Grand Prix Finland, the fifth of six stops on the Grand Prix Series, airs live on Peacock starting Friday with spots at stake for December’s Grand Prix Final.
Some figure skaters have already finished competing on the series and qualified for the Grand Prix Final, including world champions Ilia Malinin, a 19-year-old from Virginia, the American ice dance couple Madison Chock and Evan Bates and Kaori Sakamoto of Japan.
More can join them this week.
The Grand Prix Final takes the top six per discipline — men’s singles, women’s singles, pairs and ice dance — from the six-event Grand Prix Series, where each of the world’s top skaters competes twice. The Final is the first event of the season where all of the world’s top skaters gather and often a preview of the following March’s world championships.
Olympic and world silver medalist Yuma Kagiyama, the biggest threat to Malinin, can clinch his spot in the Final this week in Finland. A finish anywhere on the podium will likely be enough.
Kagiyama is coming off a victory last weekend at NHK Trophy in Japan. His total score there ranks him second in the world this season behind Malinin. Their first head-to-head since last March’s worlds should come at the Final.
Japanese women swept the podium at two of the four Grand Prix events thus far and could do so again this week with Rino Matsuike (second at Skate Canada), Hana Yoshida (third at Skate Canada) and Mai Mihara (2022 Grand Prix Final winner).
Canada has the field’s top pair (world champions Deanna Stellato-Dudek and Maxime Deschamps) and dance couple (three-time world medalists Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier), who each won their previous Grand Prix at Skate Canada.
2024 Grand Prix Finland Broadcast Schedule
| Day | Event | Time (ET) | Platform |
| Friday | Men’s Short Program | 8 a.m. | Peacock |
| Women’s Short Program | 10:30 a.m. | Peacock | |
| Pairs’ Short Program | 12:20 p.m. | Peacock | |
| Saturday | Men’s Free Skate | 5:45 a.m. | Peacock |
| Women’s Free Skate | 8 a.m. | Peacock | |
| Rhythm Dance | 10:35 a.m. | Peacock | |
| Sunday | Pairs’ Free Skate | 6 a.m. | Peacock |
| Free Dance | 7:40 a.m. | Peacock | |
| Highlights | 4 p.m. | NBC |
