This is a very deep field and any number of ladies could end up on the podium. Alena Leonova is coming off a strong showing at Worlds where she showcased an impressive free skate to finish just off the podium in 4th place. Her biggest enemy is her consistency, but she changed coaches to Nikolai Morozov in the off season and has been working on breaking down her technique. This will be her first chance to show whether these changes have paid off.
Elizaveta Tuktamisheva is coming off a strong junior debut season. She is making her senior debut here after winning the pro-am competition, Japan Open, earlier this season. She has landed triple axels in practice and has put them in a few of her exhibition programs. She is a very consistent skater and has a lot of the elements that could put her on the podium. No lady has ever won a gold medal at the Grand Prix debut, and she has the chance to make history here.
Akiko Suzuki burst onto the scene in the 2009-2010 season, earning a spot on the Olympic team. She qualified for her first Grand Prix Final last season, but finished 4th in a deep Japanese nationals field and was left off the World team. She has a very fluid expressive style and great musicality.
They'll have to fend off three talented U.S. ladies. Mirai Nagasu started her season off with a win at Nebelhorn Trophy, but her scores were well below Alissa Czisny's marks at Skate America. She has all the goods to put in a great performance and had some of the top scores last season. Her biggest enemy is her nerves. If she's ahead in the short, she tends to psyche herself out of the long. Last season, this problem manifested itself in her spins and she botched them on two separate occasions and missed earning any points for the element.
Rachael Flatt earned her first trip to the Grand Prix Final last season but struggled with injuries all year. She competed at Worlds with a stress fracture in her leg and was reprimanded by U.S. Figure Skating for not disclosing the injury. She started college at Stanford this fall with a new set of coaches and a new training base. Now healthy, she is determined to put the triple+triple combination into her programs that she talked about all last season. She also debuted her East of Eden short program late in the season, and it proved to be an amazing fit for her as a skater and she is keeping the program this season. It really showcases the advancements she's made in her artistry and is an entertaining program to watch.
Ashley Wagner's goal all last season was to make it to the World Championships. She was derailed by the flu bug that went through nationals. With a new coach and a new training base across the country, she is determined to show that she has what it takes to make it to the podium and the World team. Her style is very elegant and she is an expressive skater on the ice. She is a solid free skater and if she makes mistakes in the short, she's been known to come from behind with a lights out free skate.
My podium predictions:
Gold: Elizaveta Tuktamisheva
Silver: Mirai Nagasu
Bronze: Akiko Suzuki
Bios of the competitors:
Adriana Desanctis, CAN: This is her Grand Prix debut. She is 23 years old.
Elizaveta Tuktamisheva is coming off a strong junior debut season. She is making her senior debut here after winning the pro-am competition, Japan Open, earlier this season. She has landed triple axels in practice and has put them in a few of her exhibition programs. She is a very consistent skater and has a lot of the elements that could put her on the podium. No lady has ever won a gold medal at the Grand Prix debut, and she has the chance to make history here.
Akiko Suzuki burst onto the scene in the 2009-2010 season, earning a spot on the Olympic team. She qualified for her first Grand Prix Final last season, but finished 4th in a deep Japanese nationals field and was left off the World team. She has a very fluid expressive style and great musicality.
They'll have to fend off three talented U.S. ladies. Mirai Nagasu started her season off with a win at Nebelhorn Trophy, but her scores were well below Alissa Czisny's marks at Skate America. She has all the goods to put in a great performance and had some of the top scores last season. Her biggest enemy is her nerves. If she's ahead in the short, she tends to psyche herself out of the long. Last season, this problem manifested itself in her spins and she botched them on two separate occasions and missed earning any points for the element.
Rachael Flatt earned her first trip to the Grand Prix Final last season but struggled with injuries all year. She competed at Worlds with a stress fracture in her leg and was reprimanded by U.S. Figure Skating for not disclosing the injury. She started college at Stanford this fall with a new set of coaches and a new training base. Now healthy, she is determined to put the triple+triple combination into her programs that she talked about all last season. She also debuted her East of Eden short program late in the season, and it proved to be an amazing fit for her as a skater and she is keeping the program this season. It really showcases the advancements she's made in her artistry and is an entertaining program to watch.
Ashley Wagner's goal all last season was to make it to the World Championships. She was derailed by the flu bug that went through nationals. With a new coach and a new training base across the country, she is determined to show that she has what it takes to make it to the podium and the World team. Her style is very elegant and she is an expressive skater on the ice. She is a solid free skater and if she makes mistakes in the short, she's been known to come from behind with a lights out free skate.
My podium predictions:
Gold: Elizaveta Tuktamisheva
Silver: Mirai Nagasu
Bronze: Akiko Suzuki
Bios of the competitors:
Adriana Desanctis, CAN: This is her Grand Prix debut. She is 23 years old.
Amelie Lacoste, CAN: She finished 16th at Worlds and 9th at Four Continents. She won bronze at Skate Canada and finished 5th at Skate America last season. Her personal best is 157.26. She is 22 years old.
Cynthia Phaneuf, CAN: She finished 13th at Worlds and 6th at Four Continents. She finished 4th at Skate Canada and Trophee Eric Bompard last season. Her personal best is 177.54. She is 23 years old.
Sarah Hecken, GER: She finished 11th at Worlds and Europeans. She placed 10th at Trophee Eric Bompard last season. Her personal best is 155.83. She is 18 years old.
Akiko Suzuki, JPN: She finished 7th at Four Continents last season. She won silver at Cup of China and Cup of Russia last season to qualify for the Grand Prix Final where she finished 4th. She is the 2010 Four Continents silver medalist. Her personal best is 181.44. She is 26 years old.
Alena Leonova, RUS: She finished 4th at Worlds and 5th at Europeans. She won bronze at Cup of China and placed 9th at Cup of Russia last season. She is the 2009 World Junior Champion. Her personal best is 183.92. She is 20 years old.
Elizaveta Tuktamisheva, RUS: She is the reigning World Junior silver medalist. She won gold at JGP Romania and JGP Germany last season to qualify for the JGP Final where she won silver. Her personal best is 172.78. She is 14 years old.
Rachael Flatt, USA: She finished 12th at Worlds and 4th at Four Continents. She won silver at NHK Trophy and Skate America last season to qualify for the Grand Prix Final where she finished 6th. She is the 2008 World Junior Champion. Her personal best is 182.49. She is 19 years old.
Mirai Nagasu, USA: She is the reigning Four Continents bronze medalist. She finished 4th at Cup of China and won silver at Trophee Eric Bompard last season. She is the 2007 World Junior silver medalist and 2008 World Junior bronze medalist. Her personal best is 190.15. She is 18 years old.
Ashley Wagner, USA: She finished 5th at NHK Trophy and won bronze at Cup of Russia last season. She is the 2007 and 2009 World Junior bronze medalist. Her personal best is 167.02. She is 20 years old.
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