The 2022 U.S. International Figure Skating Classic was a figure skating competition sanctioned by the International Skating Union (ISU), organized and hosted by U.S. Figure Skating, and the first event of the 2022–23 ISU Challenger Series. It was held at the Olympic Center in Lake Placid, New York, in the United States, from September 12 to 15, 2022. Medals were awarded in men's singles, women's singles, pair skating, and ice dance; and skaters earned ISU World Standing points based on their results. Ilia Malinin of the United States won the men's event; Kim Ye-lim of South Korea won the women's event; Rebecca Ghilardi and Filippo Ambrosini of Italy won the pairs event; and Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson of Great Britain won the ice dance event. The 2022 U.S. International Classic gained media attention when Malinin landed the first ever quadruple Axel in competition.

Background The inaugural edition of the U.S. International Figure Skating Classic was held in 2012 in Salt Lake City, Utah. The ISU Challenger Series was introduced in 2014. It is a series of international figure skating competitions sanctioned by the International Skating Union (ISU) and organized by ISU member nations. The objective was to ensure consistent organization and structure within a series of international competitions linked together, providing opportunities for senior-level skaters to compete at the international level and also earn ISU World Standing points. The 2022–23 Challenger Series consisted of ten events, of which the U.S. International Classic was the first.

The ISU published the initial list of entrants on August 18, 2022. The 2022 U.S. International Classic was held from September 12 to 15 at the Olympic Center in Lake Placid, New York.

Required performance elements Single skating Men competing in single skating performed their short programs on September 13, while women performed theirs on September 14. Lasting no more than 2 minutes 40 seconds, the short program had to include the following elements:

For men: one double or triple Axel; one triple or quadruple jump; one jump combination consisting of a double jump and a triple jump, two triple jumps, or a quadruple jump and a double jump or triple jump; one flying spin; one camel spin or sit spin with a change of foot; one spin combination with a change of foot; and a step sequence using the full ice surface.

For women: one double or triple Axel; one triple jump; one jump combination consisting of a double jump and a triple jump, or two triple jumps; one flying spin; one layback spin, sideways leaning spin, camel spin, or sit spin without a change of foot; one spin combination with a change of foot; and one step sequence using the full ice surface.

Men performed their free skates on September 14, while women performed theirs on September 15. The free skate for both men and women could last no more than 4 minutes, and had to include the following: seven jump elements, of which one had to be an Axel-type jump; three spins, of which one had to be a spin combination, one a flying spin, and one a spin with only one position; a step sequence; and a choreographic sequence.

Pairs Couples competing in pair skating performed their short programs on September 13. Lasting no more than 2 minutes 40 seconds, the short program had to include the following elements: one pair lift, one double or triple twist lift, one double or triple throw jump, one double or triple solo jump, one solo spin combination with a change of foot, one death spiral, and a step sequence using the full ice surface.

Couples performed their free skates on September 14. The free skate could last no more than 4 minutes, and had to include the following: three pair lifts, of which one has to be a twist lift; two different throw jumps; one solo jump; one jump combination or sequence; one pair spin combination; one death spiral; and a choreographic sequence.

Ice dance

Couples competing in ice dance performed their rhythm dances on September 14. Lasting no more than 2 minutes 50 seconds, the rhythm dance this season had to include at least two different Latin dance styles. Examples of applicable dance styles included the following: salsa, bachata, merengue, mambo, cha-cha-cha, rhumba, and samba. The required pattern dance element had to be skated to a different Latin style. The rhythm dance had to include the following elements: one pattern dance step sequence, one choreographic rhythm sequence, one dance lift, one set of sequential twizzles, and one step sequence.

Couples then performed their free dances on September 15. The free dance performance could last no longer than 4 minutes, and had to include the following: three short dance lifts or one short dance lift and one combination lift, one dance spin, one set of synchronized twizzles, one step sequence in hold, one turns sequence while on one skate and not touching, and three choreographic elements.

Judging Skaters were judged according to the required technical elements of their program (such as jumps and spins), as well as the overall presentation of their program, based on five program components (skating skills, transitions, performance, composition, and musical interpretation). Each technical element in a figure skating performance was assigned a predetermined base point value and scored by a panel of nine judges on a scale from −5 to +5 based on the quality of its execution. Each Grade of Execution (GOE) from –5 to +5 was assigned a value as indicated on the Scale of Values. For example, a triple Axel was worth a base value of 8.00 points, and a GOE of +5 was worth 2.40 points, so a triple Axel with a GOE of +5 earned 10.40 points. The judging panel's GOE for each element was determined by calculating the trimmed mean (the average after discarding the highest and lowest scores). The panel's scores for all elements were added together to generate a Total Elements Score. At the same time, the judges evaluated each performance based on the five aforementioned program components and assigned each a score from 0.25 to 10 in 0.25-point increments. The judging panel's final score for each program component was also determined by calculating the trimmed mean. Those scores were then multiplied by the factor shown on the chart below; the results were added together to generate a total Program Component Score. +Program component factoring Discipline Short program Rhythm dance Free skate Free dance Men 1.00 2.00 Women 0.80 1.60 Pairs 0.80 1.60 Ice dance 0.80 1.20 Deductions were applied for certain violations, such as time infractions, stops and restarts, or falls. The Total Elements Score and Program Component Score were then added together, minus any deductions, to generate a final performance score for each skater or team.

