Kihira’s pressure on Kostornaya with Zagitova and Ignatov’s chance: what to expect from the Russians at the Grand Prix stage in Japan

The threat of Kihira quadruple salchow

For the first time this season, at the stages of the Grand Prix, Russian fans are not sure that one of the compatriots will win the women's competition. In Sapporo, the rivalry of the strongest foreign skater and two students of Eteri Tutberidze, who cannot boast of an ultrahigh technical base, is expected.

We are talking about Rick Kihir, Alena Kostornaya and Alina Zagitova. The three of them will fight for medals and may not worry about their trips to the Grand Prix finals - each of them has almost fulfilled the selection conditions. But there will be only one place on the top of the podium, and Japanese fans will wait for their favorite to take him.

Kihira very quickly made conclusions from her defeat from Alexandra Trusova at the stage in Canada. While most skaters just say that they plan to learn the quadruple jumps, the Japanese intends to start their implementation now.

At the home stage of the Grand Prix, she announced the quadruple salchow and is going to jump it at the beginning of the free program. At the same time, Kihira does not abandon her usual plans to execute three triple axels, and also added a flip - oiler - salchow cascade to her content.

All these applications are not binding at all - many skaters just leave their plans on paper. But you begin to readily believe in Kihira’s serious intentions after she performed a cascade of triple axel - oiler - salchow in training. No one in the world has a more complex cascade without quadruple jumps.

Similar preparation for the stage in Japan, none of the Russians did not take. Kostornaya only confirmed that she intends to respond with three triple axels in two programs and show the same cascade of flip - oiler - salchow, which last time did not receive a large allowance due to an unclear rib. Zagitova will try to get along without complication. At the moment, she should be more concerned about the numerous undercuts committed at the stage in France, rather than the new difficult jumps.

There is no doubt that Kostornaya and Zagitova components can bypass Kihira. But for the unconditional victory won by Anna Shcherbakova and Alexander Trusov this season, this will not be enough. In Sapporo, Kihira will have every chance not only to interrupt the successful series of Russian figure skaters, but also provide them with food for thought. In turn, Kostornaya and Zagitova will try to make sure that for the first time in history, Russian girls win all stages of the Grand Prix in one season.

Hania and the rest

For the first time in three years, two-time Olympic champion Yuzuru Hanyu will perform at the home stage of the Figure Skating Grand Prix. In 2017, he was prevented by an injury, and last season he received other appointments. Now the Japanese finally have no problems in the first half of the season and demonstrates excellent shape.

Hania remains the only skater who scored more than 300 points in total. Neither Nathan Chen nor the other skaters who claimed this mark last season reached this milestone. Having briefly left the category of prominent jumpers, Hanyu again returned to this reputation. He is able to perform six quadruple jumps in one tournament, including the most complicated cascade of quadruple toe loop - oiler - triple flip in the second half of the free program.

In her homeland, Hanyu should not experience any problems. Not the most jumping and not the most titled skaters will gather in Sapporo, for whom the fight for the remaining medals will in any case be very honorable. These include Jason Brown and Kevin Aymoz, who need to get on the podium to reach the Grand Prix finals.

But both of them should be afraid of a new rival. Last week, Makar Ignatov made a splash, taking third place at his debut Grand Prix stage. At the same time, he conscientiously performed two quadruple salchows and a sheepskin coat, which is already a lot for modern male skating.

It is difficult to say whether the young Russian skater will succeed in repeating his success, moreover, immediately after a long flight to Japan, but he has chances for this. Before the season, Ignatov could not count on participating in the Grand Prix at all, and now he can easily get his head spinning from new prospects.

The Russian national team in Sapporo will also be represented by Sergey Voronov and Anton Shulepov. It will be important for them to show that at the national championship they will be able to compete with Ignatov for a place in the national team. To do this, they need only perfect rentals without any blots. That one, that the other skater this season did not show their best side, so they will also have to cope with the increasing pressure on them.

Russian youth versus Chinese experience

Last week in pair skating there was an extremely significant event. The unconditional leadership of the Chinese Sui Wenjing and Han Kun suddenly evaporated. The winners of the Moscow Grand Prix stage, Alexander Boykov and Dmitry Kozlovsky, performed such clean and complex programs that they replaced the world champions from the first line in terms of points scored this season.

In Japan, Chinese skaters will try to present new arguments. They have something to add - add a third jump to the cascade, work on salchow and rotation, correct the technical shortcomings of the short program. With their powerful free car rental, Sui Wenjing and Han Kun are still very strong, but they must be completed without errors.

For the first time this season, the Chinese will have to come under real pressure from rivals. If at home they did not have any competition at all, then in Sapporo they will be opposed by the young duet Anastasia Mishina - Alexander Gallyamov. The Russians managed to win in France and will try to compete for it again, although it will not be easy to repeat success. They can present more complex outbursts and jumps to the Chinese, but so far inferior in supports and components.

For the current world junior champions, the fight for silver with Canadians Kirsten Moore Towers and Michael Marinaro will be more real. They have not scored such points as Mishin and Gallyamov, but they have not revealed their full potential, making various errors. In addition to competition medals, trips to the finals will be at stake - a couple from Canada is fighting in absentia with Evgenia Tarasova and Vladimir Morozov.

Dancing europe

The dance tournament will resemble the European Championship, which unexpectedly moved to Japan. Strong Canadian and American duets have already finished performing at the Grand Prix and are waiting for either the finals in Turin or the results of the qualification. For the first time after a stage in France in 2012, the podium of dancers may turn out to be purely European.

The list of participants is led by Gabriela Papadakis and Guillaume Sizeron. The strongest dance duet has already won on their own ice, but something was missing in it - the next record points. While in the rhythm dance the French were still able to renew their world record, the experimental setting for reading abstract verses by the judges alerted. Papadakis and Sizeron still got the highest scores this season, but last year’s pair results stood. In Japan, they will try to create something new, so that the separation from rivals continues to remain enormous.

Silver will be claimed by the Russian couple of Alexander Stepanov - Ivan Bukin. More than a month has passed since their last start at the US Grand Prix stage. All this time, the duo avoided participating in other competitions so that the partner didn’t have a recurrence of a back injury and could catch up on what was lost in preparation for the season.

It is difficult to evaluate the form of Russians right now, but they have to cope with the main rivals for second place. Competition can only be imposed by experienced Italians Charlene Guignard and Marco Fabri, as well as Laila Fire and Lewis Gibson from Great Britain living in the ice dancing elite.