2015 Junior World Championships: A Preview
SYWTW FS
From March 4-8 this year, the best junior skaters from around the world will compete at the 2015 Junior World Championships held in Tallinn, Estonia. The singles events promise to be particularly exciting. Here is a preview of some of the competitors - I will make another post with streaming links closer to the event.
A few notes regarding the competition in general:
The required solo jump in the short program for junior ladies and men is the double or triple lutz, and the double lutz for junior pairs.
Junior men are not allowed to do quads in the short program.
It is not unusual for skaters who are age-eligible for both junior and senior competitions to do both in the same season. If they do so, they have to adjust their program layouts because there are different requirements for senior and junior programs.
The scores listed here for personal bests are from international competitions only (but may be from B competitions). Nationals scores are usually inflated and not necessarily a good measurement for a skater’s performance.
Skaters’ placements at this Junior Worlds will determine how many entries their country gets at next season’s Junior Worlds. If a country has two or three skaters in a discipline this year, they will get 3 spots next year if their top two placements add to 13 or less, and they will get 2 spots next year if their top 2 placements add to 28 or less. If a country has one skater in a discipline this year, they will get 3 spots next year if that skater places in the top 2, and 2 spots next year if that skater places in the top 10.
Junior Worlds, like other ISU Championships, gives out “small medals” for the top 3 skaters in each short program and free skate segment.
MEN:
In a word, the junior men’s field is PACKED this year. Several talented young men will be competing for the podium in Tallinn and the competition is bound to be fierce. Here are a few of the top contenders, but there are even more skaters who could potentially be spoilers.
Shoma Uno (Japan)
Age: 17
Personal best: Senior - 88.90 SP, 167.55 FS, 256.45 total; Junior - 75.21 SP, 163.06 FS, 238.27 total
Season’s scores: 223.15 (Asian Trophy), 219.99 (JGP Japan), 227.51 (JGP Croatia), 210.72 (Junior Nationals), 238.27 (JGPF), 251.28 (Nationals), 256.45 (4CC)
SP: Violin Sonata No.9 by Ludwig van Beethoven
FS: Don Juan DeMarco by Michael Kamen
One of the gold medal favorites, Shoma has progressed leaps and bounds in the past year, gaining both a quad toeloop and triple axel this season. He is the reigning Junior National Champion, Junior Grand Prix Final champion, (senior) Japanese National silver medalist, and recently placed fifth at his senior debut at the Four Continents Championships. His free skate and total score at the JGPF were both world records at the junior level. Shoma is one of the most mature and complete skaters in this field - he has very good skating skills, musicality and expression, obtains high levels on his spins and step sequences, and is usually very consistent with his jumps. If Shoma is at his best at Junior Worlds and skates mostly clean programs, he will very likely win the title. However, a recent injury, tiredness following the Four Continents Championships, and constant switching between junior and senior program layouts may affect his performances at Junior Worlds, and he is certainly not a lock for the gold. The lutz, a constant problem jump for him, is required in the junior short program this season, and if his condition is not good at Junior Worlds, the jump may present even more of a challenge than usual.
Nathan Chen (USA)
Age: 15
Personal best: Junior - 75.15 SP, 146.85 FS, 222.00 total
Season’s scores: 208.16 (JGP Croatia), 230.99 (Nationals)
SP: Smile/Smooth Criminal by Michael Jackson
FS: Piano Concerto No.1 by Frederic Chopin
Although only 15 years old, Nathan has been surrounded by so much buzz for his entire career that he almost seems like a veteran. He is the 2014 Junior World bronze medalist and 2013 JGPF bronze medalist. Unfortunately, he’s had problems with injuries this season and almost withdrew from the US National Championships in January. He ultimately placed 8th at his first senior nationals with technically conservative but solid skates. His only international competition so far this season was JGP Croatia, where he placed second. Nathan often has trouble with his triple axel and has only just added the quad toeloop to his programs this season. However, he is very consistent with his other jumps and is able to gain many points from backloading his programs and from consistently obtaining high levels. Nathan is also a very mature skater for his age, with good skating skills, musicality and complex choreography. His performances at Junior Worlds may be affected by his injuries, but he is still a solid contender for the podium.
Boyang Jin (China)
Age: 17
Personal best: Junior - 75.30 SP, 151.04 FS, 221.92 total
Season’s scores: 220.17 (JGP Slovenia), 221.92 (JGP Japan), 201.02 (JGPF), 267.48 (Nationals)
SP: Tango Amore by Edvin Marton
FS: Dragon Racing by John Powell
The 2013 JGPF champion and two-time National Champion, Boyang had two strong outings at his JGP events this season, winning both of them, but had a disastrous free skate at the JGPF and placed fifth. Boyang’s biggest asset is his enormous potential base value - he is the only junior attempting three quads in his free skate. However, he rarely lands all of his quads, and is sometimes prone to making big errors in the free. Boyang is an impressive jumper but lacking in some other areas such as skating skills and choreography; his main source of points is his jumps. If he does land all of his jumps, however, he will probably medal or even win at Junior Worlds.
