2018 Skate Canada — the second event of the Grand Prix Series — takes place at Place Bell in Laval, Québec, Oct. 26-28.
The 2018 Canadian team has a very different look this year following the retirements of a number of skaters and others skipping the Grand Prix circuit this season.
Canada will field three ladies at this competition, two of whom will make their senior Grand Prix debuts. Gabrielle Daleman withdrew citing the need to look after her mental health. She is currently slated to compete at NHK Trophy, but her participation in that event is unconfirmed at this time. Larkyn Austman is also out of Skate Canada as she recovers from a left foot sprain sustained in September. No other Canadian ladies are assigned to any of the remaining four Grand Prix events.
The battle for gold in the ladies discipline will likely be between Russia’s Evgenia Medvedeva, the 2018 Olympic silver medalist, Elizaveta Tuktamysheva (who won both her Challenger Series events this season), and Japan’s Wakaba Higuchi, the 2018 World silver medalist.
Last year′s men′s champion, Shoma Uno, returns along with the silver and bronze medalists, Jason Brown and Alexander Samarin. Canada′s Keegan Messing will likely be a threat for gold, given his runaway victory at Nebelhorn Trophy in late September. On a side note, Messing announced his engagement on Oct. 22.
In pairs, Kirsten Moore-Towers and Michael Marinaro will once again go up against Vanessa James and Morgan Ciprès of France. The Canadian duo placed second to the French team at 2018 Autumn Classic. China’s Cheng Peng and Yang Jin, who won the 2018 Asian Open Trophy, and Haven Denney and Brandon Frazier of the U.S. (third at Autumn Classic) will also be challenging for a place on the podium.
Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donohue of the U.S. headline the ice dance field. Coming off a win at Skate America last weekend, they will be looking to upgrade from bronze in 2017. Their main challenges will come from Canada’s Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier, winners of 2018 Nebelhorn Trophy, and Russia′s Victoria Sinitsina and Nikita Katsalopov, the gold medalists at 2018 Ondrej Nepela.
Skate Canada will live stream the practice sessions (only available to Canadian viewers) or watch them here. Ted Barton is starting a new trend — he will commentate the practice sessions starting Oct. 25. Schedules for practice groups and music rotations.
START ORDERS/RESULTS
ISU LIVE STREAM
Available in countries with no TV rights holder
LIVE STREAMS: Japan, Taiwan, Russia
FS Live (No Commentary)
EVENT SCHEDULE
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