Finnish Nationals Senior Results

Senior Ladies

FPl.	Name	Nation	Points	SP	FS
1	Kiira KORPI	TAPTL	170.05	1	1
2	Juulia TURKKILA	HL	135.40	2	2
3	Alisa MIKONSAARI	LRTL	128.12	10	3
4	Rosaliina KUPARINEN	LTL	123.11	3	5
5	Beata PAPP	HERME	122.19	7	4
6	Seidi RANTANEN	ESJT	119.25	4	9
7	Leena RISSANEN	TTK	115.73	6	8
8	Olivia TUUVA	LL	114.83	9	7
9	Henriikka HIETANIEMI	HL	113.45	12	6
10	Sera VÄISTÖ	JOKA	112.24	5	11
11	Reetta ROMPPANEN	LTL	107.59	13	10
12	Nea VIIRI	ESJT	105.23	8	13
13	Eveliina VILJANEN	PORIT	103.89	11	12
14	Timila SHRESTHA	JTL	100.32	14	14

Senior Men

FPl.	Name	Nation	Points	SP	FS
1	Valtter VIRTANEN	KELS	167.10	1	1
2	Matthias VERSLUIS	ESJT	152.93	2	2
3	Viktor ZUBIK	HSK	146.91	3	3
4	Lasse SÄÄKSLAHTI	KUTA	111.07	4	4

Senior Dance

FPl.	Name	Nation	Points	SD	FD
1	Olesia KARMI / Max LINDHOLM	HSK	120.40	1	2
2	Henna LINDHOLM / Ossi KANERVO	HSK	120.18	2	1

Grand Prix Final Ladies Free Skate Results

Pl.	Name	Nation	TSS =	TES +		PCS +	SS	TR	PE	CH	IN	Ded. -	StN.
1	Mao ASADA	JPN	129.84	63.45		66.39	8.18	8.04	8.39	8.39	8.50	0.00	#6
2	Elizaveta TUKTAMYSHEVA	RUS	117.14	63.65		53.49	6.89	6.11	6.93	6.64	6.86	0.00	#2
3	Akiko SUZUKI	JPN	115.77	56.79		60.98	7.68	7.39	7.68	7.68	7.68	2.00	#4
4	Ashley WAGNER	USA	115.49	54.93		62.56	7.86	7.64	7.64	7.96	8.00	2.00	#5
5	Kiira KORPI	FIN	111.52	51.34		60.18	7.61	7.18	7.50	7.64	7.68	0.00	#3
6	Christina GAO	USA	105.98	55.90		51.08	6.61	6.00	6.39	6.54	6.39	1.00	#1

FPl.	Name	Nation	Points	SP	FS
1	Mao ASADA	JPN	196.80	1	1
2	Ashley WAGNER	USA	181.93	2	4
3	Akiko SUZUKI	JPN	180.77	3	3
4	Kiira KORPI	FIN	174.94	4	5
5	Elizaveta TUKTAMYSHEVA	RUS	173.75	5	2
6	Christina GAO	USA	154.54	6	6

Grand Prix Final Ladies Short Program Results

Pl.	Name	Nation	TSS =	TES +		PCS +	SS	TR	PE	CH	IN	Ded. -	StN.
1	Mao ASADA	JPN	66.96	35.02		31.94	7.93	7.68	8.04	8.07	8.21	0.00	#5
2	Ashley WAGNER	USA	66.44	34.95		31.49	7.79	7.71	7.86	8.00	8.00	0.00	#6
3	Akiko SUZUKI	JPN	65.00	34.63		30.37	7.68	7.36	7.64	7.61	7.68	0.00	#3
4	Kiira KORPI	FIN	63.42	32.67		30.75	7.71	7.32	7.86	7.68	7.86	0.00	#4
5	Elizaveta TUKTAMYSHEVA	RUS	56.61	29.12		27.49	6.82	6.54	7.00	7.00	7.00	0.00	#2
6	Christina GAO	USA	48.56	22.30		26.26	6.61	6.46	6.43	6.71	6.61	0.00	#1

Grand Prix Final Ladies Preview

Qualifying for the Final has been the goal all season, especially since these skaters will get to compete in the Olympic venue.  Three of these ladies competed in the Final last year, while two are competing in their first Final.

Ashley Wagner won her first Grand Prix gold at Skate America and backed it up with another gold at Trophee Eric Bompard.  She has not attempted the triple+triple this season, but has said that she might try it at the Final.  Still, her skating skills, choreography and solid jumps give her the third best short program score of the season.  She also has the best free skate and best total scores of the season and is closing in on her personal best score which she set at Four Continents last season.

