Worlds 2017 - The Watchlist
The Challenge Cups, the Grand Prix events, the Nationals and even the continental championships have all been a built-up to the most important figure skating event of the year.
The World Championships are back in Europe this year, in one of the few capitals of the world that;s often associated with the word cold, Helsinki. So, who am I keeping an eye on this week?
MEN
Javier Fernandez - the Spaniard's already got two World titles in his bag, and a third one seems pretty likely if we're to judge the array of golds he's already won this season. There was a tiny stumble at the Grand Pix Final, but if he keeps at least one feet firmly on the ice, he's a good bet.
Yuzuru Hanyu - opposite Javier, his training buddy is hungry for another World gold after losing the last two. Yuzuru hasn't had the smoothest of seasons, with only a silver at the Four Continents and Skate Canada, but his average is miles better than other skaters' best, so keep him in the rooster.
Nathan Chen - this American is a jumping machine. He's impressed the heck out of all of us this season, and was the guy who beat Yuzuru in Gangneung (FCC). That's why lots of people are probably looking forward to his performance in Helsinki.
Shoma Uno - Shoma is Japan's new National champion, after Yuzuru withdrew due to the flu. He's a powerhouse not unlike his teammate, and ended up on the podium every time he skated this season. He's got what it takes to make this a podium-full season and leave with a medal from Helsinki too.
Patrick Chan - Patrick might not have expected this wave of extremely talented new rivals when he decided to return to competitive skating, but he's not one to back down from a challenge. He's had a rougher season than the other four, with a 4th and 5th place at the GP Final and the Four Continents.
On a side note, as of March 25, Han Yan has withdrawn from the event due to a fractured shoulder.
PAIRS
Meagan Duhamel/Eric Radford - Meagan and Eric always seem like a sure thing for the World title, but manage to often keep us on the edge of our seats. This season will be no different as they've just returned from losing the gold at the Four Continents.
Wenjing Sui/Cong Han - the Chinese pair just won the Four Continents, which was their first competition of the season. What a way to break the ice! They also almost won the Worlds last season, so it'll be very interesting to see them perform in Helsinki.
Aliona Savchenko/Bruno Massot - the German pair's been on the World podium before, but are all of a sudden no longer a certainty this time around due to their defeat at the Europeans. They're still very likely to end up at least in the top 5.
Evgenia Tarasova/Vladimir Morozov - these two have left a lot of wounds in their wake this season after taking the gold in Ostrava (Europeans) and Marseille (GP Final). Despite this, they're officially only Russia's second best due to the silver they got at Nationals.
Ksenia Stolbova/Fedor Klimov - Russia's National champions took the gold in their homeland, but haven't been able to climb any other podiums this season. They ended on fourth place at the Europeans, after having to withdraw from both Grand Prix events due to Ksenia's shin problems.
LADIES
Evgenia Medvedeva - I'm obviously going to put Evgenia at the top of the list. She hasn't lost anything since November 2015, and it doesn't look like she's got the rivals in Helsinki to threaten her winning her second World title.
Carolina Kostner - after a successful comeback at the Europeans which got her a Bronze medal, the Italian has a chance to also end up on the World podium. The task is more difficult this time around though, as she's got skaters from Japan and the US to beat as well.
Ashley Wagner - the American's performance at last season's Worlds amazed us all, so she'll be looking to get another medal in Helsinki. Unfortunately, Ashley's season so far might make her fans nervous, as she lost at US Nationals and hasn't won a gold since Skate America.
Anna Pogorilaya - the Russian is not threatening the gold in Helsinki, but don't underestimate her. She got all three medal colours this season, and she knows how to make the most out of this lucky chance to be at Worlds (finished Nationals on 4th, but the silver medalist is not old enough to compete here).
Mai Mihara - this petite Japanese lady is someone you're probably not familiar with. She debuted at Senior level this season, but she's already turned some heads - she just won the Four Continents Championships. In lieu of Satoko Miyahara, who is absent, she's the Japanese I'm betting on.
ICE-DANCE
Tessa Virtue/Scott Moir - if you got a deja-vu feeling this season whenever you watched ice-dance, it's probably because of these two. They have won every single competition they attended, which is actually something they've never done before. Could this be their first perfect season?
Gabriella Papadakis/Guillaume Cizeron - everyone thought the French would be more of a threat to Tessa and Scott, but their scores always fall short of the Canadians'. That being said, they're still a great threat to everyone else, so I doubt we won't see at least a silver medal for these two.
Maia Shibutani/Alex Shibutani - the US champions have really made themselves the symbol of American ice dance in the last few seasons, but are still struggling to get out of the shadow of the Canadians and the French. They're one of my favourite couples, so fingers crossed.
Anna Cappellini/Luca Lanotte - winning a second World title looks pretty much impossible with the company they'll be keeping in Helsinki, but Italy's finest remains one of the most charismatic ice dance couples to ever grace us with their performances.
Ekaterina Bobrova/Dmitri Soloviev - I really struggled to chose between the Russians and Chock/Bates for the final spot on my watchlist. In the end, I let the results speak. Ekaterina and Dmitri have performed slightly better this season, but the difference can't really make them a sure bet.
