After announcing their return to competitive skating in May, Maia Shibutani and Alex Shibutani will compete for the first time in more than seven years this weekend at NHK Trophy in Osaka, Japan.
The Shibutanis last competed at the 2018 Olympic Winter Games, where they won bronze medals in both the individual and team events. The sibling duo are three-time World medalists and two-time U.S. champions.
The Shibutanis will be two of 14 U.S. athletes competing at NHK Trophy – the fourth of six events in the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Series – Nov. 7-9. U.S. Figure Skating will have three entries in ice dance and two entries in each of the women's, men's and pairs events.
Joining the Shibutanis in the ice dance events for the U.S. National Team are two teams that train in Canton, Michigan, together: Caroline Green and Michael Parsons and Katarina Wolfkostin and Dimitry Tsarevski.
Green and Parsons are skating at NHK Trophy for the second straight year. After medaling at their first event of the season, taking bronze at 2025 Nepela Memorial, Green and Parsons withdrew from their first Grand Prix assignment at Cup of China due to injury.
Wolfkostin and Tsarevski make their Grand Prix debut in Japan. The 2025 World Junior silver medalists earned bronze at 2025 Lombardia Trophy in September.
U.S. pairs is led in Osaka by reigning U.S. champions Alisa Efimova and Misha Mitrofanov, who have stood on the podium at both their Challenger Series events so far this season and are looking for their second Grand Prix medal.
Also skating for the red, white and blue are Efimova and Mitrofanov's training mates at The Skating Club of Boston, Emily Chan and Spencer Howe. At their last competition, the two-time Four Continents silver medalists secured bronze at 2025 Trialeti Trophy.
In the women's competition, Sarah Everhardt will take the ice for a second straight weekend. At Skate Canada International last weekend, she ranked seventh. Earlier this season, she earned bronze at Lombardia Trophy.
Elyce Lin-Gracey, the 2025 World Junior bronze medalist, will also compete at her second Grand Prix of the season. She placed eighth at Grand Prix de France.
Andrew Torgashev, who finished sixth at that same Grand Prix, looks to build on his silver medal earlier this season at 2025 Nebelhorn Trophy. He is the reigning U.S. silver medalist and brought home a Grand Prix medal from France last season.
Rounding out the U.S. lineup is Jimmy Ma, who will travel to his first Grand Prix of the season. The 2025 Four Continents bronze medalist has two top-10 finishes at Challenger Series events to his name already this season.
Competition kicks off Friday in Japan with the rhythm dance as well as pairs, men's and women's short programs. Medals will be awarded in all four disciplines Saturday following the free dance and free skates.
NBC Sports will broadcast a recap show of NHK Trophy Sunday, Nov. 9 at 2 p.m. ET. Peacock also will livestream every skater with all events available for 72 hours following their conclusion. The full broadcast schedule can be found on the U.S. Figure Skating Fan Zone and the Peacock streaming schedule is available at peacocktv.com/skating.
Following the event, don't miss Rinkside: Olympic Season. Watch on the U.S. Figure Skating YouTube channel or listen wherever you get your podcasts Mondays at 12 p.m. ET as Nick McCarvel breaks down highlights, previews the following week's Grand Prix stop, interviews athletes and more.
The Grand Prix Series, which started in 1995, consists of six international events in a cumulative point-scoring format. Each athlete or team is eligible to score points in up to two of the six scheduled events. The top six point-earners in each discipline qualify for the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final 2025, set for Dec. 4-7 in Nagoya, Japan.
For a full schedule, results, news and more, visit the 2025 Grand Prix Series Competition Central.
U.S. ENTRIES AT 2025 NHK TROPHY
Athlete | Hometown | Training Town
Women
Sarah Everhardt | Haymarket, Va.| Reston, Va.
Elyce Lin-Gracey | Arcadia, Calif. | Colorado Springs, Colo.
Men
Jimmy Ma | Great Neck, N.Y. | Norwood, Mass.
Andrew Torgashev | Irvine Calif. | Irvine, Calif.
Pairs
Emily Chan and Spencer Howe | Dallas, Texas; Los Angeles, Calif. | Norwood, Mass.
Alisa Efimova and Misha Mitrofanov | Norwood, Mass.; Houston, Texas | Norwood, Mass.
Ice Dance
Caroline Green and Michael Parsons | Rockville, Md.; Derwood, Md. | Canton, Mich.
Maia Shibutani and Alex Shibutani | Los Angeles, Calif.; Los Angeles, Calif. | Los Angeles, Calif; Oakland, Calif.; Fort Myers, Fla.; Tokyo, Japan; and Tachikawa, Japan
Katarina Wolfkostin and Dimitry Tsarevski | Ann Arbor, Mich.; Lakewood, Colo. | Canton, Mich.
