This is an accomplished group of competitors ranging in age from 15-17. Two were at the Final last season and one has a World Junior medal. They won 7 gold medals, 4 silvers and 1 bronze on the circuit this season.
Ryuju Hino kicked off the season in Latvia win an increase in his personal best of 30 points to win the gold medal and his first career JGP medal. He added a silver medal in Romania. He has the 7th best short program, free skate and total score of the season.
Jason Brown won his first JGP gold medal in Australia with a 12 point increase in his personal best. He won silver behind Han Yan in Italy. He didn't include a triple axel in his programs earlier this season but has reported that he is working on it. His scores, even without the axel, are good enough to keep him in medal contention. He has the 3rd best short program, 4th best free skate and 3rd best total score of the season.
Keiji Tanaka's silver medal in Australia was his best finish on the JGP to date with a 12 point increase in his personal best. He added a bronze medal in Austria, but his score was 19 points less than in Australia. Depending on which Tanaka shows up to the Final, he could find himself on the podium or near the bottom. He has the 5th best short program, 6th best free skate and 5th best total score of the season.
Joshua Farris kicked off his winning season in Poland with his second JGP gold medal and set a new personal best by 15 points. He collected his third JGP gold in a row in Estonia. He has a wonderful short program that is on par with a senior performance but has struggled with his free skate which has kept him from earning top marks, but he is one of only two junior skaters to top 200 this season. He has the best short program, second best free skate and second best total score of the season.
Han Yan started his season in Austria and kept his winning ways alive armed with quad jumps. He bested his personal best by 12 points. He competed again in Italy and finished 14 points higher. He has won all 5 JGP events he has entered. With his consistent triple axels and quads, he has a huge technical lead over the field and as long as hits the majority of his elements, he is the clear favorite in this event. He has the second best short program, best free skate and best total score of the season.
Maxim Kovtun is the only skater in his junior debut season to make the Final. He won a gold in his debut in Romania and followed it up with the silver medal in Estonia. He has the 8th best short program, 5th best free skate and 6th best total score of the season.
My podium predictions:
Gold: Han Yan
Silver: Joshua Farris
Bronze: Jason Brown
Bios of the competitors in qualification order:
Han Yan, CHN: He finished 6th at Junior Worlds. He won gold at JGP Austria and Italy to qualify for the JGPF. He qualified for the JGPF last season and won silver. His personal best is 219.37. He is 15 years old.
Joshua Farris, USA: He won gold at JGP Poland and JGP Estonia to qualify for the JGP Final. He qualified for the JGPF last season and finished 6th. His personal best is 207.67. He is 16 years old.
Jason Brown, USA: He placed 7th at Junior Worlds. He won gold at JGP Australia and silver at JGP Italy to qualify for the JGPF. His personal best is 197.23. He is 16 years old.
Maxim Kovtun, RUS: He won gold at his JGP debut in Romania and silver at JGP Estonia to qualify for the JGPF. His personal best is 186.87. He is 16 years old.
Ryuju Hino, JPN: He won gold at JGP Latvia and silver at JGP Romania to qualify for the JGPF. His personal best is 182.71. He is 16 years old.
Keiji Tanaka, JPN: He is the reigning World Junior silver medalist. He won silver at JGP Australia and bronze at JGP Austria. His personal best is 196.98. He is 17 years old.
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