❄️ This past weekend delivered a thrilling preview of the upcoming winter season as the field for the Figure Skating Grand Prix Final was finalized, and Mikaela Shiffrin continued her legendary dominance in Alpine Skiing. These results set the stage for major competitions in December and reinforce the elite level of the athletes heading into the next Olympic cycle.
Figure Skating: The Final Six Are Locked In
The sixth and final regular-season Grand Prix event in Finland confirmed the roster for December’s Grand Prix Final in Nagoya, Japan (Dec. 4-6). This event is critical, gathering the top six skaters and teams from each discipline of the six-stop Grand Prix Series, and effectively serving as a mini preview of the next Olympic Figure Skating competition. Crucially, every single medalist from the 2025 World Championships successfully qualified for the Final across all four disciplines: men’s singles, women’s singles, pairs, and ice dance.
American skater Amber Glenn punched her ticket by following up a win at Grand Prix China with a runner-up finish in Finland. Glenn, who last year was the first U.S. woman to win the Final since 2010, will face an intensely competitive field. The women’s competition is particularly fierce, featuring 2025 World champion Alysa Liu and three-time world champion Kaori Sakamoto of Japan. The top six scores of the season are currently owned by a trio of Japanese skaters: Sakamoto, Ami Nakai, and Mone Chiba.
In ice dance, the breakthrough U.S. pair, Emilea Zingas and Vadym Kolesnik, also clinched a coveted spot in the Final. The men’s event promises a blockbuster showdown as two-time world champion Ilia Malinin will face 2022 Olympic silver medalist Yuma Kagiyama of Japan for the first time this Grand Prix season.
Alpine Skiing: Mikaela Shiffrin’s Record-Breaking Start
Meanwhile, on the slopes, Mikaela Shiffrin showed why she is the most decorated skier in history. The American superstar secured her second consecutive slalom win of the World Cup season in Gurgl, Austria.
Shiffrin was in a league of her own, posting the fastest time in both runs to win by a staggering 1.23 seconds. This victory was her 103rd World Cup win overall and her 66th in slalom—both all-time records. The 30-year-old athlete dominated the field, extending her lead in both the slalom and overall World Cup standings. Her unparalleled consistency and powerful skiing make her the definitive athlete to watch as the Alpine Skiing World Cup season heads into its busiest phase.