Five ice dance couples to watch this fall as the Grand Prix season starts this week ...
Tessa Virtue/Scott Moir Canada 2017 World champions, 2010 Olympic champions Grand Prix Starts: Canada, Japan
Hoping this season to become the second couple to win multiple Olympic titles. Virtue and Moir took two seasons off after taking silver behind Americans Meryl Davis and Charlie White in Sochi (Davis and White won’t defend their Olympic title). They returned last year for one more Olympic run and went undefeated en route to a third world title.
Gabriella Papadakis/Guillaume Cizeron France Two-time world champions Grand Prix Starts: China, France
Went from 13th at the 2014 Worlds to winning in 2015, becoming the youngest world champs in the event in 40 years. Repeated in 2016. Went head-to-head with Virtue and Moir three times last season and were beaten every time. Train with Virtue and Moir in Montreal.
Maia Shibutani/Alex Shibutani U.S. Two-time world medalists Grand Prix Starts: Russia, U.S.
The siblings were the top U.S. couple the last two seasons -- world silver in 2016 and bronze in 2017 -- after placing ninth at their first Olympics in Sochi. But they have also been challenged -- and outscored at times -- by two domestic rivals detailed below. And they have never beaten Virtue and Moir. The Shibutanis don’t have to face any of the other four couples listed here in their two Grand Prix assignments.
Grand Prix Capsules: Men | Women | Pairs | Ice Dance | TV Schedule
Madison Chock/Evan Bates U.S. Two-time world medalists Grand Prix Starts: China, France
Succeeded Davis and White as the top U.S. couple in 2015, grabbing world silver behind the French. But dropped to second behind the Shibutanis (former training partners) at the last two nationals and were seventh at last season’s worlds after Bates’ big mistake on twizzles in the free dance.
Madison Hubbell/Zachary Donohue U.S. Top U.S. couple in 2017 Worlds short dance Grand Prix Starts: Canada, Japan
Generated buzz at worlds by placing third in the short dance behind the favored Canadians and French. They were in line to beat Chock and Bates for the first time in five years and the Shibutanis for the first time ever. But Donohue fell in the free dance (after Hubbell fell at nationals), and they plummeted to ninth. The U.S. has three Olympic ice dance spots available, and the couples listed above are heavy favorites to be the trio named after nationals in January.
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