Team USA Looks for Fifth World Team Trophy Title

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On the heels of a successful World Figure Skating Championships in Stockholm last month, the International Skating Union (ISU) will close an unprecedented 2020-21 season with ISU World Team Trophy 2021, set for April 15-18 in Osaka, Japan. The event will follow strict 'bubble' protocol, much like the event in Sweden in order to mitigate risk for exposure to COVID-19.
 
First held in 2009, this will be the seventh time that the ISU has held the event—each time hosted by Team Japan. The event shifts the typical competition nerves away from the individual and creates an electric team comradery that has become a favorite of the fans and athletes alike. With so few international competitive opportunities over the past year, this event could prove to be the backdrop for some of the most compelling performances of the season from the six entrants – Canada, France, Italy, Japan, Russia and the United States.
 
Defending champions Team USA will be looking for their fifth title in Osaka and has assembled a squad fresh off a successful outing at the World Championships last month. Leading the way will be three-time and reigning World champion Nathan Chen, who is slated to compete in this event for the third time.
 
"At the end of the day, I want to have as many opportunities as I can to compete," he said of competing in the World Team Trophy. "Every competition is quite different, so just to gain a little information to help prepare you for the next competition is quite valuable. As I always mention, I don't know how many competitions I'll have going forward, so might as well utilize the opportunities I have to compete and try to enjoy them as much as I can."
 
In third place after the short program in Stockholm, Chen came roaring back with a five-quadruple-jump effort in the free skate to capture the crown by nearly 30 points. He will arrive in Osaka with an undefeated record this season, taking the top prize at 2020 Guaranteed Rate Skate America and the 2021 Toyota U.S. Figure Skating Championships. Chen will be joined by 2015 U.S. champion Jason Brown, who notched a seventh-place finish in Stockholm.
 
Brown will participate in the competition for the third time, serving as team captain for Team USA at this year's event.
 
"Avengers... Assemble! Love this team, love this event. Proud to be team captain! Let's go USA!," Brown posted on social media after learning he had been given the role.
 
When Brown takes to the ice in Osaka, two things will be certain. First, he will collect as many points as he can on the grade of execution and program components—Brown has become a master of leaving no stone unturned in that regard. And second, he will be looking to land his first quadruple jump in competition. Brown came close in Stockholm, landing an underrotated quadruple Salchow in his free skate.
 
Chen and Brown will face stiff competition from the other teams, most notably Team Japan which will be represented by two-time and reigning Olympic champion Yuzuru Hanyu and Olympic silver medalist Shoma Uno. The duo finished in third and fourth place respectively in Stockholm. Team Russia will be represented by 2018 World bronze medalist Mikhail Kolyada, who was fifth in Stockholm, and Evgeni Semenenko, who finished in eighth. 2018 Olympian Nam Nguyen and 2020 Canadian champion Roman Sadovsky will represent Team Canada, while Kevin Aymoz (ninth, 2021 World Championships) and Adam Sia Him Fa will represent Team France. Daniel Grassl (12th, 2021 World Championships) will be the lone entry for Team Italy after teammate Matteo Rizzo (11th , 2021 World Championships) withdrew from the competition. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, there was not enough time to field a substitute entry.
 
World Championships competitors Karen Chen and Bradie Tennell will represent Team USA in the ladies competition for a second time. Fourth in her return to the World Championships after a four-year hiatus, Chen, is making her second appearance at the World Team Trophy. Combined with Tennell's ninth place finish in Stockholm, the duo earned the opportunity to compete for a third Olympic berth later this year at Nebelhorn Trophy in Germany.
 
"I was in shock, for sure, just because the situation wasn't looking that great," Chen said after the competition in Stockholm. "But I was shocked and really happy. Just felt a lot of emotions. Regardless of if we secured two spots or three spots, I was just proud of myself for delivering two really great programs, and I honestly couldn't wish for anything better."
 
After winning the 2021 Toyota U.S. Championships in Las Vegas, Tennell seemed poised to make a run at the podium at the World Championships. In Stockholm, however, Tennell had to contend with a boot problem on her landing foot which kept the two-time U.S. champion from performing full out.
 
"This entire competition didn't go nearly according to plan," Tennell said at the World Championships. "I am very disappointed, to be honest, with my skates. It's not what I've been training at all. I've been training clean programs every day, both short and long, so to come here and put out these performances is very disappointing, especially at such an important competition."
 
With the boot issues behind her, Tennell should be expected to perform at a higher level in Osaka, giving Team USA a boost in what will likely be a very close competition.
 
Chen and Tennell will be facing the world's best in Anna Shcherbakova and Elizaveta Tuktamysheva, who led a Russian sweep of the podium in Stockholm.

Team Japan will be represented by Kaori Sakamoto and Rika Kihira, who finished in sixth and seventh place respectively in Stockholm. Canada sends 2017 World bronze medalist Gabrielle Daleman and 2020 national silver medalist Alison Schumacher, while Mai Mazzara and Lea Serna will compete for Team France. Lari Naki Guttman and Ginerva Lavinia Negrello round out the ladies roster and represent Team Italy.
 
Alexa Knierim and Brandon Frazier will carry the torch for Team USA in the pairs event. The reigning U.S. champions are coming off a seventh-place finish in their World Championships debut last month in Stockholm.
 
"We had a really, really good fight out there," Frazier said of their free skate in Stockholm. "There were a couple things that were a little shakier than normal, so obviously a little disappointed there. But overall, very happy with how we handled ourselves."
 
As the second ranked team in this competition from the World Championships, Knierim and Frazier could play a pivotal role in Team USA's defense of the title.
 
This will mark Knierim's second appearance in the World Team Trophy—she was part of the team that won the title back in 2015. Frazier is making his debut appearance in the competition this week.
 
Knierim and Frazier will face stiff competition from World champions Anastasia Mishina and Aleksandr Galliamov who represent Team Russia. The 2019 World Junior champions became the first team in 25 years to win the World title in their debut. Riku Miura and Ryiuchi Kihara, 10th in Stockholm, have been selected to represent Team Japan. Lori-Ann Matte and Thierry Ferland will compete for Team Canada, while Cléo Hamon and Denys Strekalin (20th, 2021 World Championships) will skate for Team France. Nicole Della Monica and Matteo Guarise, eighth in Stockholm, represent Team Italy.
 
In the ice dance competition, reigning U.S. bronze medalists Kaitlin Hawayek and Jean-Luc Baker will represent Team USA. The duo finished in ninth place in Stockholm, but might have attained an even better placement had they achieved the highest levels on their technical elements.
 
"We finished the program feeling very happy with the end result," Hawayek said after their World Championships free dance. "There wasn't a moment where we felt like we held back, and we felt like we performed from beginning to end. We were certainly disappointed with the scores that we received. But in terms of what we could control, which was our skate, we feel like we performed very well."
 
Hawayek and Baker will face tough competition from Russia's Sinitsina and Nikita Katsalapov, the 2021 World champions, and Team Italy's Charlene Guignard and Marco Fabbri who finished in sixth place in Stockholm.
 
Misato Komatsubara and Tim Koleto, who finished in 19th place at the World Championships will represent Team Japan, while Carolane Soucisse and Shane Firus, the 2018 Four Continents Championships silver medalists will compete for Team Canada. Rounding out the ice dance roster will be Team France's Adelina Galyavieva and Louis Thauron, who finished in 16th place in Stockholm.
 
The competition will be available live and in its entirety on Peacock Premium, there will also be three broadcasts of ISU World Team Trophy 2021 on NBCSN, all same-day delayed broadcasts.