Adian Pitkeev (Russia)
Age: 16
Personal best: Senior - 76.21 SP, 144.00 FS, 219.38 total
Season’s scores: 215.90 (Lombardia Trophy), 212.07 (Skate America), 219.38 (TEB), 240.96 (Nationals), 210.87 (Euros)
SP: Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini by Sergei Rachmaninoff (remix)
FS: Sarabande Suite by Globus
The silver medalist at last season’s Junior Worlds, Adian competed on the senior Grand Prix this season and placed fifth at both of his events. He won the bronze medal at the senior Russian National Championships, landing his first 4T3T in the process, but had a hard time at the European Championships, partially because of illness. Adian added the quad toeloop to his programs this season and is still not completely comfortable with it; however, he has stated that he would like to try two quads in his free skate at Junior Worlds (whether he does so remains to be seen). One of Adian’s strong points is that he doesn’t fall apart after making a mistake and is rarely a disaster. If he skates well at Junior Worlds, he has a decent chance of making the podium.
Alexander Petrov (Russia)
Age: 15
Personal best: Senior Bs - 75.74 SP, 156.79 FS, 231.70 total; Junior - 74.59 SP, 141.74 FS, 216.33 total
Season’s scores: 216.33 (JGP Slovenia), 208.37 (JGP Estonia), 214.50 (Finlandia Trophy), 231.70 (Cup of Nice), 218.78 (Volvo Open Cup), 231.53 (Warsaw Cup), 207.14 (JGPF), 205.87 (Nationals), 218.07 (Junior Nationals)
SP: El Conquistador by Maxime Rodriguez
FS: The Four Seasons by Antonio Vivaldi (remix)
Alexander is the current JGPF bronze medalist and Junior National champion. He placed 4th at Junior Worlds last year. He has good jumps when he lands them and he posted high scores at senior B competitions this season, but had some trouble at other competitions such as JGPF and Russian Nationals. He does not include a quad in his programs, but with solid performances and in this unpredictable field, he could definitely still contend for the podium at Junior Worlds.
Sota Yamamoto (Japan)
Age: 15
Personal best: Junior - 76.14 SP, 136.98 FS, 213.12 total
Season’s scores: 195.80 (JGP France), 202.70 (JGP Estonia), 202.50 (Junior Nationals), 213.12 (JGPF), 206.80 (Nationals)
SP: Piano Concertos No.2&3 by Sergei Rachmaninoff
FS: Lorelei by Raul di Blasio
Another skater who improved drastically over the past year, Sota will be participating in his first Junior Worlds in Tallinn. He is the current Japanese Junior National silver medalist and surprise silver medalist at the JGPF. Sota’s biggest weakness is his triple axel, which he usually pops or falls on in his programs, but when he does land them, he is capable of scoring quite high. He is very consistent with his non-3A jumps, has very good spins and high levels, and has greatly improved his speed and expression since last year. Since he does not have a quad and his 3A is still inconsistent, it is not very likely that he will medal at Junior Worlds if the other skaters skate well, but he could be a potential dark horse if he lands his 3As and benefits from others’ mistakes.
Other names to watch out for: Jin Seo Kim (KOR), Alexander Samarin (RUS), Daniel Samohin (ISR), He Zhang (CHN), Andrew Torgashev (USA), Roman Sadovsky (CAN), Denis Margalik (ARG), Deniss Vasiljevs (LAT)
LADIES:
Like previous seasons, this season the junior ladies’ field is once again dominated by the Russian ladies. The question is not whether a Russian girl will win, it is whether Russia will sweep the podium for the third year in a row. The competition promises to be exciting nevertheless, as there are many talented girls challenging for a spot on the podium, and many more who are interesting to watch regardless of where they place.
Evgenia Medvedeva (Russia)
Age: 15
Personal best: Junior - 67.09 SP, 123.80 FS, 190.89 total
Season’s scores: 179.55 (JGP France), 171.12 (JGP Czech Rep.), 190.89 (JGPF), 209.81 (Nationals), 205.05 (Junior Nationals)
SP: The Umbrellas of Cherbourg by Michel Legrand
FS: Ein Sommernachtstraum/Tango Tschak by Hans-Gunther Wagener/Hugues Le Bars
Junior World bronze medalist last year, Evgenia has won every junior competition she entered this season, including both of her JGPs, the JGPF, and Russian Junior Nationals. She is also the Russian senior national bronze medalist. She is one of the favorites for the Junior World title and on track to continue the by-now traditional Russian junior ladies’ domination of the field. Evgenia is generally very consistent and both of her programs are extremely backloaded in order to gain more points. She also frequently executes ‘tano jumps (jumps with one arm above her head) in order to gain more GOE, and she usually gets high levels on her spins. If she skates well she has a good chance of winning the Junior World title, but she will face competition from her friend and training mate Serafima Sakhanovich.
