Strictly Judging: A Figure Skating Fan Podcast

It’s Lombardia week, and I’m packing an entire stacked competition into just one hour. From Ilia Malinin vs. Yuma Kagiyama to Alysa Liu’s debut and Adam Siao Him Fa’s unpredictaiblity, we break down the entries, the short program starting orders, and the biggest storylines. Plus: my bold gold, silver, and bronze predictions across men, women, pairs, and dance.Fast, fun, and chaotic, and my shortest episode yet. All on this episode of Strictly Judging: A Figure Skating Fan Podcast.📺 Watch on YouTube: @StrictlyJudging🎧 Listen on Spotify, Apple, iHeart, Amazon — wherever you get your skating podcasts📲 Follow @StrictlyJudging on Instagram for updates and extras👍 Share, rate, or send it to someone already updating their Olympic podium predictions

The Chinese Nebelhorn Olympic Qualifier gave us the latest stops on the Road to Milano 2026, with decisive results across Women, Men, and Pairs.In this episode of Strictly Judging, I walk through the key standings and storylines from all three disciplines:Men: Peter Gumennik 🇷🇺 led the field with 262.82, followed by Hyungyeom Kim 🇰🇷 and Donovan Carrillo 🇲🇽.Women: Adeliia Petrosian 🇷🇺 took first with 209.63, with Anastasiia Gubanova 🇬🇪 and Loena Hendrickx 🇧🇪 close behind.Pairs: Zhang/Huang 🇨🇳 secured gold on home ice, with Akopova/Rakhmanin 🇦🇲 second and Nagaoka/Moriguchi 🇯🇵 third.We look at the scores, placements, and Olympic implications as the field narrows on the way to Milano 2026.🎧 Join me for a results-focused recap of the Women, Men, and Pairs events at the Chinese Nebelhorn Qualifier.📺 ⁠My Personal Results for all disciplines🎧 Listen on Spotify, Apple, iHeart, Amazon — wherever you get your skating podcasts📲 Follow @StrictlyJudging on Instagram for updates and extras👍 Share, rate, or send it to someone already updating their Olympic podium predictions

Ice Dance is supposed to be decided on the ice — but at the Olympic Qualifier, the real drama was happening on the judges’ panel.In this episode of Strictly Judging, we uncover the politics and backroom vote-trading that shaped who made it to the Games. From suspicious boosts to targeted takedowns, the numbers expose a system where national interests mattered more than clean edges and artistry.We’ll walk through how:🚨 Bias and alliances played out in both Rhythm and Free Dance🚨 Tiny margins — just fractions of a point — decided Olympic dreams🚨 The judging culture of “I’ll help you if you help me” undermines the sport we loveThis isn’t just about one event — it’s about how Ice Dance judging still operates in the shadows.🎧 Tune in for a no-filter breakdown of who gained, who lost, and why fans are right to be suspicious.📺 My Personal Results for the Ice Dance🎧 Listen on Spotify, Apple, iHeart, Amazon — wherever you get your skating podcasts📲 Follow @StrictlyJudging on Instagram for updates and extras👍 Share, rate, or send it to someone already updating their Olympic podium predictions

In this 30 minute minisode, I give my final hot takes and predictions about the Men, Women, Pairs, and Ice Dance events taking place at the Chinese Nebelhorn 2026 Olympic Qualifying Event for Figure Skating event this weekend!🎧 Listen on Spotify, Apple, iHeart, Amazon — wherever you get your skating podcasts📲 Follow @StrictlyJudging on Instagram & YouTube for updates and extras👍 Share, rate, and send it to a skating fan already debating their Olympic podium picks

