The men’s event at Trophee Eric Bompard is kind
of weak, especially in comparison with NHK Trophy next week that will host
Fernandez, Takahashi and Hanyu. None of the skaters listed here have medaled in
a grand prix this year yet. On the other hand some of them withdrew, or could
withdraw later, due to different injuries.
Jeremy Abbott could be the winner here as he is
basically the best in this competition. He debuted at Skate America and ranked
third in the short program but struggled in the free skate because of a spine
problem.
Jeremy Abbott is one of those skaters you
really want to have a successful program because his quality and commitment to
the music is supreme. However he is not that consistent as anyone would like
and rarely shows all his potential at the beginning of the season. But this
competition is not very challenging and he could go for gold.
Florent Amodio could be a gold contender. He is
not as sharp as Abbott, but he has a great charisma on the ice.
As Amodio is a loved skater, the heart of
French crowd beats for former World champion Brian Joubert. Brian debuted at
Cup of China but, as saw in the previous years too, he withdrew after the short
program, so he could possibly withdraw here too. He is a good skater, I am not
sure he will be competitive in the next few years on the world stage because he
is not so good at components, but in some competitions he could be a top skater
for his great jumping content.
Someone would probably name Tomas Verner for a
podium prediction. Maybe we’re going to see a Brezina-like competition getting
a bronze here, but Verner is dramatically unconfident about his jumping since
three years and didn’t seem more solid on his previous grand prix. I would
rather consider Nan Song as a podium contender despite his accident at cup of
China. He seems to have had a good recovery after the collition with Adam
Rippon and he has all the qualities for being on the podium.
PODIUM PICKS
Gold: Jeremy Abbott
Silver: Florent Amodio
Bronze:Nan Song
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