Carolina, Julia, Ashley, Gracie, Akiko, or Adelina - Who will win the bronze medal ? | Page 2 | Golden Skate

Carolina, Julia, Ashley, Gracie, Akiko, or Adelina - Who will win the bronze medal ?

Peach

Rinkside
Joined
Oct 30, 2013
Who will win the bronze medal? Most likely one of these 3: Ashley, Julia or Caro. It all depends on how well they perform (obviously). Ashley is going to give her all, Julia is probably going to skate clean or relatively clean (unless she can't deal with home-ice pressure), Caro is going to get big PCS if she skates relatively clean. I would say if all three of them went clean, Julia would probably win because not only its in Russia, but she's going to have huge TES as well.

Other than those 3, I honestly can't see anyone else medalling. Adelina probably has a chance if she skates clean.
 

Eddie Lee

On the Ice
Joined
Jan 19, 2007
If Julia wins Europeans, and skates 2 clean programs at Sochi, I predict she'll win gold. (Location will weigh heavily!)
 

Krislite

Medalist
Joined
Sep 22, 2010
If Julia wins Europeans, and skates 2 clean programs at Sochi, I predict she'll win gold. (Location will weigh heavily!)

Even against a clean Asada or Kim? I know Russia has the most billionaires on earth but even that kind of inflation is something they can't afford. ;)
 

Nadia01

Final Flight
Joined
Nov 10, 2009
True that. As we have seen, a relatively clean Mao and Kim would score well into the 200's whereas a clean Julia would barely breach it.

I actually think that if Julia wins Europeans & goes clean in Sochi, she can get the bronze, provided that CaroK has at least 2 major errors total (in short and/or long).
 

CanadianSkaterGuy

Record Breaker
Joined
Jan 25, 2013
I actually think that if Julia wins Europeans & goes clean in Sochi, she can get the bronze, provided that CaroK has at least 2 major errors total (in short and/or long).

If Julia goes clean in Sochi a medal will be hers, I'm almost certain of it. Which is great considering not many skaters have maxed out content like she does. I just can't wait for the world to see those marvellous spins of hers and lose their minds as to what they thought was possible on skates.

That's actually my biggest hope this Olympics ... That skaters don't play it safe and we see some technically brilliant performances with unprecedented difficulty. That's what the sport needs to show the world. Shizuoka and Evan were lovely but everyone getting an Olympic medal should have attempted a 3-3 (3A in Mao's case) in both programs for the ladies & 1 quad in the SP and 2 quads in the LP for the men.
 

Sochi_2014

On the Ice
Joined
Dec 4, 2013
Does Russia just have two spots for the ladies at Europeans too? And if so, are they going to send the two that make the Olympic team?
 

Skater Boy

Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 24, 2012
I would say Kostner would still be the fave ; the judges seem to want to give it to her but Mao is a wildcard. She could challenge Yuna but she could fall off the podium (underrotate actually). Carolina followed by Wagner and then Julia. I f Julia gets inspired andKostner and Wagner aren't on Julia could steal a bronze imho. Adelina has to struggle to get on the Russian team and Gracie hasn't been very impressive in her programs so far.
 

CanadianSkaterGuy

Record Breaker
Joined
Jan 25, 2013
Does Russia just have two spots for the ladies at Europeans too? And if so, are they going to send the two that make the Olympic team?

I believe they have 3 at least? This will surely include the ones who will be ultimately on the Olympic team (although Julia could probably afford to skip Euros if she wins Russians, not that there is any good reason for her to since she will be a heavy favourite). The Olympic team will be set for sure after Euros.
 

jaylee

Medalist
Joined
Feb 21, 2010
I believe they have 3 at least? This will surely include the ones who will be ultimately on the Olympic team (although Julia could probably afford to skip Euros if she wins Russians, not that there is any good reason for her to since she will be a heavy favourite). The Olympic team will be set for sure after Euros.

I disagree, I don't think Julia can afford to skip Euros if she wins Russians. She needs that on her resume. As flukish as Sarah Hughes's OGM was, she did have a world bronze medal. I don't think Russian support is enough to overcome Julia's lack of senior international wins by itself. If Julia wins Euros, that will do a lot for her reputation.
 

silverlake22

Record Breaker
Joined
Nov 12, 2009
I don't think Gracie or really Adelina are in the hunt for bronze, not even Akiko so much. Being in Russia could maybe help Adelina but I just don't see it happening for her this season. Julia, Caro, and Ashley are the 3 really in the hunt, I'd be surprised if bronze didn't go to one of those 3.
 

David21

On the Ice
Joined
Jan 24, 2004
I don't think Gracie or really Adelina are in the hunt for bronze, not even Akiko so much. Being in Russia could maybe help Adelina but I just don't see it happening for her this season. Julia, Caro, and Ashley are the 3 really in the hunt, I'd be surprised if bronze didn't go to one of those 3.


