Madison Chock and Evan Bates may start a new streak and extend other record ice dancing streaks at the NHK Trophy in Japan, livestream peacock It starts on Thursday night.

Chock and Bates, two-time world champions, are finishing second at Skate America last month.

He has an eight-race winning streak that extends into the start of 2023. But he also achieved his 19th consecutive regular season podium finish in the Grand Prix Series (dating to 2013) and his 17th consecutive top-two finish in a Grand Prix regular season event (dating 2013). 2014).

This week at NHK, Chock and Bates can make their 25th career Grand Prix podium (including Grand Prix Finals) to extend the record for ice dancers. If they do so, Chock and Bates will likely qualify for the Grand Prix Final for the ninth time and also extend their ice dancing record.

The Grand Prix Series is the regular season circuit of figure skating in which competition is held once a week for six consecutive weeks each fall. The world’s best skaters compete in two events.

The top six in each discipline of the series will qualify for the Grand Prix Final in December, where the world’s best skaters meet for the first time each season. The Grand Prix Final is usually a preview of the world championships the following March.

Chock and Bates are clear favorites at NHK, given that the world’s other top pairs will be competing for their second Grand Prix starts in the next two weeks. Like England’s Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson, who won Skate America after Chock and Bates counted falls in their rhythm dance.

Still, Chock and Bates’ scores this week are noteworthy. The top pairs have all competed at least once this season and achieved the following total points:

Charlene Guignard/Marco Fabbri (ITA) — 215.63 (Lombard Cup)
Piper Gilles/Paul Poirier (CAN) – 214.84 (Skateboarding Canada)
Lilah Fear/Lewis Gibson — 210.65 (Nepela Memorial)
Madison Chock/Evan Bates – 205.63 (USA Skating)

Also in the NHK field is three-time world champion Kaori Sakamoto of Japan. Sakamoto won his first Grand Prix season at Skate Canada, but his points total would come with a fourth-place finish at last week’s French Grand Prix.

Alysa Liu and Bradie Tennell, each two-time U.S. champions, are also in the women’s field.

Olympic and world silver medalist Yuma Kagiyama of Japan leads the men’s race in his first race of the Grand Prix season. Kagiyama was the only player within 49 points of American Ilia Malinin in the world rankings last season, but he was still 24.11 points behind.

This season, Kagiyama ranks second in the world with the best score (291.54 in Lombardia) behind Malinin (312.55, also in Lombardia). Malinin secured his place in the Final by winning the first two Grand Prix races last month.

Two-time U.S. Olympian Jason Brown also joined NHK after placing eighth at Skate Canada in his first Grand Prix in three years.

The doubles event features two of Skate America’s top teams.

2023 World champion Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara from Japan have won four consecutive Grand Prix starts, although they missed the 2023 Grand Prix due to injuries.

US champions Ellie Kam and Danny O’Shea will likely advance to the Grand Prix Final with a podium finish at NHK after finishing second at Skate America. They could become the fourth US duo to reach the Final in the last 15 editions.

2024 NHK Trophy Broadcast Schedule

U.S. champions Ellie Kam and Danny O’Shea are eyeing rare international success for the U.S. doubles team.