South Jersey’s Isabeau Levito is looking for redemption at Worlds this week in Montreal

Isabeau Levito was America’s next great hope at the 2023 World Figure Skating Championships. She landed in fourth place, just off the podium, but a great placement for her first World Championships.

This week in Montreal, she is going to Worlds with lower expectations after a mixed year.

But the 17-year-old Levito, who lives in Mount Holly and trains in Mount Laurel, remains a top contender. The International Skating Union ranks her third in the world, behind Kaori Sakamoto, from Japan, who won the last two years; and bronze medalist Loena Hendrickx, from Belgium.

» READ MORE: Competitors are not always rivals. Just ask the top American women’s figure skaters, Isabeau Levito and Amber Glenn.

Last year’s silver medalist, Hae-in Lee, from Korea, has had a rough season, but the ISU ranks her fourth.

Levito, the 2023 U.S. champion, lost her title in January to Amber Glenn. But she admitted to feeling very nervous, having something to lose for the first time in her skating career rather than having something to win. She uncharacteristically fell three times in the free skate to move from first in the short program to third overall.

At December’s Grand Prix Final, Levito had a rough short program but one of her better free skates, winding up in fifth overall.

So what are Levito’s chances this week? The pressure is off, and she is a strong competitor with a delicate style, strong footwork, and particularly beautiful spins. Some onlookers dislike her jump technique, particularly the way she leans over going into toe jumps. But it seems to bother fans more than judges.

Earlier in her season, Levito had a number of wins. She won at the Nebelhorn Trophy in Germany in October. Then she was assigned to two grand prix events: Skate America, where she took the silver medal behind Hendrickx, and the Grand Prix of France, which she won.

So what does Levito need to do to earn a medal? Mostly, she needs to stand up. It’s not in her hands alone, but landing all jumps would go a long way toward earning top scores. She also had some unusual problems sustaining spins this season, and she needs to retain her beautiful, generally powerful spins and not go too far up on her toe.

That said, “skating angry” usually is a good thing, meaning that not competing the way one would want usually means doing better the next time. The pressure also is lower since she is not the U.S. champion this year and has less to prove.

Glenn also could medal. She has a strong triple axel in her long program, and if she skates two clean programs, she could land on the podium.

Sakamoto, a steady, powerful skater, is most likely to three-repeat as champion. Hendrickx, a showy skater, has a good chance of moving up to the silver medal position, although her position is not quite as much of a sure thing.

» READ MORE: South Jersey’s Isabeau Levito falls to third at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships

There are also a number of other skaters who could contend for medals. From Japan, Hana Yoshida won the ISU’s best newcomer award this year and earned the bronze at the Grand Prix Final; and Mone Chiba, who won the Four Continents championship in January.

Korea also has strong skaters. Along with Lee, Korea is sending Chae-yeon Kim, the silver medalist at the 2024 Four Continents, and Young You, a 2022 Olympian.

Anastasiia Gubanova, Russian born but skating for Georgia, was the first Georgian skater to win the European Championships, in 2023. She placed second at this year’s Europeans but did not qualify for the Grand Prix Final.

There also is another top skater from Belgium, not traditionally a strong figure skating country. But Nina Pinzarrone was fourth at the Grand Prix Final.

Along with personal goals, Levito and Glenn have a second objective this week in Montreal: to earn a third spot on next year’s World Championship team, which ideally would also help the United States sustain three spots in the 2026 Olympics (which will be held in Torino, Italy, where Levito’s grandmother lives).

To earn that third spot, Levito and Glenn’s placements must add up to no higher than 13 in Montreal.

The third place also would give Levito and Glenn some breathing room in the next two years. Alysa Liu announced she is coming back next season, and the 2022 Olympian and World bronze medalist could take Levito or Glenn’s spot next year if a third one isn’t earned. Assignments are based not only on results at the U.S. Championships but also on body of work, and since Liu has not been gone long, she still could edge someone out.

But first, there’s Montreal. Levito and the world’s other top women will start competing on Wednesday.

Women’s short program: streaming 5 p.m. Wednesday on Peacock and broadcast 1 p.m. Thursday on USA.

Women’s free skate: streaming 6 p.m. Friday on Peacock and broadcast 8 p.m. Fridayon USA.