Shotaro Omori had never won a medal on the JGP but after solidifying his triple axel, he won the silver medal at US nationals to qualify for the the Junior Worlds team. He went on to win the bronze medal at Junior Worlds and complete the US men's sweep of the podium. As the top ranked skater returning to the JGP this season, he's definitely the one to beat at this event. He scored over 200 points at Junior Worlds and was attempting three triple axels in his programs last season.
Keiji Tanaka has had a difficult time over the last few seasons. After winning the silver medal at Junior Worlds in 2011, he managed to only win one medal on the JGP last season and did not compete at Junior Worlds. At his best, he's one of the top junior skaters, but he didn't show many of those signs last season and will need to find the form he had two seasons ago.
He Zhang did not compete on the JGP last season, but did manage a top 10 finish at Junior Worlds. His score there was nearly 15 points less than his personal best and he also has the goods to challenge for the top of the podium.
Mikhail Kolyada finished 6th at Junior Worlds, showing a significant improvement over his earlier JGP results last season.
Nix Phengsy is making his JGP debut at this event. He finished 6th in Juniors at US Nationals last season and has been riding on his triple axel for the last few seasons. While that gives him an advantage among the junior skaters, he sometimes sacrifices the other elements in order to get the triple axel in.
My podium predictions:
Gold: Shotaro Omori
Silver: Keiji Tanaka
Bronze: He Zhang
Bios of the competitors:
Manuel Drechsler, AUT: He placed 22nd at JGP Austria and 26th at JGP Slovenia last season. His personal best is 87.52. He is 17 years old.
Anton Karpuk, BLR: This is his JGP debut. He is 16 years old.
Leslie Ip, CAN: This is his international debut. He is 18 years old.
Wenbo Zang, CHN: This is his JGP debut. His personal best is 148.99. He is 17 years old.
He Zhang, CHN: He finished 9th at Junior Worlds. His personal best is 193.97. He is 16 years old.
Meng Ju Lee, TPE: He finished 12th at JGP Mexico. His personal best is 114.91. He is 17 years old.
Petr Coufal, CZE: He placed 25th at Junior Worlds. He finished 4th at JGP Austria and 7th at JGP Croatia last season. His personal best is 175.72. He is 18 years old.
Alexander Bjelde, GER: This is his JGP debut. He is 18 years old.
Charlie Parry-Evans, GBR: He placed 17th at JGP Turkey last season. His personal best is 118.44. He is 18 years old.
Matteo Rizzo, ITA: This is his JGP debut. He is 15 years old.
Keiji Tanaka, JPN: He won silver at JGP USA and placed 4th at JGP Slovenia last season to qualify for the JGPF where he finished 6th. He is the 2011 Junior Worlds Silver Medalist. His personal best is 196.98. He is 18 years old.
Taichiro Yamakuma, JPN: This is his international debut. He is 13 years old.
Dong-Won Lee, KOR: He placed 14th at JGP Slovenia last season. His personal best is 166.93. He is 16 years old.
Mikhail Kolyada, RUS: He finished 6th at Junior Worlds. He placed 6th at JGP France last season. His personal best is 189.94. He is 18 years old.
Moris Kvitelashvili, RUS: This is his JGP debut. He is 18 years old.
Marco Klepoch, SVK: He placed 36th at Junior Worlds. He placed 16th at JGP Austria and 22nd at JGP Slovenia last season. His personal best is 109.36. He is 15 years old.
Jakub Krsnak, SVK: This is his international debut. He is 15 years old.
Peter Novella, SVK: This is his JGP debut. He is 18 years old.
Victor Bustamante, ESP: He placed 18th at Junior Worlds. He finished 12th at JGP France and 7th at JGP Germany last season. His personal best is 151.23. He is 19 years old.
Nicky Obreykov, SWE: This is his JGP debut. He is 17 years old.
Carlo Rothlisberger, SUI: He placed 15th at JGP Turkey last season. His personal best is 119.34. He is 19 years old.
Ivan Pavlov, UKR: He finished 20th at Junior Worlds. He placed 8th at JGP France and JGP Turkey last season. His personal best is 149.87. He is 14 years old.
Shotaro Omori, USA: He is the reigning World Junior Bronze Medalist. He finished 4th at JGP Turkey and 4th at JGP Germany last season. His personal best is 204.34. He is 17 years old.
Nix Phengsy, USA: This is his international debut. He is 18 years old.
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