Evgenia Tarasova/Vladimir Morozov (RUS) perform at the 2022 ISU European Figure Skating Championships in Tallinn, Estonia. © International Skating Union (ISU)
The Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) is the top favorite as the Figure Skating competition at the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games is about to start on Friday with the Team Event at the Capital Indoor Stadium. A total of ten teams has qualified for the Olympic Team Event that will be held for the third time. The teams qualified by getting points according to the results at the ISU Championships and ISU Grand Prix/Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating (see ISU Communication N°2443 for full entry lists).
Overview of the teams
Anastasia Mishina/Aleksandr Galliamov (RUS) perform during the 2022 ISU European Figure Skating Championships in Tallinn, Estonia. © International Skating Union (ISU)
ROC leads the ISU team standings with 5947 points and 738 points ahead of second ranked USA. ROC has qualified three entries in all four disciplines and can pick between their ISU World and European Champions and medalists, such as reigning ISU World and European Pairs Champions Anastasia Mishina/Aleksandr Galliamov, two-time European Champions Evgenia Tarasova/Vladimir Morozov and ISU World and European Ice Dance Champions Victoria Sinitsina/Nikita Katsalapov, 2021 World Champion Anna Shcherbakova, 2021 World bronze medalist Alexandra Trusova, 2022 ISU European Champions Kamila Valieva and Mark Kondratiuk as well as 2020 World Junior Champion Andrei Mozalev. Captains Nikita Katsalapov (Ice Dance) and Evgenia Tarasova (Pair Skating) represent the team.
Kamila Valieva (RUS) performs during the 2022ISU European Figure Skating Championships in Tallinn, Estonia. © International Skating Union (ISU)
Competing as “Olympic Athletes from Russia”, Russian Skaters claimed the silver medal at the Team Event four years ago in PyeongChang, while Russia won the inaugural Team Event at the Sochi 2014 Games.
The USA have collected a total of 5209 points in the team ranking. The U.S. team in Beijing boasts three-time World Champion Nathan Chen, three-time ISU World Ice Dance medalists Madison Hubbell/Zachary Donohue, two-time ISU Four Continents Champions Madison Chock/Evan Bates, 2019 ISU World bronze medalist Vincent Zhou, Jason Brown, U.S. Champion Mariah Bell, up and coming Alysa Liu, Karen Chen, ISU Grand Prix medalists Ashley Cain/Timothy LeDuc and Alexa Knierim/Brandon Frazier. Chock and Bates act as the team captains.
Nathan Chen (USA) skating during the 2021 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating in Vancouver, British Columbia.© International Skating Union (ISU)
Canada qualified as the third team (3949 points). The team is led by Ice Dancers and 2021 ISU World bronze medalists Piper Gilles/Paul Poirier, Kirsten Moore-Towers/Michael Marinaro plus Vanessa James/Eric Radford. The Canadians won the Olympic title four years ago. Gilles and Poirier are the team captains.
Piper Gilles/Paul Poirier (CAN) competing at the 2021 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Internationaux de France in Grenoble, France.© International Skating Union (ISU)
Japan is not far behind ranked fourth at 3830 points and has caught up in the Pair disciplines which offers them a realistic medal chance. Japan can choose from two-time Olympic Champion Yuzuru Hanyu, 2018 Olympic silver medalist Shoma Uno, 2021 World silver medalist Yuma Kagiyama, Japanese Champion Kaori Sakamoto, 2018 World silver medalist Wakaba Higuchi. Pair Skaters Riku Miura/Ryuichi Kihara and Ice Dancers Misato Komatsubara/Tim Koleto definitely will compete as they are the only entries in these disciplines. Komatsubara and Koleto lead the team as captains.
Shoma Uno of Japan performs at the Gala Exhibition during the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating - NHK Trophy at Yoyogi National Gymnasium on November 14, 2021 in Tokyo, Japan.© International Skating Union (ISU)
Host country China is standing in fifth place with 2809 points. However, they should not be under- estimated. Chinese athletes participated only in two ISU Grand Prix events this season and most likely would have collected more points had they competed more. The Chinese entries are two-time ISU World Champions Wenjing Sui/Cong Han, two-time ISU Four Continents medalists Cheng Peng/Yang Jin, two-time World bronze medalist Boyang Jin, as well as Yi Zhu and Ice Dancers Shiyue Wang/Xinyu Liu. Sui and Han are the team captains.
Wenjing Sui/Cong Han (CHN) performing during the 2021 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating in Turin, Italy. © International Skating Union (ISU)
Italy follows in sixth (2774 points). On the team are 2022 European bronze medalists Charlene Guignard/ Marco Fabbri, 2022 European silver medalist Daniel Grassl, 2019 European bronze medalist Matteo Rizzo, Pair Skaters Nicole Della Monica/Matteo Guarise and Laura Naki Gutmann. Team Italy is represented by captains Guarise and Guignard.
Daniel Grassl (ITA) performing during the 202 ISU European Figure Skating Championships in Tallinn, Estonia. © International Skating Union (ISU)
Germany is ranked seventh, followed by Georgia. Georgia participates for the first time in the Team Event as does Czech Republic that qualified as team number nine. Ukraine got in as the 10th team.
After the Short Programs and Rhythm Dance, the top five teams will then advance to the Free Skating to compete for the medals.
The competing team members will be announced the day before their respective competition day, only the Men who compete in the Free Skating will be announced on the same day, following the Women’s Short Program. A maximum of two Skaters/Couples per team can be exchanged between Short Program/Rhythm Dance and Free Skating/Free Dance. Teams can also compete with entries in only three disciplines in case of short-notice withdrawals that cannot be replaced on time - as it happened to Germany and Ukraine.
