JGP Latvia Ladies Preview

While at first glance this appears to be a lackluster field with none of these ladies having won a Junior Grand Prix medal last season.  However, this is an extremely young field and several skaters are making their international and JGP debuts and looking to make their mark.

Yasmin Siraj comes in with an 11th place finish at Junior Worlds.  She did not receive any Junior Grand Prix assignments last year after withdrawing from nationals.  Back in 2010 she won two silver medals and qualified for the Junior Grand Prix Final, so she's shown she can complete with the best, but has yet to live up to her earlier results.  She had solid results at the Boston Open earlier this summer but still left room for improvement.

Alaine Chartrand finished 8th at Junior Worlds and racked up two top 10 finishes in her JGP events last season.  She came in 2nd place at Liberty earlier this summer and attempted two triple + triple combinations in her free skate, including a difficult triple lutz + half loop + triple salchow.

Serafima Sakhanovich was scheduled to make her international debut at this event but was recently replaced by Maria Sotskova.  While she has not received the same level of hype as Sakhanovich, she still seems ready to make a run at the Russian Wonderbabies crown.  She placed 3rd in the junior ladies event at Russian nationals, less than two points behind Sakhanovich in the free skate.  She has a triple lutz + triple toe and even landed a triple axel at Russian nationals.  She's definitely one to watch this season.

Evgenia Medvedeva finished 4th in Junior ladies at Russian nationals and is also making her international debut.  She put up solid scores at Russian nationals and will also be looking to find her place among the Russian elite.

Karen Chen is also making her international debut after placing 4th as a junior lady at US Nationals last season.  She's also won the US Novice and Intermediate titles.  She won the Junior Ladies event at Glacier Falls earlier this summer by an impressive margin and put up scores that should put her at the top of this field.

My podium predictions:
Gold: Maria Sotskova
Silver: Karen Chen
Bronze: Alaine Chartrand

Bios of the competitors:
Maria Cristina Martinez de Haro, AND: This is her JGP debut.  She is 14 years old.

Taylor Dean, AUS: This is her JGP debut.  She is 17 years old.

Kristina Isabel Yntema, AUT: She placed 17th at JGP France and 21st at JGP Austria last season.  Her personal best is 93.03.  She is 14 years old.

Maria Bakusheva, BLR: This is her JGP debut.  She is 15 years old.

Anna Afonkina, BUL: She finished 25th at Europeans and 42nd at Junior Worlds.  She placed 25th at JGP Turkey last season.  Her personal best is 87.47.  She is 17 years old. 

Alaine Chartrand, CAN: She finished 8th at Junior Worlds.  She placed 7th at JGP USA and 6th at JGP Croatia last season.  Her personal best is 144.38.  She is 17 years old.

Xiangning Li, CHN: This is her international debut.  She is 13 years old.

Pernille Sorensen, DEN: She finished 35th at Junior Worlds.  She placed 16th at JGP USA and 12th at JGP Croatia last season.  Her personal best is 106.26.  She is 15 years old.

Eike Langerbaur, EST: She finished 21st at JGP Slovenia last season.  Her personal best is 96.50.  She is 15 years old.

Liubov Efimenko, FIN: This is her JGP debut.  She is 14 years old.

Laurine Lecavelier, FRA: She placed 13th at Junior Worlds.  She finished 12th at JGP France and 9th at JGP Slovenia last season.  Her personal best is 131.25.  She is 17 years old. 

Lutricia Bock, GER: She placed 15th at JGP Germany last season.  Her personal best is 110.88.  She is 14 years old.

Yura Matsuda, JPN: She placed 6th at JGP France last season.  Her personal best is 123.05.  She is 15 years old. 

Yuka Nagai, JPN: She placed 8th at JGP Austria last season.  Her personal best is 135.80.  She is 14 years old.

Alina Fjodorova, LAT: She placed 35th at Worlds and 26th at Europeans.  She placed 19th at JGP Turkey and 23rd at JGP Slovenia last season.  Her personal best is 133.48.  She is 18 years old.

Ieva Gaile, LAT: She placed 14th at JGP Croatia last season.  Her personal best is 102.80.  She is 16 years old.

Kristine Gaile, LAT: She placed 17th at JGP Austria last season.  Her personal best is 101.23.  She is 16 years old.

Inga Januleviciute, LTU: She placed 33rd at Worlds and 31st at Europeans.  She finished 15th at JGP Austria last season.  Her personal best is 104.60.  She is 18 years old.

Niki Wories, NED: This is her JGP debut.  She is 17 years old.

Na Hyun Kim, KOR: This is her JGP debut.  Her personal best is 133.27.  She is 13 years old.

Evgenia Medvedeva, RUS: This is her international debut.  She is 13 years old.

Maria Sotskova, RUS: This is her international debut.  She is 13 years old.

Pina Umek, SLO: She finished 22nd at JGP Turkey and 26th at JGP Croatia last season.  Her personal best is 89.92.  She is 18 years old.

Melisa Sema Atik, TUR: She finished 38th at Junior Worlds.  She placed 24th at JGP Turkey and 20th at JGP Slovenia last season.  Her personal best is 96.70.  She is 17 years old.

Maria Gavrilova, UKR: This is her JGP debut.  She is 16 years old.

Karen Chen, USA: This is her international debut.

Yasmin Siraj, USA: She finished 11th at Junior Worlds.  Her personal best is 161.75.  She is 17 years old.