I'm so excited for the singles! Especially because I hope this event will be drama-free.
If anyone is going to knock Shoma off the podium, my money is on Junhwan, who is having the season of his life, or Vincent, if he delivers like he did at SkAm. Honestly, after all he's been through, he deserves it. I've never been a Vincent fan but that poor boy has been to hell and back over the past few years. I could see Ilia with a top five finish if he skates clean, and sneaking onto the podium only if others have serious mistakes. I think Nathan and Yuma are pretty solidly 1-2 barring a disaster. Yuzu was the only one scoring close to them this season.
For the women, I so badly want Rino or Mai at Worlds, but I also hope Mana can have a redemptive skate. I appreciate that JSF is taking a gamble, but I would have given her either Worlds or Olys, not both. I think the only person who can challenge Kaori for gold based on scores and consistency will be Wakaba, but no matter who wins I will be thrilled. Bronze (and maybe silver?) is a whole other matter. I think Young, Yelim, a 100% clean Mana, Loena, and Alysa will all be challenging for bronze, which will make the event so exciting.