Thirteen Athletes Travel to Saitama, Japan, for World Championships

Thirteen Americans are set to compete at the ISU World Figure Skating Championships 2019, March 18-24, in Saitama, Japan, at the Saitama Super Arena.

Official practice begins today, while competition will start on Wednesday, March 20. The pairs and ladies will lead off the competition, while men will begin Thursday, March 21 and ice dancers on Friday, March 22.

Bradie Tennell and Mariah Bell will return to the World Championships after placing sixth and 12th, respectively, in 2018. Tennell earned the silver medal at the 2019 U.S. Championships in Detroit. Bell finished in third place. The duo will be looking for their combined placements to be 13 or less to earn the United States three spots at the 2020 World Championships in Montreal.

Defending World champion Nathan Chen leads the men's contingent into Saitama, looking to become the first American man to win back-to-back World titles since Scott Hamilton accomplished the feat (four times, 1981-1984). Only six American men have won multiple World Championships.

Chen is undefeated in his last five outings, winning his third straight U.S. title, the Grand Prix Final, two Grand Prix events and a World title, beginning in March 2018. Vincent Zhou, who took silver in Detroit, enters the competition on a hot streak, having won the bronze medal at the Four Continents Championships last month. Jason Brown will round out the American contingent having finished third in Detroit and placing fifth at Four Continents. Brown, who relocated to Toronto for training this summer, took home a silver medal from Internationaux de France in the fall.

In the pairs competition, Ashley Cain and Timothy LeDuc will look for a Top-10 finish to regain two Worlds spots for the United States next season. The duo won their first U.S. title in January, and finished fourth at Four Continents just two weeks later.

The United States brings three strong teams to the ice dance competition. U.S. champions Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donohue placed second at the 2018 World Championships in Milan. Madison Chock and Evan Bates, who were atop the podium at the Four Continents Championships, are seeking their third World medal after taking silver in 2015 and bronze in 2016. Kaitlin Hawayek and Jean-Luc Baker will make their second consecutive Worlds appearance after placing 10th last season. American ice dancers have medaled at Worlds in the last four seasons.

NBC will broadcast coverage of the ladies and men's free skate from 8-10 p.m. ET on Saturday, March 23, followed by a recap show from 3-6 p.m. ET on Sunday, April 14. There will be an additional 12 hours of competition coverage on NBCSN. Additionally, the Figure Skating Pass on NBC Sports Gold will stream live coverage of the World Championships to subscribers. 

2019 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS STREAMING SCHEDULE ON NBC SPORTS GOLD
(All times Eastern; subject to change)

2019 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS TELEVISION SCHEDULE
(All times Eastern; check local listings)