Yes, the podium at a Grand Prix is always interesting, and yes, there are two spots left in the Grand Prix Final that are left to be claimed. But this competition could be a very important set up for a few of these teams for the rest of the season. Will Piper Gilles/Paul Poirier grab scores that are as big as they got at their home country Grand Prix? Will Kaitlin Hawayek/Jean-Luc Baker continue their upward trajectory and potentially challenge Madison Chock/Evan Bates clean-to-clean? And which of the three teams favored for bronze will come out ahead?
2022 Grand Prix Espoo predictions
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GOLD Piper Gilles/Paul Poirier CAN - The World bronze medalists two seasons ago, Gilles/Poirier have started this season at the top of the world, currently notching the highest score among the dance teams this season. The question is whether they will come close to that total this week, and if they can, their status as the ones to beat become much clearer going into the Final.
SILVER Kaitlin Hawayek/Jean-Luc Baker USA - They were under a point away from winning Skate America a month ago and beating Chock/Bates—a result that few thought would have been possible given the gap that Chock/Bates have opened up over the past few seasons. But bolstered by visible improvements in their skating and material that are working very well for them, they have been steadily moving up in their scores this season. They are favored for silver and a return to the Grand Prix Final.
BRONZE Christina Carreira/Anthony Ponomarenko USA - Fourth in Sheffield two weeks ago, Carreira/Ponomarenko are getting their best scores since their coaching change last year. In their fight for the third Worlds spot in January, how they perform and score this week relative to Caroline Green/Michael Parsons last week will serve as something of a preview for Nationals.
4. Juulia Turkkila/Matthias Versluis FIN - Might they become the first Finnish dance team to win a Grand Prix medal, and the first Finnish skaters since Kiira Korpi to win a Grand Prix medal. That' also said, they had that opportunity at GP France but had issues all over the place with their twizzles. It will likely be between them and Carreira/Ponomarenko for the bronze this week, and the home crowd could be the key.
5. Natalie Taschlerova/Filip Taschler CZE - Fifth in Sheffield, Taschlerova/Taschler have taken their breakthrough season last year and continued to push forward on their progress this season. They have an outside chance at the podium and will need to be cleaner than they were two weeks ago.
6. Carolane Soucisse/Shane Firus CAN - It was an error-filled performance for them at Skate America to start their Grand Prix, and instead of closing the gap for that third Worlds spot this season, they’ve seen the gap open up even more. This competition is a chance for them to regain some of that footing as they head into Canadians.
7. Shiyue Wang/Xinyu Liu CHN - Seventh at NHK Trophy this week, Wang/Liu are the only senior Chinese skaters competing in international events this season so far. Their debut at NHK Trophy last week was not quite as strong as they would’ve liked, and they are hoping to fare a bit better this week.
8. Oona Brown/Gage Brown USA - The World junior champions have had a very good first senior season so far, taking fifth at their two Challenger events and, more impressively, going toe-to-toe with some of the top teams in the world with a seventh place finish at MK John Wilson Trophy. Depending on how things shake out this week, they have an outside shot at finishing in the top half.
9. Yuka Orihara/Juho Pirinen FIN - The Finnish silver medalists had a solid first Grand Prix last week at NHK, and they head into their home GP looking to build on the momentum of that effort.
10. Natacha Lagouge/Arnaud Caffa FRA - In their first Grand Prix appearance, Lagouge/Caffa come in off a silver medal at Ice Challenge.