Post Grand Prix toughts: Ice Dance

THE BATTLE OF THE TITANS

The Grand Prix Final has clearly showed how much both teams want to be the leaders of the sport and how hard they will work towards the Olympic gold in Sochi.

Virtue/Moir, who had never beaten Davis/White in the last four competition (WTT 2012, GPF 2012, 4CC 2013 and Worlds 2013), probably had their best two programs in this quadriennal in the Final in Fukuoka, scoring two personal bests and getting a level four on 13 elements out of 14, as well as stellar GOEs and components. Their result was quite a surprise, especially in the free dance in which they have been struggling throughtout the fall season, as they were absolutely flawless and technically impecable.

Yet, a total score of 190 (more than 30 points above the bronze medalists) wasn't enough to get that one gold that is still missing.

Davis/White proved to be not only as strong as their Canadian team-mates, but also to be two incredibly strong competitors, who didn't seem to feel any pressure from two world records scored just before they were about to skate. As far as levels are concerned, they equaled Virtue/Moir but they had an edge on GOEs and components.

With Virtue/Moir closing the gap with Davis/White, the fight for olympic gold seems as open as ever and the slightest mistake could be significant. So anything can really happen and what is sure is that Sochi's gold and silver are locked between these two teams.

THE BRONZE MEDAL ROULETTE

As for now, there are at least four teams who cuold fine themselves on the Olympic podium in February. The Grand Prix final crowned Pechalat/Bourzat bronze medalists but in fact that says nothing about how the season will unfold, but makes predictions more and more confused.

Bobrova/Soloviev, who were third after the short dance, failed again with their free skate whose transitions caused them a fall for the second time in a row. Weaver/Poje looked very strong at Skate Canada but struggled in Fukuoka getting in fifth place. On the other side, Pechalat/Bourzat had an amazing free skate, but they haven't been consistent in the season so far.

Besides, Ilinykh/Katsalapov had a very unlucky grand prix assignment and as they ranked fourth at NHK Trophy they couldn't qualify for the final, but they redeemed themselves after one week winning the silver medal at TEB in Paris beating Pechalat/Bourzat on the home ice.

Golden Spin of Zagreb 2013

Golden Spin of Zagreb, one of the most prestigious B skating competition in the fall season, will take place in the Croatian capital from 5th untill 8th of December. The competition that so often hosts high level, skaters this year lists some elite athletes, especially in the ladies event.

The Golden Spin will be in the spotlight of many fans as it has been chosen as the season-debuting competition by Yuna Kim, who has missed the entire grand prix season due to an injury had in September. It seems that the injury had been caused by over-training, so that the Korean Olympic champion had decided to avoid an early appereance on the international stage and opted for a competition schedule very similar to that that brought her to win Worlds last year. She will therefore debut her programs, Send in Clowns for the short and Adios Nonino by Piazzolla for the free skate. Taking place simultanously with the grand prix final, comparisons between her and the other female skaters competing in Fukuoka, Mao Asada above all, will be immediate.

Yuna Kim won't be the only elite skater in the ladies event, as Miki Ando and Elizaveta Tuktamisheva will be in Zagreb as well. Miki Ando, who will participate at Japanese Nationals in the next month, is slowly coming back to the competitive skating by attending several B competitions. She is not as solid as she used to be before 2011: she has competed at Nebelhorn Trophy, where she ranked second behind Radionova, and in Graaz last week where she was beated by Courtney Hicks. Her strategy seems to go in the direction of presenting a relatively simple jumping content in order to nail everything as planned.

Elizaveta Tuktamisheva is supposed to compete as well. Her fall season has been a rollercoaster due to phisical problems and she will need a good outing to build up her confidence towards the Olympic qualification at Russian Nationals.

In the men event, Michal Brezina is the frontrunner whose goal is to put together two clean performances with the quad salchow that seems to be starting to work.

SCHEDULE
5-8 dic
Thursday, 5th December
 17.30 short dance
 20.30 men short

Friday, 6th December
13.40 ladies short
16.45 pairs short
19.00 free dance

Saturday, 7th December
11.00 Men free skate
13.30 pairs free skate
15.10 ladies free skate

Rostelecom Cup ladies preview

In the ladies event, Carolina Kostner is the only one who has to fight her way in order to qualify for the final. Julia Lipnitskaia instead is pretty sure to go to Fukuoka as she won at Skate Canada with a brilliant score that should allow her to get a spot to the final even if she ranks fourth at Cup of Russia (goal more than achievable for her).

The former world champion got the bronze medal at Cup of China, where she was expected to win, and therefore she needs to win in Moscow or score something close to two hundreds points overall (she would need to score higher that Radionova did at NHK Trophy). Carolina had a tough competition in China and she didn’t look as consistent as she has been in the past years, struggling on several jumps maybe due to a back injury had in September that prevented her from having  a solid preparation. She has an edge over Lipnitskaia when it comes to the components score, but if she doesn’t compete somewhat clean, she won’t make up with the technical content of the young Russian skater.

Talking about Russian skaters, Elizaveta Tuktamisheva is listed to compete at Cup of Russia too, but her participation is still in doubt due to a back injury. She wouldn’t be in the final contention anyway, so withdrawing could be a wise decision, even though she may want to have the highest exposure to competitions as possible.

Kanako Murakami is looking for a better performance as well as at Cup of China she performed way below her standards. She can’t fight for the final as well but a good competition may help her in order to get an Olympic spot.

Rostelecom Cup Men preview

In the men competition, two are the skaters who aims for the final: Tatsuki Machida and Maxim Kovtun. Tatsuki Machida of Japan surprised anyone by winning the title at Skate America where not only did he make the final a very achievable goal, but also showed himself as a tough contender to get a spot in the Japanese Olympic team. Winning a Grand prix event he gained 15 points in the standings and he needs to rank no lower than fourth in order to qualify for the final.

The qualification will be slightly more difficult for Maxim Kovtun, who got the silver medal at Cup of China and therefore needs at least another silver medal. Kovtun is still a very young skater (he debuted in the senior circuit some months ago at Europeans) and may not have the experience to nail a crucial competition in front of the home crowd yet as he will have the attentions on himself as Plushenko has recently withdrawn. Come what may, it is pretty reasonable to consider him a medal favorite given the difficulty of his programs that feature five quads and three triple axels in total.

