Moscow Hosts Final Grand Prix Event

by Melanie Hoyt | Photo by Robin Ritoss

This season, the Olympic host country has been given the honor of closing the Grand Prix season. Rostelecom Cup, held at the Luzhniki Arena in Moscow, is the sixth and final stop on the Grand Prix circuit. Eight dance teams from five countries will compete this weekend, and two teams in particular have high hopes of qualifying for the Grand Prix Final.

Canadians Kaitlyn Weaver & Andrew Poje earned high marks at Skate Canada International last month, where they captured a silver medal and set a new personal best of 175.23. A finish in the top two will punch their ticket to the Final and continue setting them up for the medal race at February’s Olympic Winter Games. They have the chance to win Grand Prix gold for the first time this weekend, but they will have to get past longtime rivals and hometown favorites, Ekaterina Bobrova & Dmitri Soloviev.

Bobrova & Soloviev also have a silver medal from this year’s series, won at Cup of China. Last year, they barely edged out Weaver & Poje twice, ensuring their spot at the Grand Prix Final, while Weaver & Poje were first alternates. Their free dance has been met with mixed reviews; its avant-garde concept was retained, although the original music was scrapped in favor of Vivaldi and Mozart. Competing at home may give Bobrova & Soloviev a boost, setting up an exciting competition.

Ekaterina Riazanova & Ilia Tkachenko will also represent Russia at this event. They finished fourth at Skate Canada International, underperforming a bit, and should be in the hunt for a medal this week. Skating to “Chicago” in the short dance and “Phantom of the Opera” in the free dance, they have chosen a mainstream approach this season that could be effective if they can hit their technical elements.

Americans Madison Chock & Evan Bates should also be fighting for a medal this week. At Cup of China this season, Chock & Bates won the bronze medal, making their first Grand Prix podium as a team. They are skating to “Les Misérables” in the free dance, so it could come down to a battle of the musicals for the bronze medal.

Piper Gilles & Paul Poirier (pictured, right) will also represent Team Canada this weekend. Despite a late start to their season while Poirier recovered from a broken ankle, they made a solid season début at NHK Trophy, placing fifth. Their “Hitchcock” free dance is highlighted by innovative elements and if they perform it well, they should be able to match or better their placement from NHK.

Ksenia Monko & Kirill Khaliavin round out the Russian team, coming off a sixth-place finish at Trophée Eric Bompard last week. Although they won medals at both Nebelhorn Trophy and Cup of Nice this fall, their scores have not reached the plateau that they hit back in 2010 as juniors.

The French team of Gabriella Papadakis & Guillaume Cizeron have faced Monko & Khaliavin twice this season already, coming out on top both times. Last week at Trophée Eric Bompard, Papadakis & Cizeron were fifth, setting a new personal best in the free dance.

In their third season together, Siobhan Heekin-Canedy & Dmitri Dun, who represent Ukraine, will make their Grand Prix début at Rostelecom Cup. They struggled at the season opener at Nebelhorn Trophy, placing 15th, but rebounded with a fifth-place finish at NRW Trophy last month.

Ice dance will close the competition at Rostelecom Cup each day, with the short dance on Friday night and the free dance on Saturday night.