The ISU Grand Prix series officially starts this weekend at the Grand Prix de France in Angers. Skating fans have already seen many top competitors at Challenger Series events, but now things will start to get serious. We are now less than 4 months away from the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano-Cortina, so the window for skaters to build momentum and make their case is short.
The coming months will be packed with drama, both and off the ice. Here’s a brief look at the storylines we are looking forward to most this season.
#1 — Japanese women: An embarrassment of riches
Has any nation ever entered an Olympic season with as deep a bench of women skaters as Japan this year? The Japanese women went 2-3-6 at last year’s 2025 ISU World Championships in Boston–but that’s just the start of their depth. A total of 9 Japanese women will compete in the Grand Prix series: Kaori Sakamoto, Mone Chiba, Wakaba Higuchi, Ami Nakai, Rion Sumiyoshi, Rino Matsuike, Hana Yoshida, Rinka Watanabe, Yuna Aoki. Every one of them would be a worthy candidate for the Japanese Olympic team in February. Every one of them has won Grand Prix medals on the junior or senior level. Many have also won World, Four Continents, and Grand Prix Final medals.
They’re a highly talented, decorated, and also distinctive group. From three-peat World champion Kaori Sakamoto’s best-in-a-generation skating skills, to the power and passion of Wakaba Higuchi, to the delicate yet steel-strong artistry of Mone Chiba, to the fabulous fluidity of Rino Matsuike, each Japanese skater is special in her own way. The race to see which three women will make the Japanese Olympic team is going to be fascinating.
#2 — U.S. women: Exciting times
The U.S. women do not have quite as many top-level contenders for their Olympic team as the Japanese women. But nonethless, the U.S. women’s field is still very strong. Led by new World champion Alysa Liu, the U.S. women skaters went 1-4-5 at Boston Worlds. It was their best combined result in over 20 years and raised hopes high for the Olympic season. Looking toward Nationals, the U.S. has 5 strong contenders for the Olympic team: Liu, Isabeau Levito, Amber Glenn, Sarah Everhardt, and Bradie Tennell. Although Liu, Levito, and Glenn are clearly favorites, both Everhardt and Tennell would be worthy choices as well (and for Tennell, it would be her second Olympic team). What’s particularly exciting about the U.S. women’s team, aside from the depth, is that any of the current top 3 are not only candidates for the team, but for the women’s Olympic title as well.
#3 — The return of Sui/Han (and others)
Comebacks for the Olympics are common. What’s unusual this year is seeing some very high-profile skaters and teams return to the sport essentially at the last possible minute to make the Games. Reigning Olympic pairs champions Wenjing Sui/Cong Han are scheduled to start their season on October 24. No one has seen their programs, or more than a short video clip of them, in over 3 1/2 years. And they are giving themselves only two international competitions (maybe three, if they make the Grand Prix Final) to prepare for the Winter Olympics. As beloved and popular as this team was during their career, it’s still a bit of a head-scratcher. Then we have reigning ice dance Olympic champion, Guillaume Cizeron, coming back with new partner Laurence Fournier Beaudry, after a very public falling-out with his previous partner of 20 years(!), Gabriella Papadakis. Even more controversial, American siblings Maia and Alex Shibutani are still apparently set to return, despite the recent appearance of a troubling video showing Alex berating his sister.
What’s unclear about some of these comebacks is the motivation and reasons for coming back so late, especially for Sui/Han and the Shibutanis, who have maintained radio silence. Regardless, these teams’ presence on the Grand Prix rosters will add considerable intrigue.