Serafima Sakhanovich (Russia)
Age: 15
Personal best: Junior - 66.58 SP, 125.38 FS, 191.96 total
Season’s scores: 191.96 (JGP Slovenia), 177.69 (JGP Japan), 186.01 (JGPF), 191.84 (Nationals), 185.96 (Junior Nationals)
SP: My Sweet and Tender Beast by Evgeni Doga
FS: Oblivion/I Love You, I Hate You by Astor Piazzolla/Raul di Blasio
Another challenger for the gold medal, Serafima is the reigning Junior World and JGPF silver medalist. She has the highest international combined point total of any junior lady this season, but has lost to Evgenia at each competition where they competed together. Like her training mate, she also backloads her programs and performs many 'tano jumps in order to maximize her scores. However, she is not quite as consistent this season, struggling at both Nationals and Junior Nationals, where she placed 5th and 3rd, respectively. If she can put out two clean programs at Junior Worlds, it should be an interesting battle for the gold, but she does have some ground to make up, as Evgenia currently has greater momentum going into Junior Worlds.
Maria Sotskova (Russia)
Age: 14
Personal best: Junior - 62.28 SP, 115.46 FS, 176.75 total
Season’s scores: 159.67 (JGP Tallinn), 170.81 (JGP Croatia), 175.99 (JGPF), 186.06 (Nationals), 186.30 (Junior Nationals)
SP: Winter (from The Four Seasons) by Antonio Vivaldi
FS: Funny Face/Breakfast at Tiffany’s by George & Ira Gershwin/Henry Mancini
Maria is the 2013 JGPF champion, but missed Junior Worlds last season due to injury. She was clearly still affected by her injury on this season’s JGP, where she did very poorly at one of her events, but she qualified for the Final nevertheless and finished fourth. The second half of her season was stronger; she finished 6th at Russian Nationals and 2nd at Junior Nationals, beating Serafima in the process. She is a good bet for the bronze medal at Junior Worlds if she skates well (or even silver if other skaters make mistakes), but her exact condition remains to be seen. She has been hit with some underrotation calls on her jumps this season and her spot on the podium will be challenged by Japan’s Wakaba Higuchi and USA’s Karen Chen.
Wakaba Higuchi (Japan)
Age: 14
Personal best: Junior - 60.37 SP, 117.72 FS, 178.09 total
Season’s scores: 166.90 (Asian Trophy), 169.68 (JGP Czech Rep.), 176.14 (JGP Germany), 187.95 (Junior Nationals), 178.09 (JGPF), 181.82 (Nationals)
SP: Beloved Czardas by Vittorio Monti (remix)
FS: Piano Concerto in F by George Gershwin
In her first season as a junior, Wakaba has won a silver and gold medal on the JGP and a bronze medal at the JGPF. She is also the Japanese Junior National champion and senior national bronze medalist. Wakaba has an explosive style, great speed and powerful jumps, which will help her challenge for a (probably bronze) medal at Junior Worlds, but she will be facing stiff competition, and nerves and consistency will be key. She is capable of high scores when she is clean, but her lower PCS compared to the Russian girls will likely keep her from winning anything higher than bronze at Junior Worlds. She has a good 3Lz3T but sometimes takes off from the wrong edge on her flip; this will be an important point for her to focus on, especially in the short program, where she will attempt a 3F3T combination.
Karen Chen (USA)
Age: 15
Personal best: Junior - 64.46 SP, 114.62 FS, 179.08 total
Season’s scores: 160.95 (JGP Czech Rep.), 169.41 (JGP Croatia), 199.79 (Nationals)
SP: Requiem for a Tower performed by Escala
FS: The Godfather Suite by Nino Rota; Drew Tretick
Karen suffered from an ankle injury for most of last season, forcing her to withdraw from the JGPF, and she placed only 9th at 2014 Junior Worlds. She is definitely on the rebound this season, although some of her jumps are still a bit unstable and may receive underrotation calls. She narrowly missed qualifying for the JGPF this season but came back at US Nationals with two impressive programs, winning the bronze medal in her first year competing nationally as a senior. Karen will face tough competition at Junior Worlds, but if she can skate there like she skated at nationals, she can definitely challenge for the podium. One of her strongest points is her spins - they’re very fast, centered, and she hits great positions, and the levels and GOE that she can get for them will be an important asset to her even if her jumps aren’t perfect.
