The ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships 2025 are set to deliver world-class competitions in Seoul, South Korea, from February 19 to 23. Reigning World Champions Deanna Stellato-Dudek/Maxime Deschamps (CAN) and Madison Chock/Evan Bates (USA) lead a stellar lineup of skaters from 15 nations, including hometown favorite Junhwan Cha (KOR), defending champion Mone Chiba (JPN), and top contenders Riku Miura/Ryuichi Kihara (JPN). With high-stakes rivalries, redemption stories, and rising stars eager to make their mark, this year’s Four Continents promises unforgettable performances.

Overview of the competitors

                                  Junhwan Cha (KOR) competes at the ISU Grand Prix Skate Canada International in Halifax (CAN) © ISU

Hometown hero Junhwan Cha (KOR) ready to roll

The 2023 ISU World silver medalist Junhwan Cha (KOR) hopes to get back the ISU Four Continents title he won back in 2022 and what would be a better place to do that than on home ice? The Korean star comes fresh off a clear victory with a score of 281.69 at the Asian Winter Games last week which should boost his confidence.

“I'm happy and excited to compete, as this is a home event happening for the first time in five years [in Korea]”, Cha said.

„Since it was a short time after the Asian Games, I focused on managing my condition.

“Ahead of the World Championships, this competition will be a valuable experience regardless of the outcome. As we enter the latter half of the season, I want to show my recovery from injury and give my best with confidence,” he added.

Kao Miura (JPN/seasons best 278,67 points) leads the strong trio of Japanese Men that have their eyes set on the podium. After a few ups and downs this season, Miura wants to be back in top shape for Seoul. And everyone better watch out for Mikhail Shaidorov (KAZ/seasons best 276.17 points) who made history this season by landing a triple-Axel quad-toeloop combination in competition, and picked up the bronze medal at the Asian Winter Games.

Mikhail Shaidorov (KAZ) competes at the ISU Grand Prix Final in Grenoble (FRA)  © ISU

Other contenders include Kazuko Tomono (JPN), Tatsuya Tsuboi (JPN) and Camden Pulkinen (USA).
 

Defending Champion Mone Chiba (JPN) to face stiff competition 

Mone Chiba (JPN) competes at the ISU Grand Prix Final in Grenoble (FRA) © ISU

In the Women’s event, defending ISU Four Continents Champion Mone Chiba (JPN) will face touch competition with many strong challengers in the medal hunt. Chiba won the silver medal at the ISU Grand Prix Final and at the recent Winter University Games and has a seasons best of 212.54 points. Reigning ISU World bronze and ISU Four Continents silver medalist Chaeyeon Kim (KOR) is determined to make her home crowd proud in Seoul (seasons best 208.47 points). She beat reigning World Champion Kaori Sakomoto (JPN) – who is not competing this week in Seoul - at the Asian Winter Games last week which will give her extra confidence and motivation. ISU Grand Prix Finalist Wakaba Higuchi (JPN) has had a strong season so far as well and will be looking to get onto the podium (seasons best 206.08 points). 

“I have a lot of strong competitors this time,” Chiba noted. “My goal is to win, but I will focus on what I need to do one by one to make sure that I make the right decisions. This will be my first time competing in Korea, so I want to create a good memory.”

Chiba considers the ISU Four Continents Championships as an important step on her way to the ISU World Figure Skating Championships next month in Boston. “It is also a competition to gain confidence so that I can give a satisfactory performance at the World Championships, so I am placing a lot of importance on it. I will do my best,” the ISU Grand Prix Final silver medalist said.

Chaeyeon Kim (KOR) competes at the ISU Grand Prix de France in Angers (FRA) © ISU

With 2023 ISU Four Continents Champion Haein Lee (KOR) and Alysa Liu (USA), two more top contenders are in the mix. Others to watch include ISU Grand Prix Finalist Rino Matsuike (JPN), World University Games bronze medalist Sofia Samodelkina (KAZ), Ahsun Yun (KOR), Sarah Everhardt (USA), Bradie Tennell (USA) and Madeline Schizas (CAN). 

World Champions Stellato-Dudek/Deschamps (CAN) on a mission

Deanna Stellato-Dudek/Maxime Deschamps (CAN) compete at the ISU Grand Prix Finlandia Trophy in Helsinki (FIN)  © ISU

Reigning World Champions Deanna Stellato-Dudek/Maxime Deschamps (CAN) and 2023 World Champions Riku Miura/Ryuichi Kihara (JPN) headline the Pairs field. The Canadians won their two ISU Grand Prix events, but missed out on the ISU Grand Prix Final due to illness. Their redemption was quick when they claimed their third National title last month. They come with a seasons best of 207.44 points to Korea and are excited to be back at the international stage. The Canadians are on a mission to prove their potential one more time.

