International Figure Skating February 2020

With the first half of the season now in the books, skaters are looking ahead to the World Championships in March. As we saw on the 2019 Grand Prix circuit and at the Final, a new era in skating has dawned, most notably in the singles disciplines. While many are talking about the trio of Russian teenagers that dominated this season, few are talking about the mastery of Nathan Chen. His runaway victory over Yuzuru Hanyu at the Grand Prix Final was both surprising and enlightening. But both men are pushing the technical envelope with five quads in their long programs, and have moved so far ahead of everyone else in the world that it will be almost impossible for any of them to match or challenge Chen and Hanyu in the foreseeable future. The…

The legendary song-writing duo of John Lennon and Paul McCartney most certainly did not have Nam Nguyen — or figure skating — in mind when they penned the words to “Get Back,” a 1969 hit song by The Beatles. But the catchy chorus line from that tune — “Get back. Get back to where you once belonged” — ever familiar to even the most casual fan of the British supergroup, might just serve as an appropriate mantra for Nguyen’s skating career at this point in time — even though he admits the thought never crossed his mind when picking the trio of Beatles tunes for his long program this season. “I saw someone post that on Instagram or Twitter, but I didn’t really think of that when I was choosing music. I…

When Elizaveta Tuktamysheva debuted on the senior Grand Prix circuit in the 2011-2012 season at age 14, she was the rising star of Russian figure skating. Her main rival at that time was Adelina Sotnikova and they, along with Alena Leonova, spearheaded the wave of young Russian ladies that now dominate the sport. Sotnikova won the 2014 Olympic title, while Tuktamysheva did not qualify for those Games, having been overtaken by the next up and coming star, Julia Lipnitskaia. While Sotnikova and Lipnitskaia have long since disappeared from the competitive scene, Tuktamysheva remains in the picture — despite having a career that has been somewhat of a roller-coaster ride. Tuktamysheva moved on from the disappointment of missing the 2014 Olympics to win almost every competition she entered the following season — including the…

When Meryl Davis stepped away from the skating spotlight, she had a bucket list of ideas she wanted to explore. But as she wound her way through that list, she discovered nothing there that she could see herself doing for the rest of her life. Even though she was open to any and all opportunities that might come her way, Davis admitted she found the shift away from the competitive world to be somewhat challenging initially. Shortly after the 2014 Olympic triumph, Davis and White went head-to-head on the reality television show “Dancing with the Stars.” Davis skated away with the mirror ball trophy and the hearts of a global audience. It marked the beginning of a new chapter in her life. Throughout her competitive career, she had pursued an education and last…

Ask Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson about their current direction in ice dance and they will take you back to a legendary former nightclub in New York City with an infamous past. Their free dance last season, which paid homage to Studio 54 and the disco era of the late 1970s, taught the British duo a thing or two about audience participation and their ability to make it all happen. It marked a turning point in how they are now approaching their still-burgeoning ice dance career. As much as they are all about improving their skills and their standing among the world’s top teams, Fear and Gibson have embraced the idea of being crowd pleasers as well, and it is now a big part of who they are and what they want…

In a scenario similar to that of a year ago in Vancouver, the man who qualified sixth and last for the Junior Grand Prix Final ended up stealing the show. With a win and a third-place finish on the Junior Grand Prix circuit, Japan’s Shun Sato headed into the Final in sixth place in the Series standings. Despite executing a clean short program in Torino, Sato sat in third with a score of 77.25 — 5.20 points out of first place. Though he was satisfied with his performance, his goal was to win a medal. “But first, I need to do my best and stay calm and concentrated,” the 15-year-old Sendai native said. Skating second to last in the free, Sato followed his own advice, nailing all the elements in his Nino…