Mao Asada has been putting out good short programs this season but struggled in the free skate at NHK Trophy and barely hung on to her gold medal.  She has stated that she hasn't been happy with her programs and that she knows she can perform better and land her jumps.  She has the best short program score, 4th best free skate score and 2nd best total score of the season.

Akiko Suzuki has found herself near the middle of the pack after the short program this season but has come back with a stellar free skate to put herself on the podium, but just missed gold at both of her events.  In fact, her best short program score doesn't even rank in the top 10 for this season.  She's stated that she recognizes this problem and needs to skate a better short program if she wants to keep up with the best skaters at Worlds.  She has the 2nd best free skate and 3rd best total scores of the season.

Kiira Korpi is competing in her first Final but has been dealing with injuries and illness that have affected her training time.  In a recent interview she admitted that she was not in top form heading into this competition.  Elizaveta Tuktamisheva is struggling to live up to last season's success after dealing with growth spurts and growing pains.  Christina Gao was added to the Final after Lipnitskaia's withdrawal and after the best fall season of her career.

My podium predictions:
Gold: Ashley Wagner
Silver: Akiko Suzuki
Bronze: Mao Asada

Bios of the competitors:
Kiira Korpi, FIN: She is the reigning European Silver Medalist.  She won bronze at Cup of China and gold at Rostelecom Cup to qualify for the Grand Prix Final.  She is the 2007 and 2011 European Bronze Medalist.  Her personal best is 177.19.  She is 24 years old.

Mao Asada, JPN: She placed 6th at Worlds and is the reigning Four Continents Silver Medalist.   She won gold at Cup of China and NHK Trophy to qualify for the Grand Prix Final.  She qualified for the Grand Prix Final last season.  She is the 2010 Olympic Silver Medalist, 2008 and 2010 World Champion, 2007 World Silver Medalist, 2008 and 2010 Four Continents Champion, 2001 Four Continents Silver Medalist, 2009 Four Continents Bronze Medalist, 2005 World Junior Champion and 2006 World Junior Silver Medalist.  Her personal best is 205.50.  She is 22 years old.

Akiko Suzuki, JPN: She is the reigning World Bronze Medalist.   She won silver at Skate Canada and NHK Trophy to qualify for the Grand Prix Final.  She qualified for the Grand Prix Final last season and won silver.  She is the 2010 Four Continents Silver Medalist.  Her personal best is 187.79.  She is 27 years old.

Elizaveta Tuktamisheva, RUS: She placed 4th at Skate Canada and won silver at Trophee Eric Bompard to qualify for the Grand Prix Final.  She qualified for the Grand Prix Final last season and finished 4th.  She is the 2011 World Junior Silver Medalist.  Her personal best is 182.89.  She is 15 years old.


Christina Gao, USA: She placed 7th at Junior Worlds.  She won silver at Skate America and finished 4th at Trophee Eric Bompard to qualify for the Grand Prix Final.  Her personal best is 174.25.  She is 18 years old.

Ashley Wagner, USA: She finished 4th at Worlds and is the reigning Four Continents Champion.  She won gold at Skate America and Trophee Eric Bompard to qualify for the Grand Prix Final.  She is the 2007 and 2009 World Junior Bronze Medalist.  Her personal best is 192.41.  She is 21 years old.

Rostelecom Cup Ladies Free Skate Results

Pl.	Name	Nation	TSS =	TES +		PCS +	SS	TR	PE	CH	IN	Ded. -	StN.
1	Kiira KORPI	FIN	115.64	56.12		60.52	7.68	7.07	7.61	7.71	7.75	1.00	#9
2	Gracie GOLD	USA	112.87	54.77		58.10	7.54	6.93	7.32	7.39	7.14	0.00	#10
3	Kanako MURAKAMI	JPN	109.56	53.22		56.34	7.32	6.46	6.96	7.29	7.18	0.00	#5
4	Agnes ZAWADZKI	USA	106.43	51.10		55.33	6.93	6.61	7.04	7.18	6.82	0.00	#8
5	Valentina MARCHEI	ITA	102.42	50.88		51.54	6.29	5.82	6.71	6.71	6.68	0.00	#2
6	Polina KOROBEYNIKOVA	RUS	101.87	52.45		50.42	6.68	5.86	6.29	6.61	6.07	1.00	#3
7	Adelina SOTNIKOVA	RUS	100.87	48.28		55.59	7.14	6.50	6.79	7.25	7.07	3.00	#6
8	Alena LEONOVA	RUS	98.42	41.17		57.25	7.39	6.71	6.86	7.50	7.32	0.00	#7
9	Viktoria HELGESSON	SWE	97.38	43.60		53.78	6.75	6.46	6.79	6.93	6.68	0.00	#4
10	Caroline ZHANG	USA	92.06	48.57		43.49	5.93	4.93	5.29	5.71	5.32	0.00	#1

