so it is anyone’s guess where she will be coming into this event. At her best, as we saw last season, she’s a podium contender here.
8. Young You KOR - Ninth at Grand Prix de France three weeks ago, You is looking to improve on her performance there, because her trajectory toward Nationals right now is not in the direction she’s looking to be in. She will need to both be more consistent and avoid the rotation issues.
9. Elyce Lin-Gracey USA - The World junior bronze medalist’s season has not been as strong as she’s hoped for it to be. She was eighth in France three weeks ago, and she showed signs of the form that took her to some big scores last season.
10. Ahsun Yun KOR - Tenth at Skate Canada last week, Yun has had a tough time with consistency this season, particularly as compared to last year, when she had a few very strong competitions that led her all the way to Worlds.
11. Katherine Medland Spence CAN - Making her Grand Prix debut, Medland Spence will be skating in one of the biggest competitions of her career, and against a very talented field. She was tenth at Nebelhorn Trophy earlier this season.
12. Livia Kaiser SUI - It’s been a very trying season for Kaiser. She’s been recovering from injury but she’s continued to compete this season. She was out of sorts at Grand Prix de France three weeks ago, and it’s unlikely that she’s had enough time to turn it around, considering she just competed again two weeks ago.