Yeah, I don't think it's in the cards for Yulia or Adelina. There's just too many other competitive girls who can make the team. Anna flops? It's okay, Elena will take her place. Elena sick? That's fine, we got Maria, Alina, etc. Sadly, Yulia and Adelina have not proved themselves to be competitive enough with this DMV line of talent in recent years regardless of how much more I like them compared to all the rest combined. Both are young enough that we could see them come back in the future, but for the Olympic year, I think the battle is over before it's even begun. I definitely am biased and 100% hope I am wrong though. At this point, I just want to see Yulia skate again. I really don't care if it's at some D-list Russian competition or the Olympics. An Adelina comeback would be especially epic if she can somehow pull off the impossible upset again. Just imagine the meltdowns! So out of the three "veterans" (they're all still so young it's kind of laughable calling them that), I think Liza actually has the best chance of making it onto the team. Of course, I don't think she will, but I think she has the best chance relative to the two Olympic champs. In some of her recent photos, she looks really in shape. If she can get back the 3A and land it consistently, I think she makes the team. I wouldn't consider myself the biggest fan of her per se, but I really want it for her because she's had like the crappiest luck out of all the Russians with puberty/injuries and what not. Adelina and Yulia were able to weather the issues and make it to the Olympics in their careers, and I want that for Liza too. I think she is too talented to have never gone to the Olympics, and it would be such a shame if she missed again.
Well, the OGM favorite has rarely been as dominant as Evgenia has been for the past 2 seasons either. It's unprecedented really. I mean, I guess you could argue for Kwan but that's a bit irrelevant as she competed under a different system. Yuna in 2010 looked just as unbeatable, so that's probably a better example. In that case she won, not without a fight from Mao, but it still looked easy. IMO, Evgenia faces an even easier field except maybe Alina, as compared to what Yuna faced in 2010. On her toughest day, she's up against Alina, Anna (assuming she doesn't throw away the competition by going into her jumps face first like at Worlds), some still rising Japanese upstarts headed by Miyahara The-World's-Most-Impressive-Jumper Satoko, and yeah that's it really. Who else is there? Ashley? Yeah...I guess, if she's still the USA #1 at that point. Maybe the Canadian ladies will luck into a podium spot again if everyone else flops again like at Worlds but don't count on it. Unless she suffers some sort of career ending injury, Evgenia is going to be in Pyeongchang (I mean, if the country is still there that is) in February and can start booking her flight right now. And if she's there, she's going to win. And yeah, people are going to say like oh look at how Yulia crumbled under the pressure when she made a run at the OGM (which seeing the aftermath of what happened, I am somewhat glad she didn't win). Well, Evgenia is going to be older than Yulia was in Sochi and much more tested on such a large stage being the reigning World Champ for the past 2 years. I don't foresee any sudden mental collapse for her in the same way. Short of breaking a leg (literally), we're just waiting for the formal coronation to happen in Pyeongchang.
So...now that I've said my piece, watch as all my carefully thought out predications are systematically proven wrong one by one. It's going to happen. Just watch. Olympics will happen lol. Calling it now:
OGM: Gracie Gold
Silver: Li Zijun
Bronze: Alena Leonova
****
has a good season. She's had her ups and downs in the past ,but I believe she can bring it this time around! :thumbsup:
