2016 Grand Prix Final: Ladies & Pairs Preview
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The Grand Prix Final starts tomorrow! Here’s our preview of the senior ladies’ and pairs’ competitors. Don’t forget to check out our other previews as well!
LADIES
In a field mixed with first-time qualifiers and seasoned champions, this season’s Grand Prix Final will be the first important meeting point of several of the world’s top ladies. Reigning Grand Prix Final and World Champion Evgenia Medvedeva returns to the GPF stage after having won both her Grand Prix events with sizeable margins of victory, continuing her rapid rise to figure skating stardom. The question remains - can anyone stop Evgenia Medvedeva? Although Evgenia enters as the favorite (as her path to victory has not seen her lose a competition since the 2015 Rostelecom Cup), strong competitors from both her native Russia as well as other countries make her path to the gold less set in stone. Anna Pogorilaya, the 2016 World Bronze Medalist, looked in amazing form at both her Grand Prix events, where she has been skating with the confidence of a winner. Also in contention for medals are 2016 Cup of China Champion Elena Radionova and 2016 Four Continents Champion Satoko Miyahara, both seasoned competitors who will be aiming to stand on the Grand Prix Final podium once more after somewhat vulnerable Grand Prix showings. Newcomers Kaetlyn Osmond and Maria Sotskova, appearing for the first time at the Grand Prix Final, gave solid skates at their Grand Prix events, showing their potential to be amongst the top in the world. With mental giants like Medvedeva, Miyahara, Radionova and now Pogorilaya holding their ground in Marseille, consistency will be the deciding factor for medals - and ultimately, the title of 2016 Grand Prix Final Champion. Not losing to the men in intense competition, the sheer talent of the ladies is sure to shine through in this ultimate faceoff of the best of the best.
EVGENIA MEDVEDEVA
Representing: Russia
Age: 16
ISU Personal bests: SP 78.52, FS 150.10, total 223.86
ISU Season’s best: 221.54
Notable titles: 2016 World Champion, 2016 European Champion, 2016 Russian National Champion, 2015 Grand Prix Final Champion, 2015 Junior World Champion
Programs: SP - River Flows in You/The Winter; FS - Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close/Piano Lesson with Grandma
She’s simply been unstoppable. Since her senior debut last season, Evgenia Medvedeva has not placed off the podium once; all but one of those medals have been gold. The accomplishments Evgenia has amassed in less than two seasons - including the world record for the ladies’ free skate - have been countless. With her uniquely expressive style and programs, Evgenia is a winning combination of high performance and technical skills. Her technical strength allows her to add a triple toeloop after any jump, and she is famous for doing tano variations (jumps with one arm above her head, which can increase the element’s Grade of Execution) on many of her jumps. Her consistency at major competitions is also a very strong asset that has crowned her the reigning World Champion of figure skating. Despite some doubts that she was just another Russian one-season wonder, Evgenia gave strong performances at 2016 Skate Canada and 2016 Trophee de France, both of which she won with sizeable margins of victory, proving that her dominating reign isn’t close to being finished yet. Coming into the Grand Prix Final as both the reigning champion and the top qualifier, Evgenia is the favorite to win it all once again, should she continue her consistent, show-stopping performances. However, with a talented field challenging her every step of the way, Evgenia will have to rely on her consistency to repeat her title for sure.
Evgenia is a big fan of anime and K-pop. Her favorite anime is Sailor Moon, and she is currently watching and enjoying (much to fans of both skating and anime’s delight) Yuri!!! On Ice. Evgenia’s favorite K-pop group is EXO, and she has stated that she would consider skating an exhibition to their music in the future. Evgenia also enjoys cosplaying (having cosplayed Yuri Katsuki once), but unfortunately her mom has hindered her in her quest. She is best friends with 2016 Trophee de France Bronze Medalist Wakaba Higuchi.
