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Post by Admin on Mar 1, 2020 20:53:14 GMT
With the season-ending junior figure skating event kicking off in Estonia next week, the main intrigue of the tournament is, who will win the ladies competition – Kamila Valieva or Alysa Liu? The two immensely talented skaters are set to make their debut at the Junior Worlds which will run from March 2 to 8 in Tallinn. Rising Russian star Valieva has already established herself as one of the most technically-gifted skaters with her mesmerizing, Picasso-inspired routine ‘Girl on the ball’ already being called a masterpiece by figure skating pundits. The tiny girl with pencil-straight lines and gorgeous flexibility has acquired quad toe loop jumps, which she is expected to throw at the upcoming world tournament. Liu, who claimed her second straight US title last month, is widely considered the main rival for Valieva, with her extraordinary technical content which includes a triple axel and a quad lutz.
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Post by Admin on Mar 2, 2020 18:12:41 GMT
In December, both girls met at the 2019 Junior Grand Prix Final in Italy where Valieva edged out her American counterpart by three points, becoming the only skater to beat Liu this season. http://instagram.com/p/B9OxCorpeVY Valieva, who is called the ‘ballerina on ice’ for her elegant moves and artistry, traditionally has high component scores, receiving a level 4 for her jaw-dropping spins and footwork. She also gets positive grades of execution (GOE) for every element executed in her programs, which helps her post high overall scores. Both skaters will be eligible to enter senior competitions in the 2021-22 season, with the goal of earning a berth in the Winter Olympics in Beijing, where they could potentially vie for gold. http://instagram.com/p/B9OpGDPJbX_ Valieva, who has trained under renowned coach Eteri Tutberidze, has been stable throughout the season, winning every event she has taken part in, including the ISU Junior Grand Prix Final and the Russian Junior Championships. The 13-year-old prodigy differs from the majority of her teammates by having mature skating despite her years. She flawlessly interprets the music of her programs, creating an unforgettable spectacle on the ice. http://instagram.com/p/B9MtwjyJaJA Will she be able to repeat the success she had at the Grand Prix final? In Torino, she lost the short program to Liu before rising from fourth place to claim gold. Undoubtedly, the American ace will do everything in her power to avenge the defeat inflicted by Valieva, adding spice to the principle rivalry taking center stage at the 2020 Junior World tournament.
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Post by Admin on Mar 3, 2020 18:30:58 GMT
Alysa Liu and Kamila Valieva are set to go head-to-head one final time this season as the World Junior Figure Skating Championships take place in Tallinn, Estonia, from 4–8 March. The pair, who dueled it out at the Junior Grand Prix Final in Turin where Liu finished second to Valieva in her only defeat of the season, are the top billing among the 48 skaters from 41 countries competing in the Junior Ladies event. It will be the World Juniors debut for both skaters, who are still just 14 and 13 respectively. Quad versus quad? Both girls have quadruple jumps in their repertoires, making the contest an intriguing one to watch. However, in their planned program content submitted to the International Skating Union, only Liu is listed for a quad jump – a Lutz – in her free skate. Valieva, who is able to land a quadruple toe loop, doesn't have a quad jump listed, although that does not mean she won't perform one when the time comes. Liu, the two-time senior American champion, is also capable of jumping the triple Axel, a jump she has listed in both of her planned programs in the Estonian capital. However, speaking to the International Figure Skating Magazine, she played down expectations of perfection. "I don’t expect to be perfect … there are obviously going to be mistakes, but I can learn from them," she said. "I would be happy with any podium placement."
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Post by Admin on Mar 4, 2020 14:01:25 GMT
Men, Pairs, and Ice Dance skaters to watch Lausanne 2020 Youth Olympic Games champions Kagiyama Yuma and Apollinariia Panfilova/Dmitry Rylov are set to star in the Estonian capital in the Junior Men and Junior Pairs categories respectively.
Japan's Kagiyama will face competition from 34 other skaters representing 28 countries in his event.
The biggest challenge appears to be from the Lausanne silver medallist Andrei Mozalev of Russia, while other names like Daniel Grassl of Italy – last year's world junior bronze medallist, and Junior Grand Prix Final champion Sato Shun, will also figure in contention.
Meanwhile, Panfilova and Rylov are one of 16 pairs from 10 countries taking part, including Lausanne bronze medallists Alina Butaeva and Luka Berulava of Georgia and team silver medallists Cate Fleming and Jedidiah Isbell from USA.
In the Junior Ice Dance, Lausanne 2020 bronze medallists Katarina Wolfkostin and Jeffrey Chen (USA), team gold medallists Yoshida Utana and Nishiyama Shingo (Japan), and team bronze medallists Natalie D'Alessandro and Bruce Waddell all feature. Junior Grand Prix Final champions Maria Kazakova and Georgy Reviya are also likely to provide stiff competition. There are 29 ice dance couples representing 22 countries in Estonia.
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Post by Admin on Mar 5, 2020 1:35:49 GMT
Lausanne 2020 Youth Olympic Games champion Kagiyama Yuma leads after the men's short program at the ISU World Junior Figure Skating Championships in Tallinn. With quads not permitted in the short program, Kagiyama scored 85.82 - 13 points higher than in Lausanne - to hold a narrow advantage over Russia's Andrei Mozalev going into Friday's free skate. Andrew Torgashev of the United States was third on the day, ahead of Estonia's Aleksander Selevko who delighted the home fans with a career-best skate. Junior Grand Prix Final winner Sato Shun lies fifth just ahead of Italy's Daniel Grassl. Sato was the first of the big names to go, skating in the fourth group out of six. The Japanese defeated Kagiyama in December's Junior Grand Prix Final in Turin but has been out of the limelight while his compatriot has excelled at both junior and senior level. Sato showed he is no back number with a fine short program, starting with a triple Axel followed by a slightly sketchy triple Lutz-triple toe loop combination and then a better triple loop. He was rewarded with a new personal best score of 79.30. Mozalev skated third in the penultimate group and produced another solid, clean routine. The Russian - who led after the short program in Lausanne before having to settle for silver - landed a triple loop and a triple Axel followed by a triple Lutz-triple toe loop combo. He also posted a new personal best, scoring 84.31 to take the lead.
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