Those are my top skaters/couples to watch for each discipline. Looking forward to their performances and any pleasant surprises we might see on the way.
The World Championships are back in Europe this year, in one of the few capitals of the world that;s often associated with the word cold, Helsinki. So, who am I keeping an eye on this week?
MEN
Javier Fernandez - the Spaniard's already got two World titles in his bag, and a third one seems pretty likely if we're to judge the array of golds he's already won this season. There was a tiny stumble at the Grand Pix Final, but if he keeps at least one feet firmly on the ice, he's a good bet.
Yuzuru Hanyu - opposite Javier, his training buddy is hungry for another World gold after losing the last two. Yuzuru hasn't had the smoothest of seasons, with only a silver at the Four Continents and Skate Canada, but his average is miles better than other skaters' best, so keep him in the rooster.
Nathan Chen - this American is a jumping machine. He's impressed the heck out of all of us this season, and was the guy who beat Yuzuru in Gangneung (FCC). That's why lots of people are probably looking forward to his performance in Helsinki.
 |
| Nathan Chen of the United States Photo: Koki Nagahama/Getty Images Asia |
Patrick Chan - Patrick might not have expected this wave of extremely talented new rivals when he decided to return to competitive skating, but he's not one to back down from a challenge. He's had a rougher season than the other four, with a 4th and 5th place at the GP Final and the Four Continents.
On a side note, as of March 25, Han Yan has withdrawn from the event due to a fractured shoulder.
PAIRS
Meagan Duhamel/Eric Radford - Meagan and Eric always seem like a sure thing for the World title, but manage to often keep us on the edge of our seats. This season will be no different as they've just returned from losing the gold at the Four Continents.
Wenjing Sui/Cong Han - the Chinese pair just won the Four Continents, which was their first competition of the season. What a way to break the ice! They also almost won the Worlds last season, so it'll be very interesting to see them perform in Helsinki.
Aliona Savchenko/Bruno Massot - the German pair's been on the World podium before, but are all of a sudden no longer a certainty this time around due to their defeat at the Europeans. They're still very likely to end up at least in the top 5.Evgenia Tarasova/Vladimir Morozov - these two have left a lot of wounds in their wake this season after taking the gold in Ostrava (Europeans) and Marseille (GP Final). Despite this, they're officially only Russia's second best due to the silver they got at Nationals.
Ksenia Stolbova/Fedor Klimov - Russia's National champions took the gold in their homeland, but haven't been able to climb any other podiums this season. They ended on fourth place at the Europeans, after having to withdraw from both Grand Prix events due to Ksenia's shin problems.
LADIES
Evgenia Medvedeva - I'm obviously going to put Evgenia at the top of the list. She hasn't lost anything since November 2015, and it doesn't look like she's got the rivals in Helsinki to threaten her winning her second World title.
 |
| Ashley Wagner, last season's silver medalist Photo: Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images North America |
Carolina Kostner - after a successful comeback at the Europeans which got her a Bronze medal, the Italian has a chance to also end up on the World podium. The task is more difficult this time around though, as she's got skaters from Japan and the US to beat as well.
Ashley Wagner - the American's performance at last season's Worlds amazed us all, so she'll be looking to get another medal in Helsinki. Unfortunately, Ashley's season so far might make her fans nervous, as she lost at US Nationals and hasn't won a gold since Skate America.
Anna Pogorilaya - the Russian is not threatening the gold in Helsinki, but don't underestimate her. She got all three medal colours this season, and she knows how to make the most out of this lucky chance to be at Worlds (finished Nationals on 4th, but the silver medalist is not old enough to compete here).
Mai Mihara - this petite Japanese lady is someone you're probably not familiar with. She debuted at Senior level this season, but she's already turned some heads - she just won the Four Continents Championships. In lieu of Satoko Miyahara, who is absent, she's the Japanese I'm betting on.
ICE-DANCE
Tessa Virtue/Scott Moir - if you got a deja-vu feeling this season whenever you watched ice-dance, it's probably because of these two. They have won every single competition they attended, which is actually something they've never done before. Could this be their first perfect season?
Gabriella Papadakis/Guillaume Cizeron - everyone thought the French would be more of a threat to Tessa and Scott, but their scores always fall short of the Canadians'. That being said, they're still a great threat to everyone else, so I doubt we won't see at least a silver medal for these two.
Maia Shibutani/Alex Shibutani - the US champions have really made themselves the symbol of American ice dance in the last few seasons, but are still struggling to get out of the shadow of the Canadians and the French. They're one of my favourite couples, so fingers crossed.
 |
| The Shibutanis at the Four Continents Championships 2017 Photo: AFP |
Ekaterina Bobrova/Dmitri Soloviev - I really struggled to chose between the Russians and Chock/Bates for the final spot on my watchlist. In the end, I let the results speak. Ekaterina and Dmitri have performed slightly better this season, but the difference can't really make them a sure bet.
Those are my top skaters/couples to watch for each discipline. Looking forward to their performances and any pleasant surprises we might see on the way.
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