Perhaps the most unpredictable event of the Russian Figure Skating Championships this week will be the men’s competition - a mix of veterans and newcomers, and added to that various levels of consistency, leads to a potentially unpredictable event. For the pairs, the defending champs have a hill to climb to fend off other pairs who are trying to win their first title.
Russian Figure Skating Championships predictions
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Men Top 10 predictions
GOLD Alexander Samarin
SILVER Dmitri Aliev
BRONZE Andrei Mozalev
4. Makar Ignatov
5. Sergei Voronov
6. Daniil Samsonov
7. Andrei Lazukin
8. Artur Danielian
9. Petr Gummenik
10. Leonid Sviridenko
There really is no clear favorite for the men this week. Internationally, Alexander Samarin and Dmitri Aliev stand out - both of them made it to the Grand Prix Final this season - but both of them enter Nationals with doubts as to how well they will actually perform in competition. Samarin has had the more consistent season, and his jumps this year have been much more trustworthy than they have been in seasons past. Aliev was looking strong until GPF, where he completely melted down in the free skate, which flashed back to his issues from last year. They are the two best skaters in the event, but it would not be a huge surprise if they end up off the podium - there is a lot of talent in the mix.
Speaking of talent, Andrei Mozalev, making his debut on the senior ranks at Russian Nationals, comes in as the Junior Grand Prix Final silver medalist, putting together two very strong skates in Torino just a few weeks ago. Makar Ignatov, who has never been in the top 10 at Russian Nationals, has had a career-best season so far, winning a medal on the Grand Prix. Add in veterans like Sergei Voronov and Andrei Lazukin, and young talent like Daniil Samsonov and Artur Danielian, and you’ve got yourself a very exciting fight for this podium.
Pairs Top 5 predictions
GOLD Aleksandra Boikova/Dmitrii Kozlovskii
SILVER Evgenia Tarasova/Vladimir Morozov
BRONZE Daria Pavliuchenko/Denis Khodykin
4. Anastasia Mishina/Aleksandr Galliamov
5. Alisa Efimova/Alexander Korovin
The pairs event is without two pairs who were looking to challenge for the podium. Nataila Zabiianko/Alexander Enbert have been out all season because of Enbert’s unspecified health issue, and new pair Ksenia Stolbova/Andrei Novoselov debuted this season but are out of Nationals because of an injury to Novoselov.
But the battle for gold looks to be between the rising stars of this season, Aleksandra Boikova/Dmitrii Kozlovskii, and two-time Russian champions Evgenia Tarasova/Vladimir Morozov. Had this been prior to the Grand Prix Final, I would’ve told you that Boikova/Kozlovskii are strong favorites for the title. But their uneven showing there, where they finished behind Anastasia Mishina/Aleksandr Galliamov, makes that prediction less certain. Likewise, Tarasova/Morozov comes in with some question marks as well, after a rebuilding season where they are trying new environments and new choreography.