Podium Predictions | Page 3 | Golden Skate

Podium Predictions

Rhyme

Rinkside
Joined
Feb 28, 2009
Men
1. Evgeni Plushenko
2. Patrick Chan
3. Evan Lysacek

Ladies
1. Yu-Na Kim
2. Joannie Rochette
3. Mao Asada

Dance
1. Virtue / Moir
2. Domnina / Shabalin
3. Delobel / Schoenfelder

Pairs
1. Shen / Zhao
2. Savchenko / Szolkowy
3. Kavaguti / Smirnov
 

skatefancan

Rinkside
Joined
Jan 2, 2007
If flatt medals... I'll never watch skating again

If flatt medals I'll stop watching womens skating



MEN:
Plushenko has been the only skater who has proved he is solid in both the short and the long. Abbott has the ability to beat him, but likely will falter at such a big event. Lysacek’s short will place him too far behind Plushenko to catch up.

1. Plushenko
2. Lysacek
3. Abbott
4. Joubert
5. Lambiel
6. Takahashi

Spoilers: Chan, Oda, Breznia





WOMEN:
If Kim performs either program perfectly, she’ll win. Flatt will likely place second in the free skate, so she needs to make sure she isn’t too far behind in the short. Ando could secure a medal with her short, while Asada’s inability to skate a good short will be her undoing.
1. Kim
2. Flatt
3. Ando
4. Suzuki
5. Rochette
6. Asada

Spoilers: Kostner, Nagasu, Lepisto

PAIRS:
Shen/Zhao win hands down unless Kavaguti/Smirnov pull off quads in both short and long. Savchenko/Szolkowy have had bad long programs, which could keep them off the medal stand entirely. If Pang/Tong skate two solid programs, the silver should be theirs.
1. Shen/Zhao
2. Pang/Tong
3. Kavaguti/Smirnov
4. Savchenko/Szolkowy
5. Mukhortova/Trankov
6. Zhang/Zhang

Spoilers: Dube/Davison, Volosohozhar/Morozov, Langlois/Hay



DANCE:
Davis/White will start off the competition in third in the compulsory dance. They’ll go on to surpass Domina/Shabalin, but Virtue/Moir will win the free skate, securing the gold. Meanwhile, the compulsory will likely place Belbin/Agosto too far behind to knock D/S off the medal stand.
1. Virtue/Moir
2. Davis/White
3. Domina/Shabalin
4. Belbin/Agosto
5. Faiella/Scali
6. Khoklova/Novitski

Spoilers: Pechalat/Bourzat, Kerr/Kerr, Delobel/Schoenfelder
 

silversprings77

Rinkside
Joined
Jan 22, 2010
Dance:
1. Domnina and Shabalin will, according to Olympic tradition, be handed the gold, regardless of the performances.

I tend to agree with predictions and comments here. Though I think S/Z is almost a sure thing, unless they bomb which they havn't all year.

Big sigh for the dance. D & S been poor all year but it doesn't matter. It will be a travesty but the OGM for Dance will go to the Russians. Love watching Dance but don't know how the dancers put up with this.

The same MIGHT be said for pairs....a Soviet or Russian pair has always won OGM since 1964...even with a flawed performance (2002 coming to mind). but for any one of the Russian pairs to medal, they need to be ON...but i predict that if K/S skate well....there MIGHT be some issues....but then again pairs (supposedly) isn't as flawed as ice dancing judging. will be interesting to see how tradition and politics play into judging with ice dancing and pairs (and even with ladies with no American finishing off the podium since 1968....)
 

Tinymavy15

Sinnerman for the win
Record Breaker
Joined
Dec 28, 2006
Okay here goes:

Ladies:
Yu-na. She will have a small mistake in one program, but otherwise handle the imense pressure well and be awarded scores that set new reocrds.

Miki. She is well-trained, not that much pressure, she seem confident. She will hit the 3/3 in one program and skate clean.

Mao. A downgraded 3 axel in the short will put gold dreams out of reach. She will skate a perfect freeskate, enough for a medal.

Men:

Plushenko. The event will be judged. Plushenko will land his quad in both programs. Need I say more?

Takahashi: He will finally lay down the good, including a quad in the freeskate.

Evan: His PCS will hold him up, but he won't risk the quad but skate two clean programs.

Pairs:
Shen and Zhao will be perfect. as they have been all season.

M&T will skate clean.

S&S: Beautiful programs but to many bobbles. I hope they stay around for 2014.

Dance:
Domina and Shabalin: ouch that hurt.

Virtue and Moir. Home ice advanage gives them the edge over thier training mates. They brimg the crowd to its feet and to tears with Mahler and Tessa stops smiling at the wrong moments in the chreo.

Davis and White: More great performances from them. They deserve gold, but are happy with the bronze.
 

aurora100

Final Flight
Joined
Dec 3, 2009
If flatt medals I'll stop watching womens skating

Oh dear, Flatt is not that bad. She could podium with two good performances, or near perfect programs, but she will need two programs. She has the strongest mental game in the Ladies.
 
