It does seem like every time Gabriella Papadakis/Guillaume Cizeron gets on the ice these days, it’s really about how silver and bronze will be distributed. And it’s going to be no different here this week at Europeans, where they come in looking to win their sixth European title in a row. The fight for the other two spots on the podium should come down to the two Russian teams who have developed a very consistent rivalry over the past few years.
Europeans predictions
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GOLD Gabriella Papadakis/Guillaume Cizeron FRA - We saw at Grand Prix Final that they are human - ice dance is tricky and mistakes can happen, but it will take a few of them for Papadakis/Cizeron to not get their sixth title here. Their dominance over the past two seasons has been incredibly impressive. With the exception of Tessa Virtue/Scott Moir, no one has been able to beat them since the 2014 Grand Prix Final. They’ve won 21 of their last 26 international events - and it will be 22 of 27 after this week.
SILVER Victoria Sinitsina/Nikita Katsalapov RUS - They barely edged out Stepanova/Bukin last month for the Russian title, and these two will battle it out once again to take the momentum going into Worlds in March. Sinitsina/Katsalapov have the edge in both programs and precision this season, but expect this to be another close one between the two Russian teams.
BRONZE Alexandra Stepanova/Ivan Bukin RUS - It’s been a bit tougher for Stepanova/Bukin to get into a competition rhythm this season so far. They are bold, edge-of-your-seat kind of skaters, and that makes or breaks how well they place. They bested Sinitsina/Katsalapov at Grand Prix Final but lost to them by one point at Russian Nationals.
4. Charlene Guignard/Marco Fabbri ITA - After starting their season with Fabbri’s hand injury (and competing with a cast!), they are looking to be back to 100% this week in Graz. To top that off, they also changed rhythm dance programs midway through the Grand Prix, so there’s been a good bit of adjusting they’ve had to do. If any team is capable of spoiling that top three, it’s them.
5. Lilah Fear/Lewis Gibson GBR - After their breakout season last year, Fear/Gibson continued to build on their momentum last fall with their first career Grand Prix medal. They come in somewhat straddling the top group and the next group of dance teams. They won’t break into that top tier this season around, but they are certainly starting to make their mark.
6. Olivia Smart/Adrian Diaz ESP - In the battle of the Spanish teams, Smart/Diaz have taken this season so far over Hurtado/Khaliavin, most recently winning the Spanish title for a second time. They have improved in power and cleanness over the past season.
7. Sara Hurtado/Kirill Khaliavin ESP - Seventh last year at Europeans, Hurtado/Khaliavin have had varying success with their two programs so far this season. Much like the battle between the two top Russian teams, the battle between them and Smart/Diaz looks to be a close one.
8. Tiffani Zagorski/Jonathan Guerreiro RUS - They missed out on the second half of the international season last year after fluke errors at Nationals that landed them in seventh. But they didn’t make the same mistakes this year - they regained their bronze at Nationals and are back at Europeans.
9. Natalia Kaliszek/Maksym Spodyriev POL - They were a surprise fifth-place last year at Europeans. Kaliszek/Spodyriev have put up some strong placements this season, with a career-high fourth on the Grand Prix at Rostelecom Cup.
10. Allison Reed/Saulius Ambrulevicius LTU - 13th a year ago, Reed/Ambrulevicius has a shot at their first top ten at Europeans.