Trophée Eric Bompard 2015 Preview
Welcome to the 2014 Trophee Eric Bompard v. 2.0. This season, the event will take place in Bordeaux, in the exact city and venue (Meriadeck Ice Rink) it took place in last year. Even the hotel the skaters are staying at is the same. The poster still looks like a book cover and maybe the Kiss & Cry will be similar to last year's too. All in all, in terms of the event organisation, there is nothing new here.
When it comes to the rooster of skaters, though, we will see some season debuts, but nothing too crazy.
The most exciting to watch will probably be Tatiana Volosozhar/Maxim Trankov. The undisputed Olympic champions are back swinging if we're to judge by their choices of programme: Bollywood for the short and Dracula for the long. They're also newlyweds, so the chemistry between them will be off the charts. Artistically more impressive, it will be interesting to see how they fare on a technical level with the Canadians. Until then though, they don't really have any rivals in Bordeaux. Evgenia Tarasova/Vladimir Morozov are expected to grab the silver, with Peng/Zhang of China and James/Cipres of France reaching for the bronze.
From Russia also comes Maxim Kovtun, whom we've not seen this season either. He's not gold-medal material with Patrick Chan competing here, but might also have problems getting the silver because Daisuke Murakami isn't taking any prisoners this season. Max Aaron is also in France, fresh from his surprising Skate America victory, but unless disaster strikes elsewhere, his chances of reaching the podium are slim. So are Denis Ten's, it seems, but you can never underestimate the Kazakh without making a fool of yourself, so I won't do it.
The ice-dancers' event was also going to be a season coming-out for Gabriella Papadakis/Guillaume Cizeron, but it seems that her accident from summer is still giving her trouble, so they've had to withdraw. It's a great loss for Trophee Eric Bompard, but we wish her the best. It's also good to remember that it's better in the long run to play it safe with health issues before they worsen. In the the absence of the French, I am almost willing to bet on Alexandra Stepanova/Ivan Bukin for the gold. I'm also looking forward to the season debut of Coomes/Buckland and Hubbell/Donohue. As for Piper Gilles/Paul Poirier, I can't see them missing the podium, but betting on them getting the gold is a tad risky.
Finally, the ladies' event will be a battle between Elizaveta Tuktamysheva, Gracie Gold and Julia Lipnitskaia. Gracie is the only one to fulfill my expectations so far this season, so it will be interesting to see if she manages to keep the two Russians at bay. Also, last time I saw Elizaveta, her programmes seemed a bit too much to me - I'm curious to find out if a second viewing will change my mind. Not to forget Kanamo Murakami, who stands in a good position to take advantage of any errors made by the three favourites.
With so many exciting skaters coming to the Meriadeck Ice Rink, this is a competition not to be missed. Allez, allez le patinage!
When it comes to the rooster of skaters, though, we will see some season debuts, but nothing too crazy.
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| The event's beautiful poster Photo: ISU |
From Russia also comes Maxim Kovtun, whom we've not seen this season either. He's not gold-medal material with Patrick Chan competing here, but might also have problems getting the silver because Daisuke Murakami isn't taking any prisoners this season. Max Aaron is also in France, fresh from his surprising Skate America victory, but unless disaster strikes elsewhere, his chances of reaching the podium are slim. So are Denis Ten's, it seems, but you can never underestimate the Kazakh without making a fool of yourself, so I won't do it.
The ice-dancers' event was also going to be a season coming-out for Gabriella Papadakis/Guillaume Cizeron, but it seems that her accident from summer is still giving her trouble, so they've had to withdraw. It's a great loss for Trophee Eric Bompard, but we wish her the best. It's also good to remember that it's better in the long run to play it safe with health issues before they worsen. In the the absence of the French, I am almost willing to bet on Alexandra Stepanova/Ivan Bukin for the gold. I'm also looking forward to the season debut of Coomes/Buckland and Hubbell/Donohue. As for Piper Gilles/Paul Poirier, I can't see them missing the podium, but betting on them getting the gold is a tad risky.
Finally, the ladies' event will be a battle between Elizaveta Tuktamysheva, Gracie Gold and Julia Lipnitskaia. Gracie is the only one to fulfill my expectations so far this season, so it will be interesting to see if she manages to keep the two Russians at bay. Also, last time I saw Elizaveta, her programmes seemed a bit too much to me - I'm curious to find out if a second viewing will change my mind. Not to forget Kanamo Murakami, who stands in a good position to take advantage of any errors made by the three favourites.
With so many exciting skaters coming to the Meriadeck Ice Rink, this is a competition not to be missed. Allez, allez le patinage!
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