ISU Figure Skating Grand Prix Final 2014-15: Dates, Event Schedule and More
The Grand Prix Final of figure skating takes place in Barcelona from December 11 through December 14, with some of the sport's top talents on show.
There are 24 individual and couples skaters battling for the medal positions as the elite athletes from each discipline of the Grand Prix fight for gold.
The finalists are drawn from the tour events consisting of the Hilton Skate America, the Skate Canada International, the Lexus Cup of China, the Russian Rostelecom Cup, the Trophee Eric Bompard in France and NHK Trophy—which takes place in Japan.
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Here is the full schedule for the event in Spain, with dates and times:
| Dec. 11 | 1 p.m. | JUNIOR WOMEN - Short Program |
| Dec. 11 | 2.05 p.m. | JUNIOR DANCE - Short Program |
| Dec. 11 | 3.20 p.m. | JUNIOR MEN - Short Program |
| Dec. 11 | 4.24 p.m. | JUNIOR PAIRS - Short Program |
| Dec. 11 | 6.45 p.m. | Opening Ceremony |
| Dec. 11 | 7.15 p.m. | SENIOR COUPLES - Short Program |
| Dec. 11 | 8.30 p.m. | SENIOR WOMEN - Short Program |
| Dec. 12 | 1.30 p.m. | JUNIOR WOMEN - Free Program |
| Dec. 12 | 2.40 p.m. | JUNIOR DANCE - Free Program |
| Dec. 12 | 4 p.m. | JUNIOR MEN - Free Program |
| Dec. 12 | 5.15 p.m. | JUNIOR PAIRS - Free Program |
| Dec. 12 | 6.45 p.m. | SENIOR DANCE - Short Program |
| Dec. 12 | 8 p.m. | SENIOR MEN - Short Program |
| Dec. 13 | 3 p.m. | SENIOR COUPLES - Free Program |
| Dec. 13 | 4.25 p.m. | SENIOR WOMEN - Free Program |
| Dec. 13 | 6.25 p.m. | SENIOR DANCE - Free Program |
| Dec. 13 | 7.45 p.m. | SENIOR MEN - Free Program |
| Dec. 14 | 11 a.m. | Featured Exhibition |
The Favourites
Elena Radionova
Russian Elena Radionova has dominated the tour events in the build up to the Grand Prix Final in Barcelona.
The 15-year-old grabbed the gold on two separate events—triumphing in the Skate America competition and the French Trophee Eric Bompard.
The two wins saw her qualify in first place, and she is one of the hot favourites for the overall crown.
Radionova has been exceptionally modest about her success and has recently proclaimed she can further improve her standards as she becomes more experienced, per ChannelNewsAsia.com:
"There's no limit to perfection. I can improve on my jumps, spins, steps—There's still a lot of work to be done."
The two-time world junior champion has taken the circuit by storm in 2014 and there seems to be no end to her capabilities on the ice as she matures.
But the youngster has had her critics—in a sport that can be unforgiving.
Olympic sport writer Philip Hersh recently took to social media to proclaim that Radionova is not yet the finished article:
Radionova still has some way to go before she is truly world-class—but she is on the cusp of this standard at present.
And she will not surprise anyone if she skates away with the full Grand Prix gold when proceedings get under way.
Maxim Kovtun
At 19 years old, Maxim Kovtun has developed into a sensational master of the ice at such a young age.
Kovtun has taken two events on this tour, matching that of team-mate Radionova, winning the Cup of China and the Trophee Bompard.
Kovtun tops the total standings with a season's-best score of 243.35, per ISU.org.
The male skater has given much credit to his team behind the scenes who have prepared him for the various events of the season, per ChannelNewsAsia, saying: "My coaches did a lot to build me up."
Kovtun's main rivals for the victory in Barcelona will be the European Champion Javier Fernandez and world silver medalist Tatsuki Machida, from Japan.
The Russians are certainly dominant at present, and if Ksenia Stolbova and Fedor Klimov can step up and take the couples gold, it could be a clean sweep for the nation.
Radionova is bursting with confidence at present but her young age could betray if any mistakes edge their way into her routine. But her and Kovtun look the most likely candidates to take a set of golds back to their home country.
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