As of right now, I don't think there is anyone who can actually beat the Russians. In addition to the slanted judging most receive (don't @ me cause you know it's true
) the reality is they are the main ones working the system like they own it. More specifically, with the exception of Liza T, Eteri's students are ruling women's skating right now and it doesn't look like that is going to change any time soon.
The level of difficulty is through the roof and most other countries can't keep up. If you don't have at least a 3A, it's unlikely you can make it to the podium at a major international event without relying on others to mess up. If by chance you do have tougher elements there's still the issue of the Russian-leaning GOE/PCS bias that will most likely keep a Russian at the top of the leaderboard. The top spots of the podium at GP events, the Grand Prix Final, Worlds and the Olympics are pretty much earmarked for a Russian at this point for the foreseeable future.
Rika had a shot over these past years to snag that top spot but, unfortunately, she was unable to capitalize on those opportunities. A combination of injuries, bad timing and/or nerves has cost her two world titles. Had she been clean in in 2019 she'd have beaten Alina and with the lackluster skating at this year's event, a clean performance of her intended content would have given her the title.
Aside from Rika, there isn't anyone else who has the content. Kaori is a phenomenal skater but she is often lowballed when she's up against Russians and I don't see that changing. I can make the argument she deserved to be on the last two world podiums but was denied due to others being scored over her... Alysa is a lovely skater but I'm doubtful she'll be able to put serious pressure on the Russians. Even if she gets the 3A and a quad back she'll run into one brick wall labeled "GOE" and a bigger wall labeled "PCS" and, whether she's made improvements or not, she won't be given the scores to be competitive at the top... Bradie doesn't have the content and struggles at big events... Karen doesn't have the content and is too erratic... Amber has a 3A but it's unproven in competition, plus she'll be on the low end of the PCS pool... You Young is one of the best jumpers in the field and she's capable of a 3A and a quad from what we've seen. However, her big elements aren't reliable and she also struggles with consistency. I'd love to see her do well at some point though...
I know people have their feelings re: how Eteri does things but you can't deny she's one of the most successful coaches out there. She produces champion after champion. Her track record with longevity is nonexistent but longevity doesn't seem to be that important in Russia since there is always another skater coming up. As one star falls another rises. Eteri's skaters seem to be averaging about 2.5 to 3 years at the senior level before being replaced. That's a brutal pace but it is what it is and doesn't appear to be slowing down.
Of course nothing is set in stone. Ice is slippery and circumstances and situations can change quickly and drastically. Still, I don't see anyone in the field or coming up through the ranks outside of Russia who has the necessary fire power and political positioning to unseat the current regime at this time.
