LADIES: What an interesting preview to Russian nationals this event will be! Evgenia Medvedeva is the lastest baby Russian to break onto the scene with big scores and a win at Skate America (206.01). Her jumps look awkward to me, but she sure knows how to land them when it counts, and I give her credit for interpreting her music and giving good face. She should guarantee a spot in the Final with a top two finish here. Elena Radionova, the star baby Russian from last season, is coming off a shaky season start at Cup of China (third, 184.28). I appreciate that they’ve cleaned up her look this year, but she’s taller and it seems to be throwing off a few jumps. I expect a better performance from her here, but probably not mistake-free. Also here, we finally get to see the competitive return of 2014 Olympic champ Adelina Sotnikova. Her performances at smaller events this preseason have improved each time she’s skated, but the only data point we have for her (203.89) came from the fishy Mordovian Ornament competition, where the scores were just crazy high. Let’s be honest, she’s gonna get some Olympic champ/home country/welcome back PCS, but technically, she may be shaky. The skating world is certainly going to be watching her closely, and she knows it. Looking to spoil a hometown sweep will be Rika Hongo, who came away from Cup of China with a win in the free skate, a silver medal overall, and a PB score of 195.76. You have to know Rika is looking to get to the FInal after being a surprise entry last year, and it looks like her jumps are consistent enough to get her there. Yuka Nagai came away with a bronze medal from Skate Canada, with a 172.92. She’s got a really lovely quality to her skating and her technical elements are big scorers when she’s clean. I wonder how consistent she will be here- can she build on Skate Canada? Either way, she’s got a lot of ladies with big scoring potential ahead of her at this event. The U.S.’s entries here are Polina Edmunds (6th 168.89 at Skate Canada) and Hannah Miller, (10th 151.73 at Cup of China). Polina said she’s looking to prove she’s podium ready this season, but the judges at Skate Canada disagreed. This is Hannah Miller’s first season on the GP and I think she’s got a lot of potential. Neither lady can make the FInal, but I am guessing we will see some improvement in their scores as they look forward to Nationals. PODIUM PREDICTIONS: Evgenia Medvedeva Rika Hongo Elena Radionova Adelina Sotnikova Yuka Nagai Polina Edmunds
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