Alysa Liu and Ilia Malinin to return at Skate America as Grand Prix lineups revealed

Olympic figure skating gold medalist Alysa Liu and world champion Ilia Malinin will compete at Skate America in Everett, Washington, from November 13-15, marking their return to top-level competition after a hiatus. The International Skating Union released the Grand Prix lineups on Tuesday, confirming Liu and Malinin’s participation in the season opener. Liu, who last competed in February after winning Olympic gold, will face Olympic bronze medalist Ami Nakai of Japan and world bronze medalist Nina Pinzarrone of Belgium. Malinin, who retained his world title in March after a disappointing Olympic free skate, will compete against American skater Jason Brown and Italian skater Daniel Grassl. Liu will also compete at the Finlandia Trophy one week later, her second Grand Prix event of the season. Malinin’s second event will be the NHK Trophy in Japan, where he will face world bronze medalist Shun Sato. The top skaters from these six Grand Prix events will qualify for the finals in Chongqing, China, in December. The lineups also include Olympic gold medalist Mikhail Shaidorov of Kazakhstan, competing at the Grand Prix de France and the Cup of China, and world pairs champions Minerva Hase and Nikita Volodin of Germany, who will start at Skate America. Olympic pairs gold medalists Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara of Japan retired in April, leaving Hase and Volodin as the top German pair. U.S. ice dance team Madison Chock and Evan Bates, Olympic gold medalists, are taking a break from competition and have no Grand Prix assignments. French skaters Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron, Olympic gold medalists in ice dance, will compete at their home Grand Prix de France. Skaters can participate in two of the six Grand Prix events to earn a spot in the finals, with Skate America serving as the first major test for Liu, Malinin, and other top competitors.