FPl.	Name	Nation	Points	SP	FS
1	Kiira KORPI	FIN	177.19	2	1
2	Gracie GOLD	USA	175.03	1	2
3	Agnes ZAWADZKI	USA	166.61	3	4
4	Kanako MURAKAMI	JPN	166.34	6	3
5	Adelina SOTNIKOVA	RUS	157.98	5	7
6	Alena LEONOVA	RUS	157.27	4	8
7	Polina KOROBEYNIKOVA	RUS	153.32	8	6
8	Viktoria HELGESSON	SWE	151.48	7	9
9	Valentina MARCHEI	ITA	148.67	9	5
10	Caroline ZHANG	USA	138.21	10	10

Rostelecom Cup Ladies Short Program Results

Pl.	Name	Nation	TSS =	TES +		PCS +	SS	TR	PE	CH	IN	Ded. -	StN.
1	Gracie GOLD	USA	62.16	34.92		27.24	6.86	6.57	7.04	6.86	6.71	0.00	#1
2	Kiira KORPI	FIN	61.55	31.51		30.04	7.54	7.07	7.57	7.57	7.79	0.00	#9
3	Agnes ZAWADZKI	USA	60.18	33.01		27.17	6.64	6.57	7.04	7.00	6.71	0.00	#4
4	Alena LEONOVA	RUS	58.85	28.91		29.94	7.46	6.82	7.68	7.75	7.71	0.00	#10
5	Adelina SOTNIKOVA	RUS	57.11	29.11		28.00	7.07	6.64	7.07	7.21	7.00	0.00	#6
6	Kanako MURAKAMI	JPN	56.78	29.01		28.77	7.39	6.79	7.14	7.36	7.29	1.00	#7
7	Viktoria HELGESSON	SWE	54.10	26.67		27.43	6.82	6.50	6.96	7.00	7.00	0.00	#8
8	Polina KOROBEYNIKOVA	RUS	51.45	26.42		25.03	6.54	5.79	6.29	6.46	6.21	0.00	#3
9	Valentina MARCHEI	ITA	46.25	20.48		25.77	6.25	6.11	6.50	6.64	6.71	0.00	#5
10	Caroline ZHANG	USA	46.15	21.84		24.31	6.21	5.64	6.29	6.14	6.11	0.00	#2

Rostelecom Cup Ladies Preview

Kiira Korpi missed Worlds last season due to injury but came back to win the bronze medal at Cup of China last week and won silver at Finlandia Trophy earlier this season.  With the back to back events she won't have time to make any adjustments and fatigue might be an issue.  She'll need a gold medal to qualify for the Final while a silver will keep her in the running.

Agnes Zawadzki claimed the gold at the U.S. Figure Skating Classic earlier this season and showed an improved ability to deliver a good free skate after a solid short program performance.  However, the scores from that event have not been held up all season.  If she can replicate her performance she could claim her first Grand Prix medal.

Adelina Sotnikova started her season with her third straight Grand Prix bronze medal at Skate America.    Some jump errors in her free skate led her to improvise and insert an extra combo which was ruled invalid.  That mistake hurt her technical score so she should easily be able to improve here.  She'll also need a gold medal to qualify for the Final and a silver to stay in the running.

Kanako Murakami qualified for the Grand Prix Final in her debut season two years ago but failed to medal at either of her assignments last year.  She has had trouble putting together two clean programs in the past and will need two solid performances in this field to medal.  She won the bronze medal at Skate Canada and is also looking for a gold or silver for a chance to go to Sochi.  

Gracie Gold struggled in her Grand Prix debut at Skate Canada and admitted that she had trouble keeping her competitive focus.  Now that she has some international experience at that level we'll have to see if she's better able to handle the competition and regain the form that led her to a World Junior medal or if she's rattled by that performance.

My podium predictions:
Gold: Kiira Korpi
Silver: Adelina Sotnikova
Bronze: Agnes Zawadzki

Bios of the competitors:
Kiira Korpi, FIN: She is the reigning European Silver Medalist.  She won bronze at Cup of China.  She is the 2007 and 2011 European Bronze Medalist.  Her personal best is 169.86.  She is 24 years old.
Valentina Marchei, ITA: She finished 8th at Worlds and Europeans.  She placed 4th at Skate America.  Her personal best is 158.79.  She is 25 years old.

Kanako Murakami, JPN: She placed 5th at Worlds and 4th at Four Continents.  She won bronze at Skate Canada.  She is the 2010 World Junior Champion.  Her personal best is 178.59.  She is 17 years old.

Polina Korobeynikova, RUS: She placed 19th at Worlds and 4th at Europeans.  She placed 4th at JGP Australia and won gold at  JGP Romania last season to qualify for the Junior grand Prix Final where she won bronze.  Her personal best is 164.13.  She is 16 years old.