Surprisingly not in the battle for the final, Javier Fernandez will want here to redeem himself after a not so brilliant competition at NHK Trophy where he ranked fifth. He won’t qualify for the final even if he wins the competition, but as a reigning world medalist it would be important for him to compete according to his standards and giving himself a boost of confidence as the Olympic season progresses. He claimed that after NHK Trophy some judges advised him  to go back to the Chaplin free program of last year, and it will be interesting to see whether he took or not that advice.

Trophee Eric Bompard Men and Ladies Preview

In the Men event at Trophee Eric Bompard, Patrick Chan is the absolute frontrunner， as he demonstrated to be quite ready for the Olympic season at Skate Canada, where he wasn’t perfect, but good enough to win by a landslide. His main competitors are Yuzuru Hanyu, who came in second at Skate Canada, and Han Yan, who made history being the first Chinese man to win a grand prix senior competition ever.

As far as grand prix final qualification is concerned, both Chan and Yan are sure to achieve it as long as they reach the podium at Trophee Bompard , while for Hanyu the question is more complicated; he is bound to go to the final just if he wins the competition (result that he could pursue skating the way he did at Finlandia Trophy where he pulled off an incredible free skate) and he needs to get on the podium to have a chance to qualify, but even then he will have to wait to see how the Rostelecom cup unfolds.

Talking about the ladies, the competition, and therefore the battle for the final, will be between Ashley Wagner, Adelina Sotnikova and Anna Pogorilaya. Ashley Wagner, winner of the silver medal at Skate America and TEB defending champion, is the favorite for the gold. She usually is very solid and consistent during the fall season and with the new entry of the triple flip-triple toe she is the very probable winner of the next grand prix competition.

Anna Pogorilaya is the surprising winner of Cup of China. That has to be said that the quality of the overall competition wasn’t exceptional and Anna, debuting there in the senior grand prix, outskated Sotnikova and world champion Kostner with two clean programs filled in with triple-triples getting a 180ish total score. However, with her win, she is in a good track to get to the final since all she needs to do is to get on the podium this week (or even a fourth place finish will do).  Aiming to the final as well, Adelina Sotnikova got the silver at Cup of China. She was very solid in the short program, in which if she hits her jumps she gets a lot of points for the quality of her skating, her spins and steps. She is not that consistent in the free skate instead, where she usually struggles on several elements. As she has already won a silver medal, a second place finish should assure her the final.

NHK Ladies preview

The ladies event at NHK Trophy will be highlighted by the presence of Mao Asada who, after winning Skate America three weeks ago, has become the first lady to win all of the six grand prix events in her career. Moreover, considering that she could pull off a similar competition as she did in her first grand prix, she is a big favorite even  on home ice. Her triple axel is not a completely solid element for her yet and she still has some issues with under-rotating jumps, but her performances are successful overall and she is much more mature and appreciated  by the judges as far as components score is concerned.

There will be other two Japanese ladies at NHK: Akiko Suzuki and Satoko Miyahara.  For Akiko Suzuki this is going to be the second grand prix, having skated at Skate Canada where she got the silver medal behind Julia Lipnitskaia. She skated strong overall, despite some mistakes that caused her the gold medal and is looking for at least a silver medal here.  Satoko Miyahara, instead, is debuting internationally in the senior circuit. Satoko has a tendency to under-rotate her jumps, but when she hits them she become a very pleasant and artistic skater.

Elena Radionova and Gracie Gold will be aiming for a medal as well. Elena , competing in the senior circuit for the first year, has won the bronze medal at Skate America. Although she might be considered the most promising skater among the young Russians, she is not at consistent as others and the gap in the components score with the veterans ladies is, in case of an overall clean competition, bound not to be made up. Gracie Gold surprised everyone gaining a brilliant score in the short program despite having had a tough early season due to coaching changes. Frank Carroll seems to have done a great job with her and she might improve visibly after a couple of weeks.  

PODIUM PICKS:
Gold: Mao Asada
Silver: Akiko Suzuki
Bronze: Gracie Gold

NHK Trophy Men's preview

The men’s competition at NHK is going to be one of the toughest of all.

Javier Fernandez will make in Japan his grand prix debut and skate against Daisuke Takahashi, Nobunari Oda, Jeremy Abbott, Max Aaron, Adam Rippon and others.

The Spanish European champion has started the season brilliantly, winning Japan Open and nailing all his best tricks (alas three quads in the free skate) and looks as strong as ever. Therefore, he is likely going to win the competition, even if a strong field features the Japanese grand prix.

Daisuke Takahashi, who has been beated by Fernandez at Japan Open, will need a mighty good performance on the home ice in order to qualify to the final as he dropped down to fourth at Skate America.

This competition will feature skaters who have already won a medal in a grand prix this season and for that aiming to qualify for the final.

Adam Rippon and Max Aaron were the silver and bronze medalists at Skate America, where they both overskated Daisuke Takahashi.  Adam Rippon was one of the few surprises of the American grand prix as he did beyond expectations  attempting a quad lutz in both short and free program. Although none of the two tries were completely successful, he managed to get enough points with an overall solid performance.

PODIUM PICKS:
Gold: Javier Fernandez
Silver: Daisuke Takahashi
Bronze: Adam Rippon

World silver medalists Carolina Kostner and Denis Ten to compete at Cup of China

The Cup of China is the third of the grand prixs of the season. The competition will feature three of the silver world medalists and will be a key to understand how the Olympic season may unfold.

Denis Ten, Carolina Kostner and Savchenko/Szolkowy are the frontrunners and the favourites for a gold finish, but the competition won't be easy for them.

Denis Ten will attend his only grand prix event here, as he withdrew from Skate America due to illness. Worlds 2013 were the only major international competition where Ten did medal, not because he ever lacked potential, but his unconsistency, that may reappear, has prevented him from success. Quality is definetely what brings him to the top of the elite male skaters and could win this competition by skating relatively safe.

