Junior World Competitor one year, Olympian the next?

[kalamalka]

Like I said it's a matter of semantics, Vagabond, they ALL hail from the former Soviet Union, which is now called Russia. Fact. There's no disputing that.

It is not semantics, it is a contradictory fact. The former Soviet Union is not now called Russia. The portion of the former USSR that is and was Russia is now Russia. Other countries that were during that period the other Soviet Socialist Republics have become independent countries or regained their independence. There was a brief period in Olympic terms (when Petrenko won in 1992) when there was a Unified Team - again not Russia - including athletes from former USSR components. When Petrenko won bronze in 1988 it was still USSR, not Russia. As a person of (partial) Russian ancestry, I know that these distinctions, as well as being real, are very important to people from other parts of the former Russian Empire and Soviet Union. They are different peoples, and now different countries.

[briancoogaert]

Laetitia Hubert won junior worlds in 1992 (held in December 1991) at her first attempt. In February 1992, she went to Olympic Games in Albertville, placing 12th. At the world championships in Oakland, Hubert was very close to a medal, placing 5th in the short, 3rd in the free, and 4th overall.

She had however, been to senior worlds in 1990 and 1991.

And Surya Bonaly was 1991 Junior World champion and 5th at 1992 Olympics.
But also, she was at senior Worlds in 1989, 1990 and 1991 !

[essence_of_soy]

And Surya Bonaly was 1991 Junior World champion and 5th at 1992 Olympics.
But also, she was at senior Worlds in 1989, 1990 and 1991 !

French women were very strong in the 1990s. Bonaly, Hubert, and Gusmeroli were frequently in the top ten during that decade.

[Loves_Shizuka]

^And were all in their own way

[Susan M]

ONLY 3 American men have medalled at both Jr. Worlds and the Olympics

The US has had even worse luck with Jr World Ice dance medalists, especially gold medalists:

After a 14 year Dance medal drought at Junior Worlds, the US won Jr Worlds dance gold in 1998. From then until now the US has had 6 Jr Worlds gold medal teams, only one of which (Belbin/Agosto) went on to win an Olympic medal.

1998 Gold - Joseph/Butler - went to Nagano in 98 (21st) split up that summer.
1999 Gold - Silverstein/Pekarek - 12th in 2000 Worlds then split the next year. She did make it to the 2006 Olympics with another partner (16th)
2000 Silver - Nussear/Forsyth - split after that season. Neither reached Senior World or Olympics with new partners.
2000 Bronze, 2001 Silver, 2002 Gold - Belbin Agonsto - Olympic Silver in 2006 & World medals
2004 Bronze, 2005 Gold - Matthews/Zavozin - 16th at Worlds in 2006, split the next season. He did make it to the 2010 Olympics with a new partner, skating for Hungary.
2006 Bronze - Davis/White - Olympic Silver in 2010, World Champions in 2011
2008 Gold - Samuelson/Bates - skated in 2010 Olympics (11th) - didn't compete together after that season. Now competing with Chock.
2009 Gold - Chock/Zuerline - split in 2011

I stopped after the most recent Olympics because we don't know yet how the others will do. Still, you get the idea that, for US teams at least, Junior Worlds success isn't a very good predictor of future success.

[skaters04]

Well he was when he won Jr. Worlds in 1984 (see here): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_J..._Championships

Btw, more interesting facts (about the American men only), leastways to me:


ONLY 3 American men have medalled at both Jr. Worlds and the Olympics:

Paul Wylie ~ 1981 jr. gold medalist & 1992 Olympic silver medalist

Timothy Goebel ~ 1997 jr. silver medalist & 2002 Olympic silver medalist

Evan Lysacek ~ 2001, 2003, 2004 jr. silver medalist three times & 2010 Olympic gold medalist

Actually, that's FOUR, since Brian Boitano was bronze medalist at junior worlds in 1978 and gold medalist at Olympics in 1988