'24-'25 Main Characters: International Women!

Our tour of the ‘24-’25 Figure Skating Main Characters continues! I’ve already posted about Pairs, Men, and Ice Dance.

I am fairly certain none of you were waiting for me with bated breath last Sunday, but if you were— my sincere apologies for not sending this on the usual schedule. The weekend did not go as planned, and I simply ran out of runway to write. But here we are, together again. ON A FRIDAY EVEN. It’s like ABC’s TGIF except figure skating!

And this week I have a surprise: Women will be a Two Parter! Like the Breaking Dawn movies and the latest Taylor Swift album, I simply have too much to say to confine it to one entry. American Women will get an entire dedicated newsletter.

But first, let’s book a trip around the world to talk about the many other Women who will be interesting this season.

Main Characters

Kaori Sakamoto (Japan)

The One to Beat. As the reigning Olympic Bronze medalist, Kaori has a target on her back as the dominant female skater since the Russians got banned. She’s now won Worlds and Japanese Nationals three times in a row, and she wins most of the other international events she enters. In my mind, she’s now the Nathan Chen of Women’s skating— so seemingly unbeatable that you’re increasingly nervous she will get beat at the worst possible time.

That’s not exactly true though— Kaori IS beatable. She’s already been dethroned this season at an early competition, though that’s not uncommon for her. It usually takes her a minute to work up to her full power. And she’s been lucky a few times— she’ll have a sloppy skate but then her closest competition will skate even sloppier. If there’s a time for someone to come at her like a dark horse, it’s now in the pre-Olympic season.

But we like Kaori! We would not be mad at her for winning everything. She would win the Oscar for Most Charming Kiss & Cry Reaction, she’s always the one to start post-competition hijinks, and she’s very adventurous with her hair. There’s an American Patriot in my heart that would love to see a US Woman win the Olympic gold, but Kaori is my realistic fave.

Loena Hendrickx (Belgium)

The Hot One. That’s not really a fair stereotype for her as she is frequently considered the Number Two skater to Kaori and she works extremely hard, but it is true that being Very Pretty has become part of her branding. She has a nice face, and she’s frequently wearing skating costumes that would not be out of place at The Club. I think. I haven’t been to The Club since my 20s, and even then, it was always under duress. But if I WAS a Club Kid, I can imagine I would wear bedazzled spankies with a black mesh tank.

Loena is taking the Jason Brown path to success— maybe she can’t nail the most difficult content, but she can bring artistry and quality. It sort of works for her. Except she’s losing her consistency in recent competition, so she might start to see a drop in the artistry score. I’ve also seen some online criticism for her choreography. She uses the same guy every year, and people seem to think he’s running out of ideas that don’t feature Loena lounging against the boards, making flirty eyes at the judges.

But again, I like her! I love a successful small federation skater, and I can remember the camera flashing to her at the Olympics many years ago when she was in the audience, rocking back and forth with her fingers crossed for her brother when he competed. She’s endearing! And I think she had a fling with US Pairs skater Brandon Frazier last year, which should not impact how anyone views her skating, but I do love that for her.

Secondary Characters:

Here’s the thing about the Secondary Characters for Women— not all of them are actual medal contenders. Some of them are just fun to root for.

Anastasiia Gubanova (Georgia)

The Not-So-Secret Russian. Alias “Gubs.” She’s the one who’s been to Georgia once and thinks it’s lovely. She is basically a Russian in Georgian clothing as she lives and trains in Russia. She also told a reporter at the Olympics that she was glad she placed ahead of Karen Chen in the Team Event so it hurt the American chances at a medal and helped Russia. (A sentiment that has not aged well for her.) Since then, she is my enemy. However… I do think she has a lovely ballet dancer quality, and I am always amused when she is visibly unimpressed by the judges’ scores.

Wakaba Higuchi (Japan)

The Lion Queen. AKA WAKA! A real fan favorite, currently on the comeback trail. She nailed it in the Olympic Team Event, skating beautifully to Ellie Goulding’s “Your Song,” cover. She’s also a member of the Triple Axel club. But she’s had a tough couple of years and took some time off. She mounted her comeback last year, and she seems to be gaining some momentum now. I’d love to see her back at the top for Japanese Women, but it won’t be easy for her.

Maddie Schizas (Canada)

The Only Canadian. Also known as Skizzy. (Schizzy? Spelling unclear.) I BELIEVE she is the only Canadian with scores that quality her for Worlds. I’m not sure if that’s still true, so someone correct me in the comments. Basically, Canada has all of their eggs in her basket because they are not great at giving their B-team chances to compete internationally and earn better scores. She is the whole reason Canada was even in the conversation for an Olympic bronze medal because her Team Event performances saved them, though she’s been pretty uneven since that season. She does have an obvious sense of humor, though, and I always root for her to pull ahead. She’s a story I’m watching this year— if she can make it to the Top Ten at Worlds, she gets Canada a second Women’s spot at the next Olympics. Based on recent performance, I’d say the odds are not great. But I hope anyway.

