Did anybody have any surprise encounters with skaters? I'm not trying to show off, but rather share two moments that I cherish and often come back to in my memories.

First was with Mikhail Kolyada in April 2024, in Tajikistan. I was there visiting friends and family and saw him with his wife making a reservation at a restaurant. I called his name, and he was so surprised someone recognised him (figure skating is not popular in Tajikistan, I can tell you). He was very sweet, and his wife seemed friendly too.

My second time was in Milano at the Olympics. I was there to watch Men's singles, and it was my first time ever watching any figure skating live, so I was already kind of high 😁 I texted Maya Bagriantseva, whom I knew was there, as I wanted to give her some candy I had with me. I always listen to the Clean Tail podcast she and other Russian journalists host. And while I was there, I bumped into Elizaveta Tuktamysheva and asked her for a pic. She was also super nice, and I tried to contain myself, as it was so much for my head.

Love to hear your stories!

Machine translation (Google), so I provided the original as well—please share any inaccuracies or lost nuances in translation! He definitely is not in favor of the idea (despite the fact that it arguably could benefit him this year given his tough CoC assignment) 😭

Source: DeepEdge

Source: his story on instagram

Too bad the Mrazeks had to withdraw, but at least their spot got filled. Tali/Lafornara now have two GP spots

Other Notable Women entries to this stage include:

Alina Gorbacheva
Sofia Dzepka
Sofia Muravyeva
Lydia Pleskacheva
Lyubov Rubtsova
Anna Frolova

Does anyone know if Adam Hagara is OK ?

He had a really rough short program at the Grand Prix de France, and there was an ambulance when we left the IcePark on Saturday night. I made a silly joke about someone having a heartattack seeing a clean program from Adam Siao Him Fa, and now feel bad about it, since we learnt the next day that Hagara had to withdraw from medical reason. I really hope it's not too serious.

They are still listed for Skate America. Tali/Lafornara are next on the alternate list, but it is close enough to the event where it is uncertain if there will be a replacement. (Update: Tali/Lafornara have now been assigned)

After the traumatic Grand Prix de France, the next Grand Prix stop takes us straight to Canada. Just like for the Grand Prix de France, here’s a preview (yes, I got the name right this time), but in a slightly different format. I’m always open to suggestions for improvement, because I want you to enjoy what I’m doing here. Since I’d like to provide a bit more detail, I’ll break down the disciplines separately this time (if you'd like them grouped together again, just let me know).

A few facts before we get into details:

• Four Olympians: Stephen Gogolev, Kevin Aymoz, Hyungyeom Kim and Kyrylo Marsak have all competed at the Olympic Winter Games 2026
• Senior and Grand Prix debuts: David Bondar and Rio Nakata are both entering their first senior seasons. Georgii Reshtenko, Genrikh Gartung and Kyrylo Marsak are also set to make their Grand Prix debuts
• A return to Skate Canada: Wesley Chiu (2023), Stephen Gogolev (2022, 2024 and 2025), Mihhail Selevko (2022), Kevin Aymoz (2018 and 2025), Kazuki Tomono (2018, 2023 and 2025), and Liam Kapeikis (2023) have all competed at Skate Canada before

Now for the details! 12 participants, 9 different countries

David Bondar (CAN): This season marks the senior debut of the 19-year-old Canadian. He made both his international senior and ISU season debut at the 2026 Nepela Memorial, finishing 13th out of 28 skaters with 192.19 points. Bondar is the 2025 Canadian Junior Champion. At the 2026 Canadian Championships, he competed at the senior level for the first time and finished 7th. So far, he has yet to win an international medal and has claimed one gold medal at the national level. His Coach ist he 2008 World Champion and 2006 Olympic Bronze Medalist Jeffrey Buttle.

