This and That: 2024-25 ISU Grand Prix Series Assignments

Top Figure Skaters of the World including all four reigning World Champions Ilia Malinin (USA), Kaori Sakamoto (JPN), Deanna Stellato-Dudek/Maxime Deschamps (CAN) and Madison Chock/Evan Bates (USA) as well as Olympic and World medalists, European Champions and medalists will hit road for the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating series 2024/25 in the pre-Olympic season. Alissa Czisny joins me to break down all of the match-ups on a special edition of 'This and That'. The ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating series consists of six events and starts in October: Skate America in Allen, TX (USA) October 18-20, Skate Canada International in Halifax (CAN) October 25-27, Grand Prix de France in Angers (FRA) November 1-3, the NHK Trophy in Tokyo (JPN) November 8-10, the Finlandia Trophy in Helsinki (FIN) November 15-17 and Cup of China in Chongqing (CHN) November 22-24. The ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final will take place in Grenoble (FRA) December 5-8. The ISU Grand Prix starts traditionally with Skate America. Two-time & reigning ISU World Ice Dance Champions Madison Chock/Evan Bates (USA) as well as 2024 ISU World Champion Ilia Malinin (USA) will start their season in Texas. 2024 World Pairs silver medalists Riku Miura/Ryuichi Kihara (JPN) will return to the circuit after missing it last year due to injury. 2024 ISU World Junior Pairs Champions Anastasiia Metelkina/Luka Berulava (GEO) enter their first ISU Grand Prix as a team. 2024 ISU World silver medalist Isabeau Levito (USA) will meet ISU 2023 World silver medalist Haein Lee (KOR). Two-time ISU European Ice Dance silver medalists Lilah Fear/Lewis Gibson (GBR) want to challenge Chock/Bates. ISU World Junior Champions Leah Neset/Artem Markelov (USA) will debut at the senior level ISU Grand Prix. Skate Canada in Halifax features three-time ISU World Champion Kaori Sakamoto (JPN), Ilia Malinin as well as 2023 ISU World silver medalist Junhwan Cha (KOR). 2022 ISU World bronze medalist Alysa Liu (USA) returns to competition after sitting out two seasons. 2024 ISU World Champions Deanna Stellato-Dudek/Maxime Deschamps (CAN) and 2024 ISU European Champions Lucrezia Beccari/Matteo Guarise (ITA) headline the Pairs competition. In the Ice Dance event, 2024 World silver medalists Piper Gilles/Paul Poirier (CAN) will face their teammates and ISU Grand Prix Finalists Marjoie Lajoie/Zachary Lagha. The Grand Prix de France in Angers includes ISU European Champion Adam Siao Him Fa (FRA) and 2024 ISU European silver medalist Aleksandr Selevko (EST) in the Men’s. 2024 ISU European Champion Loena Hendrickx (BEL) leads the Women’s event and competes against 2023 ISU European Champion Anastasiia Gubanova (GEO) and 2024 ISU World bronze medalist Chaeyeon Kim (KOR). ISU Grand Prix Final Champions Minerva Fabienne Hase/Nikita Volodin (GER) will be up against 2023 ISU European Champions Sara Conti/Niccolo Macii (ITA). The Ice Dance event is led by two time and reigning ISU European Champions Charlene Guignard/Marco Fabbri (ITA). NHK Trophy welcomes 2022 Olympic and three-time ISU World silver medalist Yuma Kagiyama (JPN), 2023 ISU Four Continents Champion Kao Miura (JPN), Sakamoto and 2024 ISU Four Continents Champion Mone Chiba (JPN). Miura/Kihara will meet Beccari/Guarise (ITA) while Chock/Bates, 2024 ISU European bronze medalists Allison Reed/Saulius Ambrulevicius (LTU) and 2024 ISU Four Continents silver medalists Laurence Fournier Beaudry/Nikolaj Soerensen (CAN) headline the Ice Dance event. The ISU Grand Prix circuit then returns to Europe for the Grand Prix Finlandia Trophy 2023 with Kagiyama, ISU European bronze medalist Lukas Britschgi (SUI), Hendrickx, Levito and 2022 ISU Grand Prix Final Champion Mai Mihara (JPN) competing. Stellato-Dudek/Deschamps are the top seeds in the Pairs event while Gilles/Poirier and Fear/Gibson lead the Ice Dance field. The last spots for the Final will be decided at the Cup of China in Chongqing. Siao Him Fa, two-time ISU World bronze medalist Boyang Jin (CHN), Chiba, Chaeyeon Kim lead the line-up and are joined by Hase/Volodin in the Pairs. The Ice Dance event includes Guignard/Fabbri and Lajoie/Lagha. The winning skaters selected for the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final will gather in Grenoble (FRA) from December 05 to 08, 2024. The skaters are seeded and invited to the six Grand Prix of Figure Skating events based on the results of the ISU World Figure Skating Championships 2024. Skaters/couples who have placed 1 to 6 in each of the four categories are seeded and assigned to two events. Skaters/ couples who have placed 7-12 at the ISU World Figure Skating Championships are selected for two ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating events, and skaters with a top 24 Season Best Scores (from the 2023/24 season) as well as those placed in the top 24 of the ISU World Standings can also be invited. If available medalists from the ISU World Junior Figure Skating Championships can also be selected.