ANNA POGORILAYA
Representing: Russia
Age: 18
ISU Personal bests: SP 73.98, FS 141.81, total 215.21
ISU Season’s best: 215.21
Notable titles: 2016 World Bronze Medalist, 2-time European Bronze Medalist, 2016 Russian National Bronze Medalist
Programs: SP - Por una cabeza; FS - Modigliani Suite/Memorial Requiem
Perhaps the biggest threat facing Evgenia, Anna Pogorilaya has recently had an immense breakthrough in her career. Beginning with her 2016 World Bronze Medal, she’s performed like a skater reborn - a far cry from the days when she used to suffer from nerves and disastrous falls. In the past, Anna was often only a second thought in the deep field of Russian ladies; she had great potential (placing 4th at her first appearance at the 2014 World Championships) but was never able to fully capitalize on it to win medals at major championships. She has since turned that image around, and is now one of the top contenders in not only her native Russia, but also the world. It would not be superlative to say that Anna has been skating like a superstar, as her confidence and newfound polish on the ice have earned the praise of many fans and judges alike. Combined with her quality jumps, which are big when she lands them (and she has been landing them), Anna’s momentum continues to rise. She walked away easily with the gold medal at both of her Grand Prix events this season. As the second place qualifier at the Grand Prix Final, Anna is a favorite for the medals stand if she continues the stellar skates that have won her her new collection of titles. However, in this packed field, it will be absolutely necessary to continue the consistent performances that she’s now known for. Anna has a good shot at the podium, but her chances at the title will ultimately depend on how others - namely, Evgenia Medvedeva - perform.
When Anna has free time, she likes walking in the woods with her family. Anna also has an older brother, as well as a dog and a cat. She loves cats, and often posts videos of her cat on social media. Anna is also known for her fun and quirky exhibition numbers, which have included selections from the musical Cats, the movie The Fifth Element, and the 2014 Eurovision Song Contest winner “Rise Like a Phoenix”.
ELENA RADIONOVA
Representing: Russia
Age: 17
ISU Personal bests: SP 71.93, FS 139.53, total 211.32
ISU Season’s best: 205.90
Notable titles: 2015 World Bronze Medalist, 2-time European Silver Medalist, 2-time Grand Prix Final Medalist, 2015 Russian National Champion, 2-time Junior World Champion
Programs: SP - Porgy and Bess; FS - Turandot
Although all the Russian ladies can be characterized as fighters, none of them can hold that descriptor as viscerally as Elena Radionova. Throughout her senior career, Elena has picked up a variety of medals from all major ISU competitions, attesting to her consistency as well as her ability. She is known for her pure love of skating, which often shines through during her performances. However, last season saw Elena struggle with puberty as she grew several inches taller intermittently throughout the year, deeply affecting the quality of her jumps as well as her posture. Despite such hardships plaguing her, Elena gave gutsy and gritty performances to maintain her spot as a top contender in the ladies’ field, winning a bronze medal at the 2015 Grand Prix Final and a silver medal at the 2016 European Championships. The immense drive to land her jumps in the face of obstacles has persisted into this season, where Elena’s perseverance and tenacity was rewarded with a silver medal at the 2016 Rostelecom Cup and a gold medal at the 2016 Cup of China. As the third qualifier for the Grand Prix Final, Elena could repeat her placement on the podium, but will need to avoid both shaky landings on her jumps (which marred her performances at the 2016 Rostelecom Cup) and the lukewarm performances which condemned her to 6th place at the 2016 World Championships. However, Elena is a true fighter at heart, and one can never count her out for the medals.
Elena loves fashion, and designed her own free skate costume this season. She is known for her sweet personality off the ice, as she is friends with almost all her fellow Russian skaters. Elena is best friends with Julia Lipnitskaya, and recently had a new exhibition choreographed for her by fellow skater Misha Ge. She has had the same coach since childhood, Inna Goncharenko.
KAETLYN OSMOND
Representing: Canada
Age: 20
ISU Personal bests: SP 74.33, FS 132.12, total 206.45
ISU Season’s best: 206.45
Notable titles: 2-time Canadian National Champion, 2016 Skate Canada Silver Medalist, 2016 Cup of China Silver Medalist
Programs: SP - Sous le ciel de Paris/Milord; FS - La Boheme
Bursting onto the international scene with a surprise win at 2012 Skate Canada, Kaetlyn Osmond was hailed by some fans as the new face of Canadian ladies’ skating, but inconsistency and a string of injuries in the following seasons saw her more or less drop off the map. So it should come as no surprise that no one expected her to perform as well as she did on the Grand Prix this season - she gave personal-best performances at 2016 Skate Canada, breaking the 200-point barrier for the first time in her career, and won silver at both Skate Canada and Cup of China to qualify for her first Grand Prix Final. Kaetlyn is a solid skater with good speed and big jumps, but the biggest hurdle for her to overcome at the GPF will be her inconsistency. Having never participated in the GPF before, it is difficult to predict how she will perform here. Her strength is her short program, where she has set astonishingly high scores so far this season, but in order to have a chance at the Grand Prix Final podium, she will need to deliver a clean free skate as well.