Takahiko Kozuka is competing in Beijing too and, as Ten, was assigned to Skate America where he didn't shine and won't probably qualify for the final. Other competitors will be Florent Amodio, Maxim Kovtun, Kevin Reynolds, who, if he competes as he did at Worlds, could make his several quads count towards a medal, and Han Yan, bronze medalist at the 2013 Four Continents.

Carolina Kostner will make her season debut this week, presenting for the first time her new programs on Humoresque (short) and Sheherazade (free). The 2012 world champion has had her finest seasons in this last quadriennal and aims to do something special in her final year in the competitive scene. Olympics seasons have never been a hit for her (9th in 2006 and 16th in 2010), therefore her goal is to compete in Sochi according to her standards and the grand prixs will be a first clue. In any case, that has to be considered that Cup of China may not require her to showcase her complete technical package, as she has an edge on the others components wise.
Besides, her major competitors here, Kanako Murakami and Adelina Sotnikova, haven't started the season incredibly strong; Murakami is known for building up her condition as the season goes on, while Sotnikova is going for a very demanding jumping content (she is trying triple lutz-triple loop) in a bid to be prepared to fight for an olumpic spot.
Take an eye out for Zijun Li, who mesmerized at the World championships last year and who has been pretty consistent throughout the entire last season.

PODIUM PICKS:
Men: 1. Denis Ten, 2. Takahiko Kozuka, 3. Han Yan
Ladies: 1.Carolina Kostner, 2. Zijun Li, 3. Adelina Sotnikova

Duhamel/Radford hold into first, Gracie Gold outskates veterans and newbies at Skate Canada (short program recap)

The pairs short program was the opening event of Skate Canada International taking place this weekend.

Duhamel/Radford are in the lead as expected with 69.57, even though no one expected them having such a tough bunch of competitors. Berton/Hotarek and Sui/Han, relatively in second and third, skated brilliantly, both teams scoring a personal best around 69.

The Italians, coming from a fifth place finish at Skate America last week, improved their short program of almost six points, getting a new national record.

Sui/Han were spot on as well: they nailed a beautiful triple twist (level four and positive goe across the board) and an easy throw triple flip. The positive surprise of their performance was the side by side triple toe, usually a nemesis for them, nicely executed.

That has to be said that Duhamel/Radford weren't at their best instead, as they fought with the landing of the throw triple lutz and the triple lutz side by side. However, the highest base value of the program and their superiority components wise, cause them to hold the first place.

In the ladies event Gracie Gold is surprisingly leading the short program, followed by Julia Lipnitskaia and Akiko Suzuki.

The 17 years old recently coached by Frank Carroll, skated impecably, hitting a triple lutz-triple toe combo and scoring 69.45 points (the second best short program score of the season).

Three points behind, Julia Lipnitskaia was clean too, but she received lower components scores.

Akiko Suzuki skated last and showcased all her maturity and artistry. She nailed a stunning triple flip and double axel as well as fabulous steps. A under rotation on the triple toe-triple toe was the mistake that caused her to drop into third place.

Skate Canada schedule

Saint John, Canada  (GMT -4.00)
25th-27th October


photo by Eline Paasomen

Friday, October 25th
14.30: Pairs short program
16.30: Ladies short program
20.00: Short Dance
21.40: Men short program

Saturday, October 26th
13.00: Pairs free skate
15.10: Ladies free skate
17.30: Free Dance
20.10: Men free skate

Skate Canada preview: home athletes going gold for

photo by eelinpaas

This is the week of Skate Canada international that will take place from the 25th and the 27th at St. John. In this event, Canada will try to take gold in all te categories. A Canadian win is much expected in the dance and pair event, where Virtue/Moir and Duhamel/Radford will hardly be obstructed.

As always in the grand prix series, Virtue/Moir will face their contestants no sooner than the final, but it will be interesting to see if the olympic champions will keep up with Davis/White who excelled at Skate America this past couple of days, or if they will present the same technical troubles they had at Finlandia Trophy.

Duhamel/Radford will have no problems getting to the highest spot of the podium as well. Podium contenders are Berton/Hotarek who finished fifth at Skate America, and Sui/Han who skipped almost the entire last season due to injury.

The ladies competition is more anyone's game as Yuna Kim, the world medalist assigned to Skate Canada, will skip the fall season. Kaetlyn Osmond, being the defending champion, is a valid candidate to the title but a foot injury could prevent her from that. 

Akiko Suzuki of Japan may fight for gold too, but maybe Julia Lipnitskaya will be the frontrunner here considering her technical abilities. Besides, Lipnitskaya has started her season strong, defeating the same Suzuki at Finlandia Trophy.

The men's event will probably be the toughest of all, with the presence of Hanyu, Chan, Oda and Abbott.

Patrick Chan has used his audience to weak grand prix performances in recent years and last season he disappointed at Skate Canada as he lost the title to Javier Fernandez. This week Yuzuru Hanyu may defeat the Canadian champion, but will need a strong jumping performance  (which he delivered two weeks ago at Finlandia Trophy) in order to make up a components score gap.
Nobunari Oda started the season brilliantly, winning at Nebelhorn Trophy with a renewed style and magnificent quads.

PODIUM PICKS
Men: 1. Yuzuru Hanyu, 2. Patrick Chan, 3. Nobunari Oda
Ladies: 1. Julia Lipnitskaya, 2. Akiko Suzuki, 3. Kaetlyn Osmond
Pairs: 1. Duhamel/Radford, 2. Berton/Hotarek, 3. Sui/han
Dance: 1. Virtue/Moir, 2. Weaver/Poje, 3.Riazanova/Tkachenko 

Machida wins Skate America, Rippon and Aaron follow him on the podium

Tatsuki Machida is the unexpected winner of Skate America 2013. After winning the short program with the brilliant score of 91 points, he repeated in the free skate, nailing two quads, two triple axels and several other triples all cleanly landed. This win, which put him above Daisuke Takahashi and Takahiko Kozuka, showed that the Olympic qualification for Japan is anything but settled.

