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Blog

2016 Junior Worlds: Singles Preview

SYWTW FS

In a little more than a week, the top junior skaters in the world will arrive in Debrecen, Hungary to fight for the Junior World title! Let’s take a look at some of the (singles) competitors.

Full entries

A few notes about the competition itself:

  • The required solo jump in the singles short program this season is the double or triple flip. Junior men are not allowed to do quads in the SP, and junior ladies are not allowed to do 3As.

  • Some skaters who are age-eligible for both senior and junior competitions will participate in competitions at both levels during the same season. They must adjust the elements and length of their programs depending on which level they’re competing at.

  • Like Euros and senior Worlds, skaters’ placements at this season’s Junior Worlds determine how many entries their country gets at next season’s Junior Worlds.

  • Skaters’ placements at Junior Worlds also determine how many JGP spots their country gets the following season. See here for more information (pg. 3-4).

  • Like other ISU Championships, Junior Worlds gives out “small medals” to the top 3 skaters in each SP and FS segment.

THE MEN

With the withdrawal of reigning JGPF champion Nathan Chen (USA) due to injury, the battle for the men’s Junior World title has been blown wide open. There are several talented young men who could snatch a place on the podium and the gold medal itself, but none of them are as consistent as Nathan was and it’s very difficult to predict what will happen. Many of the following skaters could either win the competition or place off the podium.

SOTA YAMAMOTO (JPN) (withdrew 3/12)

  • Age: 16

  • ISU Personal best: 232.42 (2015 JGP Poland)

  • Season’s scores: 203.68 (JGP USA), 232.42 (JGP Poland), 213.40 (Jr Nationals), 205.31 (JGPF), 215.15 (Sr Nationals), 215.52 (Youth Olympics)

  • Programs: SP Poeta | FS Piano Concerto No.1 (Tchaikovsky)

Sota is the 2015 Junior World bronze medalist, 2015 JGPF bronze medalist, and 2016 Youth Olympic champion. On paper, he’s the most decorated skater in this field and has the highest season’s best achieved at a junior competition. In reality, he’s had major problems with his 3A and 4T this season, either falling on or popping them at several of his competitions. Sota is a strong basic skater with good skating skills, excellent spins and otherwise solid triple jumps, but in order to make a bid for the Junior World title, he really needs to nail his 3As and 4Ts. Sota has attempted many different free skate layouts with various numbers of 4Ts and 3As, and it remains to be seen which layout he decides to go with at Junior Worlds. He’s capable of very high scores when he’s clean - but then again, so are other skaters in this field. A Junior World title or another medal will boost his reputation when he turns senior next season, but too many mistakes could leave him off the Junior World podium altogether.

DMITRI ALIEV (RUS)

  • Age: 16

  • ISU Personal best: 226.72 (2015 Tallinn Trophy)

  • Season’s scores: 209.92 (JGP Latvia), 225.94 (JGP Austria), 217.86 (Cup of Nice - senior), 226.72 (Tallinn Trophy - senior), 211.22 (JGPF), 237.47 (Sr Nationals), 237.76 (Jr Nationals), 209.77 (Youth Olympics)

  • Programs: SP Nothing’s the Same | FS Notre Dame de Paris

Dmitri is the current JGPF silver medalist and Youth Olympic bronze medalist. This year will be his first trip to Junior Worlds, and he is definitely capable of a podium finish or of winning the title. He has high technical content, including two 4Ts in his free skate, and has been more or less solid at most of his competitions this season. However, he is not immune to mistakes, as his recent performances at the Youth Olympics show. He’ll have to make sure to avoid popping his jumps if he wants a spot on the Junior World podium.