Kaetlyn is from Newfoundland and is a local hero in her hometown, where a skating rink and street are named after her.
MARIA SOTSKOVA
Representing: Russia
Age: 16
ISU Personal bests: SP 69.96, FS 131.64, total 200.35
ISU Season’s best: 200.35
Notable titles: 2016 Junior World Silver Medalist, 2015 Junior Grand Prix Final Silver Medalist, 2016 Youth Olympic Silver Medalist, 2013 Junior Grand Prix Final Champion, 3-time Russian Junior National Silver Medalist
Programs: SP - Butterflies Are Free; FS - Adagio (Schnittke)
Another newcomer to the Grand Prix Final, Maria Sotskova made her senior Grand Prix debut this season, proving once more that Russia truly has the deepest ladies’ field in the world when she qualified for the Grand Prix Final as the fourth Russian lady. Successful on the junior level last season, Maria has continued her consistent performances as a senior, winning a silver medal at Trophee de France and a bronze medal at NHK Trophy. Although she will be at a disadvantage in Program Component Scores against older, more seasoned competitors, she has the technical firepower to be a contender - as long as she can avoid the underrotation calls on her jumps that have sometimes taken a bite out of her scores. If all the other ladies in the GPF field perform well, Maria is unlikely to win a medal, but the competition will nevertheless be a good experience for her heading into the rest of the season.
SATOKO MIYAHARA
Representing: Japan
Age: 18
ISU Personal bests: SP 72.48, FS 142.43, total 214.91
ISU Season’s best: 206.75
Notable titles: 2015 World Silver Medalist, 2016 Four Continents Champion, 2015 Grand Prix Final Silver Medalist, 2-time Japanese National Champion
Programs: SP - Musetta’s Waltz (from La Boheme); FS - The Planets/Star Wars
Japan’s top ladies’ skater and the reigning Grand Prix Final Silver Medalist, Satoko Miyahara will be in Marseille this year for her second Grand Prix Final, continuing an unbroken 16-year streak of Japanese ladies in the GPF. After winning an unexpected silver medal at the 2015 World Championships, Satoko produced a string of flawless performances last season, winning medals at all major competitions except Worlds and establishing herself as a force to be reckoned with in the ladies’ field. Along with Evgenia Medvedeva, Satoko is commonly recognized as one of the most consistent skaters in the world - clean performances are more common for her than mistakes. However, she has often struggled with underrotation calls on her jumps in the past, and the technical panel reared its head again at her Grand Prix events this season, where several underrotations - as well as a shocking fall in her NHK Trophy short program - prevented her scores from approaching her personal best. Although her jumps are smaller than many other skaters’ and usually receive lower Grades of Execution, Satoko is an excellent spinner (with the rare ability to spin in both directions) and has a delicate, subtle musicality that is captivating to watch. She is also challenging herself this season with an expansive, cosmic theme in her free skate to “The Planets”. If Satoko can avoid the dreaded underrotations at the Grand Prix Final and give the pristine performances that she’s known for, she has a good chance of standing on the podium once again. However, it will be crucial for her to fully rotate her jumps.
Satoko shares a coaching team with Junior Grand Prix Finalists Marin Honda and Rika Kihira. She can speak English, having lived in Texas when she was a child; it was also where she first learned to skate. (Part of the reason why she has smaller jumps is because she originally learned to jump clockwise, but had to relearn to jump in a counterclockwise direction when she moved back to Japan.) She is quiet and shy off-ice, but friendly with her fellow Japanese skaters. Fans often call her “Tiny Queen”, as she is one of the shortest ladies in the field, standing at only 150 cm (4’11”).
PAIRS
Pairs is a discipline that mixes the exciting athleticism of high-flying throws and lifts with the chemistry and relationships between partners, and the field at the Grand Prix Final will feature plenty of both. However, it would be remiss not to mention the somewhat depleted field so far this season - several top teams, including 2016 World Silver Medalists Wenjing Sui/Cong Han of China and 2014 Olympic Silver Medalists Ksenia Stolbova/Fedor Klimov of Russia, have dropped out of the 2016 Grand Prix series due to injury or other reasons. 2016 World Bronze Medalists Aliona Savchenko/Bruno Massot of Germany qualified for the Grand Prix Final, but an injury that Aliona sustained in competition at Trophee de France forced the team to withdraw a few days ago. As such, the only top 4 team from last season’s World Championships who will participate in this season’s GPF are the two-time and reigning World Champions, Meagan Duhamel/Eric Radford of Canada. Duhamel/Radford enter the Final as the clear favorites, and should be able to win as long as they avoid major mistakes. However, the absence of many top teams has given several other talented teams the opportunity to compete in Marseille, and the battle for silver and bronze is wide open. Aiming for the podium will be Russia’s Evgenia Tarasova/Vladimir Morozov, who were 5th at Worlds last season, Duhamel/Radford’s young Canadian teammates Julianne Seguin/Charlie Bilodeau, and two new Chinese teams with a complicated history - Xiaoyu Yu/Hao Zhang, and Cheng Peng/Yang Jin.