The oter two spots of the podium have been taken by US Adam Rippon (silver) and Max Aaron (bronze). They both didn't hit their quad as they hoped, but were overall clean enough to get a medal. Max Aaron had a nice come back from the short program, where he had ranked sixth, attempting three quads. He fell on the first quad toe, but nailed the two salchows (the first one with a hand down). Adam Rippon, instead, had planned one quad lutz that caused him a very hard fall and finished against the board, but he shined for the rest of his Afternoon of a Faun free skate.

Daisuke Takahashi had a hit and miss free skate as he landed almost everything he wanted, yet he struggled with the landing of most jumps and popped a loop and a salchow.

Jason Brown, second after the short program, had some troubles with his triple axel, and even if his Riverdance choreography is incredibly complex and captivating, he hasn't quite the jumping content of the elite senior skaters and finished in fifth.

Skate America schedule and Preview

Skate America is going to be the opening event of the six grand prixs of this season. The event will take place from 18th to 20th October in Detroit (GMT -4.00). Here is a provisional schedule:

Friday 18th
19.00: Men short program and short Dance
Saturday 19th
12.00: Pairs short program and Ladies short program
19.00: Men free skate and free Dance
Sunday 20th
14.30: Pairs free skate and Ladies free skate

The event will start off with the men competition, in which Daisuke Takahashi of Japan is the frontrunner. However, considering hius weak performance at Japan Open few weeks ago, Takahashi could leave the door open to others on the way to the top of the podium.

Denis Ten, the unexpected silver medal from the last worlds, coul be a tough competitor. He is one of the most complete male athlete of this time but inconsistency has always taken him away from medal finishes since London 2013. This competition will be a first chance to prove that his Canadian triumph wasn't a fluke.

Takahiko Kozuka may as well put some pressure on his compatriot. After having struggled throughtout the last season, he had a brilliant performance at Japan Open finishing in second (behind a mesmerizing Fernandez) proving solidity on quads.

It will be inteesting to see what the US men can come up with, as the battle for the Olympic qualification is wide open. Max Aaron is the favourite among the American athletes in this competition, and will probably remain the leader as far as his quads stay still.
EDITED: Denid Ten has withdrawn due to illness

As for the ladies, Mao Asada is the ultimate frontrunner. She looked in great shape at Japan Open and in this competition she won't find anyone who could match her artistry and technical prowess at the same time.

Talking about technical prowess, the young Russian girls could make the competition tough for the defending skate America champion Ashley Wagner. 

Elena Radionova and Elizaveta Tuktamisheva will represent Russia in this first event. While Tuktamisheva has struggled at Finlandia Trophy and could me not at her best, Radionova, here debuting in a senior A competition, looks as strong as ever (she did win at Nebelhorn Trophy against Miki Ando).

Ashley Wagner had a strong beginning to the season as well, hittin a triple flip-triple toe at Japan Open. Besides, at this stage Ashley Wagner is bound to be credited a considerably high components score, so that if she does anything she plans to do, she will restrain the Russian skaters.

The pairs and the dance events will be more predictable. Volosozhar/Trankov and Davis/White are in a lock for gold in their own discipline as bot teams will face their main contestants no sooner than the grand prix final.
Among the pairs, the Canadians Moore-Towers/Moscovitch will assure themselves the silver medal while Denney/Coughlin and Castelli/Shnapir will fight for the third place.
In the dance events Cappellini/Lanotte and the Shibutanis are medal contenders.

PODIUM PICKS:
Men: 1. Denis Ten, 2.Daisuke Takahashi, 3. Takahiko Kozuka
Ladies: 1. Mao Asada, 2. Ashley Wagner, 3. Elena Radionova
Pairs: 1. Volosozhar/Trankov, Moore-Towers/Moscovitch, 3. Castelli/Shnapir
Dance: 1. Davis/White, 2. Cappellini/Lanotte, 3. Shibutani/Shibutani

Japan Open and Finlandia Trophy 2013 recap

JAPAN OPEN

As you probably know, Japan Open is a team competition where single competitive or former skaters from Japan, Europe and North America perform teir free skate. The event was won by Japan.

Among the ladies Mao Asada was the star of the competition scoring 135 with her new free skate. She was technically strong (maybe stronger than ever so early in the season) nailing almost all of her jumps.

Ashley Wagner debuted her Romeo and Juliet program with success. Her interpretation and music selection were quite unusual (and it is somewhat early for judging weather it is going to be her masterpiece or not) but she demonstrated to be incredibly solid on her jumps even nailing the triple flip-triple toe combo.

Javier Fernandez won the men competition with an incredible performance. He was near to perfection jump wise and sent a clear message to his competitors qith his tree quads.

Daisuke Takahashi was rather disappointing as far as jumps are concerned (he fell on quad toe and missed a triple axel), but his Beatles medley free skate showcases his amazing flow and edge work.

Takahiko Kozuka came in second with a brilliant performance, in which his only mistake was a popped triple axel.

Jeremy Abbott performed his 2011-2012 free skate as he has decided to use it in the olympic season. Although the quad toe still remains his nemesis, he nailed some good jumping passes such as a couple of triple axels.

FINLANDIA TROPHY

In the dance competition of Finlandia Trophy, Virtue/Moir won debuting their new free dance. In both sections they struggled with some technical elements, as they often do in the fall season. Their free dance, scored about a hundred points, is a return to a classic and lyric style that emphasizes their strenghts.

Yuzuru Hanyu defended his title with ease performing a stunningly difficult program. He landed two quads, two triple axels and other four triples scoring a monstrous 180.

Julia Lipnitskaya defended her title as well overskating Akiko Suzuki and Elizaveta Tuktamisheva.

Julia was almost perfect with her seven triples free skate, while Suzuki struggled here and there popping few jumps.

Tuktamisheva, who was in sixth after the short program, has a come back free yet some mistakes couldn't allow her to a higher rank.

Nebelhorn Trophy recap: which nations qualified

Today was the ending day for the Nebelhorn Trophy 2013, ultimate Olympic qualifier among the ISU events.