DENISS VASILJEVS (LAT)

  • Age: 16

  • ISU Personal best: 214.43 (2016 Youth Olympics)

  • Season’s scores: 204.60 (JGP Latvia), 207.83 (JGP Poland), 205.13 (Mordovian Ornament - senior), 208.53 (Tallinn Trophy - senior), 204.24 (Euros - senior), 214.43 (Youth Olympics)

  • Programs: SP Puttin’ on the Ritz | FS Adagio for Tron

Deniss is the 2016 Youth Olympic silver medalist and quite literally the best male skater Latvia has ever produced. Deniss’s strengths lie in his spins, skating skills, and performance ability - he gives off an infectious energy when he skates and is great at engaging the audience. He doesn’t include any quads in his programs and the 3A is still new and rather inconsistent for him this season, which puts him at a technical disadvantage compared to some of the other skaters in this field. However, it’s likely that he will get some of the highest, if not the highest, PCS in the field, which gives him a fighting chance at the podium as long as he lands most of his jumps and other skaters make mistakes. Deniss placed 7th at Junior Worlds last season and will be looking for a higher placement this time around.

DANIEL SAMOHIN (ISR)

  • Age: 17

  • ISU Personal best: 235.14 (2015 Mordovian Ornament)

  • Season’s scores: 207.17 (JGP USA), 227.19 (JGP Spain), 223.67 (US Classic - senior), 235.14 (Mordovian Ornament - senior), 184.68 (JGPF), 232.08 (Euros - senior)

  • Programs: SP Still Loving You | FS Sherlock Holmes

Like Deniss, Daniel represents a country without a strong background in men’s figure skating, but he’s been quite successful this season, winning the US Skating Classic, qualifying for the JGPF, and placing 7th at Euros. Daniel is the only skater in this field who will attempt two different types of quads and three quads total in his free skate, and clean programs from him can score very high based on the strength of his technical content. However, high-risk programs have the potential to backfire, as his meltdown at the JGPF shows. Daniel is weaker in skating skills and spins than some other skaters in the Junior World field, but he is an engaging performer and has more than enough tech content to make it onto the Junior World podium - as long as he lands his jumps.

VINCENT ZHOU (USA)

  • Age: 15

  • ISU Personal best: 211.96 (2015 JGP Austria)

  • Season’s scores: 200.85 (JGP Slovakia), 211.96 (JGP Austria), 204.56 (JGPF), 217.23 (Nationals - senior)

  • Programs: SP Crystallize | FS The Godfather

Vincent’s promising novice career was waylaid by injury and surgery, and it wasn’t until this season that he debuted internationally as a junior. And it’s been quite a successful debut for him - two silvers on the JGP qualified him for the JGPF, where he placed 4th, and he finished 8th at his first US Nationals on the senior level. Vincent added both the 3A and 4S to his programs only this season; they are not completely consistent yet, but if he can land them and capitalize on other skaters’ mistakes, a medal at his first Junior Worlds is within reach.

NICOLAS NADEAU (CAN)

  • Age: 18

  • ISU Personal best: 223.46 (2015 JGP Croatia)

  • Season’s scores: 184.96 (JGP Latvia), 223.46 (JGP Croatia), 226.56 (Nationals - senior)

  • Programs: SP For Me, Formidable | FS Mary Poppins

One of the older skaters in this field, Nicolas didn’t achieve success on the international junior scene until this season. His first JGP of the season was a complete disaster, but he rebounded with nearly-clean performances and a silver medal at his second JGP, and later placed 5th at Canadian Nationals on the senior level. At his best, he’s capable of medaling at or even winning Junior Worlds, but it’s difficult to tell how he’ll do at his Junior Worlds debut.

ALEXANDER SAMARIN (RUS)

  • Age: 17

  • ISU Personal best: 225.27 (2015 Warsaw Cup)

  • Season’s scores: 186.25 (JGP Slovakia), 223.84 (JGP Croatia), 222.45 (Mordovian Ornament - senior), 225.27 (Warsaw Cup - senior), 230.77 (Sr Nationals), 223.50 (Jr Nationals)

  • Programs: SP C'est toi | FS Pearl Harbor

After getting his season off to a messy start at JGP Slovakia, Alexander came back to win his first JGP in Croatia with personal best scores, which he then topped en route to winning the Warsaw Cup as a senior. He placed 8th at Russian Nationals and 2nd at Junior Nationals behind Dmitri Aliev with more or less solid performances and is capable of medaling at Junior Worlds if he’s clean.