The Women’s and Pairs events closed out Lombardia Trophy 2025 in style — with standout performances, surprises, and plenty to analyze. This is the final part of my four-part Lombardia Trophy series, wrapping up all the action from Bergamo.On the women’s side, Ami Nakai (JPN) and Rion Sumiyoshi (JPN) battled for the top, with strong showings from Sarah Everhardt (USA), Lara Naki Gutmann (ITA), Alysa Liu (USA), Seoyoung Kim (KOR), Olivia Lisko (FIN), Rino Matsuike (JPN), Ekaterina Kurakova (POL), Josefin Taljegard (SWE) and more.The pairs event brought home-ice power with Sara Conti & Niccolò Macii (ITA) and Rebecca Ghilardi & Filippo Ambrosini (ITA), alongside sharp performances from Anna Valesi & Martin Bidar (CZE), Irma Caldara & Riccardo Maglio (ITA), Sofiia Holichenko & Artem Darenskyi (UKR) and others.In this episode, I dive into both the short program and free skate for the women, plus the overall PCS leaderboards, before turning to pairs for a full breakdown. Along the way, I also discuss the recent USFS article on Shin & Nagy, and what these results mean as we head into the season.📺 My Full Results for Lombardia🎧 Listen on Spotify, Apple, iHeart, Amazon — wherever you get your skating podcasts📲 Follow @StrictlyJudging on Instagram & YouTube for updates and extras👍 Share, rate, and send it to a skating fan already debating their Olympic podium picks

The Men’s event at Lombardia Trophy 2025 was electric — big jumps, big rivalries, and some unexpected storylines — and I’m breaking it all down. This is the second of my four-part series on the Lombardia Trophy, so stay tuned for more coverage all week!Winner Ilia Malinin (USA) dominated the field with commanding skating, while Yuma Kagiyama (JPN) showed he’s fully back in the conversation. Nikolaj Memola (ITA) thrilled the home crowd with bronze, and just off the podium were Shun Sato (JPN), Adam Siao Him Fa (FRA), and Kao Miura (JPN) in a stacked top six.In this episode, I dig into the short program and free skate, how the judging played out, and what these results mean heading into the Grand Prix season. From Malinin’s quad arsenal to Kagiyama’s refinement, Memola’s home-ice spark, and the depth of challengers — we cover it all.We also discuss strong showings and challenges for Luc Economides, Maxim Naumov, Kyrylo Marsak, Andreas Nordeback, Matteo Rizzo, Corentin Spinar, Ivan Shmuratko, Makar Suntsev, Tobia Oellerer, and Filip Kaymakchiev.📺 My Full Results for the Men’s Event: Click Here🎧 Listen on Spotify, Apple, iHeart, Amazon — wherever you get your skating podcasts. Watch on YouTube. 📲 Follow @StrictlyJudging on Instagram for updates and extras👍 Share, rate, or send it to someone already updating their Olympic podium predictions

The Ice Dance event at Lombardia Trophy 2025 delivered drama, artistry, and some surprising results — and I’m breaking it all down. This is the first of my four part series on the Lombardia Trophy - so stay tuned for more coverage all week!Winners Eva Pate & Logan Bye (USA) edged out Katerina Mrazkova & Daniel Mrazek (CZE), with bronze going to Katarina Wolfkostin & Dimitry Tsarevski (USA). In this in-depth episode, I dive into how the rhythm dance and free dance played out, how the judges judged, how the dancers danced, and how I saw it all.Beyond the scores, I share thoughts on the state of skating social media — why the bullying and negativity need to stop — and explore the diminishing returns of skating skills in dance, why moving the body matters, and what these results mean heading into the season and the Nebelhorn Olympic Qualifier in China.We discuss performances from Natacha Lagouge & Arnaud Caffa, Victoria Manni & Carlo Roethlisberger, Mariia Ignateva & Danijil Leonyidovics Szemko, Marie Dupayage & Thomas Nabais, Charise Matthaei & Max Liebers, Maria Kazakova & Vladislav Kasinskij, Mariia Pinchuk & Mykyta Pogorielov, Louise Bordet & Martin Chardain, Zoe Larson & Andrii Kapran, Zofia Grzegorzewska & Oleg Muratov, and Giulia Isabella Paolino & Andrea Tuba.My Full Results for the Ice Dance: Click Here To View on Google Sheets📺 Watch on YouTube:  @StrictlyJudging🎧 Listen on Spotify, Apple, iHeart, Amazon — wherever you get your skating podcasts📲 Follow  on Instagram for updates and extras👍 Share, rate, or send it to someone already updating their Olympic podium predictions