Not only was the Oberstdorf's competition such a key for so many athletes and their Olympic ambitions, but it also featured some very interesting elite skaters. 

Volosozhar/Trankov were the stars of the pairs event and they skated as flawlessly as the olympic gold was already theirs. They were almost perfect in both short and free program and scored two world records (81.65 and150.31) sending a clear message to everyone they will compete against in Sochi.

Olympic qualified nations were: Great Britain, Ukraine, Estonia and Israel. Japan, represented by Takahashi/Kihara, didn't qualify.

The Dance event was won by Hubbel/Donohue followed by Monko/Khaliavin and Paul/Islam whose nations didn't need a qualification that was achieved instead by China, Turkey, Australia, Japan and Spain.

In the ladies competition, 14 years old Elena Radionova and Miki Ando were the highlights. Radionova won with over 25 points of gap dividing her from the Japanese two times World Champion and showcasing all of her technical prowess. Miki Ando had a quite positive performance considering her long absence from the competitive stage, but low grades of execution and levels on spins and footwork didn't allow her to reach the top of the podium. 

The qualified nations were: Austalia, Georgia (with a conving yet not perfect performance by Gedevanishvili), Norway, Germany, Austria, Czech Republic and Brazil.

As far as the men are concerned, Nobunari Oda mesmerized with a brilliant skate filled in with a spectacular quad, two triple axels, amazing edge work and knee bend. He won the competition followed by a very interesting Jason Brown who got the crowd on his side in his beautifully choreographed Riverdance.

The qualified nations are: Israel, Roumany, Philippines, Australia, Ukraine and Italy.

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

2013 Rostelecom Cup Assignments

MEN
Brian JOUBERT
Kevin REYNOLDS
Peter LIEBERS

Tatsuki MACHIDA
Maxim KOVTUN
Eugeni PLUSHENKO
Javier FERNANDEZ
Richard DORNBUSH
Joshua FARRIS

LADIES
Kaetlyn OSMOND
Carolina KOSTNER
Haruka IMAI
Satoko MIYAHARA
Kanako MURAKAMI
Julia LIPNITSKAYA
Elizaveta TUKTAMISHEVA
Mirai NAGASU
Agnes ZAWADZKI

PAIRS
Moore-Towers/Moscovitch
Savchenko/Szolkowy
Takahashi/Kihara
Antipova/Maisuradze 
Bazarova/Larionov
Scimeca/Knierim
Simpson/Blackmer

DANCE
Gilles/Poirier
Weaver/Poje
Papadakis/Cizeron
Bobrova/Soloviev
Riazanova/Tkachenko
Heekin-Canedy/Dun
Chock/Bates

2013 Trophee Eric Bompard Assingments

MEN
Patrick CHAN
Nan SONG
Han YAN
Michal BREZINA
Florent AMODIO
Romain PONSART
Yuzuru HANYU
Jason BROWN
Ross MINER

LADIES
Kiira KORPI
LeneAlle GILLERON-GORRY
Mae Berenice MEITE
Yretha SILETE
Yuna KIM
Anna POGORILAYA
Adelina SOTNIKOVA
Viktoria HELGESSON
Christina GAO
Ashley WAGNER

PAIRS
Duhamel/Radford
Purich/Tran
Pang/Tong
James/Cipres
Della Monica/Guarise
Bazarova/Larionov
Denney/Coughlin

DANCE
Orford/Williams
Virtue/Moir
Pechalat/Bourzat
Zhiganshina/Gazsi
Coomes/Buckland
Ilinykh/Katsalapov
Monko/Kaliavin

2013 NHK Trophy Assignments

MEN
Chafik BESSEGHIER
Takahito MURA
Nobunari ODA
Daisuke TAKAHASHI
Konstantin MENSHOV
Sergei VORONOV
Javier FERNANDEZ
Jeremy ABBOTT
Max AARON
Adam RIPPON

LADIES
Zijun LI
Elene GEDEVANISHVILI
Valentina MARCHEI
Mao ASADA
Akiko SUZUKI
Satoko MIYAHARA
Alena LEONOVA
Elena RADIONOVA
Gracie GOLD
Mirai NAGASU

PAIRS
Lawrence/Swiegers
Peng/Zhang
Sui/Han
Kavaguti/Smirnov
Volosozhar/Trankov
Castelli/Shnapir
                                                           Denney/Frazier

DANCE
Gilles/Poirier
Kolbe/Caruso
Cappellini/Lanotte
Sinistina/Zhiganshin
Ilinykh/Katsalapov
Davis/White
Shibutani/Shibutani

2013 Cup of China Assignments

Carron/Jones                                             

MEN
Kevin REYNOLDS
Nan SONG
Yi WANG
Han YAN
Florent AMODIO
Peter LIEBERS
Takahiko KOZUKA
Denis TEN
Maxim KOVTUN
Richard DORNBUSH

LADIES

Zijun LI
Kexin ZHANG
Carolina KOSTNER
Kanako MURAKAMI
Polina KOROBEYNIKOVA
Anna POGORILAYA
Adelina SOTNIKOVA
Joshi HELGESSON
Agnes ZAWADZKI

PAIRS
Pang/Tong
Peng/Zhang
Popova/Massot
Savchenko/Szolkowy
Mirtiusheva/Rogonov
Scimeca/Knierim
Zhang/Bartholomay

DANCE
Huang/Zheng
Yu/Wang
Pechalat/Bourzat
Bobrova/Soloviev
Aldridge/Eaton
Chock/Bates

2013 Skate Canada Assignments

MEN
Elladj BALDE
Patrick CHAN
Andrei ROGOZINE
Yuzuru HANYU
Michal BREZINA
Takahito MURA
Nobunari ODA
Jeremy ABBOTT
Ross MINER
Joshua FARRIS

LADIES
Amelie LACOSTE
Kaetlyn OSMOND
Kiira KORPI
Akiko SUZUKI
Yuna KIM
Alena LEONOVA
Julia LIPNITSKAYA
Christina GAO
Gracie GOLD

PAIRS
Duhamel/Radford
Lawrence/Swiegers
Purdy/Marinaro
Sui/Han
Vartmann/Van Cleave
Berton/Hotarek
Kavaguti/Smirnov
Davis/Brubaker

