Virtue and Moir still have something to prove at NHK Trophy
Canadian ice dance stars will try to reclaim world record
Editor's note: CBCSports.ca is live streaming every short and free program at the NHK Trophy, beginning Friday at 12:20 a.m. ET. The event will also be featured on Road to the Olympic Games on Saturday at 3 p.m. ET and Sunday at 4 p.m. local time on CBC Television. Here's Pj Kwong's breakdown of what to expect at the Grand Prix.
Unless something totally unexpected happens, Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir have a lock on the ice dance title at the NHK Trophy.
A victory this week in Osaka, Japan would add to the one they picked up two weeks ago at Skate Canada International, where they made their first Grand Prix appearance of the season.
So, where's the motivation for them to show up and compete in peak-performance mode?
Virtue and Moir could be shooting to take back the world-record score of 200.43 established by Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron last weekend at the Cup of China. The French team broke the mark of 199.86 that Virtue and Moir set the week before at Skate Canada.
It's not that the record is the most important things per se, but until these teams face off head to head in competition, it's how we'll compare them. Where the scores become a bigger factor is in boosting confidence for the skaters and setting them up as Olympic favourites.
Men: Hanyu hurting?
The same kind of goal may apply to 2014 Olympic champion Yuzuru Hanyu, who already has a silver medal this season from an earlier Grand Prix.
The Japanese star earned a world-record score in the short program at the Autumn Classic in September and then unravelled in the free. At the Cup of Russia Grand Prix, he rebounded from a deficit of more than five points to win the free, but only by two points, losing out on the title to American phenom Nathan Chen.
It's time for Hanyu to put together two strong programs back-to-back in Japan, and get his Olympic contender train back on track.
Hanyu, though, fell during a practice session in Russia on Thursday. He did not leave the ice but appeared to be favouring his right ankle. If he were to pull out, he would not be able to qualify for next month's Grand Prix Final.
Ladies: Kostner's artistry on display
It will be fascinating to see if Carolina Kostner can bridge the point gap that separated her from Evgenia Medvedeva at last month's Rostelecom Cup in Russia.
Medvedeva will go down in skating history as one of the most consistent competitors ever, with an undefeated record that goes back to the fall of 2015. Kostner will go down as an artist, plain and simple.
The Italian's mesmerizing artistry is part of a collaboration with Canadian choreographer Lori Nichol.
"Carolina and I, after working together 13 years, have tested many element orders, tempos, recovery times and styles to understand what is best for Carolina as an athlete and artist for the Olympics," Nichol told me. "We've been through many highs and lows together. During the lows, where competing wasn't possible [Kostner served a suspension for helping her ex-boyfriend evade doping controls], Carolina's focus was on refining her artistry through intensive ballet lessons, study of modern dance and music, developing and mastering spins with speed, centre and aesthetic positions.
"Carolina is skating because she loves it so much, because she wants to achieve the quality and vision of her art and sport that she sees in her head and feels in her heart."
As a fan, I feel spoiled. There's something for everyone in the ladies' event in Japan. That includes the delightful Satoko Miyahara, whose strengths are consistency and a delicately beautiful style of expression. She hasn't finished off the podium at a Grand Prix event since 2013.
Pairs: Sui and Han soaring
Wenjing Sui and Cong Han's free program this season is truly majestic and already earned them the Cup of China title a week ago. They've also benefitted from the thoughtful work of Nichol.
"I think their command and conviction on the ice is impressive. When you're on the ice with them you feel their energy penetrate your soul and yet blow your hair back," said the choreographer. "I felt I needed music that would be grand enough for them and the epic wonder of the Olympics. I wanted to give them a couple of pieces of architecture, with the short and free programs, where their sincere connection and remarkable physical and emotional unison could flourish."
With that kind of support, it will be hard to imagine Sui and Han anywhere except on top of the podium in Japan.
Pj's gold-medal picks
Men: Yuzuru Hanyu (Japan)
Ladies: Evgenia Medvedeva (Russia)
Pairs: Wenjing Sui and Cong Han (China)
Dance: Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir (Canada)