Alena Leonova, RUS: She is the reigning World Silver Medalist and placed 7th at Europeans.  She placed 7th at Skate America.  She qualified for the Grand Prix Final last seasona and won bronze.  She is the 2009 Junior World Champion.  Her personal best is 184.28.  She is 21 years old.

Adelina Sotnikova, RUS: She is the reigning Junior World Bronze Medalist.  She won bronze at Skate America.  She is the 2011 Junior World Champion.  Her personal best is 178.87.  She is 16 years old.

Viktoria Helgesson, SWE: She finished 11th at Worlds and 5th at Europeans.  She placed 8th at Skate America.  Her personal best is 161.79.  She is 24 years old.
Gracie Gold, USA: She is the reigning World Junior Silver Medalist.  She finished 7th at Skate Canada.  Her personal best is 172.69.  She is 17 years old.

Caroline Zhang, USA: She is the reigning Four Continents Bronze Medalist.  She finished 9th at Skate Canada.  She is the 2010 Four Continents Bronze Medalist, 2007 World Junior Champion and 2008 and 2009 World Junior Silver Medalist.  Her personal best is 176.48.  She is 19 years old.

Agnes Zawadzki, USA: She placed 6th at Four Continents.  She finished 8th at NHK Trophy and 7th at Rostelecom Cup last season.  She is the 2010 World Junior Silver Medalist and 2011 World Junior Bronze Medalist.  Her personal best is 161.07.  She is 18 years old.

Cup of China Ladies Free Skate

Group 1
Ying Zhang, CHN
Sofia Biryukova, RUS
Joshi Helgesson, SWE: 38.16 TES + 47.60 PCS -1.00 = 84.76  Total: 134.43 and into 1st place

• Fall on her opening triple flip
• Nice triple salchow
• Good height on her triple loop 
• Nice flexibility in her catch foot position in the camel spin
• Awkward music cut
• She seems a bit slow today 
• A lot of ice spray on some of these edges in her step sequence which means her edge changes weren't clean and not a lot of upper body movement
• Spiral into triple lutz
• Double salchow + double toe
• Choreographic step sequence into a double axel
• Flying entry to a camel spin with a flying change to a sit spin into a nice haircutter but losing a lot of speed in the Biellman
• Double axel turnout double toe
• She needs more stretch and toe point in her sit spin but nice upright catch foot

Amelie Lacoste, CAN: 31.06 TES + 48.97 PCS -2.00 = 78.03 Total: 135.46 and into 1st

• Fall on her opening triple lutz
• Really fought for the landing on that triple flip--almost in a lunge
• Spiral into a triple loop--again almost a lunge in the landing
• Flying sit spin with nice positions
• I think this music with her elegant style will be great when she hits the program but it seems to overwhelm her when she's struggling on the jumps
• Nice illusions in the camel spin
• Triple salchow a little huched over on the landing and a turn out
• Triple loop fall
• Double salchow
• I almost wonder if she's putting so much pressure on herself to achieve the minimum technical score in the free skate for Worlds that it's affecting her programs
• Lovely choreography in her step sequence but it is lacking a bit of speed and power as well as energy and commitment
• She needs to fix her arm position in her layback but a nice haircutter

Group 2
Zijun Li, CHN: 51.58 TES + 51.27 PCS -2.00 = 100.85 Total: 160.06 and into 1st place

• Nice opening triple flip + triple toe
• Good double axel + triple toe
• Triple lutz a little two footed on the landing and she can't hang on and falls
• Beautiful camel spin into a nice donut and catch foot which picks up speed
• This music suits her very well as it compliments her light and airy style on teh ice
• Gorgeous positions in her combination spin but running out of speed by the end
• Triple salchow + double toe +double loop very tight on the end
• Triple flip fall
• Nice triple loop
• Nice difficulty and variety in her step sequence with good use of her full body
• Double axel 
• Losing her balance a bit at the end of her spiral but she hangs on 
• Beautiful layback spin into a nice one arm Biellman

Kiira Korpi, FIN: 51.03 TES + 59.14 PCS = 110.17 Total: 169.86 and into 1st place

• Good speed in the triple toe + triple toe combination
• Triple lutz
• Single salchow--she had no speed and was too close to the boards to pull it off
• Nice positions in her sit spin with a nice transition out of the spin
• Good triple loop + double toe
• Triple salchow turnout + double toe + double loop--a bit of a mess and underrotated
• Single loop
• Nice layback positions but no haircutter or Biellman features
• Great interpretation of the music on her step sequence with good variety and use of her whole body
• Nice spread eagle highlight on the music
• Losing speed after the change of foot in her final spin and she needs more stretch through her sit spin position

Mirai Nagasu, USA: 45.89 TES + 57.81 PCS = 103.70 Total: 163.46 and into 2nd place

