Because only a few videos have shown up of the competition at the Junior Grand Prix - Poland last week, there isn't much to write about. Instead, I've come up with five conclusions from the event:
1. Kanako Murakami is Japan's next female skating star. I think she could very well find herself on the 2011 World Championships team for Japan, especially if skaters like Miki Ando, Yukari Nakano and Fumie Suguri retire after this season (although she could still very well make the team even if she was in contention with them).
2. Keegan Messing of the United States is one tough guy. He suffered a deep cut to his hamstring after colliding with U.S. teammate Austin Kanallakan during a practice in Poland, an injury that forced him to walk around the arena on crutches. After an 11th place short program, Messing was 3rd in the free skate and wound up 6th overall.
3. Barring injuries, the fight for gold at the Junior Grand Prix Final and the Junior World Championships appears to be between Russian ice dancers Elena Ilinykh and Nikita Katsalapov and Americans Maia Shibutani and Alex Shibutani. The "Shib sibs" have the highest junior ice dance total so far this season (a 175.95 from the JGP - Lake Placid), but Ilinykh/Katsalapov are close behind after a 171.61 point effort in Poland.
4. It looks like Christina Gao could make a huge splash at the U.S. Championships in January. After solid summer competitions, Gao won the bronze medal in Poland in her international debut. Gao has all the requirements necessary to be a great champion, and though it would be a stretch for her to make this year's Olympic team, she seems to be building nicely towards the Games in Sochi, Russia, in 2014.
5. Japan has another dominant man in Yuzuru Hanyu. He demolished the men's field here, winning by more than 27 points. Like Murakami in the ladies event, Hanyu is a legitimate contender for a World team berth in 2011. His score in Poland makes him the top junior man on the JGP circuit so far this season, and an early favorite for the JGP Final title in December.
Full results from the Junior Grand Prix - Poland can be found here.
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