Junior grand Prix, ladies results: Medvedeva steals the show with two triple-triples

 

 

Evgenia Medvedeva did a spectacular free skating featuring seven triples including two triple-triple combinations, a triple flip-triple toe at the beginning and a triple salchow-triple toe as her last jumping pass. She earned 114.35 in the free skate and won overall.

Maria Sotskova had a decent free skate overall, yet she fell in her triple flip-triple toe combo and finished second behind her compatriot.
 

Karen Chen who was in second after the short program, had few troubles in the free skate and had to give up the silver medal. She started by failing an attempted triple lutz-triple toe. She had to bend very deep with her knee for saving the landing of the triple lutz and couldn't do the triple toe after that. She also popped a double axel in the second half of the program and becauseher competitors didn't leave her room for mistakes, she dropped into third.

 

ISU Junior Grand Prix: Russian Maria Sotskova wins ladies short program

 

 

The ISU Junior Grand Prix started today in Riga with the ladies short program. Russia showed off its unlimited talent by placing two girls on the virtual podium.

 

 

Maria Sotskova won the short program with 59.45 points. She nailed a triple flip-triple toe combo and was impecable technique wise.

 

Just one point behind her, Karen Chen, from USA, did her debut as a junior in the grand prix. Despite her very young age (she is just 14), she performed the finest program of the bunch to the music of Esperanza scoring the highest psc of the competition. She did a triple lutz-triple toe (with under rotation mark) and a triple loop in the second half of the program. Considering her 58.21, she is in a virtual tie with Sotskova.

 

Another Russian lady, Evgenia Mevdvedeva, is currently third after the short program with 55.17.

 

All videos are available on the ISU Junior Grand Prix channel http://www.youtube.com/user/ISUJGP2011

Provisional allotments for 2015/2016 season

ISU European Figure Skating Championships – Bratislava/Slovak Republic (January 25-31, 2016)

ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships – Taipei City/Chinese Taipei (February 9-14, 2016)

ISU World Junior Figure Skating Championships – Debrecen/Hungary (March 14-20, 2016)

ISU World Synchronized Skating Championships – Pending (April 8-9, 2016)

ISU World Figure Skating Championships – Boston/USA (March 28- April 3, 2016)

Thoughts about the Dance Grand Prix Assignments

-Pechalat/Bourzat and Bobrova/Soloviev will both compete at Cup of China setting an early battle for Olympic bronze medal. The same could be said about Cappellini/Lanotte and Ilinykh/Katsalapov facing at NHK Trophy

-Ilinykh/Katsalapov have an awful schedule, having a spot at NHK Trophy and Trophee Eric Bompard the week after

-Weaver/Poje are somehow advantaged because they have a shot for getting two silvers or a silver and a gold medal in their events.

-Both Cappellini/Lanotte and Ilinykh/Katsalapov will face Virtue/Moir and Davis/White in their events, so that is almost impossible for them to earn a gold medal.

-Chock/Bates have room for establish themselves against Bobrova/Soloviev, Weaver/Poje and Pechalat/Bourzat

-Grand Prix Final predictions: Davis/White, Virtue/Moir, Bobrova/Soloviev, Weaver/Poje, Pechalat/Bourzat. The last spot will be contended by Cappellini/Lanotte and Ilinykh/Katsalapov.

Grand Prix Assignments thoughs: pairs

-Duhamel/Radford will compete against Kavaguti/Smirnov at Skate Canada and Pang/Tong at Trophee Bompard who could spoil their golden ambitions.

-Volosozhar/Tankov won't compete at Cup of Russia, where Savchenko/Szolkowy will be the front runners instead.

-Pang/Tong will risk to lose their Cup f China title, conquered three times in their career, to Savchenko/Szolkowy

-The Cup of China title is the only grand prix win that Savchenko/Szolkowy miss and this year they have a great shot of assuring it

-Sui/Han will attend Skate Canada and NHK Trophy but won't likely qualify for the final

-Narumi Takahashi and Mervin Tran will debut with their new partners Natasha Purich and Ryuichi Kihara

-Grand Prix Final predictions: Volosozhar/Trankov, Savchenko/Szolkowy, Duhamel/Radford. Pang/Tong, Moore-Towers/Moscovitch and Bazarova/Larionov will contend the remaining two spots

Grand Prix assignments toughts: Men

-Like every year in the men's event, it's anyone game.

-Patrick Chan and Yuzuru Hanyu will face at both Skate Canada and Trophee Eric Bompard

-Evan Lysacek and Eugeni Plushenko will compete in just one competition.

-Japan has a shot for repeating a sweep at Skate America. Lysacek or Ten could be the spoilers.

-Jeremy Abbott should skate somehow clean in order to medal at Skate Canada or NHK Trophy as he will compete against Chan, Hanyu, Takahashi and Fernandez.

-Denis Ten has a room for qualifying for the final if he manages to do well at Cup of China, where the competition is not so tough

-Maxim Kovtun, 2012 junior grand prix final champion, will compete for the first time in the senior grand prix and is the only Russian men having two spots.

-Grand Prix Final Predictions: Patrick Chan, Daisuke Takahashi, Javier Fernandez, Yuzuru Hanyu, Denis Ten, Takahiko Kozuka

Grand prix Assignments toughts: ladies

 

-As World medalists, Yuna, Mao and Carolina won't face during the Grand Prix series, and that thing is likely taking them straight to the final

-Mao Asada is gooing to have some competition at both Skate America and NHK Trophy as she will face Ashley Wagner and Akiko Suzuki plus some Russian ladies

-There are at least two Russian ladies in ANY event (three at Cup of China and Rostelecom Cup) setting an early fight for Olympic qualification

-These girls will debut as seniors: Elena Radionova, Anna Pogorilaya, Satoko Miyahara. Despite a deep field, no US junior lady from last year will compete as a senior.

-Ashley Wagner will compete against Mao Asada at Skate America and Yuna Kim at Trophee Bompard, making her last year's result (two wins) almost impossible to repeat.

-Grand Prix Final Predictions: Yuna Kim, Mao Asada, Carolina Kostner, Akiko Suzuki, Ashley Wagner. The 6th place will be a battle between Tuktamisheva, Sotnikova and Osmond