2016 Rostelecom Cup: Ladies & Pairs Preview
SYWTW FS
Welcome to the second part of our Rostelecom Cup preview, covering the exciting ladies’ and pairs’ fields!
LADIES
Skating on home turf, the spotlight will be on the three top Russian ladies who are kicking off their Grand Prix seasons at Rostelecom Cup: Anna Pogorilaya, fresh off stellar performances at the 2016 World Championships which won her the bronze medal, is looking to reinforce her position as a top contender with a win at this competition. Elena Radionova, known for consistent top placements at major competitions in the past but struggling recently with growth spurts and illness, will be out to defend her title and her position as younger skaters continue to come up behind her. Julia Lipnitskaia, who pulled out of Skate America two weeks ago, citing an old injury, is looking to rise up after disappointing showings in the past two seasons have seen her fall far from top form. Dark horses, too, can challenge for a podium finish - Courtney Hicks of the United States, who surprised for a silver at 2015 NHK Trophy, is in the mix, as well as Elizabet Tursynbaeva of Kazakhstan, who could potentially challenge the top ladies if she is at her best.
ANNA POGORILAYA
Representing: Russia
Age: 18
ISU personal bests: SP 73.98, FS 141.81, total 214.07
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
Anna was the perennial bridesmaid of the Russian ladies until her breakout 2016 World Bronze Medal performances vaulted her to the position of a top contender. In the past, Anna’s inconsistency and spectacular falls sometimes led to disastrous performances despite the potential that saw her finish fourth at her first World Championships in 2014. Last season was also full of ups and downs for Anna, as a devastating showing at NHK Trophy landed her in 9th place. She rallied back at the 2015 Russian Nationals to take third, but another shaky showing at the 2016 European Championships placed her World spot in jeopardy. However, at the 2016 World Championships, Anna proved her naysayers wrong by putting together two stunning performances, winning her a bronze medal. Anna is known for her expressive and dynamic style, her strong charisma, her speed, and her big jumps. Starting her season with a strong free skate at 2016 Japan Open and a bronze medal at the 2016 Finlandia Trophy, Anna showed newfound confidence in her skating. Rostelecom Cup will be her first Grand Prix event of the season, and with two other Russian ladies in the mix, Anna will be hoping to continue her upwards momentum with consistent skates to clinch the title.
Anna loves cats, and is known among skating fans for her fun and innovative exhibition programs. She is close friends with all fellow Russian ladies skaters.
ELENA RADIONOVA
Representing: Russia
Age: 17
ISU personal bests: SP 71.79, FS 139.53, total 211.32
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
Elena made her mark on the world of figure skating when she won almost everything possible for a junior during the 2012-13 season, including the 2013 World Junior title. In her senior Grand Prix debut the following season, Elena charmed audiences with her fresh and joyous skating, and repeated her World Junior title with record scores at the junior level. Her 2014-15 season was just as strong, if not better, and Elena picked up medals at every competition she participated in - most notably, silver at the 2014 Grand Prix Final, gold at the 2015 Russian Nationals, and bronze at the 2015 World Championships. Last season, however, Elena struggled with puberty and grew several inches taller, which affected her jumps; her programs were also unpopular with some fans for their unconventional choice of music and were lacking in choreography. Despite her hardships, Elena gave gutsy performances at the 2015 Rostelecom Cup to win the title, as well as a bronze medal at the 2015 Grand Prix Final. She narrowly missed out on the 2015 European title, placing second, and a lukewarm showing at the 2016 World Championships amidst stellar skating from others left her in 6th place. Elena, commonly called “Lena” among fans, is known for her exuberance and pure love of skating which shine through in her performances (despite issues with her posture and lines). Elena debuted her new short program at the Russian test skates during the off season, but had a rough outing due to illness. But she’s a fighter, and one can never count Elena out. To repeat her Rostelecom Cup title in front of the home crowd, Elena will have to grit out the consistent performances that she has done in the past.