Nina Pinzaronne (Belgium)

The Other Belgian. She is legitimately very good and up-and-coming, but she’s really made a splash for giving an interview where she said Loena Hendrickx was afraid of her because she was so young. And then Loena Hendrickx pulled a Mariah Carey “I don’t know her” moment by referring to Nina as the “the other Belgian girl.” I appreciate all the sportsmanship and camaraderie that the American woman at least act like they have, but MAN I love a good intra-country bitchy rivalry. Loena aside, Nina skated with a bloody nose at Worlds last year, so she has my full respect.

Ekaterina Kurakova (Poland)

The Cute One. Katya is another secret Russian, but she does actually live in Poland and seems to make a sincere effort to be Polish, so we like her better. She’s relentlessly cute, bubbly and charming. This year, she is wearing cat ears. (You get one guess as to why she is wearing cat ears.) I admit I’m not 100% sure if the cat ears are Too Much, but I’m in the midst of reading Lyndsay Rush’s poetry collection A Bit Much, so I’m inclined to cheer on someone who is all in.

So many Japanese skaters (Yuna Aoki, Mone Chiba, Rino Matsuiki, Mai Mihara, Rion Sumiyoshi, Rinka Wantanabe, Hana Yoshida)

Y’all, the Japanese Women are INCREDIBLE. And it does not take much for one of them to nudge past another one and become a star for 15 minutes until the next Japanese Woman skates and dethrones her. Here’s the problem— with the exception of Kaori, most of these Women can’t quite stay consistent. There are skating fans who will read this and disagree, but I lumped them all together because I think they’re all capable of being break-out stars. But I have zero insight into which ones will emerge from the pack this year.

Chaeyeon Kim (South Korea)

She might actually be a Main Character this year; I just don’t know enough about her personality to write you a few paragraphs about why you should like her. She won bronze at Worlds last year, and she’s already off to a fantastic start this season with big scores at Shanghai Trophy. If she’s consistent this season, I think she’s a favorite for the Olympic podium.

Kimmy Repond (Switzerland)

Just very tall. I mean, not really. She’s 5’8 and some change. But in comparison to other skaters, she looks like a giraffe on skates. She certainly does not skate like a giraffe, though. I love a tall skater; their lines are beautiful. I think Kimmy’s your next Loena, by which I mean she is your next small fed skater who will start to land on international podiums.

Background Characters Hoping for a Speaking Role

Yelim Kim (South Korea): She has a history of beautiful skates but lately she’s just so-so. She might pull it together and get on some podiums this year, but she’s not looking confident to me.

Kaiya Ruiter (Canada): Might pull it together to be another Canadian woman with a shot at Worlds. Bambi eyes. You can imagine birds dressing her in the morning.

Olga Mikutina (Austria): A secret Ukrainian, for once.

Nina Petrokina (Estonia): Potential dark horse threat for next small fed favorite. She’s had some pretty high placements in the last year. She might come out swinging and be a spoiler for someone else on the Secondary list.

Lara Naki Guttman (Italy): Her name is just fun to say, right? Loves a theme program. Last year was Hitchcock; this year is Squid Game.

Josefin Taljegard (Sweden): Reader, we love her. The only person to successfully skate a Joker program. Sometimes the only one who seems to understand creativity. Her tech isn’t there, but we desperately want her to be the actual female Jason Brown.

Maybe you feel like this list is too long, but I promise I edited myself. As ever, Women’s skating feels like the main event. There’s something about a girl in a sparkly dress doing tricks in the air that makes us all feel dazzled, isn’t there?

Two Other Figure Skating Things and One Non-Figure Skating Thing

Yes, I usually bring you three NON-Figure Skating Things. But I have updates!

• Canadian Ice Dancer Nik Sorensen is suspended for at least six years for “sexual maltreatment.” The news broke AFTER he had already arrived in Shanghai for Shanghai Trophy last weekend, and I imagine that was a pretty rough flight home with his skating partner/girlfriend. Not that his emotional experience should be the focus here. Instead, read the statement from the survivor here— she’s extraordinarily kind and gracious. I cannot imagine how difficult it must have been to speak up on this, knowing how accusers are treated.

• Meanwhile in Russia….Actual Disney Villain, Eteri Tutberidze is now hawking wedding rings. First of all, the soft focus airbrushing on this is Glamour Shots-tier. Second of all, missed opportunity for “ETERINITY.” Third of all, she loves butterflies forever?

  

  And the one non-figure skating thing:

• Look at this pumpkin I painted! I just watered down some acrylic paint and let it drip down the sides and voila! As always, I think I should quit my job and start an Etsy shop because I’ve had one crafting success. My mom said that if we lived in the same city, she would commission me to make some for her, so I think I’d be a success.

  

What’s Next: The American Women! Who are all Main Characters in my heart!