JUN HWAN CHA (KOR)

  • Age: 14

  • ISU Personal best: 198.90 (2016 Youth Olympics)

  • Season’s scores: 198.44 (SC Autumn Classic), 189.98 (Nationals - senior), 198.90 (Youth Olympics)

  • Programs: SP Danse macabre | FS Swan Lake

Jun Hwan is South Korea’s up-and-coming skater in men’s singles and will be competing at his first Junior Worlds this year. Although illness during a qualifying competition meant that he wasn’t assigned any JGP events this season, he later proved his potential by winning the gold medal at the Skate Canada Autumn Classic in the junior division and recently placed 5th at the Youth Olympic Games. Jun Hwan’s main goals will be to land his 3As, a new jump for him this season, and to get full rotation on his 3-3 combinations. He is unlikely to medal at Junior Worlds unless a bunch of other skaters bomb (but hey, that’s never impossible), but he has a good chance of making the top 10.

TOMOKI HIWATASHI (USA)

Tomoki had a solid JGP debut, winning a bronze medal at JGP Croatia and later a gold medal at US Nationals on the junior level. He got his chance at Junior Worlds as a substitute after Nathan Chen’s withdrawal. Tomoki’s 3A is still new and inconsistent and he will likely not be a medal contender at Junior Worlds, but he has top 10 potential as long as he lands most of his jumps.

HE ZHANG (CHN)

He Zhang is one of the oldest skaters in this field and a veteran at Junior Worlds; he first competed at this competition in 2012. Like so many other junior men, He is plagued by 3A issues, which have held him down for most of his junior career. This season he got choreography from David Wilson, including a charming “Singing in the Rain” SP which show off his SS and strong basic skating, and he has tried to incorporate the 4S into his free skate with on-and-off success. His placement at Junior Worlds will likely hinge on whether he can land his 3As and 4S; since this will be his last junior season, he will no doubt want to end it on a good note by improving on his 13th-place finish from last year.

THE LADIES

Russia continues to dominate in junior ladies this season with Polina Tsurskaya at the helm. Polina is the favorite to win this competition - she will run away with the title if she’s clean - but the rest of the podium is slightly less predictable, and the immense depth of the field at Junior Worlds could mean quite an interesting competition if all of the ladies skate well.

POLINA TSURSKAYA (RUS)

  • Age: 14

  • ISU Personal best: 195.28 (2015 JGPF)

  • Season’s scores: 189.50 (JGP Slovakia), 187.85 (JGP Poland), 195.28 (JGPF), 205.46 (Sr Nationals), 210.04 (Jr Nationals), 186.04 (Youth Olympics)

  • Programs: SP Adagio in G minor | FS Chess

Russia seems to produce a new female star every season, and Polina is only the latest in a long line of technically skilled and consistent Russian ladies. In her first junior season, she has won every junior competition she entered so far, including both of her JGPs, the JGPF, Russian Junior Nationals, and the Youth Olympics. Her greatest strengths are her strong, high jumps and her consistency, though she did make unexpected mistakes in the short program at the Youth Olympics. If she continues to skate as she has all season, she has a very high chance of winning the Junior World title and of continuing the Russian ladies’ 5-year winning streak at the Junior World Championships.