“It's an honor to be a champion of any event and we are looking to improve upon our performances at Nationals and be happy when we exit the ice,” Stellato-Dudek commented. 

“Every competition is an opportunity to try something new artistically in your program and see how it is received,” she continued.  “Our free program has been ever evolving all year, we have never done the same version twice and we are looking forward to performing this version before Worlds as it is our favorite so far.”

“Our preparations all year have been great, but the competitions have not reflected that,” Deschamps shared. “We have worked a lot with our sports psychologist to work on our mental side going into Four Continents.”

Miura/Kihara (seasons best 214.23) earned the silver medal at the ISU Grand Prix Final. They were also silver medalists at the ISU Four Continents Championships a year ago and are eager to take the title back. 

Riku Miura/Ryuichi Kihara (JPN) compete at the ISU Grand Prix Final in Grenoble (FRA) © ISU

Meanwhile, more challengers are getting ready to fight for a spot on the podium. The newly minted U.S. Champions Alisa Efimova/Misha Mitrofanov (seasons best 191.51 points) want to repeat their success in Seoul. The 2024 ISU Four Continents bronze medalists Ellie Kam/Danny O’Shea (USA) hope to return on to the podium in Seoul (seasons best 201.73 points). 

Other contenders are Lia Perreira/Trennt Michaud (CAN) and Anastasia Golubeva/Hektor Giotopoulos Moore (AUS).

Epic Ice Dance duel awaits 

Two-time and reigning World Champions Madison Chock/Evan Bates (USA) will meet defending ISU Four Continents Champions Piper Gilles/Paul Poirier (CAN), we can expect an epic Ice Dance duel between the two teams. Chock/Bates return to the ISU Four Continents that they missed a year ago and are aiming for their fourth Four Continents title (seasons best 219.85 points). Gilles/Poirier, on the other hand, are looking to redeem themselves after finishing off the podium at the ISU Grand Prix Final (214,84 points). 

Madison Chock/Evan Bates (USA) compete at the ISU Grand Prix Final in Grenoble (FRA) © ISU

“Our preparation leading into Four Continents has been quite good,” Bates shared. “We took some time for Madison to fully recover from the illness she experienced during Nationals. Fortunately, we had ample time to recover from Nationals and ramp up again for Four Continents.

Our approach remains the same for every competition,” he continued. “We are always trying to be better than we were before. At the same time, we are trying to savor every moment on competitive ice and connect with each other and the audience to create a lasting memory.”

The Ice Dancers are seeing the competition as an important stepping stone before the ISU World Figure Skating Championships on home ice in Boston. 

“It’s a very important competition, not only because many top skaters participate, but also because it’s our last competition before Worlds,” Chock pointed out. “It’s a good opportunity to show the training that’s been put in during the middle part of the season.”

Piper Gilles/Paul Poirier (CAN) compete at the ISU Grand Prix Final in Grenoble (FRA) © ISU

Marjorie Lajoie/Zachary Lagha (CAN/seasons best 205.16 points) and Christina Carreira/Anthony Ponomarenko (USA/seasons best 198.97 points) both have a bronze medal from previous ISU Four Continents Championships on their record – Lajoie/Lagha got theirs in 2023 but missed the event in 2024 while Carreira/Ponomarenko are the reigning bronze medalists. 

Other competitors that want to get as close to the podium as possible are Emilea Zingas/Vadym Kolesnik (USA), Hanna Lim/Ye Quan (KOR) and the new Asian Winter Games Champions Utana Yoshida/Masaya Morita (JPN). 

What and when 

A total of 95 Skaters/Couples representing 15 ISU Members have been entered for this 26th edition of the ISU Four Continents Championships: 24 Men, 21 Women, 11 Pairs and 14 Ice Dance couples. Seoul hosts the event for the third time after 2020 and 2015. The schedule of the ISU Four Continents Championships 2025 is as follows:

• Thursday, February 20: Pairs Short Program, Rhythm Dance, Men’s Short Program
• Friday, February 21: Pairs Free Skating & Women’s Short Program  
• Saturday, February 22: Free Dance & Men’s Free Skating
• Sunday, February 23: Women’s Free Skating & Exhibition Gala

For more information, full entry lists and results, visit the ISU event page of the ISU Four Continents Championships 2025 and the official event website of the Championships. Follow the discussion on social media using #4ContsFigure and #FigureSkating.

Where to watch the ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships 2025:

The ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships will be live streamed on the Skating ISU YouTube Channel. Geo-restrictions will apply in markets where TV rights are in place. You will find the full list in the Where to Watch news here. 

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