Tuesday, October 1, 2013

JGP Czech Republic Pairs Preview

Five of the seven teams are still in the running for the Final here, although for three teams it's quite a long shot.  Gainetdinova and Bich took home their first Junior Grand Prix medal along with their first gold from Belarus last week.  They won both segments of the competition and finished 11 points ahead of their nearest competition.  They need a gold, silver or bronze to guarantee their spot in the Final while a 4th or 5th place finish would keep them in the running.

Fedorova and Miroshkin won gold at the Final last year and are one event away from qualifying for the Final again this season.  They took home the silver medal from JGP Slovakia after finishing 2nd in both segments of the competition.  They also had a personal best short program in Slovakia.  They need a gold or silver medal to punch their ticket to the Final while a bronze or 4th place finish keep them in the running.

Liu/Perini, Chernivskaia/Souza-Kordyeru and Seguin/Bilodeau all took home 5th place finishes from their first events this season.  Liu and Perini had a 7th place short program but a 4th place free skate in Slovakia giving them a slight advantage as they have greater room to improve.  All three teams need a gold medal to keep themselves in contention for the Final.

My podium predictions:
Gold: Fedorova/Miroshkin
Silver: Gainetdinova/Bich
Bronze: Liu/Perini

Bios of the competitors:
Seguin/Bilodeau, CAN: They placed 5th at JGP Belarus.  Their personal best is 127.42.

Duskova/Bidar, CZE: They placed 9th at JGP Slovakia.  Their personal best is 101.90.  She is 13 and he is 14.

Lesser/Kremke, GER: This is their JGP debut.  She is 15 and he is 20.

Chernivskaia/Souza-Kordyeru, RUS: They placed 5th at JGP Latvia.  Their personal best is 128.79.  She is 14 and he is 20.

Fedorova/Miroshkin, RUS: They are the reigning World Junior Bronze Medalists.  They won silver at JGP Slovakia.  Their personal best is 161.11.  She is 15 and he is 19.

Gainetdinova/Bich, RUS: They placed 8th at Junior Worlds last season.  They won gold at JGP Belarus.  Their personal best is 142.38.  She is 15 and he is 20.

Liu/Perini, USA: They placed 5th at JGP Slovakia.  Their personal best is 128.81.  She is 14 and he is 20.

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