MARIA SOTSKOVA (RUS)

  • Age: 15

  • ISU Personal best: 186.30 (2015 Tallinn Trophy)

  • Season’s scores: 184.45 (JGP Latvia), 185.44 (JGP Austria), 186.30 (Tallinn Trophy - senior), 184.01 (JGPF), 201.32 (Sr Nationals), 191.81 (Jr Nationals), 169.50 (Youth Olympics)

  • Programs: SP Black Magic Woman | FS Romeo & Juliet (Prokofiev)

Maria is practically a veteran in this field, having spent 3 seasons in juniors. She was the 2013 JGPF champion, but last season she struggled with injuries and growth spurts and did not medal at 2015 Junior Worlds. This season her performances have been much more stable; she won both of her JGPs and took silver at the JGPF behind Polina Tsurskaya. Surprisingly, she made several errors at the Youth Olympics and although she still won the silver medal at that competition, it was with her season’s lowest score. Maria has a good chance of making the Junior World podium if she’s clean, but she is still vulnerable to mistakes and with so many other strong skaters in this field, her spot on the podium is not guaranteed.

WAKABA HIGUCHI (JPN)

  • Age: 15

  • ISU Personal best: 185.57 (2015 Jr Worlds)

  • Season’s scores: 156.79 (JGP Austria), 175.06 (JGP Croatia), 189.23 (Jr Nationals), 195.35 (Sr Nationals)

  • Programs: SP Mambo Medley | FS The Mask of Zorro

Wakaba is the reigning Junior World bronze medalist, but this season has not been easy for her. An injury affected her performances on the JGP and she failed to qualify for the JGPF; however, she rebounded at Junior Nationals with her second win in a row and also won the silver medal at the senior Japanese Nationals. Wakaba has great speed and powerful, explosive jumps when she’s on. This season she’s attempted ambitious jump layouts, including backloaded jumps in her short program and two 3-3 combos in her free skate, but the consistency isn’t quite there yet. If she’s clean she could likely make the podium again at Junior Worlds and even give Polina a run for her money in the TES department, but if she makes too many mistakes she might not medal at Junior Worlds at all.

ALISA FEDICHKINA (RUS)

  • Age: 14

  • ISU Personal best: 186.38 (2015 JGP Spain)

  • Season’s scores: 167.59 (JGP Latvia), 186.38 (JGP Spain), 184.63 (Cup of Nice - junior), 175.29 (Tallinn Trophy - junior), 178.11 (JGPF), 177.47 (Sr Nationals), 187.44 (Jr Nationals)

  • Programs: SP Valse sentimentale | FS Cats

Alisa has had a fairly successful junior international debut, qualifying for and finishing 4th at the JGPF and placing third at Russian Junior Nationals behind Polina Tsurskaya and Maria Sotskova. She has the technical content to compete with the best junior ladies and has a shot at the Junior World podium if she skates well, but she might also make mistakes and finish lower in this cutthroat field.

YUNA SHIRAIWA (JPN)

  • Age: 14

  • ISU Personal best: 186.80 (2015 JGP Spain)

  • Season’s scores: 164.50 (JGP USA), 186.80 (JGP Spain), 184.16 (Jr Nationals), 173.82 (JGPF), 186.33 (Sr Nationals), 166.66 (Youth Olympics)

  • Programs: SP Over the Rainbow | FS A Little Night Music

Yuna burst onto the junior scene by unexpectedly winning both of her JGP events, later adding a silver medal at Japanese Junior Nationals and a 5th-place finish at senior Japanese Nationals to her resume. However, she had disappointing performances at her biggest international events this season, the JGPF and the Youth Olympics, finishing 5th and 4th respectively. She will no doubt want a successful Junior Worlds debut, and at her best she’s capable of snatching a place on the podium.

ELIZABET TURSYNBAEVA (KAZ)

  • Age: 16

  • ISU Personal best: 178.56 (2015 Skate America)

  • Season’s scores: 177.91 (US Classic - senior), 179.72 (SC Autumn Classic - senior), 178.56 (Skate America - senior), 165.16 (Skate Canada - senior), 174.87 (Tallinn Trophy - senior), 176.33 (Golden Spin - senior), 167.88 (Youth Olympics)

  • Programs: SP I Got Rhythm | FS Papa, Can You Hear Me?