4 — U.S. ice dance: So many options
This is the country and discipline that most closely approaches the brilliance of the Japanese women skaters. No other nation has as many internationally competitive ice dance teams. There were 5 American ice dance teams in the top 15 ISU season’s-best list last year, and U.S. ice dancers went 1-5-9 at Boston Worlds (and were one of only two countries to qualify 3 teams outright for the Olympics). And all this was before the Shibutanis announced their return. The competition for the Olympic ice dance team will be intense, and all the more so because, effectively, only 2 spots are open. It’s certain that three-time World champions Chock/Bates will be on the team. And although Carreira/Ponomarenko look very well-positioned for one of the two open spots, they’ll still have to earn it on the GP and at Nationals. Because Green/Parsons, Zingas/Kolesnik, (possibly) the Shibutanis, and perhaps Bratti/Somerville will be right on their heels.
5 — The top pairs: Anyone’s game?
The battle for the pairs OGM feels like the most open discipline, after women’s. The relative technical parity that’s characterized pairs skating since 2018 means that titles are now, arguably, won at the margin. Interestingly, skating skills play perhaps a bigger role in pairs than any other discipline, operating as a separator between teams with largely similar technical elements. Yet, the high level of risk in pairs elements makes the discipline hard to predict. The return of Sui/Han adds to the sense that many things could happen.
In our mind, Riku Miura/Ryuichi Kihara are likely to remain the favorites for Milano because their skating skills, speed, and lifts are best in class. But jumps are inconsistent for the Japanese, which leaves the door open for other top teams. Minerva Fabienne Hase/Nikita Volodin are the most elegant and classic team in the field; they have the look that pairs judges dream of. Sara Conti/Niccolo Macii have passion, strong programs, and the homefield advantage in Milano, but lifts are a relative weak spot. Anastasiia Metelkina/Luka Berulava have generally strong technical elements and their best programs so far this season, but still lack seasoning, refinement, and chemistry. Deanna Stellato-Dudek/Maxime Deschamps’ lifts vie in quality with Miura/Kihara’s, but can they make enough of an impact with the rest of their skating? Pass the popcorn while we watch how these teams match up in their Grand Prix events!
6 — Can anyone make the 90s rhythm dance watchable?
This year’s rhythm dance was originally supposed to feature music of the 2000s; the 1990s theme came in as a reluctant second choice. And that’s exactly what it looks like on the ice. For reasons not entirely clear, the music of the 1990s simply does not seem to translate well into the rhythm dance format. Most of the rhythm dances we’ve seen so far look slightly cringe or even ridiculous, and definitely beneath the talents of the skaters who are performing them. Fan reaction to the RDs thus far has been notably negative, and even some of the ice dancers themselves are less than enthused. The question now is whether these programs can improve sufficiently, with tweaks and further practice, to be actually enjoyable to watch. Or will casual viewers come across these programs during the Olympics and switch streams to another sport?
7 — Will a challenger to Ilia Malinin emerge?
For decades, seismic rivalries defined men’s figure skating. From the Battle of the Brians in the 1980s, to the epic Yagudin/Plushenko clash of the early 2000s, to Yuzuru Hanyu’s long-running rivalries with Patrick Chan and Nathan Chen, the discipline has traditionally been driven by two men at the very top, pushing each other to ever-greater heights.
These days, however, there is only one true heavyweight in men’s skating. Since he landed the first-ever quad Axel in September 2022, Ilia Malinin has dominated. He enters this season as the reigning two-time World champion and heavy favorite for Olympic gold. It’s not just that Malinin is winning, it’s the margin by which he is doing it. Both his World titles came with victory margins of over 20 points. Malinin has a pronounced technical edge over the field because he has a jump that no one else can land–the quad Axel–and a greater number of quads in his free skate than anyone else–six quads at Boston Worlds. The question this season–and for any season, as long as he continues competing–is if anyone can truly challenge him. It’s not like the other guys aren’t trying. Total-package skaters Yuma Kagiyama and Adam Siao Him Fa have shown potential to perhaps compete with Malinin, as has the more technically focused Mikhail Shaidorov. But there is still a large gap.