• Her dress is just stunning and she looks very mature on the ice
• Nice opening triple lutz
• Good height on the double axel but a little tight on the triple toe landing (underrotated)
• Triple flip
• Nice feel for the music in her step sequence
• Flying camel spin with good variations--not a lot of speed but consistent throughout
• Triple flip + double toe + double loop nicely done
• Nice triple loop + double toe
• Spiral into a double axel
• Arabesque spiral into triple loop
• Good speed and positions in the combination spin but a bit of a bobble on the exit
• Gorgeous Ina Bauer in the choreographic step sequence
• Nice layback spin into a good Biellman
• That's the program she's been looking for for the last several years
• She's going to get hit on some under-rotation calls though

Mao Asada, JPN: 54.53 TES + 64.34 PCS = 118.87 Total: 181.76 and into 1st place

• Beautiful toe point and height in her opening triple loop
• Double axel + triple toe likely two footed
• Good triple flip
• Popped that lutz into a double
• Nice speed and flexibility in her combination spin with good centering
• Triple salchow
• Triple loop + double loop
• Good extension and speed in her Biellman
• Triple flip + double loop + double loop close to the boards but she pulls it off
• Nice freedom in her step sequence but not a lot of ice coverage
• Beautiful spirals

Julia Lipnitskaia, RUS: 57.43 TES + 57.43 PCS = 114.86 Total: 177.92 and into 2nd place

• Really fights for that triple lutz + triple toe
• Double axel + triple toe hands down--not a lot of height on the axel
• Double axel again not a lot of height
• Triple loop
• Good camel spin picking up speed through the donut and catch foot
• I feel like she's just skating through this music and it could be any piece of music that she's skating to
• Triple lutz + double toe
• Triple flip
• Nice triple salchow
• Not a lot of speed through her step sequence and she's not fully using her body to help her get across the ice
• Gorgeous flexibility in her spiral
• A little bobble on her camel spin but interesting position variations showcasing her flexibility but no real transition out of the spin
• Gorgeous Bielmann

Pl.	Name	Nation	TSS =	TES +		PCS +	SS	TR	PE	CH	IN	Ded. -	StN.
1	Mao ASADA	JPN	118.87	54.53		64.34	8.14	7.75	7.96	8.11	8.25	0.00	#9
2	Julia LIPNITSKAIA	RUS	114.86	57.43		57.43	7.21	7.00	7.32	7.25	7.11	0.00	#10
3	Kiira KORPI	FIN	110.17	51.03		59.14	7.43	7.04	7.32	7.54	7.64	0.00	#7
4	Mirai NAGASU	USA	103.70	45.89		57.81	7.39	6.96	7.25	7.32	7.21	0.00	#8
5	Zijun LI	CHN	100.85	51.58		51.27	6.61	6.21	6.32	6.54	6.36	2.00	#6
6	Ying ZHANG	CHN	87.27	46.97		42.30	5.61	4.96	5.36	5.29	5.21	2.00	#2
7	Joshi HELGESSON	SWE	84.76	38.16		47.60	6.04	5.64	6.04	6.04	6.00	1.00	#4
8	Sofia BIRYUKOVA	RUS	82.97	37.07		45.90	6.21	5.50	5.50	5.86	5.61	0.00	#3
9	Amelie LACOSTE	CAN	78.03	31.06		48.97	6.46	6.11	5.71	6.25	6.07	2.00	#5
WD	Bingwa GENG	CHN											#1

Pl.	Name	Nation	Points	SP	FS
1	Mao ASADA	JPN	181.76	2	1
2	Julia LIPNITSKAIA	RUS	177.92	1	2
3	Kiira KORPI	FIN	169.86	4	3
4	Mirai NAGASU	USA	163.46	3	4
5	Zijun LI	CHN	160.06	5	5
6	Amelie LACOSTE	CAN	135.46	6	9
7	Joshi HELGESSON	SWE	134.43	7	7
8	Ying ZHANG	CHN	130.65	9	6
9	Sofia BIRYUKOVA	RUS	127.36	8	8

