Sofia Samodurova (RUS): 192.19 - 1st
Originally Sofia was listed as a substitute for this event but got the nod to compete here after her win at JGP Croatia Cup. Sofia delivered a strong performance in the SP, hitting all of her jumps and scoring a season's best. She finished the segment in 3rd place, only 1.05 points out of 1st. Just like in Croatia Sofia drew last in the FS and just like in Croatia she delivered. You could tell how focused she was by the look in her eye but it wasn't at the expense of her performance. She brought the fire and tension to her choreography which made her very enjoyable to watch. In the end Sofia was able to win the FS and capture the gold medal by only 0.05 points. Yet again an amazing performance under pressure to take gold and secure herself a trip to the Final.
Alena Kostornaia (RUS): 192.15 - 2nd
Alena competed last week at JGP Baltic Cup and hoped to back up her win there with another gold at this event. She started off very well, winning the SP albeit by a small margin. Alena, like several of Eteri's students, opts to do all of her jumps in the bonus section of the program. Her backloading doesn't seem to bother me as much as it does with others. I think it's because her style of skating is so lovely that it almost distracts me from the point whoring aspects of her programs. She finished her FS without any visible errors but, unfortunately, she received a ding on her 3F and an under-rotation on her 3L. That loss of points is what cost her gold here. Alena finished 2nd in the FS and 2nd overall. This silver medal qualifies her for a trip to the Final.
Rika Kihira (JPN): 185.81 - 3rd
Rika started off very well in the SP, hitting all of her elements and skating beautifully. She finished 2nd in the segment, only 1 point out of 1st place. Spots to the Final were on the line for several skaters so the pressure was on. Rika is one of only three women in the sport currently attempting the triple axel. She went for it and fully rotated it, but stumbled out of the landing. Rika stumbled on the landing of her next jump as well before getting herself together and finishing the rest of her jumps cleanly. I don't know if she lost her focus or her legs were tired or what, but she unraveled in the step sequence falling not once, but twice. It's rare to see a skater at her level go down on footwork, let alone twice in the same program. Despite getting credit for 8 triple jumps Rika finished 3rd in the FS and dropped to 3rd overall. The good news is she'll have a chance to erase this performance at the Final.
As for the rest...
Nana Araki (JPN; 181.00, 4th): Aside from an under-rotation in the FS, Nana turned in two strong performances at this competition. Again, I love the spring she gets on her toe jumps. She has amazing lift into the air; I love watching her jump. Nana had a shot at the Final after her silver medal in Minsk. Unfortunately she needed a medal here to make the cut. She should still be proud of herself for having such a good season.
Young You (KOR; 177.70, 5th): I really enjoy Young's skating. She has a lot of personality on the ice which makes her very enjoyable to watch. Young turned in a much stronger technical performance at this event, hitting all of her jumps in the SP and nearly all of them in the FS. She went down on her 2A-3T which sucks so badly because she was doing such a great job in her FS. Either way Young improved her personal best scores and should be very happy with her season. I'll definitely keep an eye out for her in the future.
Other Competition Notes: Ye Lim Kim (KOR; 167.64, 6th) had a disastrous SP but was able to turn in a pristine FS. If she can work on getting her levels up she could be a real contender...Hanna Harrell (USA; 152.41, 7th) made the final group of skaters in the FS. She can do rippon jumps which is a plus nowadays. We'll have to see if she can improve over time. The U.S. still doesn't have a competitive skater on the junior level...*sigh*
So that's it for the Junior Grand Prix series! Let's take a look at who we'll get to see battle it out at the Final in December...
2017-2018 Junior Grand Prix: Final Standings
Alexandra Trusova (RUS) won both of her events this season earning 30 points. Her higher total combined score gives her the win in the tiebreaker with Sofia, so she qualifies in 1st place.
Sofia Samodurova (RUS) won both of her events as well and earned 30 points. She lost the scoring tiebreaker which qualifies her in 2nd place.
Alena Kostornaia (RUS) earned gold and silver in her two events, giving her a total of 28 points. She qualifies in 3rd place.
Daria Panenkova (RUS) won gold and silver at her two events and earned 28 points as well. Alena won the scoring tiebreaker so Daria qualifies in 4th place.
Anastasia Tarakanova (RUS) earned gold and bronze in her two events which gave her a total of 26 points. She qualifies in 5th place.
Rika Kihira (JPN) won silver and bronze at her two events and earned a total of 24 points. She beat out Mako in the scoring tiebreaker which gives her that 6th and final spot.
Mako Yamashita (JPN) is the first alternate (24 points). Nana Araki (JPN) is the second alternate (22 points). Eunsoo Lim (KOR) is the third alternate (22 points).
And that's it. The Junior Grand Prix Final will take place in Nagoya, Japan December 7-10. Over the past three years or so there's been an even split between Russia and Japan, each sending three skaters. This year Russia occupies five of the six spots which puts a Russian sweep as a definite possibility. It's only happened twice: in 2011-2012 (Julia Lipnitskaya, Polina Shelepen and Polina Korobeynikova) and in 2013-2014 (Maria Sotskova, Serafima Sakhanovich and Evgenia Medvedeva). I guess we'll see if Rika can spoil the party...
This week the attention shifts to the senior women as the 2017-2018 Grand Prix kicks off in Russia. I'll be posting my 2017-2018 Season Preview soon. Check back soon...and by soon I mean tomorrow. Ta!
I’m so impressed by Sofia; u can tell she really really wants to win. I think her consistency will take her far but her jumps scare me. Im doubting she can medal at the Final.
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