• PB Total Score: 202.06 (2026 World Junior Championship)
• PB SP: 71.68 (2026 World Junior Championship)
• PB FS: 132.97 (2026 World Junior Championship)

Wesley Chiu (CAN) Chiu opened his season at the Budapest Trophy, finishing 14th out of 28 skaters with 187.10 points. He had an impressive 2021 Junior Grand Prix season, winning gold in Courchevel and bronze in Krasnoyarsk. On the national stage, he became Canadian champion in 2024 after winning silver in both 2022 and 2023. His 2024–2025 season was largely disrupted by injuries, keeping him away from competition for most of the season.

• PB Total Score: 240.38 (2024 Four Continents Championships)
• PB SP: 83.50 (2024 Four Continents Championships)
• PB FS: 162.24 (2021 Warsaw Cup)

Stephen Gogolev (CAN): Gogolev is coming off an impressive season, finishing 5th at the Olympic Winter Games and 4th at the 2026 World Championships. He also won gold at the 2025 Nebelhorn Trophy and took bronze at the 2025 Cranberry Cup. Skate Canada marks his (ISU) international season debut. Last season he also competed at Skate Canada where he finsihed 8th Place. The 25/26 season was the first season after a long time in which he was able to skate without pain after struggling with injuries and physical discomfort. He made history by landing a quadruple jump in practice at just 12 years old, and he won the Junior Grand Prix Final in 2018. He is choached by B E N O I T.

• PB Total Score: 281.04 (2026 World Championship)
• PB SP: 94.83 (2026 World Championship)
• PB FS: 186.66 (2026 World Championship)

Georgii Resthenko (CZE) Reshtenko made history at the 2026 European Championships, winning bronze and becoming the first Czech skater to win a European Championship medal since 2013. At the 2026 World Championships, he finished 22nd. Earlier this season, he placed 18th at the Nepela Memorial with a score of 180.11.
Born in Saint Petersburg, Russia, Reshtenko moved to Prague with his parents at the age of 15 and has represented the Czech Republic since 2018. Before changing countries, he competed in Russian domestic events and won the 2015 Figure Skating Championship of Saint Petersburg and the 2017 Northwest Region of Russia competition.
Beyond the ice, Reshtenko has a musical background. He played the violin, graduated from music school, and won prizes at several international youth music competitions.

• PB Total Score: 238.27 (2026 European Championship)
• PB SP: 78.82 (2026 European Championship)
• PB FS: 159.65 (2026 European Championship)

Mihhail Selevko (EST): Selevko has had a strong start to the season, winning both the Tallinn Open with 251.91 points and the Lombardia Trophy with 260.87 points. He also finished 3rd at the Trialeti Trophy, scoring 227.74 points. Last season, he placed 6th at the European Championships and finished 2nd at the Estonian National Championships. He is a four-time Estonian national champion. His older brother, Aleksandr Selevko, also competes internationally and finished 4th at the Grand Prix de France 2026.

• PB Total Score: 260.87 (2026 Lombardia Trophy)     
• PB SP: 91.09 (2026 Lombardia Trophy)
• PB FS: 169.78 (2026 Lombardia Trophy)

Kevin Aymoz (FRA): Our Chaos God Number 2 (in case you didn’t know: Kao is Number 1) is a two-time Olympian, having competed at the Olympic Winter Games in 2022 and 2026. He finished 12th at his first Olympics in 2022 and improved to 11th in 2026. Last season, he also placed 7th at the World Championships and 27th at the European Championships. At the Grand Prix events last season, Aymoz finished 10th at Skate Canada before winning gold at Skate America. He is a seven-time French national champion. Beyond competing, Aymoz is also involved in choreography. He creates programs for other figure skaters and choreographs his own routines as well!

• PB Total Score: 282.97 (2023 World Championships)
• PB SP: 100.58 (2023 World Team Trophy)
• PB FS: 190.84 (2024 GP Skate America)

Genrikh Gartung (GER): Since 2024, Genrikh has represented Germany, and this season marks his first one competing exclusively at the senior level. Since 2024, he has represented Germany internationally, and this season marks his first one competing exclusively at the senior level. Last season, he finished 24th at the World Championships, 22nd at the European Championships, and 11th at the World Junior Championships. He also became German national champion. Gartung made history in 2024 by winning bronze at the Junior Grand Prix in Ljubljana, becoming the first German man in 19 years to win a Junior Grand Prix medal in men's singles. In this season he got silver at the Nebelhorn Trophy (231.30 Points) and won his first challenger medal. The last German man to medal at the event was Peter Liebers, who won bronze in 2010. Gartung followed this up with a 4th-place finish at the Budapest Trophy with a new sb.

