Figure Skating: 10 Skaters to Watch for the Upcoming Season

2. Mikhail Kolyada (RUS), Men

2013 Junior Russian Champion Mikhail Kolyada took a while to break out on the senior level. It was largely due to bad luck, including some unfortunately-timed boot issues that took him out of 2014 Russian Nationals. Then there was an ankle injury that took him out of most of the 2015 season.  Not the easiest things to overcome, especially in the super competitive Russian men’s field. But a silver medal at Russian Nationals last year got him to the European and World Championships for the first time. At the former, he posted the third-highest score in the free, though mistakes in the short program cost him a medal. At Worlds, when national champion Maxim Kovtun faltered badly, he rode a quad-triple combination in the short, two perfect programs, and the personality to match to a surprise fourth place.

With Kovtun’s growing inconsistency, Kolyada may well become the next top Russian man. As yet, no one in the country has even got near the success of Evgeni Plushenko. With Plushenko unlikely to be able to come back again, there is an opening. Whether Kolyada has that ability to become the next Russian great remains to be seen, but he undisputedly has the goods. The question is only whether he can continue to deliver.

Next: Deniss Vasiljevs (LAT), Men