日志
Golden关于SA的前瞻
热度 10
The big story in the pairs division in Lake Placid is Xue Shen and Hongbo Zhao from China as they build towards their fourth Olympic Games. Just two weeks ago in Beijing, the two-time Olympic bronze medalists won their first competition back from semi-retirement in convincing fashion. In winning Cup of China, Shen and Zhao defeated teammates Dan Zhang (24) and Hao Zhang (25), the reigning Olympic silver medalists, by more than ten points.
Shen (30) and Zhao (36) competed in Beijing as if they had not missed a beat, and seem poised to contend for another Olympic medal. In Lake Placid, the three-time World Champions need not change anything from what they did in Beijing. Small improvements in attention to detail in choreography could make a huge difference in the overall impression of the programs, but Skate America is Shen and Zhao's competition to lose.
A medal of any color will guarantee Shen and Zhao a 10th trip to the Grand Prix Final, which ties Russia's Irina Slutskaya's record for most appearances in the competition. Shen and Zhao are worthy of such an historic accomplishment, and should easily see that milestone come to fruition. （申赵在书写着历史，oh year!)
Just as in Beijing, Shen and Zhao will skate against Zhang and Zhang for the title. Zhang and Zhang struggled in Beijing with the solo jumps, but were never really in contention for the title. The The World silver medalists lack the intangible 'it' factor of their veteran countrymen, and will have to make sure that everything is executed cleanly and at the highest level if they hope to challenge.
This season Zhang and Zhang's programs appear to lack spark, and in particular, Dan Zhang does not look comfortable on the ice.(希望ZZ这周末的表现能让大家看到spark） This couple has all of the makings of a championship team, but they have yet to relate to each other in their programs.（俩人看不上眼的话 估计很难relate to each other.....) However, while they may not be able to challenge Shen and Zhao for the title, they are so technically sound that they should earn the silver medal with relative ease.
Ukrainians Tatiana Volosozhar and Stanislav Morozov and Americans Keauna McLaughlin and Rockne Brubaker will battle it out for the bronze medal. Both teams are coming off of a bronze medal in their first Grand Prix this season - the Ukrainians in China and the Americans in Russia.
Volosozhar (23) and Morozov (30) have the more impressive resume, finishing as high as fourth at both the European and World Figure Skating Championships. In addition, the 2008-09 Grand Prix Finalists have a season's best of more than 10 points higher than that of McLaughlin and Brubaker.
McLaughlin (17) and Brubaker (23) are looking at the Grand Prix as a tune-up for the rest of the season, realizing that it might be too much to ask for perfection so early in the year. In Russia, the two-time U.S. Champions skated an impressive short program, but faded in the free skate. Should they hope to win a medal in Lake Placid, they will have to hope for two clean skates and perhaps a mistake by one of the top teams.
Canada's Meagan Duhamel and Craig Buntin got off to a rocky start in their first Grand Prix of the season. In Beijing, Duhamel (23) and Buntin (29) finished fourth overall, but they struggled with solo jumps in both segments of competition. The Canadian silver medalists have the potential to medal in Lake Placid if they are able to skate as they have in previous seasons.
The American team of Amanda Evora and Mark Ladwig (7th, 2009 Cup of China) will join former U.S. Champions Brooke Castile and Benjamin Okolski (4th, 2009 Nebelhorn Trophy) in Lake Placid. Completing the roster is the British duo of Stacy Kemp and David King (13th, 2009 World Championships).
