Chinese Pairs?

I was thinking about I&B's outside chances at a medal at Worlds, and it occurred to me that a fourth Chinese team will probably go (Fitz/Ren?)
I'm assuming that Shen & Zhao aren't going to Worlds. It would be amazing if they did , but definitely understandable if they don't.
I don't know anything about Chinese pairs beyond Yao Bin , but what about that fourth team? Are they any good? Are they really, really good, and just haven't been able to get to the Worlds yet? Who are we looking at?
China may very well sweep the medals!

Shen & Zhao didn't retire, so the Chinese pairs will be the same 3 as at Olympics. Ding & Ren quit skating, so the 4th Chinese pair would be the one they sent to 4C's which John & Rena beat handily--they were also beaten by Putnam & Wirtz, Hinzman & Partchem and Wakamatsu & Fecteau.

I know T&M retired, but are Petrova Tikhonov going to Worlds??

I had heard that Petrova & Tikhonov were sticking around for another year, although I don't remember the source, so it may not be true.

I know T&M retired, but are Petrova Tikhonov going to Worlds??

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Really? So T/M officially retired?

T/M stated in their CBC post-skate interview that the Olympic Games were their last competition. I think that is a pretty clear statement that they will not be in Calgary.

However, I expect that Petrova/Tikhonov will be in Calgary. The Russian Federation needs them to help secure three spots for 2007, so I am sure they will be strongly encouraged by their federation to attend worlds this year.

Yes!

I'd love for I&B and Petrova and Tikhanov to all be at Worlds and do very well!

I would love to see a podium of Shen & Zhao, Petrova & Tikhonov, and I&B. (But I&B would probably be happy just to make the last flight of 4 skaters for the first time, however they finished) I'd love to see them skate their SP as at Olympics and their LP as at Nationals. If they did, they'd have a shot at the bronze. And I'd love to see them add some transitions to the SBS 2A section in their SP- probably SBS walleys, which they've used before, on the approach and skid spiral turn that they used in their EX At last. I'm assuming that they took out the multiple positions on the lift because the 3 turns, one hand lift, one hand set down, one hand throughout is a level 4, but one change in Rena's position would add some more choreo/transitions zing. They should leave the crossing pattern in the approach to the 3Ath as is. I wish they could add something to the approach to the 2 twist, but their twist is not stellar, and they probably need the extra speed to get as much height as they can.

Why am I writing this? Because when someone asked what I&B needed to get into the last 6 for the LP at Olys, I wrote SBS 2A's and land the 3Ath. And they did. So I'm crossing my fingers that they read this. yeah it's dumm, but ...

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Yeah, it's weird. It felt very strange when they actually put the 3ath in the SP and then a day or two later announced they were going to use 2A's.

But also, it's the logical thing to do. ...nothing they did ever changed their PCS scores either up or down...they had to try to up the tech content.

But it felt even odder when their coach said he tried to argue them out of the 3Ath in the SP. However, in the end it's Bs, but it was still very weird.

T&M are definitely done. They announced well before the OLympics that it would be their last event. They seemed quite tense all year. The CBC commentators kept saying how they ahve not enjoyed being "the hunted" team for the past two years.