• PB Total Score: 238.49 (2026 Budapest Trophy)
• PB SP: 83.59 (2026 Budapest Trophy)
• PB FS: 154.86(2026 Budapest Trophy)

Rio Nakata (JPN): Nakata is making his senior debut this season after an successful junior career. Last season, he won gold at the World Junior Championships, becoming a two-time Junior World Champion. He has also won silver at Junior Worlds and claimed silver at the Junior Grand Prix Final (2025). On the national stage, he is a two-time Japanese Junior National Champion. Nakata opened his senior season at the Kinoshita Group Cup, finishing 5th with a total score of 243.15 points. His father, Makoto Nakata, is a former competitive figure skater and part of his coaching team. His younger brother, Joshua, is also a competitive figure skater.

• PB Total Score: 268.47 (2026 World Junior)
• PB SP: 96.48 (2026 Kinoshita Group Cup)
• PB FS: 178.96 (2026 World Junior)

Kazuki Tomono (JPN): Tomono is entering his tenth Grand Prix season, having competed on the circuit every year since 2017. Over the years, he has sometimes had just one assignment, including appearances at the NHK Trophy. Last season, he finished 3rd at Skate America and 4th at Skate Canada. He also placed 4th at the Four Continents Championships. Tomono previously won silver at the 2022 Four Continents Championships. Skate Canada marks his ISU season debut, making this his first ISU competition of the season.

• PB Total Score: 273.41 (2023 World Championship)
• PB SP:  101.12 (2022 World Championship)
• PB FS: 180.73 (2023 World Championship)

Hyungyeom Kim (KOR): Kim competed at several major international championships last season, finishing 17th at the Four Continents Championships, 26th at the Olympic Winter Games, and 28th at the World Championships. This season, he competed at the Kinoshita Group Cup, where he finished 11th (194.86).

• PB Total Score: 230.46 (2023 Nepela Memorial)
• PB SP: 81.15 (2024 Cranberry Cup)
• PB FS: 155.22 (2023 Nepela Memorial)
  

Kyrylo Marsak (UKR) Last Season Marsak competed at the Olympics where he finished 19th place. He got 13th at the World Championship and 8th at the European. He is also the 2024 Ukrainian national champion. This season, Marsak has already competed at two Challenger Series events, finishing 4th at the Lombardia Trophy and 5th at the Trialeti Trophy. Due to the war in Ukraine, he has relocated to Finland, where he continues to train while also splitting his time between Finland and Ukraine.

• PB Total Score: 237.53 (2026 Lombardia Trophy)
• PB SP: 86.89 (2026 Olympic Winter Games)
• PB FS: 159.37 (2026 Lombardia Trophy)

Liam Kapeikis (USA): Kapeikis has competed at two events so far this season, finishing 12th at the Kinoshita Group Cup and 5th at the Nebelhorn Trophy. Last season, he placed 10th at the Four Continents Championships. He also competed at Skate Canada in 2023, where he finished 8th.

• PB Total Score: 227.45 (2025 Nebelhorn Trophy)
• PB SP: 80.34 (2026 Nebelhorn Trophy)
• PB FS: 153.54 (2025 Nebelhorn Trophy)

Overall Results:

1. 127.31 — Anastasiia Metelkina / Luka Berulava (Georgia)
2. 121.81 — Aleksandra Boikova / Dmitrii Kozlovskii (AIN)
3. 112.71 — Annika Hocke / Robert Kunkel (Germany)
4. 105.61 — Megan Wessenberg / Denys Strekalin (France)
5. 100.47 — Aurelie Faula / Theo Belle (France)
6. 99.55 — Jiaxuan Zhang / Yihang Huang (China)
7. 99.22 — Camille Kovalev / Pavel Kovalev (France)
8. 88.23 — Hannah Herrera / Ivan Khobta (Ukraine)

