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Skating's New Era!

Posted by Ravish Kumar on 29-10-2026

Sport Lovers

Figure skating is entering a new chapter, and the latest Grand Prix season is giving fans plenty of new names and storylines to follow. Following the 2026 Milano Cortina Games, several leading athletes have retired or chosen to take a break, opening the door for other skaters to establish themselves.

With established champions returning and promising competitors stepping forward, the international circuit is set for an intriguing season.

A New Season Begins in France

The Grand Prix series opened in Angers, France, before moving through Canada, China, the United States, Finland and Japan. The six-event competition gives skaters opportunities to earn places in the Grand Prix Final, scheduled for December in Chongqing, China.

The six highest-ranked skaters or teams in each discipline qualify for the final, making consistency across the series especially important. Competitors must demonstrate technical ability, strong performance skills and the capacity to deliver under pressure.

This season also marks the beginning of a fresh four-year Olympic cycle. With the previous major competition now behind them, athletes have different priorities. Some are seeking to build on recent achievements, while others are using the new season to develop their routines and prepare for future challenges.

The Women’s Field Has New Possibilities

The women’s competition looks notably different following two major developments. American skater Alysa Liu, who won the women’s individual title at the 2026 Games, is sitting out the Grand Prix season. Japan’s Kaori Sakamoto, who earned the silver medal, has retired from competitive skating.

Their absence creates opportunities for other athletes to move into more prominent positions. Japan’s Ami Nakai, who finished behind Liu and Sakamoto at the Games, is among the younger skaters whose performances will attract attention as the season progresses.

Malinin Returns to the Spotlight

The men’s competition features several notable names, including American Ilia Malinin and Kazakhstan’s Mikhail Shaidorov. Malinin returned from a disappointing eighth-place finish at the Milano Cortina Games to win his third world title. His recovery demonstrated his ability to respond to a difficult result and regain his competitive form.

He has also spoken about wanting to contribute to the sport beyond collecting medals. His ambition to attract wider attention to figure skating adds another dimension to his performances as he begins the new season. Malinin is scheduled to compete at Skate America in November before appearing at Japan’s NHK Trophy later in the month.

Shaidorov, meanwhile, arrives as the reigning Olympic men’s champion after an unexpected victory at the Games. Other competitors to watch include Japan’s Shun Sato, who earned Olympic bronze, France’s Adam Siao Him Fa, and Americans Jason Brown and Andrew Torgashev. With several accomplished skaters in the field, the men’s events could produce close contests as athletes work toward the Grand Prix Final.

Pairs Skating Welcomes a New Generation

The pairs discipline has experienced a significant transition. Japan’s Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara, Olympic champions and two-time world champions, have retired from competitive skating. Their departure leaves space for other teams to take on larger roles. Georgia’s Anastasiia Metelkina and Luka Berulava, who won Olympic silver, and Germany’s Minerva Hase and Nikita Volodin, the bronze medallists, enter the new season among the prominent contenders.

Ice Dance Faces a Different Challenge

Ice dance presents a contrasting picture. France’s Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron remain active after winning both the Olympic and world titles in their first season competing together. Their early success gives them a strong position as the new competitive cycle begins. However, several familiar rivals will not participate in this season’s Grand Prix series.

American team Madison Chock and Evan Bates have decided to sit out the season without announcing retirement. Canadian partners Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier are also absent from the circuit. These decisions create opportunities for Britain’s Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson, who won world bronze in 2025, and other teams hoping to challenge the leading pairings. The absence of several established competitors could make the ice dance standings particularly interesting as the season develops.

This Grand Prix season is about more than returning to competition. It represents an opportunity for figure skating to develop new rivalries, introduce emerging talents and see how established champions respond to a reshaped field.