I agree about Gracie but I don't see why skaters like Akiko or Sotnikova wouldn't be able to compete for a Bronze Medal at Sochi when they staking well.
And people here a acting like it is already a foregone conclusion that Kim and Mao will win Gold and Silver, which it is IMO clearly not especially if the judges finally will detect Mao's obvious underrotations.
 

silverlake22

Record Breaker
Joined
Nov 12, 2009
I agree about Gracie but I don't see why skaters like Akiko or Sotnikova wouldn't be able to compete for a Bronze Medal at Sochi when they staking well.
And people here a acting like it is already a foregone conclusion that Kim and Mao will win Gold and Silver, which it is IMO clearly not especially if the judges finally will detect Mao's obvious underrotations.

Mao hasn't skated brilliantly at any of her internationals thus far this season and she's still won all of them handily. I think she may even win gold in Sochi as Kim appears to be a bit rusty ATM. Mao's PCS and GOE will keep her on the medal stand, and very likely in first or 2nd place, even if she does get hit with a few URs.

Further, Adelina has gone head-to-head with Ashley twice this season and lost to Ashley both times, including at TEB where she had a perfect FS. A perfect FS from Adelina only scored 2 points more than a not so great FS from Ashley, and with her track record and questionable jump technique, I just don't see Adelina putting 2 clean programs together at the Olympics where I think Ashley feasibly could as she usually skates clean or nearly clean. In other words, one clean program from Adelina isn't likely to be enough to get her on the medal stand, and the last time we saw Adelina deliver 2 clean programs in the same competition was like 3 years ago, before puberty, pressure, and the rise of her competition at home all took their toll.

Akiko was gaining momentum the past couple of seasons but after what happened at Worlds, losing to Radionova at NHK (who did not manage to beat Wagner at GPF despite skating almost perfectly while Ashley was far from her best), and not making the GPF, I think her stock has gone down a bit and she will be marked fairly conservatively at the Olympics because of it. With 2 brilliant skates she could sneak away with a medal, but like Adelina, she rarely puts 2 super solid programs together so I think it might not happen.

Kostner was my pick for bronze at the start of the season but her injuries and not so great programs have opened up the field a bit now. She withdrew from Nationals, didn't make the GPF, and was beaten by 15 year olds Pogorilaya and Lipnitskaya (with a meltdown in the FS) on the GP, so really, she is a question mark right now.

Lots of ladies could theoretically challenge for the bronze, but at this point, I think Julia and Ashley are by far the top 2 contenders for that last medal.
 

Blades of Passion

Skating is Art, if you let it be
Record Breaker
Joined
Sep 14, 2008
Country
France
I have a feeling if Mao and Kim both skate equally okish the judges will go with Kim, even with Maos harder program.

ISU doesn't like how Yu-Na has skimped out on events the past quad. Mao has shown up for everything, despite trying to rework technique and her mom dying. Plus, Japan needs a big win to keep ice skating fans buying tickets and she is their best hope.
 

skateluvr

Record Breaker
Joined
Oct 23, 2011
ISU doesn't like how Yu-Na has skimped out on events the past quad. Mao has shown up for everything, despite trying to rework technique and her mom dying. Plus, Japan needs a big win to keep ice skating fans buying tickets and she is their best hope.

But they gave her huge scores at WC last year, they always do. It does not seem to have hurt her much-being absent.
 

Nadia01

Final Flight
Joined
Nov 10, 2009
ISU doesn't like how Yu-Na has skimped out on events the past quad. Mao has shown up for everything, despite trying to rework technique and her mom dying. Plus, Japan needs a big win to keep ice skating fans buying tickets and she is their best hope.

But didn't Yuna win last year? Even with that edge call on her flip in short, she still managed to beat everyone w/ short (and she even skated very early...)

TBH I'm not certain that Mao can go squeaky clean in Sochi. I think Yuna is capable of doing it (she's done it twice at big comps now) and still do the planned layout (no doubling triples to not fall, etc.).
 

Krislite

Medalist
Joined
Sep 22, 2010
But didn't Yuna win last year? Even with that edge call on her flip in short, she still managed to beat everyone w/ short (and she even skated very early...)

TBH I'm not certain that Mao can go squeaky clean in Sochi. I think Yuna is capable of doing it (she's done it twice at big comps now) and still do the planned layout (no doubling triples to not fall, etc.).

If they skate more or less like last season's Worlds Yuna will of course win by a landslide. She won because she was indisputably the best at that event. I suspect Blades might be thinking more of a scenario like 2011 Worlds, where Miki and Yuna were very closely scored as Yuna made some mistakes. Yuna skipped all but Worlds that season. The judges gave the title to Miki.

She did participate at Worlds last season, before Sochi, so I don't know how much the ISU might still begrudge her for missing out recently. The fact that they have a returning ladies Olympic champion at all is quite rare (hasn't happened since Witt), so I hope at least some of the judges keep it in perspective. But I do think she can afford fewer mistakes this time around compared to Vancouver. She's probably well aware of that.
 
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