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DesertRoad

Final Flight
Joined
Oct 31, 2005
Ice dancing is the only discipline I can hazard an educated guess, because the judges seem to have made their minds up long before the competition. So:

Gold: Davis/White
Silver: Domnina Shabalin (Boo! Boooooo!)
Bronze: Virtue/Moir

I'm a lot iffier on pairs, but based on this season so far and the mood of the judges:

Pairs:

Gold: Shen/Zhao
Silver: Kavaguti/Smirnov
Bronze: Savchenko/Szolkowy

The only thing I know in men's is that Plushenko will win. So:

Gold: Plushenko
Silver: ?????
Bronze: ?????

And ladies, is, by far, the most unpredictable. We've had a surprise winner the last 3 times, and it's only going to be more chaotic this time. The two frontrunners, Yu Na and Mao, are having and will have some of the most intense media scrutiny ever trained on them. They are under an unimaginable amount of pressure. It will get to them. So:

Gold: ?????
Silver: ?????
Bronze: ?????
 

mel66

Rinkside
Joined
Oct 15, 2009
For ladies..
one thing for sure is that Yuna Kim will medal. She might not win the gold (although I believe she is the most favorite) but will still medal even if she makes some mistakes. But as for other ladies..I'm not sure. Mao, Joannie, and Miki..they are very likely to medal at this Olympics but if the mess something up? then it is possible for them to not medal.
 

Eszterbeszti

Rinkside
Joined
Feb 27, 2009
Well, for me ladies are the biggest question.
OK, the gold is for Kim, but who will earn the silver and the bronz. I think Kostner is good, but maybe she will be too nervous to earn the bronze, and I reallly hope that Asada will be able to fight for the podium. I don't think the american girl will get medal, the are good, but they need more time to practice maybe in Sochi, but I'd like to watch there Caroline. Joannie has a big chance to be on the podium: she'll skate at home. So I think:
1. Kim
2. Joannie
3. Asada
 

Bennett

Record Breaker
Joined
Nov 20, 2007
You predict Rochette to be that low?

I don't want Rochette to be that low (7th). If she pulls out two clean programs, she'd get the Gold. If she only makes a couple of mistakes, she would medal.

At the same time, I predict a big bombing potential in Rochette. Unlike Yuna, Miki, and Mao, she's not very much used to pressures. She's already affected so much by the media. Yet, she will be under even stronger pressures at the Games. So I put her under these three ladies.

If she does okay, Rochette would comfortably outskate Suzuki, Rachael, and Leonova. But Suzuki and Rachael have been far more consistent than Rochette this season and are likely to be nearly clean whereas Rochette seems likely to show vulnerability. Their base values are not that different. So I put them above her. She could be far above Leonova if she pulls it together. But if she bombs, a strong jumper like Leonova can go above her.

But if she gets as boosted PCS as that at SC with any mistake-filled program (don't necessarily think it undeserving; her programs and presentation are fab), she would perhaps go ahead of Leonova and would place 6th instead of 7th. However, I cannot see a clean Rachael and a clean Akiko not going above a bombed Rochette.

I hope that her success at Nationals can give her confidence. But I still see her in the process of getting out of the slump. Not having succeeded at an international comp this season would make her vulnerable to bombing.
 
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museksk8r

Record Breaker
Joined
Oct 31, 2006
Country
United-States
I predict it's the Olympics and anything can happen, and like beep_beep said, there will for sure be a lot of whining going on.
 

R.D.

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
Oh dear, Flatt is not that bad. She could podium with two good performances, or near perfect programs, but she will need two programs. She has the strongest mental game in the Ladies.

I don't feel the same way about Flatt but I can understand why some do. After all, I feel the exact same way about another skater.
 

i love to skate

Medalist
Joined
Dec 13, 2005
I don't want Rochette to be that low (7th). If she pulls out two clean programs, she'd get the Gold. If she only makes a couple of mistakes, she would medal.

At the same time, I predict a big bombing potential in Rochette. Unlike Yuna, Miki, and Mao, she's not very much used to pressures. She's already affected so much by the media. Yet, she will be under even stronger pressures at the Games. So I put her under these three ladies.

If she does okay, Rochette would comfortably outskate Suzuki, Rachael, and Leonova. But Suzuki and Rachael have been far more consistent than Rochette this season and are likely to be nearly clean whereas Rochette seems likely to show vulnerability. Their base values are not that different. So I put them above her. She could be far above Leonova if she pulls it together. But if she bombs, a strong jumper like Leonova can go above her.

But if she gets as boosted PCS as that at SC with any mistake-filled program (don't necessarily think it undeserving; her programs and presentation are fab), she would perhaps go ahead of Leonova and would place 6th instead of 7th. However, I cannot see a clean Rachael and a clean Akiko not going above a bombed Rochette.

I hope that her success at Nationals can give her confidence. But I still see her in the process of getting out of the slump. Not having succeeded at an international comp this season would make her vulnerable to bombing.

