Madison Chock and Evan Bates can start building a new streak (and extend other ice dancing record streaks) at the NHK Trophy in Japan, live. Peacock starting Thursday night.

Chock and Bates, the two-time reigning world champions, are coming off a second-place finish at Skate America last month.

It snapped an eight-race winning streak dating back to early 2023. But it also marked his 19th consecutive Grand Prix Series regular-season podium (dating back to 2013) and 17th consecutive top-two finish in a Grand Prix Series event. Grand Prix regular season (dating back to 2023). 2014).

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

The Grand Prix Series is the regular season circuit of figure skating with one competition per week for six consecutive weeks each fall. The best skaters in the world compete in two events each.

The top six by discipline in the series qualify for the Grand Prix Final in December, where all the best skaters in the world come together for the first time each season. The Grand Prix final is usually a preview of the world championships next March.

Chock and Bates are clear favorites in NHK as other top couples around the world will compete over the next two weeks for their second Grand Prix starts. Like Britain’s Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson, who won Skate America after Chock and Bates counted a fall in their rhythm dance.

Still, Chock and Bates’ scores this week are worth noting. All of the top couples have competed at least once this season with the following point totals:

Charlene Guignard/Marco Fabbri (ITA) — 215.63 (Lombardy Trophy)
Piper Gilles/Paul Poirier (CAN) – 214.84 (Skate Canada)
Lilah Fear/Lewis Gibson – 210.65 (Nepela Monument)
Madison Chock/Evan Bates – 205.63 (Skate America)

The NHK field also includes Japan’s Kaori Sakamoto, three-time reigning world champion. Sakamoto won his Grand Prix season debut at Skate Canada, although his points total would have placed fourth at the French Grand Prix last week.

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

Olympic and world silver medalist Yuma Kagiyama of Japan leads the men’s event in his Grand Prix season debut. Kagiyama was the only man within 49 points of American Ilia Malinin in last season’s world championships, although still a distance of 24.11.

This season, Kagiyama is second in the world for best score (291.54 in Lombardy) behind Malinin (312.55, also in Lombardy). Malinin won the first two Grand Prix events last month to secure his place in the final.

Two-time US Olympian Jason Brown is also entered into NHK after placing eighth at Skate Canada in his first Grand Prix in three years.

The pairs event features Skate America’s top two teams.

Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara, the 2023 world champions from Japan, have won four consecutive Grand Prix races, although they missed the 2023 Grand Prix due to injury.

American champions Ellie Kam and Danny O’Shea, after a second place finish at Skate America, will likely reach the Grand Prix Final with a podium finish at NHK. They can become the fourth American couple to reach the final in the last 15 editions.

NHK Trophy 2024 broadcast schedule

US champions Ellie Kam and Danny O’Shea hope for rare international success for a US tag team.