Cup of China Ladies Short Program Results

Pl.	Name	Nation	TSS =	TES +		PCS +	SS	TR	PE	CH	IN	Ded. -	StN.
1	Julia LIPNITSKAIA	RUS	63.06	35.35		27.71	6.86	6.64	7.21	6.96	6.96	0.00	#4
2	Mao ASADA	JPN	62.89	31.83		31.06	7.93	7.32	7.82	7.86	7.89	0.00	#9
3	Mirai NAGASU	USA	59.76	31.04		28.72	7.29	6.86	7.25	7.25	7.25	0.00	#8
4	Kiira KORPI	FIN	59.69	29.26		30.43	7.64	7.36	7.61	7.71	7.71	0.00	#10
5	Zijun LI	CHN	59.21	33.79		25.42	6.46	6.14	6.50	6.43	6.25	0.00	#5
6	Amelie LACOSTE	CAN	57.43	30.25		27.18	6.86	6.61	6.96	6.79	6.75	0.00	#7
7	Joshi HELGESSON	SWE	49.67	25.93		24.74	6.18	5.89	6.18	6.36	6.32	1.00	#6
8	Sofia BIRYUKOVA	RUS	44.39	21.42		23.97	6.21	5.75	6.07	6.04	5.89	1.00	#2
9	Ying ZHANG	CHN	43.38	22.95		21.43	5.79	5.04	5.36	5.43	5.18	1.00	#1
10	Bingwa GENG	CHN	36.53	16.27		21.26	5.54	5.07	5.29	5.29	5.39	1.00	#3

Cup of China Ladies Preview

This event is filled with skaters who have had up and down seasons over the last few years and it really could be anybody's game.

Julia Lipnitskaia is making her Grand Prix debut after winning every event she entered last season, including the World Junior title.  She made her senior debut at Finlandia Trophy earlier this season and showed some cracks when she finished 2nd in the short program, but she pulled up in the free skate to win the gold medal.  She is well known for her impressive flexibility, especially in her spins as well as her jump arsenal including triple+triples.  If she can hit her jumps, she can earn the gold medal here.

Kiira Korpi struggled with injuries last season but nearly beat Lipnitskaia at Finlandia Trophy.  Her style on the ice is mesmerizing and she can easily win the PCS scores but she'll need to land her triple+triples and other jumps, especially in her free skate if she wants to win her first Grand Prix medal since 2010.

Mao Asada qualified for the Grand Prix Final last season after two medals on the Grand Prix but had to withdraw due to the sudden death of her mother.  While her free skate was one of the best choreographed of the season she struggled to land the jumps toward the end of the season and finished 6th at Worlds for the 2nd year in a row.

Mirai Nagasu could win the whole event or fall somewhere toward the middle of the pack.  She has a history of making silly mistakes in her programs such as falling out of spins that cost her big points.     She changed her coaching situation in the off-season and seemed much happier and relaxed on the ice at an exhibition performance in September.  She is also only scheduled for one Grand Prix event this season so she'll want to put up a good score and get herself in a better position for two Grand Prix events in the Olympic year.  She had a decent showing at Finlandia but finished 3rd behind two ladies that are competing here by almost 20 points.

My podium predictions:
Gold: Julia Lipnitskaia
Silver: Mao Asada
Bronze: Kiira Korpi

Bios of the competitors:
Amelie Lacoste, CAN: She finished 16th at Worlds and 7th at Four Continents.  She placed 8th at Skate Canada.  Her personal best is 157.26.  She is 23 years old.


Bingwa Geng, CHN: She finished 11th at Four Continents.  She placed 8th at Cup of China last season.  Her personal best is 142.48.  She is 18 years old.

Zijun Li, CHN: She placed 5^th at the World Junior Championships.  She won the silver medal at JGP Latvia and JGP Austria last season to qualify for the JGP Final where she finished 4th.  Her personal best is 157.70.  She is 15 years old. 

Ying Zhang, CHN: This is her international debut.  She is 15 years old. 

Kiira Korpi, FIN: She is the reigning European Silver Medalist.  She placed 6th at NHK Trophy and 5th at Rostelecom Cup last season.  She is the 2007 and 2011 European Bronze Medalist.  Her personal best is 169.74.  She is 24 years old.

Mao Asada, JPN: She placed 6th at Worlds and is the reigning Four Continents Silver Medalist.   She won silver at NHK Trophy and gold at Rostelecom Cup last season to qualify for the Grand Prix Final.  She is the 2010 Olympic Silver Medalist, 2008 and 2010 World Champion, 2007 World Silver Medalist, 2008 and 2010 Four Continents Champion, 2001 Four Continents Silver Medalist, 2009 Four Continents Bronze Medalist, 2005 World Junior Champion and 2006 World Junior Silver Medalist.  Her personal best is 205.50.  She is 22 years old.

Sofia Biryukova, RUS: She finished 4th at Cup of Russia last season.  Her personal best is 166.07.  She is 18 years old.

Julia Lipnitskaia, RUS: She is the reigning World Junior Champion.  She won gold at JGP Poland and Italy last season to qualify for the JGP Final where she won gold.  Her personal best is 187.05.  She is 14 years old.

Joshi Helgesson, SWE: She placed 10th at Europeans and 9th at Junior Worlds.  She placed 10th at Skate America last season.  Her personal best is 149.08.  She is 19 years old.