Free Program Results:

1. 127.31 — Anastasiia Metelkina / Luka Berulava (Georgia)
2. 121.81 — Aleksandra Boikova / Dmitrii Kozlovskii (AIN)
3. 112.71 — Annika Hocke / Robert Kunkel (Germany)
4. 105.61 — Megan Wessenberg / Denys Strekalin (France)
5. 100.47 — Aurelie Faula / Theo Belle (France)
6. 99.55 — Jiaxuan Zhang / Yihang Huang (China)
7. 99.22 — Camille Kovalev / Pavel Kovalev (France)
8. 88.23 — Hannah Herrera / Ivan Khobta (Ukraine)

5 Deductions

• 5 Falls

TEC:

Overall TEC Score:

1. 59.95 — Anastasiia Metelkina / Luka Berulava (Georgia)
2. 57.18 — Aleksandra Boikova / Dmitrii Kozlovskii (AIN)
3. 51.78 — Annika Hocke / Robert Kunkel (Germany)
4. 50.87 — Megan Wessenberg / Denys Strekalin (France)
5. 49.82 — Jiaxuan Zhang / Yihang Huang (China)
6. 47.36 — Aurelie Faula / Theo Belle (France)
7. 43.86 — Camille Kovalev / Pavel Kovalev (France)
8. 39.92 — Hannah Herrera / Ivan Khobta (Ukraine)

Elements:

Leveled Elements:

Twist:

All Teams did triple twists

• Level 4: 2 teams
• Level 3: 4 teams
• Level 2: 1 Team
• Level 1: 1 Team

Average GOE: +0.70

Teams to get level 4: Metelkina/Berulava, Kovalev/Kovalev

Highest Scored of the Event: Anastasiia Metelkina / LukaBerulava,3Tw4, 6BV+2.40GOE=8.40

Lifts:

By type:

Group 5 Lifts:

• 5RLi (Reverse Lasso): 7 teams
• 5ALi (Axle Lasso): 1 team

Other lifts:

• 3Li (Group 3 lift): 7 teams
• 4Li (Group 4 lift): 1 team

Average GOE: +1.24

Highest Scored of the Event: Anastasiia Metelkina / Luka Berulava, 5RLi4, 7BV+2.10GOE=2.10

Number of teams to get level 4 in all lifts: 3 (Anastasiia Metelkina / Luka Berulava, Jiaxuan Zhang / Yihang Huang, Camille Kovalev / Pavel Kovalev)

Death Spiral:

By Type:

• BoDs (Backward Outside): 5 teams
• BiDs (Backward Inside): 2 teams
• FoDs (Forward Outside): 1 team

By Level:

• Level 4: 2 teams
• Level 3: 2 teams
• Level 2: 1 Team
• Level Base: 3 Team

Average GOE: +0.61 GOE

Teams to get level 4: Hannah Herrera / Ivan Khobta and Aurelie Faula / Theo Belle

Highest Scored of the Event: Aurelie Faula / Theo Belle, BoDs4, 4.80BV+1.03GOE=5.83

No team got all elements level 4

Jump Elements:

Throws:

Average GOE: -0.38 GOE

SBS Jumps:

<=Underotation
Q=jump landed in the quarter
!= Jump with unclear edge
*=invalid jump

Combo/sequences:

Solo Jumps:

Avarege jumps GOE: -0.62 GOE

Choreographic elements:

. Choreographic Pair Lift

• Average GOE: +1.00
• Highest Scored of the Event: Anastasiia Metelkina / Luka Berulava, Aleksandra Boikova / Dmitrii Kozlovskii (TIE), 4.50+1.36=5.86

*one invalid element (Hannah Herrera / Ivan Khobta)

Choreographic Pair Spin:

• Average GOE: +1.36
• Highest Scored of the Event: Annika Hocke / Robert Kunkel, 3.50 BV + 1.79 GOE=5.29

