THE FINAL OLYMPIC QUALIFIER

The most anticipated competition of the preseason, 2021 Nebelhorn Trophy — which took place in Oberstdorf, Germany in late September — offered one last opportunity for nations to book a spot at the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing, China.

With a greater number of entries than in years past, and with the level of skating at a high standard, earning one of the coveted Olympic berths proved a lot tougher for some than it was four years earlier.

With no country exempt from the new Olympic qualification rules, skaters from five of the top six skating nations had to compete in Oberstdorf to earn the remaining berths their respective countries were eligible for, following the 2021 World Championships.

Under the old rules, skaters would qualify spots for their nations at Worlds the preceding season, with the number dependent upon on where they placed at that competition. This year, only those nations whose skaters competed the long program in singles and ice dance at the World Championships were able to automatically claim the berths.

Only 16 of the 20 pairs teams that contested the free in Stockholm automatically punched a ticket to the Games. The pairs field at the Olympics has been reduced to 19. Following the World Championships only three places were available, and 13