Figure skating preview: Five women that could challenge ROC dominance

While a trio of ROC skaters are heavily favoured in the women's singles figure skating event at Beijing 2022, there are a handful of skaters set to challenge them inside the Capital Indoor Stadium as the skating gets underway Tuesday (15 February) night.

World record holder Kamila Valieva, reigning world champ Anna Shcherbakova and world bronze medallist Alexandra Trusova are expected to sweep the podium as the only three women with quadruple jumps, Olympic figure skating has seen plenty of surprises in its long history.

Valieva, according to a CAS decision, will continue to participate in the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022.

Japan's Sakamoto Kaori is one of just a handful of skaters competing in her second Games and is a two-time national champion. At PyeongChang 2018 she placed sixth - and has finished as high as fifth at the world championships 2019.

While the 21-year-old Sakamoto leads the charge of challengers, fans should also keep an eye on:

The junior world bronze medallist in 2017, Sakamoto has built a steady career on the senior international circuit with crisp, engaging skating and consistent jumping. Though she doesn't possess either the triple Axel or a quadruple jump, she is a two-time national champion in Japan and won the NHK Trophy Grand Prix this season.

Sakamoto, 21, appears to be peaking right when she needs to, and helped Japan onto the team podium to start off the Beijing Games.

Higuchi, along with You and Liu, is one of seven women to have the triple Axel in the women's field. Like Sakamoto, she has an established CV on the international circuit and is a five-time medallist at Japanese nationals.

Having skated in the short program in the team event, she feels as though she's settled and ready for