We preview the upcoming United States Nationals 2024 competition, including expected wins from Ilia Malinin and Chock & Bates, the likely podium but potential surprises in the women’s division, and the total crapshoot of the Pairs competition.

The 2024 US National Championships are upon us, and there is a lot to be excited about in Columbus, Ohio this week! From a wide open Men’s field behind the near-guaranteed winner — QuadG0d himself, Ilia Malinin — to a potentially tighter-than-expected Women’s competition, this promises to be full of surprises. Plus, a stacked line-up of dance teams — including reigning World Champions, Madison Chock & Evan Bates — are sure to make this a stellar event.

Men’s Competition

While not a “lock”, it’s hard to deny that Ilia Malinin will be near-impossible to beat here. After his huge win (and score!) at the Grand Prix Final back in December, Malinin looks for his second national title with no one else really in his league technically here. The big question will be if he throws the quad axel in one or both programs. Our bet is on no, since he won’t need it, but he’s surprised us before!

The only man who just might be able to triumph on the right day is the brilliant Jason Brown, who cannot touch Ilia’s jumps but can out-skate most men in the world when it comes to skating skills, artistry, choreography, etc. It would be a shock to say the least, but anything is possible!

Also to keep an eye on for the podium (and perhaps a trip to Worlds): Camden Pulkinen, Andrew Torgashev, Maxim Naumov, and Jimmy Ma.

Ice Dance Competition

The deepest field of competitors at US Nationals is definitely in dance. At the top, and the clear front-runners here, are Madison Chock & Evan Bates. Their programs this year are outstanding and they are fresh from a victory at the Grand Prix Final. Unless disaster strikes, just sit back and enjoy these two!

When looking at the rest of the field, it’s wide open. The safest bets would be Christina Carreira & Anthony Ponomarenko and Caroline Green & Michael Parsons. Both have performed well on the Grand Prix, but perhaps not as well as expected.

Right behind them, teams including Oona Brown & Gage Brown, Emilea Zingas & Vadym Kolesnik, and Eva Pate & Logan Bye are all in the mix. Also, don’t discount the team of Isabella Flores & Ivan Desyatov — who have only recently been able to officially skate for the US. We’re excited to see them here!

Women’s Competition

While defending national champion Isabeau Levito comes in as the favorite here, she will have stiff competition. Isabeau has had an up-and-down season to date, with the high of winning her first Grand Prix event and the low of the short program at the Grand Prix Final. She’s known for her consistency and grace, both of which we hope to see on display in Columbus.

Right with her in the running for the title will be Amber Glenn, who has also had a wobbly season. However, international judges have shown they are ready to support her — so fingers crossed for two great programs here.

Also in the medal hunt, the NHK Trophy silver medalist, Lindsay Thorngren, who has been getting better all season. Also, Starr Andrews is in the mix, as is the up-in-comer Elyce Lin-Gracey. Looking forward to seeing how this one plays out!

Pairs Competition

Without Alexa Knerim & Brandon Frasier here this year, the pairs field is fairly open. The strongest team in the past, though we have not seen them in a while, is Emily Chan & Spencer Akira Howe. They were 5th in the World in 2023 — and, if they are on, should be you clear winners.

However, the rest of the field feels unclear. The two teams most likely to vie for medals are Ellie Kam & Danny O’Shea and Chelsea Liu & Balazs Nagy — though we could see a surprise from Valentina Plazas & Maximiliano Fernandez or another team, as there are a lot of partnerships on a similar level here. Again, this one promises to be anyone’s game.

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