Off-ice, Lena is known for her sweet and kind personality. She is close friends with her fellow Russian skaters, in particular Julia Lipnitskaia, Elizaveta Tuktamysheva, and Elena Ilinykh. Lena is also known for her unconventional and crazy exhibition programs. She trains with Inna Goncharenko, whom she has worked with since childhood, alongside newer additions Sergei Voronov and Maxim Kovtun.
JULIA LIPNITSKAIA
Representing: Russia
Age: 18
ISU personal bests: SP 74.54, FS 141.51, total 209.72
Notable titles: 2014 World Silver Medalist, 2014 European Champion, 2013 Grand Prix Final Silver Medalist, 2012 Junior World Champion
Programs: SP - Les feuilles mortes; FS - Kill Bill
The breakout star of the Sochi Olympic Games, Julia Lipnitskaia has fallen on hard times since her meteoric rise in the 2013-14 season that saw her win an Olympic Team Gold medal, the 2014 European title, and the 2014 World Silver Medal. With coaching troubles and jump issues affecting her performance in the last two seasons, Julia has been working hard to overcome the challenges that plague her still. A recent coaching change and base shift from Eteri Tutberidze in Moscow to Alexei Urmanov in Sochi has changed Julia’s lifestyle for the better. After an unfortunate performance at last season’s Russian Nationals that left her in 7th place in a crowded field, Julia looks to once again claw her way to the top this year. She began her season at the Ondrej Nepela Trophy, where she won the silver medal. However, Julia withdrew from 2016 Skate America after she aggravated an old injury. To make the medal stand at Rostelecom Cup, Julia will need to deliver not just a strong short program performance (which she is known for doing), but also a good free skate, where she has typically fallen apart in the past.
Julia is infamously known off-ice for her intimidating “ice queen” facade (she’s actually quite nice), and the character of Yuri Plisetsky from Yuri on Ice is based on her portrayal in Japanese media.
ELIZABET TURSYNBAEVA
Representing: Kazakhstan
Age: 16
ISU personal bests: SP 61.63, FS 121.99, total 183.62
Notable titles: 2016 Youth Olympic Bronze Medalist
Programs: SP - I Got Rhythm; FS - Princess Mononoke
Born in Russia, Elizabet now represents Kazakhstan and has made strides to put Kazakh ladies’ skating on the map, winning medals at multiple Challenger Series events during the 2015-16 season. In the past, Elizabet trained with Eteri Tutberidze (the former coach of Julia Lipnitskaia and current coach of Evgenia Medvedeva). However, due to policy changes, Elizabet eventually switched coaches to Brian Orser (former coach of Yuna Kim and current coach of Yuzuru Hanyu and Javier Fernandez). She was invited to two events on the Grand Prix Series last season, most notably placing 4th at the 2015 Skate America. Consistently improving on her placements year to year, Elizabet is known for her triple-triple combinations - when she lands them - as well as her musicality and lyrical lines. Beginning her season at the 2016 U.S. Classic, Elizabet struggled with her jumps and placed a disappointing 7th, but improved at the 2016 Autumn Classic to win a bronze medal there. Rostelecom Cup is her first Grand Prix of the season, and if Elizabet skates well and capitalizes on others’ mistakes, she has an outside chance of making the podium.
Elizabet has trained quad salchows in practice. She speaks Russian and English, and is a musician, playing both violin and piano. Elizabet’s figure skating idols are Yuna Kim, Mao Asada, and Carolina Kostner. She is also known for her tiny stature, standing only at 4’9’’ (149 cm).
COURTNEY HICKS
Representing: USA
Age: 20
ISU personal bests: SP 65.60, FS 118.15, total 183.12
Notable titles: 2015 NHK Trophy Silver Medalist
Programs: SP - Maleficent; FS - The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Last season was a mixed bag of results for Courtney Hicks, the 2011 U.S. Junior Champion. After placing 6th at the 2015 Cup of China, Courtney capitalized on multiple mistakes from other skaters at the 2015 NHK Trophy to win herself a surprise silver medal. However, a 9th place finish at the 2016 U.S. Nationals ended her season. Courtney is known for her raw and wild jumps, and powerful quickness across the ice - but could still use a lot of work on refinement. She began her season to a disappointing 6th place finish at the 2016 Finlandia Trophy. At 2016 Rostelecom Cup, Courtney could possibly surprise for a medal if she skates cleanly, but her placement ultimately depends on the performances of others.