MEAGAN DUHAMEL / ERIC RADFORD
Representing: Canada
Ages: 30/31
ISU Personal bests: SP 78.39, FS 153.81, total 231.99
ISU Season’s best: 218.30
Notable titles: 2016 & 2015 World Champions, 2014 Grand Prix Final Champions, 2-time Four Continents Champions, 5-time Canadian National Champions
Programs: SP - Killer; FS - Non, je ne regrette rien
One of the teams at the technical forefront of pairs skating, Duhamel/Radford currently attempt some of the hardest layouts in the field. They are one of the few teams to do side-by-side triple lutzes in competition, and can consistently land a throw quadruple salchow. This season, they added the throw triple axel to their short program, although this move has introduced more risk - as NHK Trophy showed, they are beatable if they make mistakes. Nevertheless, Duhamel/Radford won both of their Grand Prix events this season and enter the Final as the top qualifiers and the heavy favorites. Their high base values and status as reigning World Champions give them a cushion even if they make some mistakes, but with other strong teams in the Grand Prix Final, they must still put forth a solid effort in order to win their second GPF title.
Meagan is an enthusiastic vegan, and Eric is a trained pianist and musician. He composed fellow Canadian skater Patrick Chan’s free program music for this season, titled “A Journey”.
XIAOYU YU / HAO ZHANG
Representing: China
Age: 20/32
ISU Personal bests: SP 72.49, FS 132.65, total 203.76
ISU Season’s best: 203.76
Notable titles: 2016 Cup of China Champions, 2016 Skate Canada Silver Medalists
Programs: SP - Eternal Flame, FS - Cavatina, Larghetto amoroso
Though they have proven themselves to be a highly proficient technical team in the short span of their partnership, the formation of Yu/Zhang - and Peng/Jin - is a murky affair clouded with controversy. Xiaoyu Yu formerly skated with Yang Jin, with whom she was the 2016 Four Continents Bronze Medalist and 2-time Junior World Champion. Hao Zhang previously skated with Cheng Peng, with whom he was the 2015 Four Continents Silver Medalist. The head coach of the Chinese national team, Hongbo Zhao, decided that the previous teams were not successful enough and forcibly broke up Yu/Jin’s longstanding partnership, partnering Xiaoyu with Hao Zhang despite her protests. Yu/Zhang premiered together as a team at 2016 Skate Canada, where they won the silver medal, and later won the gold medal at Cup of China, qualifying them for their first Grand Prix Final (although both skaters have participated in the GPF before with different partners). Yu/Zhang’s base values are relatively low compared to the likes of Duhamel/Radford, but as is typical of most Chinese pair teams, they have quality elements capable of earning large Grades of Execution. But despite their proficiency with technical elements, the tense history of this team’s formation (as well as their large age difference) seems to have prevented them from forming any emotional chemistry at all. Yu/Zhang have a shot at winning a medal at the Grand Prix Final, but side-by-side jumps are sometimes an issue for them, and they will need to be clean in order to stand on the podium.
Xiaoyu is loved by fans for her elegance, beautiful lines, and subtle musicality. She enjoys watching anime and is conversationally fluent in Japanese. She is friendly with Canadian pair skaters Lubov Iliushechkina and Dylan Moscovitch.