This week on Strictly Judging — we’re breaking down all four Figure Skating events at the 2025 Kinoshita Cup in Osaka.I judged every program — Men, Women, Pairs, and Dance — using full IJS scoring. GOE, PCS, everything. No vibes-only scoring here. Just real numbers, real impressions, and a real look at how these early-season performances stack up.We’ll talk:– The best skates and the biggest question marks– GOEs that made sense — and some that didn’t– PCS decisions worth side-eyeing– And how this event fits into the larger story: the Olympic race to 2026📊 See the full judging sheet — with all my scores, ranks, and results 👉 Click Here📺 Watch on YouTube: @StrictlyJudging🎧 Listen on Spotify, Apple, iHeart, Amazon — wherever you get your skating podcasts📲 Follow @StrictlyJudging on Instagram for updates and extras👍 Share, rate, or send it to someone already updating their Olympic podium predictions

This week on Strictly Judging — it’s all about the men.We’re kicking off a new four-part series focused on the Program Component Score (PCS), and we’re starting with the Men’s event at the 2025 World Figure Skating Championships.From Jason and Ilia to Yuma and Mikhail, we explore the full range of styles, strengths, and how the component scores reflected — or didn’t reflect — what we saw on the ice.I also introduce a new idea:🏅 Three medals — Technical, Artistic, and All-Around.Just a way of looking at results through a more focused lens, and asking what might change if we judged each skill set on its own terms.You’ll also hear:– A full breakdown of PCS trends in the men’s event– The debut of the PCS Report Card — a fresh tool for side-by-side score comparisons– And yes… my early thoughts on who’s shaping up for the 2026 Olympic podium📊 You can view the full Google Sheet with all results, rankings, and report card data here (to use Report Card Feature, Click "Make a Copy"):👉Google Sheets Link📲 Watch on YouTube ⁠⁠@StrictlyJudging⁠⁠🎧 Available on Spotify, Apple, iHeart, Amazon — or wherever you get your skating podcasts.👍 If you enjoyed this episode, feel free to share, rate, or send it to a fellow fan of the sport. Follow on Instagram ⁠@StrictlyJudging⁠.

This week on Strictly Judging: A Figure Skating Fan Podcast, we discuss the just released list of competitors for the all-important “last chance” Olympic Qualifying Event. Informally known as “Chinese Nebelhorn”, The 2025 Olympic Winter Games Figure Skating Qualifying Competition will be held on September 18–21 2025, in Beijing, China. 5 Olympic Spots are available for Men's and Women’s Singles, while 4 are available for Ice Dance, and 3 for Pairs Figure Skating.In December 2024, the International Skating Union designated this event as the official qualification competition for the 2026 Winter Olympics. Countries that had already earned an entry to the Olympics will not be allowed to qualify additional entries at this final qualifying competition. Many skaters and teams are discussed, including these featured athletes:Pairs: Zhang / Huang (CHN), Akopova / Rakhmanin (ARM), Shin / Nagy (USA)Dance: Reed / Ambrulevicius (LTU), Harris / Chan (AUS), Val / Kazimov (ESP), Wang / Liu (CHN)Men: Petr Gumennik (AIN/RUS), Genrikh Gartung (GER), Donovan Carrillo (MEX), Francois Pitot (FRA), Hyungyeom Kim (KOR)Women: Adeliia Petrosian (AIN/RUS), Loena Hendrickx (BEL), Anastasia Gubanova (GEO), Viktoriia Safonova (AIN/BLR), Ruiyang Zhang (CHN)You can follow on Spotify, iHeartRadio, Amazon Music, and Apple as well. You can follow on Instagram and watch on YouTube by visiting @StrictlyJudging.

This week on Strictly Judging we’ve got a stacked roundup of skating news and results from across the world:🏆 Miura/Kihara — The reigning World Champions open their season at the Skate Ontario Sectional Series, hoping to prove they’re still the team to beat in pairs.🇨🇦 Ontario Senior Women — Minsol Kwon takes the win, while Gabby Daleman and Kaiya Ruiter battle for the podium. Can any of them make the Olympics?💃 Ice Dance in Dordrecht — Val/Kazimov bring gold to Spain, Soucisse/Firus medal for Ireland, and Manni/Rothlisberger for Italy. What ramifications does this have for Chinese Nebelhorn and Olympic spots?🇫🇮 Finland Test Skates — Iida Karhunen tops the women’s field and makes her case for bigger assignments. Is Linnea Ceder vulnerable?🇯🇵 Kinoshita Summer Cup — The Japanese stars deliver: Yuma Kagiyama, Ami Nakai, Mao Shimada, Mone Chiba, and more kick their seasons into gear.📣 Housekeeping headlines — Sui & Han appear out for the season, while Eva Pate & Logan Bye confirm they are NOT retiring.From early-season form checks to shocking updates and medal drama, we’ve got it all covered.