Courtney enjoys photography and has her own photography instagram page.
ZIJUN LI
Representing: China
Age: 19
ISU personal bests: SP - 65.39, FS 127.54, total 184.52
Notable titles: 2014 Four Continents Bronze Medalist, 4-time Chinese National Champion
Programs: SP - Le diable matou; FS - Only For Love
Zijun Li started as a bright, talented skater on the junior level, winning bronze at the 2010 Junior Grand Prix Final and the 2012 Youth Olympics. In her senior debut during the 2012-13 season, Zijun showed her potential by placing within the top five at both of her Grand Prix events and the Four Continents Championships, and ended the season with a top ten finish at her senior World Championships debut. Her free skate at the 2013 World Championships, set to Sleeping Beauty, captivated skating fans and had skating aficionados hailing her as the biggest thing from Chinese figure skating since Chen Lu (the 1994 & 1998 Olympic Bronze Medalist and 1995 World Champion). She placed fourth in the free skate segment and received the second-highest technical score in the free skate behind Yuna Kim. However, struggles with puberty led to poor showings during the 2013-14 Olympic season. Zijun seemed to be making a comeback at the 2014 Four Continents Championships, winning a bronze medal, but fell to 14th place at the Olympics and 17th at the 2014 World Championships. Since then, Zijun has yet to replicate her senior debut results, as she continues to struggle with stamina, confidence, and underrotations on her jumps. Zijun is known for her delicate and lyrical style, and is lovely to watch when she’s on. Since the Chinese Skating Association rarely sends their skaters to B competitions, Rostelecom Cup will be our first look at Zijun’s new programs, which she worked on with Lori Nichol in Toronto over the summer.
Off-ice, Zijun has a very friendly personality, evidenced by her vast number of friendships with other skaters - not only is she close with fellow Chinese skaters Han Yan and Boyang Jin, she is also friends with international skaters such as Misha Ge, Yuzuru Hanyu, and most notably, So Youn Park of South Korea. Zijun is very active on social media, posting often on her Weibo and having dueling livestreams with her friend and compatriot Boyang Jin. Her favorite skater is Yuna Kim, the 2010 Olympic Champion.
Other skaters to watch:
Yura Matsuda (JPN): 2016 Asian Open Trophy Champion, 2013 Japan Junior Bronze Medalist. Beginning her season with a win at the Asian Open Trophy, Rostelecom Cup is the senior Grand Prix debut for Yura, and she might surprise for high placements depending on the performances of the field. She is coached by Machiko Yamada and Mihoko Higuchi alongside Kanako Murakami and Shoma Uno.
Kanako Murakami (JPN): 2014 Four Continents Champion, 2010 GPF Bronze Medalist, 4-time Japanese National Medalist. A former World Junior Champion who once saw the tops of podiums, Kanako has struggled with jumps in recent seasons and a terrible showing at Skate America left her in 9th place. She is known for being a passionate and expressive skater with a bubbly, radiant personality.
Nicole Rajicova (SVK): 3-time Slovak National Champion. Putting Slovakia on the skating map, Nicole has been steadily improving on her results. She opened her season at the 2016 Ondrej Nepela Trophy, placing a solid 5th place.
PAIRS
With the withdrawal of 2014 Olympic Silver Medalists Ksenia Stolbova/Fedor Klimov, the door has been left open for 2016 World Bronze Medalists Aliona Savchenko/Bruno Massot to take the Rostelecom Cup title. A relatively new team who only began competing together internationally a season ago, Savchenko/Massot will be hungry for their first Grand Prix Final together, but a challenge could appear in the form of the young Canadian team who won Skate America two weeks ago, Julianne Seguin/Charlie Bilodeau. Two spots on the podium are practically a lock, but the third could go to a number of other talented teams, including Russians Kristina Astakhova/Alexei Rogonov and Natalia Zabiiako/Alexander Enbert, who will be looking for good performances in front of a home audience.
