For World champions Anastasia Mishina/Aleksandr Galliamov, this season has been very much about proving that their Worlds win was no fluke - and they’ve been skating this season with confidence. They are very much the favorites at 2021 Rostelelcom Cup this week, along with some storylines that definitely have Olympics ramifications.
2021 Rostelecom Cup predictions
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GOLD Anastasia Mishina/Aleksandr Galliamov RUS - Unbeaten this season so far, and against all of their Russian teammates as well, Mishina/Galliamov are looking at this competition as yet another step toward Beijing. Another win here (or really, any medal) will set them up for a very highly-anticipated showdown between them and Sui/Han at the Grand Prix Final.
SILVER Kirsten Moore-Towers/Michael Marinaro CAN - The silver prediction seems aggressive for a pair who has yet to be close to their potential this season, but their performances at Skate Canada had promise, and the mistakes they had were fixable ones as opposed to inherently technical errors. They also need a strong performance for their own confidence going into Canadian Nationals.
BRONZE Daria Pavliuchenko/Denis Khodykin RUS - The Russian bronze medalists went from being the favored to be on the Olympic team around this time last year to being outsiders this season, and that had a lot to do with the rise of Mishina/Galliamov. They are trying to distinguish themselves from the rest of their Russian teammates, but they are somewhat rough around the edges at times.
4. Yasmina Kadyrova/Ivan Balchenko RUS - Sixth at Russian Nationals last year, Kadyrova/Balchenko are in their debut season on the senior circuit. They come into Rostelecom Cup with two bronze medals, one at Denis Ten Memorial and another more recently at Warsaw Cup.
5. Audrey Lu/Misha Mitrofanov USA - Fifth at NHK Trophy two weeks ago, Lu/Mitrofanov skated a very strong free skate there and continue to position themselves as contenders for one of the two US pairs Olympic spots.
6. Nicole Della Monica/Matteo Guarise ITA - A win at Lombardia Trophy and then fourth at GP Italia three weeks ago, Della Monica/Guarise are looking to gain more consistency this week, hoping to peak at the Olympics in their final season together.
7. Miriam Ziegler/Severin Kiefer AUT - A hip injury for Kiefer has kept Ziegler/Kiefer from competing so far this season - this will be their season debut, and depending on how prepared they feel, there could be a number of different scenarios for them in Russia.
8. Ioulia Chtchetinina/Mark Magyar HUN - The Hungarian champs are coming off another Grand Prix event last week and will be doing the back-to-back. They were sixth last week in France.