Tuesday, September 10, 2013

JGP Slovakia Pairs Preview

There are a lot of new teams in this field and several of the veteran teams are ready to impress again.

Vigalova and Zakroev already have a bronze medal from Latvia this season.  They won two medals on the JGP last year and qualified for the JGPF where they won bronze.

Fedorova and Miroshkin are the reigning World Junior Bronze Medalists.  They also won two medals on the JGP last year and won gold at the JGPF.

Liu and Perini are making their JGP debut this year as she is finally age eligible.  They spent two years nationally at the novice level and finished 4th in their first season as juniors.  There is a significant height difference between the two which allows them to execute several big elements.  She also has a ton of spunk and personality on the ice.

Budd and Cheban are also making their JGP debut after narrowly losing out on the novice title at US nationals last year.  They were one of the few teams last year at the novice level executing throw triples which should keep them in the technical game here.

Nagalati and Bobrov are making their international debut as well.  They are a new pairing, but the Russians have long dominated the pairs circuit.

My podium predictions:
Gold: Fedorova/Miroshkin
Silver: Vigalova/Zakroev
Bronze: Liu/Perini

Bios of the competitors:
Hancherow/Killing, CAN: This is their international debut.  She is 17 and he is 20.

Duskova/Bidar, CZE: This is their international debut.  She is 13 and he is 14.

Tweedale/Adcock, GBR: This is their international debut.  She is 17 and he is 18.

Ono/To, HKG: They placed 10th at JGP Latvia.  Their personal best is 82.51.  She is 14 and he is 21.

Cernuschi/Ambrosini, ITA: They placed 14th at JGP Austria last season.  Their personal best is 73.80.  She is 16 and he is 20.

Foresti/Sforza, ITA: They placed 13th at Junior Worlds.  They finished 11th at JGP USA and 13th at JGP Germany last season.  Their personal best is 113.48.  She is 14 and he is 15.

Fedorova/Miroshkin, RUS: They are the reigning World Junior Bronze Medalists.  They won silver at JGP Austria and gold at JGP Germany last season to qualify for the JGPF where they won gold.  Their personal best is 161.11.  She is 15 and he is 19.

Nagalati/Bobrov, RUS: This is their international debut.  She is 17 and he is 16.

Vigalova/Zakroev, RUS: They won bronze at JGP Latvia.  Their personal best is 154.39.  She is 14 and he is 19.

Budd/Cheban, USA: This is their international debut.  She is 17 and he is 21.

Liu/Perini, USA: This is their international debut.  She is 14 and he is 20.

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