ALIONA SAVCHENKO / BRUNO MASSOT
Representing: Germany
Ages: 32/27
ISU personal bests: SP 76.30, FS 142.98, total 216.17
Notable titles: 2016 World Bronze Medalists, 2016 European Silver Medalists
Programs: SP - That Man; FS - Lighthouse
With previous partner Robin Szolkowy, Aliona is a 5-time World Champion and 2-time Olympic Bronze Medalist. Over nearly a decade of partnership, Savchenko/Szolkowy gained a reputation for not only beautiful technical elements, but innovative choreography pushing the artistic boundaries of the sport. However, their quest for Olympic gold ended in heartbreak twice, when they won the bronze medal at both the 2010 and 2014 Winter Olympics. After winning their 5th World title in 2014, Robin retired to become a coach, while Aliona decided to continue skating with a new partner, in pursuit of that elusive Olympic gold medal. She paired up with French skater Bruno Massot during the 2014 off season. Bruno applied for a release from the French skating federation so that he could represent Germany with Aliona, but his request was rejected until he paid a fee to the federation. The new pair were allowed to compete starting from the 2015-16 season, and they immediately proved that they had the technical goods to compete with the top, winning titles on the 2015 Challenger Series. They walked away from their European Championship debut with a silver medal, and won the bronze medal at their first World Championships in 2016.
Though Aliona and Bruno quickly gelled together technically, they are still exploring different styles as a team and building a new image for themselves at the beginning of a very new partnership. They are best known for their enormous triple twist - possibly the biggest one in current pairs’ skating - transitions in and out of elements, and huge technical elements in general. This season, they are working on including a rare throw triple axel in their programs and attempted it twice at Nebelhorn Trophy. Neither attempts were clean, but they won the competition. They still struggle to find consistency at times, but if they’re on at Rostelecom Cup, Savchenko/Massot should walk away with the title and bring themselves one step closer to qualifying for their first Grand Prix Final.
JULIANNE SEGUIN / CHARLIE BILODEAU
Representing: Canada
Ages: 19/23
ISU personal bests: SP 71.40, FS 136.90, total 208.30
Notable titles: 2015 Junior World Silver Medalists, 2-time Canadian National Medalists, 2016 Skate America Champions
Programs: SP - Skokiaan; FS - Cinema Paradiso
The new 2016 Skate America champions, Julianne and Charlie will be looking for another medal at Rostelecom Cup to punch their ticket for their second Grand Prix Final. Despite missing the World Championships last season due to an injury on Julianne’s part, this young team has shown that they are ready to challenge for the top this season. Although their technical content is lower than those of the very top teams, they make up for it in consistency and have an infectious personality on the ice that is fun to watch. If Savchenko/Massot make one too many errors, it is entirely possible that Seguin/Bilodeau could find themselves at the top of the Rostelecom Cup podium.
Other skaters to watch:
Kristina Astakhova/Alexei Rogonov (RUS): 2014 Rostelecom Cup Bronze Medalists. Teamed up in 2014. Known for their quirky music and programs. Will likely challenge for a medal if they skate strongly in front of a home crowd. Recently finished 5th at Skate America.
Natalia Zabiiako/Alexander Enbert (RUS): 2016 Ondrej Nepela Memorial Bronze Medalists. Teamed up in 2015; both have had a multitude of previous partners. Placed 5th at Rostelecom Cup and Russian Nationals last season. Could challenge Astakhova/Rogonov for a medal if they skate strongly in front of a home crowd.
Valentina Marchei/Ondrej Hotarek (ITA): 2014-15 Italian National Champions. Teamed up in 2014. One of the few teams to attempt side-by-side triple lutz jumps. Could challenge for a medal if they’re on. Recently finished 8th at Skate America.