JGP Czech Republic Men's Preview

Four men competing here are still in the running for the JGP Final.  Keiji Tanaka started his season with a gold medal at JGP Slovakia.  He struggled with his free skate, finishing just 3rd in that segment.  He can qualify for the Final with a gold, silver or bronze medal while a 4th place finish would keep him in the running.  He's been to the Final each of the past two seasons, finishing 6th both times.

Alexander Petrov took home the silver medal from JGP Poland, although he nearly reached 200 points at that event.  He needs a gold medal to qualify for the Final while a silver or a bronze will keep him in the running.  He has never qualified for the Final and is chasing his third career JGP medal here.

Daniel Samohin competed for the US last season and switched to Israel for this year.  He surprised many by winning the bronze medal at his first assignment at JGP Mexico.  He needs a gold medal to qualify for his first Final while a silver medal will keep him in contention.

Alexander Samarin had a disappointing start to his season.  After winning two bronze medals on the JGP last season, he finished just 4th last week at JGP Belarus.  He didn't have much time to make adjustments to his programs, so he'll need to focus on skating cleanly.  He needs a gold medal to keep himself in contention for the Final.

My podium predictions:
Gold: Alexander Petrov
Silver: Keiji Tanaka
Bronze: Alexander Samarin

Bios of the competitors:
Slavik Hayrapetyan, ARM: He placed 21st at Junior Worlds.  He finished 21st at JGP Poland.  His personal best is 143.48.  He is 17 years old.

David Kranjec, AUS: He placed 23rd at Four Continents and 24th at Junior Worlds.  He finished 11th at JGP Poland.  His personal best is 150.20.  He is 16 years old.

Simon-Gabriel Ionian, AUT: He placed 19th at JGP Austria last season.  His personal best is 95.10.  He is 18 years old.

Mitchell Gordon, CAN: He placed 16th at Junior Worlds.  He finished 8th at JGP Austria and 12th at JGP Croatia last season.  His personal best is 169.62.  He is 17 years old.

Jordan Ju, TPE: He placed 22nd at Four Continents.  He placed 15th at JGP Austria and 13th at JGP Slovenia last season.  His personal best is 134.97.  He is 18 years old.

Petr Kotlarik, CZE: This is his international debut.  He is 14 years old.

Tomas Kupka, CZE: He placed 15th at JGP Poland.  His personal best is 140.29.  He is 18 years old.

Jan Kurnik, CZE: This is his JGP debut.  He is 14 years old.

Roman Galay, FIN: This is his JGP debut.  He is 15 years old.

Alexander Bjelde, GER: He placed 18th at JGP Slovakia.  His personal best is 127.31.  He is 18 years old.

Panagiotis Polizoakis, GER: He placed 12th at JGP Poland.  His personal best is 144.26.  He is 18 years old.

Graham Newberry, GBR: He finished 10th at JGP Mexico.  His personal best is 155.28.  He is 15 years old.

Nikhil Pingle, IND: This is his international debut.

Daniel Samohin, ISR: He won bronze at JGP Mexico.  His personal best is 182.89.  He is 15 years old.

Keiji Tanaka, JPN: He won gold at JGP Slovakia.  He is the 2011 Junior Worlds Silver Medalist.  His personal best is 196.98.  He is 18 years old.

Julian Zhi Jie Yee, MAS: He finished 24th at Junior Worlds.  He placed 26th at JGP Poland.  His personal best is 112.93.  He is 16 years old.

Thomas Kennes, NED: He placed 17th at JGP Germany last season.  His personal best is 102.91.  He is 17 years old.

Alexander Petrov, RUS: He won silver at JGP Poland.  His personal best is 195.40.  He is 14 years old.

Alexander Samarin, RUS: He finished 8th at Junior Worlds.  He placed 4th at JGP Belarus.  His personal best is 186.96.  He is 15 years old.

Jakub Krsnak, SVK: He placed 22nd at JGP Slovakia.  His personal best is 101.03.  He is 15 years old.

Victor Bustamante, ESP: He placed 18th at Junior Worlds.  He finished 20th at JGP at JGP Slovakia.  His personal best is 151.23.  He is 19 years old.

Vincent Cuerel, SUI: He placed 11th at JGP Mexico.  His personal best is 127.46.  He is 17 years old.

Burak Demirboga, TUR: He placed 18th at JGP Turkey.  His personal best is 118.06.  He is 17 years old.