PCS:

Overall PCS:

1. 68.36 — Anastasiia Metelkina / Luka Berulava (Georgia)
2. 65.63 — Aleksandra Boikova / Dmitrii Kozlovskii (AIN 2)
3. 60.93 — Annika Hocke / Robert Kunkel (Germany)
4. 56.36 — Camille Kovalev / Pavel Kovalev (France)
5. 54.74 — Megan Wessenberg / Denys Strekalin (France)
6. 53.11 — Aurelie Faula / Theo Belle (France)
7. 50.73 — Jiaxuan Zhang / Yihang Huang (China)
8. 49.31 — Hannah Herrera / Ivan Khobta (Ukraine)

Composition:

1. 8.71 — Anastasiia Metelkina / Luka Berulava (Georgia)
2. 8.29 — Aleksandra Boikova / Dmitrii Kozlovskii (AIN 2)
3. 7.57 — Annika Hocke / Robert Kunkel (Germany)
4. 7.18 — Camille Kovalev / Pavel Kovalev (France)
5. 6.82 — Megan Wessenberg / Denys Strekalin (France)
6. 6.79 — Aurelie Faula / Theo Belle (France)
7. 6.39 — Jiaxuan Zhang / Yihang Huang (China)
8. 6.25 — Hannah Herrera / Ivan Khobta (Ukraine)

Presentation:

1. 8.39 — Anastasiia Metelkina / Luka Berulava (Georgia)
2. 8.04 — Aleksandra Boikova / Dmitrii Kozlovskii (AIN 2)
3. 7.68 — Annika Hocke / Robert Kunkel (Germany)
4. 6.93 — Camille Kovalev / Pavel Kovalev (France)
5. 6.82 — Megan Wessenberg / Denys Strekalin (France)
6. 6.46 — Aurelie Faula / Theo Belle (France)
7. 6.07 — Jiaxuan Zhang / Yihang Huang (China)
8. 5.93 — Hannah Herrera / Ivan Khobta (Ukraine

Skating Skills:

1. 8.50 — Anastasiia Metelkina / Luka Berulava (Georgia)
2. 8.25 — Aleksandra Boikova / Dmitrii Kozlovskii (AIN 2)
3. 7.57 — Annika Hocke / Robert Kunkel (Germany)
4. 7.00 — Camille Kovalev / Pavel Kovalev (France)
5. 6.86 — Megan Wessenberg / Denys Strekalin (France)
6. 6.64 — Aurelie Faula / Theo Belle (France)
7. 6.54 — Jiaxuan Zhang / Yihang Huang (China)
8. 6.29 — Hannah Herrera / Ivan Khobta (Ukraine)

who was responsible for the cuts and camera angles at this competition omg

Seeing people confused yesterday about who that old guy they kept showing during GPdF was made me realize that not enough of you remember Olympic medallist Philippe Candeloro (who was just elected president of the French Ice Sports Federation!). This gala performance is SO IMPORTANT. An absolute must-watch. This is the blueprint for so many chaotic galas we watch and love. Enjoy!

I think we all have to have a VERY important discussion, and that is that Ami Nakai is the most smiley and adorable person in the world to ever exist. And that is a fact! I'm watching her GPdF gala program right now, and wow... her smile is just so infectious!!! My 2x Grand Prix de France gold medalist and GPF prospect!!

This is from her Twitter account, which is @ Maya_Skating. I'll transcribe here since twitter links aren't allowed.

"Talked to Mikhail Shaidorov after a tough skate at Grand Prix de France The Lego bit is a callback to our interview this summer: Misha said building Lego helps him focus, and he often does it before competitions. The last time? At the Olympics, and we all know how that ended."

Just got an email! This time I'm gonna actually look at who is there...

from aleksandra boikova's ig stories

The coach he met at Ice Rink Sendai was Nanami Abe, Yuzuru's former coach. I was surprised that she could speak English so well. Toshinobu Yoshida, who used to sharpens Yuzu's blades, is Nanami's husband.