With all six 2016-17 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating preliminary events formally in the books as of Nov. 27, the series will come to a close next month in Marseille, France with the prestigious Grand Prix Final. Here's a rundown of the skaters from around the world who successfully advanced to the highest tier of the competition.
2016-17 Grand Prix Final qualifiers: The women
Reigning world, European, and Grand Prix Final champion Evgenia Medvedeva leads the Russian-heavy contingent of ladies who will compete for this year's title. The 17-year old Moscow native, who claimed the gold medal at both Skate Canada 2016 and the 2016 Trophee de France to earn her ticket to the Final, will be joined in Marseille by the following competitors:
- Anna Pogorilaya, Russia
- Elena Radionova, Russia
- Kaetlyn Osmond, Canada
- Maria Sotskova, Russia
- Satoko Miyahara, Japan
Notably missing from the list of six is American Ashley Wagner, who won gold at Skate America 2016 but finished just sixth at her second 2016-17 Grand Prix of Figure Skating assignment, the Cup of China.
Should one of the six qualifiers withdraw from the competition, Wagner's position as the first alternate would give her the berth.
Javier Fernandez tops the men
Two-time world champion Javier Fernandez of Spain, who won back to back golds at the Rostelecom Cup and the Trophee de France, leads a strong field of men heading into Marseille. In addition to the 25-year old Fernandez, the roster includes:
- Patrick Chan, Canada
- Yuzuru Hanyu, Japan
- Shoma Uno, Japan
- Nathan Chen, USA
- Adam Rippon, USA
Chen and Rippon are the first American men to advance to the Final since Jeremy Abbott did so in 2011. The last American men to medal at a Final were Evan Lysacek and Johnny Weir, who placed first and third back in 2009.
Virtue, Moir seek first Grand Prix Final gold
Fresh from a world record-setting performance at the 2016 NHK Trophy, Canadians Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir will go after the one senior-level title that's eluded them to date as the top ice dancing qualifiers. They will be joined in Marseille by:
- Maia Shibutani and Alex Shibutani, USA
- Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron, France
- Ekaterina Bobrova and Dmitri Soloviev, Russia
- Madison Chock and Evan Bates, USA
- Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donohue, USA
The pairs roster
Finally, the six pairs teams who will vie for gold in France are:
- Aliona Savchenko and Bruno Massot, Germany
- Meagan Duhamel and Eric Radford, Canada
- Yu Xiaoyu and Zhang Hao, China
- Peng Cheng and Jin Yang, China
- Evgenia Tarasova and Vladimir Morozov, Russia
- Julianne Segiun and Charlie Bilodeau, Canada
The 2016-17 Grand Prix Final will take place Dec. 8-11 in France.