ISU GP#6 - Espoo, FIN - 25-27 Nov. 2022

[Elizabeth]

The 6th and final GP of this season happens this coming weekend - it is the first time a GP is being held in Finland.

The final qualifiers for the Grand Prix Final will be determined by the results at this event.



The entries, by discipline, can be found here: https://results.isu.org/events/fsevent00113624.htm

The time and practice schedule (local time): http://results.isu.org/schedules/gpfin2 ... hedule.pdf

Espoo is 7 hours ahead of ET.

[Elizabeth]

The press release from Skate Canada about the CDN team: https://skatecanada.ca/2022/11/six-cana ... he-season/

Six Canadian Skaters Head to Final Grand Prix of the Season
November 21, 2022/by Skate Canada

OTTAWA, ON (November 21, 2022) – Six experienced athletes are set to compete for Canada at the final Grand Prix of the season in Espoo, Finland, which will mark the last qualifying event before the ISU Grand Prix Final in Torino, Italy. Team Canada will be comprised of two entries in ice dance as well as one entry in both women and men at the Grand Prix of Figure Skating Espoo, scheduled to take place from November 25-27, 2022.

National champion Madeline Schizas will be the sole Canadian entry in the women’s competition. Schizas has been building on her breakthrough Olympic year by finishing 5th at the 2022 Nebelhorn Trophy and 7th at Skate Canada International.

Olympian Keegan Messing will be looking to clinch a spot on the podium in the men’s event. Messing has had a strong start to the season, winning a gold medal at the 2022 Nebelhorn Trophy and putting on an entertaining performance that earned him a 4th place at the 2022 Skate Canada International.

Ice dance stars Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier will be one of two Canadian entries in ice dance. Gilles and Poirier are the current Skate Canada International champions, as well as the national ice dance champions. Shane Firus and Carolane Soucisse, who won bronze at the 2022 Nebelhorn Trophy, will be completing the team.

The competition starts Friday, November 25 with every discipline performing their short program/rhythm dance. Medals will be awarded on Saturday, November 26 as all disciplines will perform their free program/free dance. The event concludes on Sunday with the exhibition gala.

[Elizabeth]

The competition will be live streamed on the ISU YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@SkatingISU/featured

The CBC Sports streaming schedule:
Fri Nov 25
6:00 AM ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating: Finland - Pairs Short Program
7:54 AM ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating: Finland - Women's Short Program
10:47 AM ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating: Finland - Men's Short Program
12:40 PM ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating: Finland - Ice Dance Rhythm Dance
Sat Nov 26
5:45 AM ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating: Finland - Pairs Free Program
7:20 AM ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating: Finland - Women's Free Program
11:15 AM ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating: Finland - Men's Free Program
1:25 PM ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating: Finland - Ice Dance Free Dance
Sun Nov 27
7:00 AM ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating: Finland - Gala

[Elizabeth]

At Skate Canada International Piper and Paul unveiled their Evita free dance. We will see it again in Finland. Here's a link to an article about how they came up with the concept: https://olympic.ca/2022/10/30/piper-pau ... he-making/

[Elizabeth]

Here is the overview of the schedule for this event - all times are local to Espoo, 7 hours ahead of ET:

[Elizabeth]

Announced today:

Emmi Peltonen withdraws from GP Espoo due to recent covid (she had actually withdrawn from last week's Warsaw Cup at the last minute too); she will be replaced by Janna Jyrkinen (15), who is the highest-scoring Finnish woman this season so far.

[Elizabeth]

The ISU preview of the GP event in Espoo: https://isu.org/figure-skating/news/new ... teParam=15

[Elizabeth]

The Entries/Schedule/Start Orders/Results page is now available: http://www.isuresults.com/results/season2223/gpfin2022/





The links for the individual event live streams are also now available on the ISU YouTube channel page: https://www.youtube.com/user/SkatingISU

[Elizabeth]

The Metro Areena in Espoo, site of the premier GP event in Finland


Overview of today's competition (times local to Espoo) from the ISU


On the ISU YouTube channel we have Mark Hanretty back commentating - he has been the commentator for 4 of the 6 GP events this season

We had Chris Howarth for Skate America and Ted Barton for the NHK Trophy.

[Elizabeth]

The results after the Pairs SP

[Elizabeth]

After the Women SP

[Elizabeth]

The results after the third event of the day, the Men SP:


Kevin Aymoz takes first without attempting any quads He is recovering from an injury - here's what he had to say to the press:

6 weeks ago I tore my ankle, I had a broken ligament so I had to stop for 2 weeks. The surgeon was ready to do surgery, I did physio every day for 4 weeks and my team said it looked okay. I would like to do some quads but for my ankle it's better to not jump.

[Elizabeth]

Ready for the final event of the first day - the Rhythm Dance


In the furry Kiss 'n Cry


The results:

[Elizabeth]

Overview of the Saturday events

[Elizabeth]

The first event of the day is done - the Pairs overall results and the FS results















********************

The gold medalists have secured a place at the GPF in their home country. Here are the unofficial qualifiers:

• Riku Miura/Ryuichi Kihara
• Alexa Knierim/Brandon Frazier
• Deanna Stellato-Dudek/Maxime Deschamps
• Emily Chan/Spencer Akita Howe
• Rebecca Ghilardi/Filippo Ambrosini
• Sara Conti/Niccolò Macii

The next 3 couples would be alternates:
* Kovalev/Kovalev FRA
* McIntosh/Mimar CAN
* Metelkina/Parkman GEO

[Elizabeth]

Free skate results for the Women


Overall results

















*************

Unofficially, the top 6 qualifiers for the GPF:

• Mai Mihara
• Loena Hendrickx
• Kaori Sakamoto
• Yelim Kim
• Isabeau Levito
• Rinka Watanabe

Alternates:
Rion Sumiyoshi
Young You
Haein Lee

[Elizabeth]

The results for the Men FS


The overall results















*********************

The unofficial qualifiers for the GPF:

• Ilia Malinin
• Shoma Uno
• Kao Miura
• Sota Yamamoto
• Daniel Grassl
• Shun Sato

Alternates:
Adam Siao Him Fa
Junhwan Cha
Kazuki Tomono

[Elizabeth]

The final event of the day - the Free Dance. Results:


Overall results:
















***********************

Unofficial GPF qualifiers:

• Piper Gilles/Paul Poirier
• Charlene Guignard/Marco Fabbri
• Laurence Fournier Beaudry/Nikolaj Sorensen
• Madison Chock/Evan Bates
• Lilah Fear/Lewis Gibson
• Kaitlin Hawayek/Jean-Luc Baker

Alternates:
Lajoie/Lagha CAN
Green/Parsons USA
Lopareva/Brissaud FRA

[Elizabeth]

The program for tomorrow's Exhibition Gala

[Elizabeth]

I understand that both Wang/Liu and Hawayek/Baker have withdrawn from the Gala. Wang/Liu withdrew for "medical reasons". Kaitlin Hawayek was dealing with an inflammation in her knee (which explains the bandage she was wearing) and, although she could manage it for the competition, the team doctor advised rest and against performing in the Gala.

The revised program

[Elizabeth]

Keegan was once again invited to participate in the Gala, despite his placement in the event - his last appearance in an ISU GP as he is planning to retire after this season.

Kevin Aymoz, despite his injury issues, performed in the Gala but did not participate in the Finale - I understand that he also skipped the Gala practice.


The gold medalists at the end of the Gala