I would like to remind everyone that Japan has an excellent junior ice dance team who IMHO are already better than K/K and have a great shot at making the 2022 Olympic team. Plus, no citizenship issues.
Visit https://isu.org/JuniorGrandPrix for more information on the ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating.Courchevel, France - August 21 to 24Lake Placid, US...
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Yoshida & Nishiyama are a very nice young team. I think they have more potential than Komatsubara & Koleto in the long run; but I don't know about top 24 in two years. A lot can happen in that amount of time so it is possible. Currently Y&N are scoring behind Taschlerova & Taschlerov from Czech Republic. It is starting to get more crowded in the ice dance ranks.
Per the SB list, we have . . .
3 US, RUS, CAN
2 FRA, ITA (I think. Or does ITA lose it's second berth based on T&F's result?)
1 GBR (on the bubble, potential for 2)
1 SPAIN (on the bubble, potential for 2)
1 CHN (haven't been on the bubble but could be if they can build off of the homefield score at COC, potential for 2)
1 POL (on the bubble, potential for 2)
1 LTU? (Depends on her getting citizenship or another team earning minimum scores. The second team seems to have disappeared this season).
1 UKR
1 GEO (I'm going to assume that citizenship is reachable if not already obtained?)
1 GER
1 FIN (Bit of a question mark due to injury/citizenship but two teams so we'll say odds are decent)
1 KOR (Citizenship questionable?)
*BLR is here on the SB list, but it's an Ice Star score. Think Y&N could compete with these two.
1 CZE
*EST
*SUI (Citizenship questionable?)
*TUR (Citizenship questionable?)
Yoshida & Nishiyama are here on the SB list. (If I haven't missed any countries).
Komatsubara & Koleto are 4 points higher, above the Estonians; but yes, in that same ballpark based on K&K's SB from this season post injury. Their PB is another 16 points higher but from WTT. Their 4CC score is @4 points higher than their current SB).
We'll estimate the 4 teams at the bottom with the asterisks are catchable by Y&N either due to wavering scores by the junior Estonians or higher B.V. when entering seniors.
ARM yet to have an SB score this season. (There are at least a couple others from different countries, but these two probably have citizenship currently as they tried to make the cut for the last Olympics?).
Number of spots claimable by countries at the top, of course, depends on the standings next season.
Anyway, it is possible that Y&N or K&K could qualify in two seasons. If Muramoto & Takahashi can put up a stronger argument, though, I think the Japanese Fed would breathe a lot easier. We'll just have to wait & see.
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I love this team. Please please don't split!
This is news to me. Has there been some official ISU communication issued about this? And could somebody with more info maybe start a new thread for the 2022 OG qualification talk, because it doesn't really have anything to do with this 2019 GP assignments thread... Anyway, here are couple of links to old threads where the 2018 Oly qualification rules are discussed at length, in case somebody wants to revisit those:
