ISU

Following six weeks of exciting competition, the top six Men, Ladies, Pairs and Ice Dance couples of the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Series 2018/19 will take center stage at the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final in Vancouver (CAN) this week. A total of 36 skaters/couples from nine ISU members have qualified during the six events of the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating series – Skate America in Everett, WA, Skate Canada in Laval, QC, Grand Prix Helsinki (FIN), NHK Trophy in Hiroshima (JPN), Rostelecom Cup in Moscow (RUS) and Internationaux de France in Grenoble.

The top six Junior skaters from each discipline will meet at the ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final in Vancouver (CAN) this week.

Let’s have a look at some of the highlights of the series and what happened during the six weeks on the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating circuit.

During the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating series you could see a lot of popular and familiar faces not only on the ice, but also at the boards and in the Kiss & Cry. Many former top skaters have turned to coaching and now travel with their students to competitions such as the ISU Grand Prix events and ISU Championships that some of them have attended themselves not so long ago. We met some of them as the Grand Prix circuit travelled from one stop to the next in the past six weeks.

Canada's Speed Skating future shines bright. At the first ISU Junior World Cup of the 2018/19 season, Canadian skaters topped the medal table with seven gold medals, five silvers and five bronzes. Two other traditional powerhouses, the Netherlands (6-3-2) and Russia (4-5-4), were second and third.

Tomakomai saw a many firsts. Isabelle Weidemann (CAN) won her first individual World Cup medal, in ladies' 3000m, while Bart Swings (BEL) and Vitaly Mikhailov (BLR) won the first gold of their World Cup careers in 5000m and 1500m respectively. Meantime, the Japanese pleased the home crowed with a good start, winning three of the four events on the first day of competition.

Three months ago, the mere thought of competing in a Short Track race was enough to make Elise Christie (GBR) question everything she’d spent the past 16 years working towards.

Watch the highlights as the favorites prevailed at the Internationaux de France in Grenoble. Five skaters grabbed the last available spots for the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final. The Internationaux de France was the sixth and last event of the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Series 2018/19.

Bart Swings won his first career 5000m World Cup gold in Tomakomai. The Dutch men swept the podium in the 1000m, but had to leave the Team Sprint gold to Russia.

Isabelle Weidemann took her career first individual World Cup medal, when she won the ladies' 3000m on the final day in Tomakomai. Nao Kodaira completed a weekend hattrick with gold in the 1000m, and the Dutch ladies' got their act together to win the Team Sprint.

World bronze medalists Vanessa James/Morgan Cipres of France came back from a faulty Short Program in the Free Skating to claim their second Grand Prix gold medal this season as competition wrapped up at Internationaux de France in Grenoble on Saturday.

Rika Kihira led the Japanese Ladies to a one-two finish at the Internationaux de France and took her second Grand Prix gold medal this season. Mai Mihara slipped from first to second while Bradie Tennell (USA) climbed from sixth to third.

Three-time World Champions Gabriella Papadakis/Guillaume Cizeron of France continued their winning ways and cruised to the gold in Grenoble at the Internationaux de France on Saturday. Russians Victoria Sinitsina/Nikita Katsalapov took the silver medal and booked their ticket to the Grand Prix Final while Piper Gilles/Paul Poirier of Canada earned the bronze.

World Champion Nathan Chen (USA) rebounded after a sub-par Short Program to take the gold at the Internationaux de France in Grenoble on Saturday. Jason Brown (USA) claimed the silver and the bronze went to Russia’s Alexander Samarin.

Ireen Wüst clinched her career 22nd World Cup gold in the 1500m in Tomakomai on Saturday. Nao Kodaira grabbed yet another 500m win and Bo-Reum Kim edged out Francesca Lollobrigida in the Mass Start Sprint.