Mirai Nagasu, USA: She finished 5th at Skate Canada and won silver at Cup of China last season.  She is the 2011 Four Continents bronze medalist, 2007 World Junior silver medalist and 2008 World Junior bronze medalist.  Her personal best is 190.15.  She is 19 years old.

Finlandia Trophy Ladies Results

Pl.	Name	Nation	TSS =	TES +		PCS +	SS	TR	PE	CH	IN	Deduction -	StN.
1	Kiira KORPI	FIN	69.27	36.87		32.40	8.00	7.83	8.29	8.21	8.17	0.00	#7
2	Julia LIPNISTKAIA	RUS	64.05	35.50		28.55	7.29	7.00	7.08	7.29	7.04	0.00	#3
3	Mirai NAGASU	USA	52.75	26.20		27.55	7.13	6.58	6.79	7.08	6.88	1.00	#1
4	Isabelle OLSSON	SWE	51.18	27.49		23.69	5.79	5.58	6.00	6.08	6.17	0.00	#6
5	Natalia POPOVA	UKR	48.74	25.64		23.10	5.67	5.58	5.75	5.88	6.00	0.00	#8
6	Juulia TURKKILA	FIN	47.04	25.23		22.81	5.83	5.54	5.54	5.79	5.83	1.00	#11
7	Sonia LAFUENTE	ESP	45.71	23.37		22.34	5.75	5.42	5.50	5.54	5.71	0.00	#4
8	Beata PAPP	FIN	45.59	24.82		20.77	5.04	4.92	5.25	5.33	5.42	0.00	#10
9	Fleur MAXWELL	LUX	44.93	23.06		21.87	5.46	5.08	5.46	5.63	5.71	0.00	#5
10	Jasmine COSTA	EST	42.66	23.78		19.88	5.25	4.63	4.88	5.17	4.92	1.00	#2
11	Alisa MIKONSAARI	FIN	39.54	19.20		20.34	5.13	4.88	5.13	5.17	5.13	0.00	#9

Pl.	Name	Nation	TSS =	TES +		PCS +	SS	TR	PE	CH	IN	Deduction -	StN.
1	Julia LIPNITSKAIA	RUS	124.18	64.89		59.29	7.46	7.21	7.63	7.46	7.29	0.00	#11
2	Kiira KORPI	FIN	111.89	50.38		61.51	7.88	7.38	7.42	7.88	7.88	0.00	#10
3	Mirai NAGASU	USA	110.34	54.07		57.27	7.33	6.88	7.08	7.29	7.21	1.00	#7
4	Natalia POPOVA	UKR	104.65	55.90		48.75	6.08	5.88	6.21	6.08	6.21	0.00	#6
5	Isabelle OLSSON	SWE	100.49	51.23		49.26	6.33	5.79	6.29	6.17	6.21	0.00	#8
6	Juulia TURKKILA	FIN	96.00	47.33		48.67	6.21	5.92	6.08	6.17	6.04	0.00	#9
7	Sonia LAFUENTE	ESP	81.09	41.81		40.28	5.25	4.83	4.96	5.17	4.96	1.00	#4
8	Beata PAPP	FIN	73.36	36.54		37.82	4.88	4.50	4.67	4.92	4.67	1.00	#1
9	Alisa MIKONSAARI	FIN	72.50	33.97		38.53	4.96	4.54	4.79	4.96	4.83	0.00	#5
10	Fleur MAXWELL	LUX	67.64	28.31		41.33	5.25	5.00	4.92	5.33	5.33	2.00	#3
11	Jasmine COSTA	EST	66.80	33.46		34.34	4.83	3.96	4.00	4.38	4.29	1.00	#2

FPl.	Name	Nation	Points	SP	FS
1	Julia LIPNITSKAIA	RUS	188.23	2	1
2	Kiira KORPI	FIN	181.16	1	2
3	Mirai NAGASU	USA	163.09	3	3
4	Natalia POPOVA	UKR	153.39	5	4
5	Isabelle OLSSON	SWE	151.67	4	5
6	Juulia TURKKILA	FIN	143.04	6	6
7	Sonia LAFUENTE	ESP	126.80	7	7
8	Beata PAPP	FIN	118.95	8	8
9	Fleur MAXWELL	LUX	112.57	9	10
10	Alisa MIKONSAARI	FIN	112.04	11	9
11	Jasmine COSTA	EST	109.46	10	11