CHENG PENG / YANG JIN
Representing: China
Ages: 19/22
ISU Personal bests: SP 73.33, FS 128.03, total 197.96
ISU Season’s best: 197.96
Notable titles: 2016 Cup of China Silver Medalists, 2016 NHK Trophy Silver Medalists
Programs: SP - My Drag; FS - I Will Wait For You (from The Umbrellas of Cherbourg)
The oft-neglected half of the controversial Chinese pair partner swap, Peng/Jin have made the best of an unfortunate situation and proven themselves to be a strong team in their own right. Closer to each other in age and sharing a warmer relationship than Yu/Zhang, Peng/Jin have gelled technically as well as artistically, and have already begun to form their own identity as a team with their fun “My Drag” short program. They gave two strong performances to win the silver medal at Cup of China, their international competitive debut. A week later at NHK Trophy, they skated a perfect short program to set a new personal best in that segment, beating Duhamel/Radford in the process. However, Cheng’s long-time nemesis, side-by-side jumps, came back to plague her in the free skate, and the team finished second overall. Both skaters have qualified for the Grand Prix Final before with previous partners, but this year will be their debut with each other, and they have a chance to stand on the podium if they can produce clean programs. With excellent twists and throws, their biggest weakness is Cheng’s side-by-side jumps, and it will be absolutely vital for her to land them in order to win a medal.
Cheng and Yang share a friendly and close relationship, often teasing each other off-ice. Rumor has it that Yang cooked for Cheng to comfort her after the messy split.
EVGENIA TARASOVA / VLADIMIR MOROZOV
Representing: Russia
Ages: 21/24
ISU Personal bests: SP 76.24, FS 134.27, total 206.94
ISU Season’s best: 206.94
Notable titles: 2-time European Bronze Medalists, 2-time Russian National Medalists, 2014 Junior World Silver Medalists
Programs: SP - GLAM; FS - Music (by John Miles)
Despite their youth, Tarasova/Morozov have proven themselves to be one of Russia’s top pair teams, placing on the national podium twice and winning two bronze medals at the European Championships. Entering Skate America this season as one of the favorites, Tarasova/Morozov skated an excellent short program, only to fall apart in the free skate after a scary fall on a quad twist attempt. They ended up with bronze at Skate America, but gave two solid performances at Trophee de France a few weeks later, earning a silver medal and a place in the Grand Prix Final for the first time in their career. Tarasova/Morozov are known for their quality technical elements, especially their triple twists and throws, although they still have room to improve as performers. Clean programs at the Final will likely place them on the podium, but their biggest obstacle at previous competitions has been inconsistency, and they will need to be on top of their game in order to win a medal.
Tarasova/Morozov are coached by Nina Mozer and Robin Szolkowy, Aliona Savchenko’s previous (and most well-known) partner.
JULIANNE SEGUIN / CHARLIE BILODEAU
Representing: Canada
Ages: 19/23
ISU Personal bests: SP 71.40, FS 136.90, total 208.30
ISU Season’s best: 208.30
Notable titles: 2015 Junior World Silver Medalists, 2-time Canadian National Medalists, 2016 Skate America Champions
Programs: SP - Monde Inverse; FS - Cinema Paradiso
Silver medalists at Junior Worlds in 2015, Seguin/Bilodeau are a charming young team who have rapidly risen in the ranks of Canadian pairs. At their senior Grand Prix Final debut last season, they finished an impressive 4th, but were forced to miss the second half of the season due to Julianne’s injury. They made a strong comeback at Skate America this season, winning their first Grand Prix title, but uncharacteristic mistakes at Rostelecom Cup left them in 5th place. Normally a consistent team, Seguin/Bilodeau have struggled with the new side-by-side triple loop jumps that they added to their short program. They took the loop out of their short program and returned to last season’s popular “Monde Inverse” at a recent domestic competition in Canada. Seguin/Bilodeau are capable of standing on the GPF podium this year if they can deliver clean programs, but they must be sure to avoid the mistakes that tanked them at Rostelecom Cup.
Seguin/Bilodeau are also known for their fun exhibitions. Julianne used to compete as a singles skater while also competing in pairs.
NATALIA ZABIIAKO / ALEXANDER ENBERT
Representing: Russia
Age: 22/27
ISU Personal bests: SP 71.36, FS 128.58, total 197.77
ISU Season’s best: 197.77
Notable titles: 2016 Rostelecom Cup Silver Medalists
Programs: SP - Snowstorm; FS - Cry Me a River
Replacing Savchenko/Massot after their withdrawal, Zabiiako/Enbert will be making their debut at the Grand Prix Final this season. Both skaters have previously competed with several other partners, with limited results. Their silver medal at Rostelecom Cup this season was the first time either one of them medaled on the Grand Prix. A solid technical team when they’re on, Zabiiako/Enbert are unlikely to medal at the Grand Prix Final given good performances from other teams, but can take this competition as added experience as they look ahead to Russian Nationals. Good performances here can help cement their status as one of Russia’s top pair teams.