What’s interesting is that Malinin himself has not yet needed a rival to spur him on. So far, his own dreams and ambition for greatness have been motivation enough to propel him into skating history. In this way, as in others, Malinin may be unique in the sport.
8 — European women: Hendrickx returns
Loena Hendrickx of Belgium has been leading the way for European female skaters this past quad, winning two World medals, a small World medal, and a European title. More than that, Hendrickx is an icon for those who wish to see mature women (not teenage girls) succeed at the highest level of elite skating. Now 25, Hendrickx brings a star power and magnetism to skating that few other women can muster. She is a force–and was much missed last year, when she had to take the whole season off due to injury. We can’t wait to see what she does this season. Hendrickx leads a contingent of talented European women, including the up-and-coming Lara Naki Gutmann and Anna Pezzetta of Italy and past European champion Anastasiia Gubanova of Georgia. (And all good thoughts to Niina Petrokina of Estonia, Nina Pinzarrone of Belgium, and Kimmy Repond of Switzerland in overcoming injuries.)
9 — U.S. pairs: Happy and sad
What a winding road it’s been for the U.S. pairs on their path to the Milano Olympics. In March, Alisa Efimova/Misha Mitrofanov and Ellie Kam/Danny O’Shea defied expectations at Boston Worlds to qualify two pairs spots, and a possible third, for the Games. It was a thrilling day for the U.S. pairs community, which has struggled to match the stability and success of the other disciplines in U.S. skating. Danny O’Shea spoke about the significance of the moment:
“It’s a massive portion of what we were here to accomplish [in Boston]. As part of Team USA, we’re here to earn spots for our country. They’re not for us, right? We would love to earn it [a spot] next year, but it’s not for us. It’s for the country. This makes next season a little bit calmer … with two spots, hopefully three. We can focus on growing our performance and pushing ourselves to peak at the end of that season, instead of fighting tooth and nail to position yourself to be perfect at only Nationals. Because I personally was part of a season where we only had one spot at the Olympics [Pyeongchang 2018]. And it was a terrifyingly difficult emotional process to go through. We had a very strong Nationals [with former partner Tarah Kayne], but not the body of work, that season. So Nationals went to Alexa and Chris [Knierim], and they were at the Olympics. I went to Pyeongchang [as the alternate], and sat there and watched.”
Joy in March turned to disappointment in September, when Audrey Shin/Balazs Nagy failed to confirm a third U.S. pairs spot at the final Olympic qualifier in Beijing, China. That was a significant disappointment, but at least the U.S. still has two spots. After a strong competition at Trialeti Trophy last weekend, the resurgent Emily Chan/Spencer Akira Howe currently look strongest among U.S. teams eligible for the Olympics. However, no doubt we’ll see Kam/O’Shea in better condition by Nationals. Other pairs in the mix include Shin/Nagy, Valentina Plazas/Maximiliano Fernandez, and possibly the new team of Chelsea Liu/Ryan Bedard.
10 — The skaters who won’t be in Milano
Which brings us to our next storyline. Last year, we saw breakout or improved performances from a few pairs and ice dance teams who, sadly, will likely not be in Milano due to citizenship issues. Foremost among them is U.S. pairs champions Alisa Efimova/Misha Mitrofanov, who created some magical moments last season, and gained many fans, with their passionate “Je Suis Malade” free skate. Efimova/Mitrofanov said in September that their season goals including winning the U.S. title again and making the podium at Worlds in Prague next March. We wish them well!
U.S. pairs silver medalists Katie McBeath/Daniil Parkman are also not eligible for the Olympics, but have already posted some strong results this season and are growing as a team. It will also be exciting to watch the crowd-pleasing, creative #2 Finnish ice dance team of Yuko Orihara/Juho Pyronen this season.
So much still to come
While those are some of our top storylines this season, of course there will be many, many more on the road to Milano and Prague. Along the way, we’ll be sharing photographs from many events, as well as analysis and interviews when possible. We hope you’ll follow us this season!
