Rostelecom Cup 2016 Preview

Privet, everyone, or привет! Think it's too early for me to Google how to say Hello in Russian? Well, so did I before discovering Rostelecom Cup had moved out of its usual place in the Grand Prix Series. The trip to Moscow comes early this season, but it's not leaving any of its drama behind. By drama, I actually mean, difficulty level and by difficulty level I mean, Hello, world medalists! Sorry, I meant Privet, world medalists! So, who to look for? In no particular order...

Shoma Uno after his victory as Skate America 2016
Photograph: Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images North America
MEN
  • Javier Fernandez - the double World champion and his Elvis Presley routine pretty much have this in the back of his pocket if everything goes according to plan.
  • Shoma Uno - the future of Japanese male skating just got a new Personal Best Total Score (279.34), so he's in everyone's predictions for a spot on the podium.
  • Mikhail Kolyada - Russia's best known athlete from their roster for this event is a bit behind the Spaniard and Japanese in terms of results.
  • Max Aaron - last time we saw him he still needed to improve his presentation skills so let's see what he does here with Turandot and Lion King.
  • Alexei Bychenko - I picked Alexei as my fifth skater-to-watch mainly because I was impressed with his performance at last season's Europeans. I expect him to do well here.
Other boys to keep an eye on, especially for entertainment purposes, are Elladj Balde, Chafik Besseghier and Alexander Majorov.

PAIRS
  • Aliona Savchenko / Bruno Massot - these two are bound to win, right? They'll be skating to a song by Caro Emerald in the short, and she just happens to be one of my favourite singers.
  • Kristina Astakhova/Alexei Rogonov - already at their second GP, this pair shows potential, but I'm not quick in predicting a place on the podium given their performance in Chicago.
  • Julianne Seguin / Charlie Bilodeau - the winners of Skate America 2016 are likely not going home with a gold, but they'll be keen to prove their last event was not all due to circumstances.
  • Valentina Marchei / Ondrej Hotarek - the Italian pair is always entertaining, which is why they're on this list. Unfortunately, they haven't quite managed to become a powerhouse yet.
  • Natalia Zabiiako / Alexander Enbert - okay, so I'm basing this on their personal best total score (196.22), which is higher than most pairs' here. In other words, keep an eye on them.
LADIES
Kanako Murakami
Photograph: Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images North America
  • Elena Radionova - the fiery Russian skater obtained her current best personal score at Rostelecom last season, so maybe it's fate she does it again. 
  • Anna Pogorilaya - the second Russian lady who could win this has been a bit of a revelation since her amazing performance at Worlds. Word has it she's feistier than ever.
  • Julia Lipnitskaia - my expectations are always set high for Julia as I'm still waiting for her to return to the amazing condition she had a few seasons ago. 
  • Courtney Hicks - she is one of the less known US skaters, but she did win silver last season at NHK. Looking forward to see how she's improved.
  • Zijun Li - it's very hard to choose a fifth lady to keep an eye on, but I chose to go with this Chinese lady as I really admire her style and progress from last season.
As I've said, there are others who might leave their mark here, mainly Kanako Murakami and Roberta Rodeghiero. I'm also curious to see Yura Matsuda from Japan.

ICE DANCE
  • Madison Chock/Evan Bates - the fact they came as close as 0.82 points to defeating Tessa Virtue & Scott Moir in Canada boosted this couple's chances at winning in Moscow for me.
  • Kaitlyn Weaver/Andrew Poje - this is the first Grand Prix for the Canadian pair, which makes me super excited to watch it. They are undoubtedly the Americans' greatest threat here.
  • Ekaterina Bobrova/Dmitri Soloviev - the Russian pair seems to be stuck behind the Americans and Canadians for quite a while now, so it will be surprising if they win the gold.
  • Charlene Guignard/Marco Fabbri - I am not dreaming of a medal for these two, but they're one of the couples to watch for their amazing presentation skills.
  • Elliana Pogrebinsky/Alex Benoit - alright, so I know this couple are at their first senior Grand Prix series ever, but I'm already smitten. Love their lifts and concepts.
Madison & Evan during Skate Canada International

Alright, so these are the skaters I'm mainly looking forward to seeing this weekend in Moscow. There is talent to spare in this event, so I'm sure we're up for quite a ride.

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