It’s official — I’m going on the record with my 2026 Olympic Ice Dance podium predictions. Gold, silver, bronze — and the chaos in between.This Strictly Judging episode dives headfirst into the most stacked Olympic Ice Dance field we’ve seen in years, featuring:🥇 The return of Guillaume Cizeron, now skating with Laurence Fournier Beaudry — France’s surprise power duo redefining the podium race.🥈 The comeback of the Shib Sibs — USA’s most iconic sibling team is back, and they're not just here to wave.🥉 Chock/Bates vs. Gilles/Poirier — The two long-reigning North American champs are still in it to win it.🔮 Plus: Dark horses, shock replacements, declined spots, federation drama, and all the fire leading into Olympic season.If you want the real Olympic predictions — not the safe ones — this is your episode.

This week on Strictly Judging, we break down all the action from the 2025 Cranberry Cup International, a pivotal ISU Challenger Series event in Norwood, MA. From Isabeau Levito's commanding win to Roman Sadovsky's comeback gold, the senior events were packed with Olympic-level drama. We also spotlight the juniors — including standout performances from Sophie Jolene von Felten and Yanhao Dwayne Li.Next, we head north to Quebec for the Summer Championships, where we zoom in on the Ice Dance field. Marie-Jade Lauriault & Romain Le Gac delivered a dominant performance, but Allison Reed & Saulius Ambrulevicius weren’t far behind.Plus: thoughts on the Asian Open Pairs, domestic rivalries heating up, Olympic spot implications, and the skating shakeups you need to know.🟢 Scores, drama, medals — we’re judging it all.

The road to the 2026 Winter Olympics is getting fierce — and the Women’s field is absolutely stacked. In this Olympic season preview, I break down the top contenders, rising stars, and all the key battles that will define the 2025–2026 season.I’ll cover:⛸ Who will take gold, silver, and bronze in Italy🌍 Which skaters are on track to qualify🔥 Domestic showdowns in the U.S., Japan, and beyond🏆 The final Olympic Qualifying Event in China — and the fight for the last 5 spots✨ Breakout stars and comeback stories to watchFrom Alysa Liu, Isabeau Levito, and Amber Glenn, to Kaori Sakamoto, Loena Hendrickx, Haein Lee, Mone Chiba, and an exciting slate of challengers from Europe, Asia, and North America, I’ll break down who has the momentum — and who could shake up the podium.📌 Don’t miss this deep dive into the Women’s competition on the road to Milan-Cortina 2026!

This episode of Strictly Judging dives into key summer competitions on the road to Milan 2026: the Lake Placid Ice Dance Championships, the Glacier Falls Summer Classic, the Philly Summer Championships and the Asian Open.Featured skaters and teams include:⛸ Ice Dance: Oona Brown & Gage Brown, Hannah Lim & Ye Quan, Marie-Jade Lauriault & Romain Le Gac, Eva Pate & Logan Bye⛸ Women’s: Madeline Schizas at Glacier Falls, Gabrielle Daleman at the Philly Summer Championships⛸ Pairs: Audrey Shin & Balazs Nagy, Lia Pereira & Trennt Michaud, and China’s Jiaxuan Zhang & Yihang Huang at the Asian OpenTune in for my full breakdown and thoughts on how these events shape the road to the 2026 Winter Olympics.

The road to the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy is heating up, and the Pairs Figure Skating field has never been more competitive. In this deep dive, I preview the 2025–2026 season, break down which teams are qualifying for the Olympics, and give my predictions for who could walk away with the gold, silver, and bronze medals.I’ll cover:⛸ The reigning favorites and top challengers🥇 Who has the momentum heading into 2026🔥 Key rivalries that could define the season🌍 Emerging pairs to keep an eye onFrom Miura/Kihara (Japan) to Hase/Volodin (Germany), Conti/Macii (Italy), Stellato/Deschamps (Canada), Metelkina/Berulava (Georgia), and the rising stars from the U.S. and beyond — I'll break it all down.📌 Don’t miss this Olympic season preview — subscribe and hit the bell so you don’t miss the next breakdown of Ice Dance, Men’s, and Women's!