Pairs Discussion Thread 2017-18--"Two Skating as One"

[clairecloutier]

Japanese federation officially announces that it will take the Olympics pairs slot relinquished by North Korea:
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/sports...ion-north-korea-misses-deadline/#.WjFt9t-nGUk

 

[Sylvia]

From the end of this Dec. 1st article ("N.Korean Skaters Forfeit Tickets to Pyeongchang Olympics"): http://english.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2017/12/01/2017120101158.html

North Korea's only remaining route to the Olympics, which start in February, would be through a wild card granted by the International Olympic Committee. The IOC intends to get North Korea to join the event with the hope of staging an "Olympics for Peace."

 

[clairecloutier]

Here's my pairs review for the Grand Prix Final: https://adivinesport.com/2017/12/16/grand-prix-final-2017-pairs-review/

 

[AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)]

Here's my pairs review for the Grand Prix Final: https://adivinesport.com/2017/12/16/grand-prix-final-2017-pairs-review/

As always WAS EXCELLENT.. I agree with you just about 100%

T&M finished 5th.

Always love reading your recaps.

 

[clairecloutier]

As always WAS EXCELLENT.. I agree with you just about 100%

T&M finished 5th.

Always love reading your recaps.

Thanks--it is fixed!

 

[clairecloutier]

I really enjoyed the pairs event at Russian Nationals today! So much depth & talent in the Russian field! Here are my brief notes on the event: https://adivinesport.com/2017/12/23/notes-from-russian-nationals-2017/

 

[Sylvia]

Europeans pairs entries as of Jan. 11:
1 Miriam ZIEGLER / Severin KIEFER AUT 1
2 Sofiya KARAGODINA / Semyon STEPANOV AZE 2
3 Lana PETRANOVIC / Antonio SOUZA-KORDEIRU CRO 3
4 Lola ESBRAT / Andrei NOVOSELOV FRA 4
5 Vanessa JAMES / Morgan CIPRES FRA 4
6 Annika HOCKE / Ruben BLOMMAERT GER 5
7 Aljona SAVCHENKO / Bruno MASSOT GER 5
Minerva Fabienne HASE / Nolan SEEGERT GER 5 S
8 Zoe JONES / Christopher BOYADJI GBR 6
9 Paige CONNERS / Evgeni KRASNOPOLSKI ISR 7
10 Nicole DELLA MONICA / Matteo GUARISE ITA 8
11 Valentina MARCHEI / Ondrej HOTAREK ITA 8
Rebecca GHILARDI / Filippo AMBROSINI ITA 8 S
12 Ksenia STOLBOVA / Fedor KLIMOV RUS 9
13 Evgenia TARASOVA / Vladimir MOROZOV RUS 9
14 Natalia ZABIIAKO / Alexander ENBERT RUS 9
Kristina ASTAKHOVA / Alexei ROGONOV RUS 9 S
Aleksandra BOIKOVA / Dmitrii KOZLOVSKII RUS 9 S
15 Laura BARQUERO / Aritz MAESTU ESP 10
16 Ioulia CHTCHETININA / Mikhail AKULOV SUI 11

S - Substitute Entry

A positive update re. Duskova/Bidar's withdrawal was re-posted in GSD (for those who don't have access to the Kiss & Cry section) here: https://www.fsuniverse.net/forum/threads/oes-news-2017-2018.101536/page-4#post-5243284

---

4CC pairs entries as of Jan. 8:
1 Ekaterina ALEXANDROVSKAYA / Harley WINDSOR AUS 1
2 CAN TBA 1 / CAN TBA 1 CAN 2
3 CAN TBA 2 / CAN TBA 2 CAN 2
4 CAN TBA 3 / CAN TBA 3 CAN 2
5 Cheng PENG / Yang JIN CHN 3
6 Wenjing SUI / Cong HAN CHN 3
7 Tae Ok RYOM / Ju Sik KIM PRK 4
8 Riku MIURA / Shoya ICHIHASHI JPN 5
9 Miu SUZAKI / Ryuichi KIHARA JPN 5
10 Narumi TAKAHASHI / Ryo SHIBATA JPN 5
11 Kyueun KIM / Alex Kang Chan KAM KOR 6
12 Ashley CAIN / Timothy LEDUC USA 7
13 Tarah KAYNE / Danny O'SHEA USA 7
14 Deanna STELLATO / Nathan BARTHOLOMAY USA 7
Marissa CASTELLI / Mervin TRAN USA 7 S
Haven DENNEY / Brandon FRAZIER USA 7 S
Chelsea LIU / Brian JOHNSON USA 7 S

S - Substitute Entry

CAN entries will be known after Nationals concludes this weekend.

 

[nimi]

Europeans pairs entries as of Jan. 11:
(...)
3 Lana PETRANOVIC / Antonio SOUZA-KORDEIRU CRO 3

This surprised me. I thought this team had split up...?

Am I misremembering things, or have they recently gotten back together?

 

[Sylvia]

This surprised me. I thought this team had split up...?

Am I misremembering things, or have they recently gotten back together?

Refer to @kosjenka's posts in the OES News thread: https://www.fsuniverse.net/forum/threads/oes-news-2017-2018.101536/page-3#post-5213546

 

[clairecloutier]

I am surprised Sui/Han are listed for 4CCs ... It's not like they need this event, and 4CCs ends just 11 days before the team event starts in Korea. Perhaps they don't want Savchenko/Massot and/or Tarasova/Morozov to have the "final word," so to speak, at Euros. Or maybe we'll see a late withdrawal from them?

It's also a bit interesting that Alexandrovskaya/Windsor are doing the event, as the travel time from Australia is not insignificant. I suppose their plan must be to do 4CCs and then remain in Asia until the Olympics (??).

