Every Grand Prix event so far has been both a competition for the event itself and a microcosm within the larger Olympic season picture. And if the first half of this season’s Grand Prix series on the men’s side was about Ilia Malinin establishing his creds, then the second half will be about how Yuma Kagiyama responds as Milano draws closer.
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GOLD Yuma Kagiyama JPN - It’s been almost two months since we last saw Kagiyama in international competition, and this week will be a good gauge of where he is after an injury forced him to take it easier early in the season. Malinin has made his statement the last three weeks, and now it’s time for Kagiyama to put himself in the conversation for the Olympic podium. He will be looking for both clean skating and increased difficulty from earlier in the season.
SILVER Shun Sato JPN - Fully established to have a hold on one of those three Olympic spots for Japan, Sato did himself a lot of good winning Cup of China two weeks ago. That win sets him up phenomenally for a Grand Prix Final spot, and that can help him quite a bit on his quest for that Olympic berth. He and Kagiyama are not stranger to head-to-heads, dating back to their junior days, and Sato’s got the most potential to pull off the upset.
BRONZE Lukas Britschgi SUI - With a very strong free skate in Angers three weeks ago, Britschgi vaulted himself to fourth there and comes in looking like a medal contender. He’s got the jumps and the strong basics to contend here, and to set himself up for a good finish at the Olympics—and consistency will be key for him from here on out.
4. Andrew Torgashev USA - Had he not bombed his short program at Grand Prix de France, Torgashev would have been competitive for the top four there. This season has been a more consistent one for him so far, and it will be important for him to continue to demonstrate that consistency as he heads toward Nationals. His short program here will likely say a lot about how his mindset is coming into his second Grand Prix.
5. Matteo Rizzo USA - Rizzo has shown up this season either in the 250 range or in the 210 range. Those two are vastly different skaters. And knowing what we know about the Italian Olympic selection process, it will be important for him to notch a bigger score this week to keep pace with the likes of Daniel Grassl and Nikolaj Memola.
6. Junhwan Cha KOR - We saw some signs of progress for Cha at Cup of China two weeks ago as he continues to figure out the equipment problems that have plagued him this season. He said before Cup of China that his skates are now in better shape and he just needed more practice time with them. He’s had two more weeks to prepare now, and it’ll be curious to see how much farther he’s been able to return to form.
7. Francois Pitot FRA - Fifth at Grand Prix de France to start his GP, Pitot gave himself a bit of a redemption after not qualifying a third spot for the French men for the Olympics in September. But there’s still plenty to fight for this season, and another strong skate here can set himself up well for both Europeans and Worlds.
8. Boyang Jin CHN - His fifth-place finish at Cup of China marked a very good return for Jin to competition since last year’s Grand Prix. He will want to both continue that momentum and show some conditioning improvements in the free skate as he looks toward Chinese Nationals and a likely spot at the Olympics.
9. Jimmy Ma USA - In both of his competitions this season so far, Ma has put down a good short program only to falter in the free skate. As he makes his case for an Olympic berth, this competition will be critical for him, and his sights will not only be set on how he skates this week but also on how he fares relative to Torgashev, who has been one of the frontrunners for that third spot.
10. Adam Hagara SVK - The World junior bronze medalist makes his Grand Prix debut on the senior level this week. His solid 16th place at Worlds last seasons shows that he’s a strong skater, and he will be looking to improve on his disappointing free skate at Trialeti Trophy, where he finished 11th overall.
11. Gabriele Frangipani ITA - One of the most chaotically inconsistent guys in skating right now, Frangipani has delivered big scores in the past. He was 12th at Grand Prix de France three weeks ago.
12. Haru Kakiuchi JPN - A sprained ankle forced him to just skate through both programs at Kinki Regionals without elements, and this will be both his Grand Prix debut and the first time he’s competed since early September, when he was 11th at Kinoshita Group Cup.