All of the other ladies had dismal Grand Prix showings as well and have been just as inconsistent as Joannie. Joannie is going into the Olympics with a clean 7 triple performance under her belt - which is more than can be said for some of her competitors.
 

R.D.

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
For those iPhone users out there, the official NBCOlympics app is now out. It's cool...you can choose favorite sports and athletes to follow. I chose Lindsey Vonn, Figure Skating, Rachel Flatt and Mirai Nagasu :rock:
 

bekalc

Record Breaker
Joined
Nov 1, 2006
Originally Posted by aurora100
Oh dear, Flatt is not that bad. She could podium with two good performances, or near perfect programs, but she will need two programs. She has the strongest mental game in the Ladies.

Huh? Rachael has never had to deal with the kind of pressure Kim, Asada, Ando, Rochette or Kostner have had to deal with. She wasn't in the final group at worlds last year, and she's never even made the GPF. And not making the GPF this season was due to her own poor showing at Cup of China. Even at worlds while she had a good skate she wasn't completely clean in the short or the long program, and didn't deliver one 3/3.

We have no idea how Rachael would react if she suddenly found herself in the final group at the Olympics, in the hunt for the medal. Yes she could skate great, but she could also deliver a long program like she did at Four Continents last year or Cup of China this year. She's never found herself in that kind of experience before.

Kim/Asada/Ando were all extremely good jumpers when they were young and were consistent. But they have all had to face a huge amount of expectations and pressure from their media, since they were a young age. Kim/Asada didn't even get to be underdogs as Seniors. Not even for one year. Considering the pressure and expectations those girls have had on their shoulders for so long, I think its safe to say that all of them have a pretty great mental games. And until Rachael is placed in their situation and skates well enough to win world medals/world championships. Heck Ando did a short with a 3/3 and a 7 triple program with a 3/3 to win her world title. Until Rachael has managed that one, lets not say she has a stronger mental game than the others. I do think Rachael is a very good competitor and all of that but it is ridiculously unfair to compare her to the other girls when the other girls have way more pressure on themselves.
 
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R.D.

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
This talk is a bit pointless IMO

Rachel can CLEARLY handle pressure. We've seen it time and time again where she rises to the occasion.

The question then becomes, will she be put under Olympic-level pressure? That can break just about anyone it seems. The key for Flatt is to put herself within striking range of a medal at least. The ones leading, near the top, and hometown faves are usually the ones that feel it the most.

Nagasu apparently does not being counted out, either. We shall see
 
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FlattFan

Match Penalty
Joined
Jan 4, 2010
Huh? Rachael has never had to deal with the kind of pressure Kim, Asada, Ando, Rochette or Kostner have had to deal with. She wasn't in the final group at worlds last year, and she's never even made the GPF. And not making the GPF this season was due to her own poor showing at Cup of China. Even at worlds while she had a good skate she wasn't completely clean in the short or the long program, and didn't deliver one 3/3.
What kind of pressure Rochette or Kostner dealt with that Rachael did not?
Kim, Asada, and Ando 2006 had the most pressure.
Ando 2010 has about the same pressure as Flatt.

We have no idea how Rachael would react if she suddenly found herself in the final group at the Olympics, in the hunt for the medal. Yes she could skate great, but she could also deliver a long program like she did at Four Continents last year or Cup of China this year. She's never found herself in that kind of experience before.
3 times at nationals, the Junior World Championship (Miki, Mao, Kim were Junior Champs once, and it took them a few years to be senior champ)
But it could be true that when she's suddenly in the hunt, she could potentially repeat CoC.

Kim/Asada didn't even get to be underdogs as Seniors. Not even for one year. Considering the pressure and expectations those girls have had on their shoulders for so long, I think its safe to say that all of them have a pretty great mental games.
They were lucky because all the top dogs were gone by the time they competed at senior level. Miki were pretty good, did triple lutz triple loop, quad Sal, and at the time, they were very forgiving for UR jumps and yet, she couldn't beat aging Kwan, couldn't beat Slutskaya, Shizuka, Sasha, etc...
I'd say had they competed in 2002 or something, there would be absolutely no pressure and expectations.

And until Rachael is placed in their situation and skates well enough to win world medals/world championships. Heck Ando did a short with a 3/3 and a 7 triple program with a 3/3 to win her world title. Until Rachael has managed that one, lets not say she has a stronger mental game than the others. I do think Rachael is a very good competitor and all of that but it is ridiculously unfair to compare her to the other girls when the other girls have way more pressure on themselves.
I agree with this point. She's very stable, but that's not to say she has any less pressure coming from her own federation when time after time, put prettier but technically challenged girls in front of her.
Rachael knew she had to hit everything in order for her own federation to back her, if that's not pressure cooking, what is?
 

Bennett

Record Breaker
Joined
Nov 20, 2007
Men
1. Plushy
2. Evan/Nobu/Abott/Joubert/Dai
3. Evan/Nobu/Abott/Joubert/Dai/Chan/Kozu/Johnny
4. Evan/Nobu/Abott/Joubert/Dai/Chan/Kozu/Johnny/Lambiel

Too many good skaters. But too many injuries, too.
 
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