What to Watch
With Bradie Tennell withdrawing due to injury earlier this week, prospects don’t look great for the US women in this event. The three entries here are at the bottom of the list in terms of ISU personal best scores and face some steep competition if they want to nab a medal at their home Grand Prix. Audrey Shin has potential beyond what her official ISU scores suggest, and if Amber Glenn manages to put the 3A in her programs she could make in to the top end of the field, but there are plenty of other women in the way.
World bronze medalist Alexandra Trusova impressed early in the season with a five quad free skate at the Russian test skates, but is yet to replicate that performance and has struggled mightily adding a 3A in the short program. Clean skates would put her on the top step of the podium by a wide margin, but she’s likely to get a medal of some color even with multiple falls based on the astronomical base value of her planned program content.
Slightly forgotten in the uber-talented Russian field, Daria Usacheva will be looking to move up in the rankings of Team Tutberidze skaters with a medal on her senior international debut. Usacheva doesn’t have the ultra-C elements (3A and quads) of her teammates, but has compensated in the past through superior artistry and back-loading all of her combination jumps.
Japan also has a wide open race to fill their three Olympic places, and the three skaters here this weekend will all be looking to make a statement. Kaori Sakamoto is the most secure at the moment, but with the depth of talent in Japan, even she can’s afford a major meltdown. Satoko Miyahara has perhaps found herself more on the outs after a disappointing 19th place finish at Worlds, which someone like Yuhana Yokoi could put herself in the conversation with a breakout performance.
Young You is also a serious threat for the podium if she manages to land the triple Axels. She’s not the most consistent skater, but when she really hits she can compete with the best in the world.
This is the rare women’s event where over half the field could find themselves on the podium depending on who skates clean, so it will be quite an opening to the Olympic season!
The Field
| SKATER/COUNTRY | BEST SCORES | NOTABLE RESULTS |
|---|---|---|
| Alexandra TRUSOVA Russia | SP: 74.95 FS: 166.62 Total: 241.02 | 3rd 2021 Worlds 3rd 2020 Europeans 3rd 2019 GPF |
| Kaori SAKAMOTO Japan | SP: 77.78 FS: 150.29 Total: 228.07 | 6th 2021 Worlds 2019 National Champion |
| Young YOU South Korea | SP: 78.22 FS: 149.68 Total: 223.23 | 2nd 2020 4CC 3x National Champion |
| Satoko MIYAHARA Japan | SP: 76.08 FS: 145.85 Total: 219.71 | 3rd 2018 Worlds 3rd 2018 4cc 3x National Champion |
| Kseniia SINITSYNA Russia | SP: 74.65 FS: 140.93 Total: 215.58 | 2nd 2020 Youth Olympics 4th 2019 World Juniors |
| Daria USACHEVA Russia | SP: 71.09 FS: 139.29 Total: 207.74 | 2nd 2020 World Juniors 4th 2021 Russian Nationals |
| Yelim KIM South Korea | SP: 73.63 FS: 134.66 Total: 202.76 | 11th 2021 Worlds 2021 National Champion |
| Ekaterina KURAKOVA Poland | SP: 66.08 FS: 135.39 Total: 201.47 | 10th 2020 Europeans Senior Grand Prix debut |
| Yuhana YOKOI Japan | SP: 65.09 FS: 126.87 Total: 191.90 | 2019 Junior Nation Champion 4th NHK Trophy 2019 |
| Amber GLENN USA | SP: 67.69 FS: 125.44 Total: 190.83 | 2nd 2021 Nationals 9th 2020 4CC |
| Starr ANDREWS USA | SP: 66.59 FS: 115.56 Total: 181.18 | 8th 2020 Junior Worlds 6th 2020 Nationals |
| Audrey SHIN USA | SP: 60.36 FS: 116.31 Total: 176.67 | 3rd 2020 Skate America 7th 2020 Youth Olympics |
How to Watch
- Short Program: Saturday, October 23, 3:20pm PST (Time Conversion)
- Free Skate: Sunday, October 24, 1:00pm PST (Time Conversion)
Find your local broadcaster here.
Triple Figure 