American Ilia Malinin threw down a quadruple Axel to win Skate America. World champion Shoma Uno of Japan gets his chance to respond at Skate Canada this week.
Uno leads the field at the second event of figure skating’s six-stop Grand Prix Series in Mississauga, Ontario, on Friday and Saturday, live on Peacock.
Uno is by far the most decorated male singles skater in action this fall -- with two-time Olympic champion Yuzuru Hanyu of Japan retired, 2022 Olympic champion Nathan Chen on an indefinite break from competition and Olympic silver medalist Yuma Kagiyama of Japan injured.
At Skate Canada, Uno faces countryman Kao Miura, the runner-up to Malinin at Skate America, and American Camden Pulkinen, who was fifth at worlds. But he’s really performing against the winning score put up by the world junior champion Malinin at Skate America -- 280.37 points.
Uno and Malinin will not go head-to-head until, likely, December’s Grand Prix Final. Until then, the best way to size them up is by their scores in separate Grand Prix events. Each skater competes twice on the six-event series, looking to qualify for the six-skater Final.
Skate Canada Broadcast Schedule
Day | Time (ET) | Event | Platform |
Friday | 2-3:30 p.m. | Women’s Short | Peacock |
3:45-5:15 p.m. | Rhythm Dance | Peacock | |
6:45-8 p.m. | Pairs’ Short | Peacock | |
8-9:45 p.m. | Men’s Short | Peacock | |
Saturday | 1:15-3:15 p.m. | Women’s Free | Peacock |
3:25-5 p.m. | Free Dance | Peacock | |
6-7:15 p.m. | Pairs’ Free | Peacock | |
7:30-9:30 p.m. | Men’s Free | Peacock | |
Sunday | 12-1:30 p.m. | Highlights | NBC | NBC Sports app |
Skate Canada also marks the senior Grand Prix debut for 16-year-old American Lindsay Thorngren, the world junior bronze medalist. She’ll look to extend the U.S. momentum from Skate America, where 15-year-old Isabeau Levito, the world junior champion, was runner-up in her senior Grand Prix debut and Amber Glenn earned her first Grand Prix medal.
Thorngren’s primary competition in Mississauga includes South Korean You Young (sixth at the Olympics) and Japan’s Rika Kihira, the 2018 Grand Prix Final winner who is competing on the Grand Prix for the first time since 2019 after being sidelined by an ankle injury last season.
World silver medalists Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara can win the biggest title ever for a Japanese pairs’ team. Canada’s Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier seek a third consecutive Skate Canada ice dance title.
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