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
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.
And as god as my witness I'll never go hungry again.If flatt medals I'll stop watching womens skating
If flatt medals I'll stop watching womens skating
You predict Rochette to be that low?
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 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.
I predict that, regardless of who will end up on the podium, there will be whining.
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.
What kind of pressure Rochette or Kostner dealt with that Rachael did not?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.
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)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.
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...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.
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.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.