DANCE
Virtue/Moir
Paul/Islam
Weaver/Poje
Zhiganshina/Gazsi
Guignard/Fabbri
Riazavona/Tkachenko
Stepanova/Bukin
Hubbel/Donohue

2013 Skate America Assignments

MEN
Brian JOUBERT
Takahiko KOZUKA
Tatsuki MACHIDA
Daisuke TAKAHASHI
Denis TEN
Artur GACHINSKI
Alexander MAJOROV
Max AARON
Evan LYSACEK

LADIES
Mae Berenice MEITE
Elene GEDEVANISHVILI
Valentina MARCHEI
Mao ASADA
Elena RADIONOVA
Elizaveta TUKTAMISHEVA
Viktoria HELGESSON
Ashley WAGNER
Caroline ZHANG

PAIRS
Moore-Towers/Moscovitch
James/Cipres
Berton/Hotarek
Stolbova/Klimov
Volosozhar/Trankov
Castelli/Shnapir
Denney/Coughlin

DANCE
Zlobina/Sitnikov
Carron/Jones
Cappellini/Lanotte
Tobias/Stagniunas
Reed/Reed
Davis/White
Shibutani/Shibutani

Pechalat/Bourzat switch to Shpilband for Olympic season

 

The French Figure skating Federation has announced today that double European Champions Pechalat/Bourzat will be coached by Igor Shpilband for the upcoming Olympic season. The French ice dance team stated that they want to give themselves an impulse in order to compete at the Olympics at their best. Nathalie and Fabian will remain in Detroit, where they were previously coached by Carmelengo's team, now under the guidance of Igor Shpilband.

 

source: https://www.facebook.com/sportsdeglace

Up close: Finnstep

As the Finnstep is the pattern dance of the Olympic season for the short dance, I thought it was my duty to study it. From what we saw from these past seasons, the level dancers receive for their pattern sequence is what defines the ranking of the short dances. And with the introduction of the key points, steps and turns that needs to be executed in perfect timing, even a flat edge can bring you down. 

The Finnstep is a quickstep dance invented by Finnish dancers Susanna Rahkamo and Petri Kokko. They performed it for the first time during 1995 European Championships as a part of their Original Dance.

Later, it turned into a Compulsory dance, but was used only twice: during 2009 European Championships (they were held in Finland, indeed) and 2009 Four Continents Championships.

Here is a list of youtube video links of those Compulsory dances performed by skaters actually competing (and scores they had received):

1.Virtue/Moir 36.40

2.Davis/White 35.23

3.Pechalat/Bourzat 34.38

4.Cappellini/Lanotte 32.58

5.Weaver/Poje 30.62

For all other team this dance will need to be learnt for the first time (except for fews, like Evan Bates or Paul Poirier who performed it with other partners).

For better understanding the structure of the pattern and where key points (that will determine the level of the sequence) I have made the video that appears below (check out my youtube channel!) that shows the sequences performed by Meryl Davis and Charlie White from 2009 Four Continents. 

The pattern is split into two sections that need to be performed one right after the other. The first sequence is a promenade and covers the hole lenght of the rink. The second section is more complex with few Chocktaws and twizzles and a lot of edge changes.

SEQUENCE 1, KEY POINT 1 (XB-RF, XB-LF, LFO Tw1 1/2)

The first key point of the first sequence consist in a right foot cross behind and a left foot cross behind (steps 1 and 4*) and one and a half twizzle by the lady only (step 12*). The cross behind steps are not consequential but divided by a couple of hops that set the character of the dance. The twizzle must be a left forward outside edge.

SEQUENCE 1, KEY POINT 2 LADY (XB-LBO, XF-RBI, Tw1 1/2-RFO)

The second key point is composed by a left backward outside Cross behind and a right backward Cross forward (step 20*). Then, there is one and a half twizzle (step 21*) that must conclude with a right forward outside edge. This key point is performed by the lady only.

SEQUENCE 1, KEY POINT 3 MAN (XB-LFI, RFO/Sw3 RBI, Tw1 RBI)

The last key point of the first sequence refers to the man. He must do a left forward inside cross behind, then starting from a right forward outside edge do a swing three turn finishing on the right backward inside edge (step 20*). He then does a twizzle that ends with a right backward inside edge (step 21*).

SEQUENCE 2, KEY POINT 1 LADY (LFO Sw-ClCho, RBI/RBO, Tw1 1/2, RFI slide)

This key point is performed by the lady. She has a left forward outside close chocktaw into a right backward inside to outside edge (step 32*). She the goes into a twizzle (step 33*) that must finish with a right forward inside edge in order to stop for the stationary steps.

SEQUENCE 2, KEY POINT 2 MAN (LFO Sw-ClCho, RBI OpMo, LFI,RFI, Tw1, RFI slide)

This key point is performed by the man. He does the same swing Chocktaw (step 32*) as the lady, but then does a right backward inside into a left forward inside open Mohawk, a twizzle (step 33c*) and the right forward inside edge slide as the lady.

SEQUENCE 2, KEY POINT 3 (LFI XB-ClCho, RBO3-RFI Tw1 1/2)

The last key point is a sequence performed simultanously by the skaters. It starts with a left forward inside cross behind close Chocktaw (step 65*), continues with a three turn from a right backward outside to a right forward inside edge, and finishes with a twizzle (step 66*).