Medal summary

+Medalists Discipline Gold Silver Bronze Men Women Pairs Ice dance

Results Men's singles The men's short program was held on September 13, while the free skate was held on September 14. Ilia Malinin of the United States had a rough start, finishing sixth in the short program after falling on his first two jumps. However, he rebounded in the free skate and also successfully performed the very first quadruple Axel in competition. Malinin's free skate included three other quadruple jumps and a difficult triple Lutz-triple Axel jump sequence. While skaters in the past, including Nathan Chen and Yuzuru Hanyu, had attempted the quadruple Axel, Malinin was the first to successfully land one with four-and-a-half full rotations in the air. The arena was mostly empty, but news of Malinin's accomplishment spread quickly. Adam Rippon, retired American skater and Olympic bronze medalist, wrote on social media: "This is the craziest thing I’ve ever seen anyone do on the ice."

Kévin Aymoz of France finished in second place, and Camden Pulkinen of the United States finished in third. Daniel Grassl of Italy withdrew from the competition after a rough collision with the boards during his free skate.

+Men's results Rank Skater Nation Total SP FS Ilia Malinin 257.28 6 71.84 1 185.44 Kévin Aymoz 236.17 1 83.52 2 152.65 Camden Pulkinen 219.49 3 77.44 4 142.05 4 Mark Gorodnitsky 218.83 2 77.65 5 141.18 5 Jimmy Ma 216.76 8 69.88 3 146.88 6 Stephen Gogolev 208.43 5 72.89 6 135.54 7 Arlet Levandi 202.29 7 70.02 7 132.27 8 Donovan Carrillo 181.44 9 68.10 10 113.34 9 Eric Sjoberg 179.09 11 47.49 8 131.60 10 Wesley Chiu 171.69 10 55.14 9 116.55 Daniel Grassl Withdrew 4 73.69 Withdrew from competition

Women's singles The women's short program was held on September 14, while the free skate was held on September 15. Kim Ye-lim and You Young, both of South Korea, won the gold and silver medals, respectively. Although Kim finished fifth after the short program, she rallied back in the free skate to win the gold medal. You cited Yuna Kim – the South Korean skater who won the gold medal at the 2010 Winter Olympics – as an inspiration for a whole new generation of young skaters in South Korea. Both Kim and You competed at the 2022 Winter Olympics; You finished sixth, while Kim finished ninth. Mana Kawabe of Japan won the bronze medal.

+Women's results Rank Skater Nation Total SP FS Kim Ye-lim 190.64 5 58.32 1 132.32 You Young 183.40 1 63.19 2 120.21 Mana Kawabe 180.11 2 62.68 3 117.43 4 Audrey Shin 176.44 3 61.16 5 115.28 5 Sonja Hilmer 174.76 6 57.93 4 116.53 6 Jocelyn Hong 162.54 4 60.76 6 101.78 7 Jill Heiner 142.53 9 47.41 7 95.12 8 Alessia Tornaghi 133.48 8 49.06 9 84.42 9 Marilena Kitromilis 129.64 7 52.55 11 77.09 10 Eliška Březinová 129.15 10 43.03 8 86.12 11 Sofia Lexi Jacqueline Frank 115.89 13 37.62 10 78.27 12 Victoria Alcantara 108.84 11 41.25 12 67.59 13 Andrea Montesinos Cantú 103.29 12 39.86 13 63.43

Pairs The pairs' short program was held on September 13, while the free skate was held on September 14. Rebecca Ghilardi and Filippo Ambrosini of Italy, who had won the 2022 John Nicks Pairs Challenge just days earlier, finished first in both the short program and the free skate, guaranteeing their gold medal win. Their total score of 189.22 was also a new personal best. Emily Chan and Spencer Howe of the United States won the silver, while Valentina Plazas and Maximiliano Fernandez, also of the United States, won the bronze. The gold, silver, and bronze medal results were identical to those at the 2022 John Nicks Pairs Challenge. Chan and Howe performed a difficult double Salchow-double Axel-double Axel jump sequence in their free skate, and also scored a new personal best score. This was only the second international competition ever for Plazas and Fernandez, the first being the John Nicks Pairs Challenge, and was also their second bronze medal win. +Pairs' results Rank Team Nation Total SP FS 189.22 1 64.78 1 124.44 181.81 2 61.71 2 120.10 166.25 3 56.20 3 110.05 4 161.29 4 54.65 4 106.64 5 150.81 5 50.48 5 100.33 6 138.22 6 46.94 6 91.28 7 132.15 7 46.13 7 86.02

Ice dance The rhythm dance was held on September 14, while the free dance was held on September 15. Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson of Great Britain won the gold medals after finishing first in both the rhythm dance and free dance. Fear and Gibson cited Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean – 1984 Olympic gold medalists in ice dance – as a source of inspiration. "Torvill and Dean created the legacy of ice dance in Great Britain," Fear stated in an interview. "The pride we have for ice dance in Great Britain, and for us, we are so inspired by them as people, but also their creativity." Their rhythm dance featured music by Jennifer Lopez, with Fear wearing a dress similar to the one Lopez wore to the 42nd Grammy Awards, while their free dance featured a medley of music by Lady Gaga.