Fourth at Junior Worlds last season, Elizabet spent most of this season as a senior skater, placing 4th and 7th at her senior Grand Prix events and winning several medals on the Challenger Series. She returned to the junior ranks at the Youth Olympics, where she finished in third place, and will be headed to the senior World Championships after competing at Junior Worlds. Elizabet is usually a consistent skater and has a decent shot at the Junior World podium if she skates well and a couple of other skaters make mistakes. Look for her to place pretty high at Junior Worlds even if she doesn’t win a medal.

MARIN HONDA (JPN)

Marin is another promising young skater who debuted as a junior this season. She won silver and gold medals on the JGP, qualifying for the JGPF, where she finished in third place. However, she finished 6th at Junior Nationals and 9th at senior Japanese Nationals. Although Marin is a well-rounded skater and a good performer for her age, her biggest weakness is inconsistency, and she is as likely to medal at Junior Worlds as she is to place 10th. It’s difficult to predict how she’ll do at Junior Worlds, but for what it’s worth, she’s done better at international competitions than domestic ones so far this season, and it’s quite possible for her to achieve a high placement at her first Junior Worlds.

TYLER PIERCE (USA)

  • Age: 17

  • ISU Personal best: 171.72 (2015 Tallinn Trophy)

  • Season’s scores: 158.27 (SC Autumn Classic - senior), 162.69 (Ice Challenge - senior), 171.72 (Tallinn Trophy - senior), 188.50 (Nationals - senior), 164.62 (Bavarian Open - junior)

  • Programs: SP Voices from the Forest | FS Danse macabre

Tyler spent a few seasons in juniors with minimal international success, but seemed to be finding her feet this season as a senior skater and finally had a breakthrough performance at senior US Nationals, placing 5th overall. After spending most of her season as a senior, she’ll return to Junior Worlds this year for the third time and will be looking to improve on her 19th-place finish from last season. If Tyler skates well she has a good chance of making the top 10 and could even place higher if other skaters make mistakes.

ANGELINA KUCHVALSKA (LAT)

  • Age: 17

  • ISU Personal best: 176.99 (2016 Euros)

  • Season’s scores: 150.38 (Ondrej Nepela Trophy - senior), 163.26 (Denkova-Staviski Cup - senior), 136.83 (Volvo Open Cup - senior), 156.12 (Tallinn Trophy - senior), 152.43 (Torun Cup - senior), 176.99 (Euros - senior)

  • Programs: SP Tosca | FS El Tango de Roxanne/Romeo & Juliet

Another skater who spent most the season in the senior ranks, Angelina will also return to Junior Worlds for the third time following a personal-best score and 4th place at the European Championships. She struggles with consistency but if she can perform as well as she did at Euros, she should be set for a top-10 finish at Junior Worlds.

DIANA NIKITINA (LAT)

  • Age: 15

  • ISU Personal best: 165.60 (2016 Youth Olympics)

  • Season’s scores: 130.50 (JGP Latvia), 146.65 (JGP Poland), 170.28 (Volvo Open Cup - junior), 168.95 (Tallinn Trophy - junior), 136.37 (Torun Cup - junior), 165.60 (Youth Olympics)

  • Programs: SP Les feuilles mortes | FS The Piano

Latvian skating is starting to see a lot of development lately with top-10 Junior Worlds contenders in both singles disciplines, and Diana is one of the skaters in the mix. Although she had disappointing performances on the JGP, she did much better at some of her B competitions and placed a respectable 5th at the Youth Olympics with ISU personal best scores. She placed 10th at Junior Worlds last season and will be looking to repeat or improve upon that placement this year.

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tags jr worlds, jr worlds 2016, events, season: 2015 2016, men, isu championships, women