Yuka Nagai (Japan)
Age: 16
Personal best: 62.99 SP, 111.15 FS, 172.34 total
Season’s scores: 164.42 (JGP Slovenia), 161.65 (JGP Japan), 168.74 (Junior Nationals), 172.34 (JGPF), 168.55 (Nationals), 168.09 (4CC)
SP: East of Eden by Lee Holdridge
FS: Introduction & Rondo Capriccioso by Camille Saint-Saens
This is Yuka’s first trip to Junior Worlds and she will be hoping for two strong performances, though her podium chances are slim. Yuka has struggled a lot with consistency in the past (read: she was a disaster) but has improved drastically this season, medaling at both of her JGPs and qualifying for the JGPF, where she placed 3rd in the short program and 5th overall. She went on to place 3rd at Junior Nationals and 4th at her first senior nationals. An injury somewhat derailed her before 4CC, but she ended up skating to a 6th-place finish there with fairly strong performances. Yuka has a delicate and musical style and solid jumps, but she has a tendency to pop her jumps when she’s nervous. At least one pop is practically guaranteed in her free skate. She probably will not medal at Junior Worlds, but she is still nice to watch and capable of a top-10 finish.
Elizabet Turzynbaeva (Kazakhstan)
Age: 15
Personal best: JGP - 59.25 SP, 109.48 FS, 164.79 total
Season’s scores: 159.38 (JGP Japan), 164.79 (JGP Germany), 155.02 (Cup of Nice), 158.59 (Merano Cup), 176.12 (NRW Trophy), 147.50 (Mentor Nestle Torun Cup)
SP: Memoirs of a Geisha by John Williams
FS: Papa, Can You Hear Me? performed by Itzhak Perlman, Barbra Streisand
Born in Russia and now skating for Kazakhstan, Elizabet medaled twice on the JGP this season and was an alternate for the JGPF. She placed 11th at Junior Worlds last season but will be looking for a higher finish this time around, and if she skates her best, she is very capable of making the top 10 or higher.
Kaori Sakamoto (Japan)
Age: 14
Personal best: Junior - 52.80 SP, 93.69 FS, 146.49 total
Season’s scores: 146.16 (JGP Japan), 168.82 (Junior Nationals), 167.46 (Nationals)
SP: Dark Eyes
FS: Romeo and Juliet by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Kaori is the current Japanese Junior National silver medalist and 6th-place finisher at senior nationals. This will be her first trip to Junior Worlds. She struggled at her only JGP event this season, but came back strong at several domestic competitions, edging out Yuka for the silver medal at Junior Nationals. She is a solid jumper when she’s on, but has edge issues with her lutz. Kaori probably will not contend for a medal at Junior Worlds, but if she skates well, she looks good for at least a top-10 finish.
Other names to watch out for: Da Bin Choi (KOR), Tyler Pierce (USA), Lutricia Bock (GER), Jenni Saarinen (FIN), Nicole Rajicova (SVK), Diana Nikitina (LAT), Kailani Craine (AUS), Selena Zhao (CAN)
PAIRS:
2014 Junior World Champions Xiaoyu Yu/Yang Jin from China are back, hoping to defend their title. They will be challenged by Julianne Seguin/Charlie Bilodeau from Canada, the reigning JGPF champions, and Lina Federova/Maxim Miroshkin from Russia, the reigning JGPF silver medalists.
Yu/Jin competed on the senior Grand Prix this season and qualified for the Grand Prix Final, but they may be at a disadvantage at Junior Worlds since they have not competed with junior program layouts all season and might find it difficult to adjust. The required double lutz in the short program will likely be a crucial point for them to focus on. If they skate two clean programs, they will probably win, but if they make enough mistakes, other teams could overtake them.
Seguin/Bilodeau have had a strong season, winning both of their JGPs and the Final, and look to be in good form for their first Junior Worlds. Federova/Miroshkin, Junior World bronze medalists in 2013, have struggled with consistency in the past but have done much better this season. Barring disasters, the gold medal battle will likely be between Seguin/Bilodeau and Yu/Jin, while Federova/Miroshkin look good for at least a bronze.
ICE DANCE:
Current Junior Grand Prix Final champions and reigning Junior World silver medalists Anna Yanovskaya/Sergei Mozgov from Russia look to be the favorites for the Junior World title. Other contenders for the podium include Russians Betina Popova/Yuri Vlasenko, Americans Rachel Parsons/Michael Parsons and Lorraine McNamara/Quinn Carpenter, and Canadians Mackenzie Bent/Garrett Mackeen and Madeline Edwards/Zhao Kai Pang.
Russia swept the Junior Grand Prix Final this season, but Junior Worlds could turn out quite differently. The American and Canadian teams are capable of scores that could land them on the podium, but lack of consistency this season has so far been their downfall. If all teams skate their best, it will be an interesting battle for silver and bronze.