Who are the Big Six?
Meet the six men vying for Olympic gold
Over the last four years, much of the success in men’s figure skating has belonged to six skaters. They’re a combination of old-hand champs and phenom teens. Other guys in the field have their moments and make their names, but these six are the ones to watch as the Olympic podium looms.
Patrick, 26, has been on the senior circuit since 2006. Though he’s struggled in recent years to keep up with the quad prowess of the young kids, he’s one of the most powerful skaters out there so his component scores can go through the roof. He was the Olympic silver medalist in 2014, was on the podium at Worlds every year between 2009 and 2013 (three of those years gold, two silver). He’s a three time Four Continents champion, and a two-time Grand Prix Final champ. He’s won Canadian nationals nine times.
2017 Grand Prix Assignments:
Skate Canada, NHK Trophy
2017 Programs:
Short- Dust in the Wind by Kansas | Long- Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen, performed by Jeff Buckley
Quad Repertoire:
Toe loop, (Salchow in practice)
Personal Best Score
Total- 295.27 (from 2013) | Short- 102.13 (from 2017) | Long-
203.99 (from 2016)
Javi, 26, has also been on the senior circuit since 2006. In 2010, he was the first Spanish man to qualify for the Olympics since the ’50s. He came 4th at the 2014 Olympics. He was world champion in both 2015 and 2016 and got bronze the two preceding years. He’s the reigning five time European champion and a two-time Grand Prix Final silver medalist.
2017 Grand Prix Assignments:
Cup of China, Internationaux de France
2017 Programs:
Short- Charlie Chaplin’s Modern Times Soundtrack| Long- Man of La Mancha
Quad Repertoire:
Toe loop, Salchow
Personal Best Score
Total- 314.93 (from 2016) | Short- 109.05 (from 2017) | Long-
216.41 (from 2016)
Boyang, 20, is one of the quad squad of guys who came up into senior after the 2014 Olympics. He’s been on the senior circuit since 2015. He’s the reigning two-time world bronze medalist and a four-time Chinese national champion.
2017 Grand Prix Assignments:
Cup of China, Skate America
2017 Programs:
Short- Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (soundtrack) by Tan Dun| Long- Mars (from “The Planets”) by Gustav Holst, Stars Wars (soundtrack) by John Williams.
Quad Repertoire:
Lutz, Toe loop, Salchow
Personal Best Score:
Total- 303.58 (from 2017) | Short- 98.64 (from 2017) | Long-
204.94 (from 2017)
Nathan, 18, came up through juniors with Boyang and Shoma Uno. He entered the senior circuit in 2016. He’s the first man to land five quads in a program and the only man to land every quad minus the axel (which no one has done yet). He’s the reigning U.S. and Four Continents champion.
2017 Grand Prix Assignments:
Rostelecom Cup, Skate America
2017 Programs:
Short- Nemesis by Benjamin Clementine| Long- Mao’s Last Dancer (soundtrack) by Christopher Gordon, Rite of Spring by Stravinsky.
Quad Repertoire:
Lutz, Flip, Loop, Toe loop, Salchow
Personal Best Score:
Total- 307.46 (from 2017) | Short- 103.12 (from 2017) | Long-
204.34 (from 2017)
Yuzu, 22, has been on the senior circuit since 2010. He’s the reigning Olympic champ looking to defend that title this season. He holds world records for short, long and combined total scores. He’s a two-time world champion, four-time Grand Prix Final champion, and a four-time Japanese national champion. He combines brilliant skating with technical skills (read: quads), and if it weren’t for occasional inconsistencies he’d be impossible to beat.
2017 Grand Prix Assignments:
Rostelecom Cup, NHK Trophy
2017 Programs:
Short- Ballade No. 1 by Chopin| Long- Seimei (soundtrack) by Shigeru Umebayashi
Quad Repertoire:
Lutz, Loop, Toe loop, Salchow
Personal Best Score:
Total- 330.43 (from 2015) | Short- 112.72 (from 2017) | Long-
223.20 (from 2017)
Shoma, 19, joined the senior circuit in 2015. He was the first man to land a quad flip in international competition. He’s the reigning world silver medalist, reigning Japanese national champion, and reigning two-time bronze medalist at Grand Prix Finals. He was the World Junior champ in 2015.
2017 Grand Prix Assignments:
Skate Canada, Internationaux de France
2017 Programs:
Short- Winter (from “Four Seasons”) by Antonio Vivaldi| Long- Turandot by Giacomo Puccini
Quad Repertoire:
Flip, Loop, Toe loop, (Lutz in practice)
Personal Best Score:
Total- 319.84 (from 2017) | Short- 104.87 (from 2017) | Long-
214.97 (from 2017)
Who do you think will come out on top?