Europeans Ladies Free Skate Results

Pl.	Name	Nation	TSS =	TES +		PCS +	SS	TR	PE	CH	IN	Ded. -	StN.
1	Carolina KOSTNER	ITA	120.33	56.29		64.04	7.89	7.57	8.14	8.18	8.25	0.00	#22
2	Polina KOROBEYNIKOVA	RUS	114.72	63.57		51.15	6.57	6.00	6.54	6.36	6.50	0.00	#13
3	Elene GEDEVANISHVILI	GEO	108.79	51.18		57.61	7.32	6.86	7.36	7.21	7.25	0.00	#21
4	Kiira KORPI	FIN	105.14	46.28		58.86	7.32	7.07	7.43	7.43	7.54	0.00	#19
5	Viktoria HELGESSON	SWE	105.14	49.72		55.42	6.96	6.64	7.04	6.89	7.11	0.00	#24
6	Alena LEONOVA	RUS	104.28	49.57		55.71	7.04	6.57	7.11	6.96	7.14	1.00	#20
7	Ksenia MAKAROVA	RUS	102.04	45.92		56.12	7.11	6.71	7.14	7.00	7.11	0.00	#23
8	Natalia POPOVA	UKR	94.85	52.93		41.92	5.46	4.89	5.39	5.21	5.25	0.00	#6
9	Valentina MARCHEI	ITA	93.32	44.24		51.08	6.25	6.00	6.50	6.54	6.64	2.00	#18
10	Joshi HELGESSON	SWE	92.79	46.40		47.39	6.11	5.68	5.96	5.93	5.93	1.00	#17
11	Yretha SILETE	FRA	92.75	49.41		44.34	5.71	5.25	5.57	5.57	5.61	1.00	#14
12	Monika SIMANCIKOVA	SVK	90.40	46.52		43.88	5.71	5.21	5.54	5.50	5.46	0.00	#10
13	Elena GLEBOVA	EST	89.60	43.62		46.98	5.93	5.61	6.00	5.82	6.00	1.00	#15
14	Alina FJODOROVA	LAT	89.11	47.51		41.60	5.32	5.00	5.29	5.21	5.18	0.00	#9
15	Mae Berenice MEITE	FRA	87.47	45.94		43.53	5.50	5.14	5.50	5.50	5.57	2.00	#16
16	Sonia LAFUENTE	ESP	86.30	42.70		43.60	5.61	5.14	5.57	5.50	5.43	0.00	#12
17	Juulia TURKKILA	FIN	84.68	41.33		44.35	5.61	5.36	5.64	5.57	5.54	1.00	#11
18	Romy BÜHLER	SUI	83.11	45.71		38.40	4.93	4.46	4.89	4.79	4.93	1.00	#1
19	Jenna MCCORKELL	GBR	80.09	37.31		43.78	5.61	5.04	5.64	5.46	5.61	1.00	#8
20	Isabelle PIEMAN	BEL	77.74	37.83		40.91	5.32	4.79	5.21	5.07	5.18	1.00	#7
21	Myriam LEUENBERGER	SUI	75.96	38.56		38.40	4.86	4.57	4.89	4.75	4.93	1.00	#3
22	Nathalie WEINZIERL	GER	73.33	37.58		36.75	4.82	4.25	4.75	4.61	4.54	1.00	#2
23	Francesca RIO	ITA	68.64	32.60		38.04	4.89	4.39	4.82	4.82	4.86	2.00	#4
24	Karina JOHNSON	DEN	53.89	24.26		32.63	4.43	3.82	3.93	4.21	4.00	3.00	#5

Pl.	Name	Nation	Points	SP	FS
1	Carolina KOSTNER	ITA	183.55	1	1
2	Kiira KORPI	FIN	166.94	2	4
3	Elene GEDEVANISHVILI	GEO	165.93	4	3
4	Polina KOROBEYNIKOVA	RUS	164.13	12	2
5	Viktoria HELGESSON	SWE	160.82	5	5
6	Ksenia MAKAROVA	RUS	159.59	3	7
7	Alena LEONOVA	RUS	158.78	6	6
8	Valentina MARCHEI	ITA	146.84	7	9
9	Yretha SILETE	FRA	145.50	8	11
10	Joshi HELGESSON	SWE	145.11	9	10
11	Elena GLEBOVA	EST	141.92	10	13
12	Natalia POPOVA	UKR	138.60	19	8
13	Mae Berenice MEITE	FRA	137.33	11	15
14	Monika SIMANCIKOVA	SVK	136.79	14	12
15	Sonia LAFUENTE	ESP	133.64	13	16
16	Alina FJODOROVA	LAT	133.48	18	14
17	Juulia TURKKILA	FIN	130.33	15	17
18	Jenna MCCORKELL	GBR	125.41	16	19
19	Isabelle PIEMAN	BEL	122.13	17	20
20	Romy BÜHLER	SUI	121.25	24	18
21	Myriam LEUENBERGER	SUI	117.73	21	21
22	Nathalie WEINZIERL	GER	115.89	20	22
23	Francesca RIO	ITA	108.66	22	23
24	Karina JOHNSON	DEN	92.12	23	24