World Team Trophy 2013 entries

Tokyo, 11th-14th April 2013



CANADA
Gabrielle Daleman, Kaetlyn Osmond
Patrick Chan, Kevin Reynolds
Duhamel/Radford
Weaver/Poje

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Gracie Gold, Ashley Wagner
Max Aaron, Jeremy Abbott
Castelli/Shnapir
Chock/Bates

JAPAN
Mao Asada, Akiko Suzuki
Daisuke Takahashi, Takahito Mura
Reed/Reed
no pair will attend the competition

RUSSIA
Adelina Sotnikova, Elizaveta Tuktamisheva
Konstantin Menshov, Maxim Kovtun
Volosozhar/Trankov
Monko/Khaliavin

FRANCE
Lenaelle Gilleron-Gorry, Mae Berenice Meite
Brian Joubert, Ponsart
James/Cipres
Carron/Jones

CHINA
Zijun Lin, Kexin Zhang
Nan Song (withdrew due to injury), Han Yan
Peng/Zhang
Yu/Wang

Volosozhar Trankov mesmerize at pre-Olympic Worlds, Canada gets its first medal in Ontario

Volosozhar/Trankov had a perfect and brilliant free skate that owed them their first world title. They nailed everything from start to finish and a fall by Maxim after a throw jump didn't affect their performance at all. 149.87

 

It looked like Savchenko/Szolkowy were about to give up a provisional lead to Duhamel/Radford as Aliona doubled all they side by side jumps and Robin fell on one but after nailing a super throw triple flip at the beginning of the program, they nailed for the first time in their career a throw triple axel just few seconds before the finish. 132.09

Duhamel/Radford received the whole support of the crowd during their free skate. They alternated greatly executed elements with struggles but at the end it was a clean performance. They started off with a great triple twist and triple lutz side by side. They held on their last lift and the throws weren't as long as they usually are but clean. 130.95

 

Moore-Towers/Moscovitch delivered a stunning performance nailing all of their elements with great quality. Kirsten just slightly two footed a throw triple salchow, but anything else was perfect. The highlights of their program were a gorgeous triple toe-triple toe sequence and a throw triple loop at the end of the program right on the music phrase. The home crowd was, again, leaping of joy after they have finished. 130.25

 

An amazing artistry is what has always described Pang/Tong's skating and they gave a superb performance with a great choreography full of elegant details. They weren't that clean technically as they did a single axel-double axel sequence and a step out to the throw triple salchow, but they were appreciated for their components and got 130.69.

Worlds 2013 random pratice reports

I am trying here to collect some practice reports from twitter, FSU and other sources. I can't test the truth of these news.

LADIES
Akiko Suzuki had a great session with a clean sp runthrough
Murakami fell on 3t of a 3t-3t of her short program
Osmond had jumping issues with random falls
Carolina Kostner didn't do much jumps, just singles even in the runthrough
Ashley Wagner is in London but her luggage is missing with her skates
Gracie Gold had a great session UPDATE she did 3lz-3t and 3f with arms up, then 3lo and 2a-3t
Valentina Marchei landed a good 2a-3t
Yuna Kim had few stumbles today, but looked strong overall

video of yesterday's runthrough by Yuna 

MEN

Chan apparently had a great clean short program. UPDATE and an almost perfect free skate except for the second quad

Daisuke Takahashi fell on quad toe but did others as well as triple axels UPDATE he is still struggling with the quad but other triples look fine

Fernandez struggled with his jumps

Joubert looked solid

UPDATE Yuzuru Hanyu fell on 4t did just 2s. Other triples were good

Max Aaron had troubles with jumps, while Ross Miner had a good fs

PAIRS

Solid showing by both Savchenko/Szolkowy and Volosozhar/Trankov

Vera Bazarova missed some side by side jumps

Sui/Han were struggling with jumps

DANCE

Pechalat/Bourzat were fine (Fabian fell on a twizzle though)

Anna Cappellini collided with another couple during practice. She left the ice for some time and then came back skating for a while. (photo http://cache.daylife.com/imageserve/05qS3cw13d2qR/1600x.jpg ). According to Tatjana Flade, Luca Lanotte says she's ok

UPDATE Weaver Poje's sd runtrough http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=upEtVXDc3Dc

World Championships 2013: Dance preview

A NEVER ENDING RIVALRY

The one between Virtue/Moir and Davis/White is probably the greatest rivalry in figure skating history and everytime a competition is behind the corner, picking one of the two teams is quite impossible.

Meryl and Charlie will attend worlds as the unbeated couple of the season, as they took the gold at both grand prix final and four continents over their team mates. The reason why they have been such tough competitors this seaso is that they are alway very consistant from a technical perspective and as they are  artistically judged the same as Virtue/Moir at the end it all comes down to elements' levels.

Tessa and Scott have been struggling with their free dance. Although it could be considered one of the most innovative Carmen in figure skating's history this program hasn't been performed to its fullest potential by the Canadian couple. Their passionate and dramatic interpretation alone won't lift them to the top of the podium, but I am sure that they will give 200 % of themselves in front of the home crowd and if they hit all their levels, a third world title is theirs.

CHALLENGE FROM EUROPE

The European teams, after decades of dominance in the discipline, have been fighting with North Americans for medals in the last year, but now the gap is slightly redemensioned. 

Bobrova/Soloviev are having their best season ever winning their first European titles after two silver medals. Their switch to Zhulin was the smartest move that this couple could have done after a disappointing result at last year's worlds (they finished seventh) as he gave a new fresh style to them. In somebody's opinion, the Russian champions would be the favourites for the bronze medal, but their compatriots Ilinykh/Katsalapov are just behind.

I really can't recall hating a figure skating program as much as Ilinykh/Katsalapov's free dance to "Ghost". There is nothing particularly interesting about the choreography and the music cut is just embarassing in my opinion. However, Elene and Nikita are the most talented dancers coming from Europe in a long time and that is why I think they will do great things in London. They have amazing skating skills and a deep edge control, and considering that they always improve as the season goes on, I think they will be ready for a medal contention at Worlds.

OUT FOR INJURY

Kaitlyn Weaver and Andrew Poje started off the season struggling with their programs and, after missing the grand prix final, they have reworked the free dance, but they skipped Nationals and Four Continents because Kaitlyn broke her left ankle and couldn't practice for a month. They have fully recovered now and aim to do well at home worlds, but I am afraid their stop will influence their performances as well.

Something similar happened to Pechalat/Bourzat, defending bronze medalists, as Fabian caused an injury that left them out of European Championships. Their free dance is a very demanding one and they could be not in top form as the other teams.