 

[Dobre]

I am surprised Sui/Han are listed for 4CCs ... It's not like they need this event, and 4CCs ends just 11 days before the team event starts in Korea. Perhaps they don't want Savchenko/Massot and/or Tarasova/Morozov to have the "final word," so to speak, at Euros. Or maybe we'll see a late withdrawal from them?

It isn't far for the Chinese athletes. And if kwanfan's recent post in the Olympics thread is correct about the starting order for the SPs at the Olympics being placed in groups of 4 based on WS, then 4CCs is the only chance for S&H to climb up into the final four for the short programs.

It's also possible that S&H won't skate the team event. Pang & Tong didn't four years ago. I'm hoping Sui & Han will. P&T were coming back from an injury & China didn't really have a shot at a medal four years ago. This year China's odds are better and S&H have been healthy.

 

[Anyasnake]

https://twitter.com/SaraLizz25/status/951557269866528768
Did anyone know about this ?

 

[supergirl573]

https://twitter.com/SaraLizz25/status/951557269866528768
Did anyone know about this ?

Thank God! Literally a miracle.

 

[clairecloutier]

It isn't far for the Chinese athletes. And if kwanfan's recent post in the Olympics thread is correct about the starting order for the SPs at the Olympics being placed in groups of 4 based on WS, then 4CCs is the only chance for S&H to climb up into the final four for the short programs.

That makes sense!

It's also possible that S&H won't skate the team event. Pang & Tong didn't four years ago. I'm hoping Sui & Han will. P&T were coming back from an injury & China didn't really have a shot at a medal four years ago. This year China's odds are better and S&H have been healthy.

My guess is Sui/Han will do the team event ... The possibility of winning 2 medals has to be appealing!

 

[slipchuk]

The Chinese really dont have much shot of a medal in the Team Event, virtually nothing in fact. They are weak in all the events except pairs. While it is very unlikely the Team Event wont be a Russia-Canada-U.S podium in some way, even teams like Italy and France have much better shot of a surprise medal in the Team Event than China. I could see Sui & Han prioritizing a good chance of a gold medal over scant no shot of a Team medal.

 

[Dobre]

They are relatively weak in the ladies & dance, relative to the other top countries. And it is possible that China could miss the cut. But China could put up a fight in the men's event. The thing that works to China's advantage is that they could win the pairs SP and other countries in the battle for the bronze could be a long way down the pipeline.

 

[kosjenka]

This surprised me. I thought this team had split up...?

Am I misremembering things, or have they recently gotten back together?

Petranovic underwent a knee surgery before summer in a specialized private orthopedic clinic in Croatia. She came back on ice (I think) 3 months later and Antonio joined her in Zagreb where they started to prepare. I know she recently went to have her Russian visa renewed.

 

[nimi]

Petranovic underwent a knee surgery before summer in a specialized private orthopedic clinic in Croatia. She came back on ice (I think) 3 months later and Antonio joined her in Zagreb where they started to prepare.

Ouch...

Was it the landing knee? Either way, hats off to all these pairs girls coming back from a knee surgery -- Kayne, Duskova and now Petranovic -- this season... It must be quite a mental hurdle as well as a physical one. (I don't know how they do it, really.)

BTW, this was just posted in the German news thread:

Aljona and Bruno will skip Euros to concentrate on Olympics, the German federation just announced. They want to focus on working on technical details.
https://www.eislauf-union.de/media1/news/304-pressemitteilung-zu-den-europameisterschaften

So, Hase/Seegert get to go.

ETA: Nope, H/S are not going.

Hase/Seeger will not compete at Euros due an injury.

http://www.handelsblatt.com/eiskunstlauf-savchenko-massot-sagen-teilnahme-bei-em-ab/20840662.html

 

[AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)]

BTW, this was just posted in the German news thread:

So are the planning to continue after these Olympics????

 

[nimi]

Another withdrawal from Euros: Zoe & Chris (GBR) are not on the list anymore.
http://www.isuresults.com/events/cat03108431.htm

Pairs are now down to 14 entries...

 

[clairecloutier]

James/Cipres say their goal is to medal at the Olympics: https://europeonice.com/2018/01/15/james-and-cipres-cest-something/

 

[nimi]

Pairs SP order

1 Barquero/Maestu, Chtchetinina/Akulov, Karagodina/Stepanov

2 Hocke/Blommaert, Petranovic/Souza-Kordeiru, Conners/Krasnopolski

3 Esbrat/Novoselov, Ziegler/Kiefer, Marchei/Hotarek, Della Monica/Guarise

4 Zabiiako/Enbert, Tarasova/Morozov, James/Cipres, Stolbova/Klimov

 

[kosjenka]

Only 14 pairs?

 

[slipchuk]

So bummed Savchenko & Massot are making the silly and pointless choice to skip Europeans this year. I really hope they come back next season as I dont want to see them leave without a European title.

 

[chapis]

What is happening with T/M? they had a really bad performance.

 

[caseyedwards]

What is happening with T/M? they had a really bad performance.

The Russia ban really getting in everyone’s head. Is this season a waste? Will they get banned from Pyeongchang?

 

[AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)]

OMG I just checked the SP as it was finishing.... J&C won the SP!!!

Strange to see T&M where they are.....

Congrats to J&C... are they sure they want to retire??????

 

[barbarafan]

OMG I just checked the SP as it was finishing.... J&C won the SP!!!

Strange to see T&M where they are.....

Congrats to J&C... are they sure they want to retire??????

Apparently she does...but if they get close but not gold who knows?

 

[MAXSwagg]

What in the fck are Stolbova and Klimov doing. They are really starting to tick me off.

 

[AngieNikodinovLove (ANL)]

^^^ falling