- Joined
- Jan 25, 2013
Based on scores this year, SA could conceivably be:
1. Chen - 290+
2. Voronov - 270
3. Jin - 265
4. Rippon - 260
5. Yan - 250 (But he is inconsistent)
There is a good chance that the top 4 above make the final, squeezing out Jason Brown
Barring some sort of injury or illness, Chen should make it.
I am not sure if Voronov has found his stride or NHK was a once-in-a-lifetime thing. But, he only needs to finish 5th to make the GPF. I think even if he drops a bit from his NHK performance, he makes the final.
Jin could beat Voronov. I am expecting more in this competition because he is a slow starter at the beginning of the season and gets progressively better.
Rippon performing well should get 4th, but maybe higher if someone like Voronov doesn't do well. He is skating on home turf.
As to the others, Yan looks good and is the one in my mind who could spoil Rippon's chances. While Mura is top notch on a good day, he has been having a lot of problems lately, and Kovtun is the Master of inconsistency. I have no idea where he will place or what we will see from him. He must be feeling a ton of pressure and that is not conducive to great performances. Hendrickx is a nice performer but I don't think he will figure amongst the top. Miner's top score is 248 from two years ago and he scored 233 at Finlandia. I don't think he is going to upset the apple cart. Reynolds hasn't been a real threat for quite a while, either.
I am not sure Voronov will live up to his NHK showing. He has a weight of expectations on him now unlike in his first GP. He beat his PB by 20 points, I would not be surprised if he scored much lower than that (and in line with his average 250) at SA (not that I wish it on him)
Kovtun's coach stated today that Kovtun will compete at SA to start his season but that he has not been doing well in practices. It does not sound too good tbh. I put my bet on Chen, Jin and Rippon on the podium the rest can be totally unpredictable