PODIUM PICKS

Gold: Virtue/Moir (CAN)

Silver: Davis/White (USA)

Bronze: Ilinykh/Katsalapov (RUS)

World Championships 2013: Ladies preview

WORLD CHAMPIONS LOOKING FOR PRE-OLYMPIC TEST

The ladies event at Worlds is one of the most exciting of the last years. There is not an established leadership among the ladies, so that everything can really happen.
It was back in 2008 when the all current favourites for a podium finish medaled at a World Championship and for many this is going to happen this year too.

Mao Asada won her first world title at that event, which she repeated at 2010 Worlds, but since then she has never finished on the podium again. She has had a couple of troubled seasons where she tried to rework her jumping technique and only from this year she has been quite consistant. Her skating at Four Continents proved that she can definetly be a contender in London and maybe get a third world title. She will have very risky program, the short with an opening triple axel and possibly a triple flip-triple loop which she tried at Four Continents' free skate and the long program planned to be filled with eight triples. There is no doubt that with this kind of content she would surpass everyone else, anyway it will be very difficult for her to nail all of her jumps. In such a stiff competition, she will need to do a clean short program for winning.

Figure skating has been missing Yuna Kim in this two years and now that she is back to the world stage, world's eyes and expectations will be on her. She is an amazing skater and a solid performer, and I think there is no doubt she will be on the podium, but it will take her some nerves for competing internationally after such a long time.

The defending champion Carolina Kostner debuted later in the season too, but even if she hasn't competed against a world wide field she has had few opportunities for testing her programs. In the last years she adopted the "go clean" strategy and it has worked very well for her. She is going for a simpler short program than her rivals, as she plans a triple toe-triple toe and a triple loop so that, even with the enormous potential her well skated performance could bring her (that short earned 72 points at Challenge cup and 64 at European Championships with a fall on the combo), I doubt she will rank first after the first segment of the competition. Her free skate is much riskier as she attempts a triple lutz and a triple flip-triple toe. If she skates clean she will be challenging for gold.

DEFENDING MEDALISTS

Akiko Suzuki and Alena Leonova, defending medalists from last year, shouldn't be counted out in this event. Akiko Suzuki is having a great skating moment now and her programs are just delightful. She had some off competitions in late December, early January but she looked strong and confident at Four Continents.

Alena Leonova has struggled a lot in finding her place among all the newbies finally age elegible. She didn't compete at European Championships, but she had a nice showing at Russian Cup where she earned a world spot.

 RUSSIA vs USA

And finally, here they are. Adelina Sotnikova and Elizaveta Tuktamisheva are definetely senior now and they won't spoil any occasion for doing well. They are both very strong in their own way, Adelina with great skating skills and a natural joy for skating, Liza with monstrous jumps and a fighting charactere. I would expect Elizaveta rank the best of the two, but Adelina showed a unknown consistency at European Championships so that it will all come down to who skates cleaner.

Gracie Gold is the US response to the Russian babies. She has everything she needs to become a star, but she needs to grow up and experience competitions. And that is the main reason why the American expectations will be for Ashley Wagner. 

In November Ashley looked the girl who would have been the next world champion as she was terrificly consistant and mature. Anyway, her skating performances at Grand Prix Final and Nationals (and the progress of others) redimensioned the feeling on her. She is planning to do a triple flip-triple toe in the short program, which she hasn't tried all season and that could equally lift her to the podium or bury her (as it somehow happened last year). She has a great fierce and personality that will help her with the fight for a medal finish.

FOR THE HOME CROWD

Kaetlyn Osmond is the fresh new face that skate Canada was looking for. She astonished anyone this year by winning Nebelhorn Trophy (ahead of Sotnikova), Skate Canada international and Canadian Nationals. The home crowd will surely support this amazing and joyful skater aiming to regain two spots for the 2014 Olympics.

PODIUM PICKS

Gold: Yuna Kim (KOR)

Silver: Mao Asada (JPN)

Bronze: Carolina Kostner (ITA)

my preview video

World Championships 2013: Men preview

The greatest thing about today's men figure skating is that there are no real frontrunners, but just a multitude of exeptional skaters.

Patrick Chan entered 2012 Worlds unbeated all season and even if he wasn't perfect, he managed to win the title (deservingly so in my opinion), but now things have changed. Patrick has won just one international competition this season, and even there he didn't seem as technically refined as the previous years. Despite the beauty of his skating, he hasn't nailed his programs yet.

A reason that explains why he looks weaker than he used to be is that the whole level has grown very much, and that is also thanks to him.

Above all, the Japanese men who were with him on the podium in Nice came back this season stronger than ever.

If Yuzuru Hanyu was a unexpected world bronze medalist this year, he gave the public a even bigger surprise when during the grand prixs he settled himself as the top contender. He is not a very consistant skater, but his short program is so strategically built that he can afford some mistakes in the free and yet have a great score. He is even more successfull than his compatriot Daisuke Takahashi at the moment as he beated him three times out of four they competed together.
Daisuke Takahashi has had a rollercoster season so far. He won Grand Prix final and had a gorgeous free skate performance at Japanese nationals but later in the season,he came in seventh at Four Continents. His outcome at worlds will be hardly predictable but it will surely be a favourite for a medal.

A HISTORIC SKATER COULD CONTINUE HIS PATH

Javier Fernandez made his country's history by being the first Spanish men to medal at European Championships. His golden performance in Zagreb was absolutely stunning, filled with three quads and gorgeous artistry. He owns the best free skate score of the season (almost ten points higher than Hanyu and Takahashi) and if he overcomes pressure as he did at Euros, gold is likely in his hands.

LATE SURPRISES

   

Even if the medal contention will likely be between the four men mentioned before, these two can't be forget. Max Aaron won US Championships this year beyond any expectations and qualified for the first time for worlds this year. He placed well at Four Continents too, where his quads took him to fourth place. He is very good technically, but he still needs to improve his presentation of his programs.

Kevin Reynolds win at Four Continents was a real shock. When he rotates his quads, his score get very high and that's what happened at Osaka.

PODIUM PICKS

Gold: Javier Fernandez (ESP)

Silver: Yuzuru Hanyu (JPN)

Bronze: Patrick Chan (CAN)

my video preview