Olympic berths at stake at Worlds in London

Prior to London, Ontario, and since ice dancing was added in 1952, Canada has hosted the World Championships seven times. A Canadian ice dance team has never won gold at a home Worlds. They have twice won silver (Marie-France Dubreuil & Patrice Lauzon in Calgary ’06 and Virginia Thompson & William McLachlan in Vancouver ’60) and one bronze (Shae-Lynn Bourne & Victor Kraatz in Edmonton ’96).This is the first time London has hosted Worlds, where 29 teams representing 21 countries will fight for not only medals but also Olympic berths for their countries in Sochi, Russia next year.

The last time the World Championships were contested in Canada (2006), Calgary, Alberta served as host city. Albena Denkova & Maxim Staviyski won the first of their two World Championship titles. French ice dancers Nathalie Pechalat & Fabian Bourzat are the only team who competed in Calgary who will also be in London. China’s Xiaoyang Yu & Chen Wang should have been the second team, but they missed the new TES minimum scores by just over a point and were not allowed to compete at this year’s World Championships.

London will be a not only a home country but also a home town advantage for Tessa Virtue & Scott Moir, who look to win their third World title. For the five-time Canadian champions, competing at home proved beneficial for the team as they won the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Victoria, B.C. Virtue & Moir have been making improvements and tweaks to their programs over the course of the season and hope to have it all come together on home ice. In their previous six trips to the World Championships, Virtue & Moir have never had the same placement in back-to-back years. They enter London as the reigning World Champions.

To win the gold again, Virtue & Moir will have to do something they haven’t this season: beat friends and training mates, Meryl Davis & Charlie White of the United States. Davis & White have won every event they have entered this season, including two battles with the Canadians. At the Four Continents Championship and Grand Prix Final, Davis & White won by over three and three and a half points, respectively — an unusually large gap for this rivalry. Like Virtue & Moir, Davis & White have never had the same placement in back-to-back years over the previous six trips to the World Championships. As the reigning World silver medalists, keeping this trend alive could be a very good thing for the Americans.

Pechalat & Bourzat were forced to miss the 2013 European Championships due to injury, but reassured fans via Twitter that they would be back in form for the World Championships. After being close to the World podium for several seasons, the French won their first World medal — a bronze — in their home country of France last season. Pechalat & Bourzat finished almost 10 points behind Virtue & Moir at the Grand Prix Final in December, taking the bronze.

At the 2012 World Championships in Nice, France, Kaitlyn Weaver & Andrew Poje had their highest finished yet — fourth — and were looking to battle for a spot on the podium at home in Canada. When Weaver fractured her left fibula in a freak training injury in December, their participation in this event was in jeopardy. They had to withdraw from the Canadian Championships and were eventually awarded the third place on Canada’s team for Worlds. At the time of the injury, Weaver & Poje were reworking their free dance and after returning to the ice, they remained on task to refine the program for this event. Because their two bronze medals on the ISU Grand Prix circuit were not enough to qualify them for the Final, Weaver & Poje have not competed for four and a half months.

A coaching change has had a dramatic effect on the three-time Russian national champions, Ekaterina Bobrova & Dmitry Soloviev. Since switching to Alexander Zhulin, Bobrova & Soloviev have adjusted their packaging as well as improved several important aspects of their skating, and it has paid off. The captured two silver medals in their Grand Prix events, qualified for the Final (placing fifth), and last month won their first European Championship.

Just 0.11 away from the gold at the European Championships, fellow Russian Elena Ilinykh & Nikita Katsalapov have had a close rivalry with Bobrova & Soloviev since moving up to seniors. Ilinykh & Katsalapov also won silver medals at both their Grand Prix events this autumn, qualified for the Final (placing sixth but topping Bobrova & Soloviev in the free dance), and placing second at Russian nationals. Perhaps the most noticeable improvement in the team this season has been Katsalapov’s ability to keep his nerves in check. The former World Junior champions are always a podium threat.

Two years ago, American siblings Maia Shibutani & Alex Shibutani won the bronze medal at the tsunami-delayed World Championships that had been relocated to Moscow, Russia. Although they have slipped in the standings over the past two seasons, the young phenoms can never be counted out. They placed third at the U.S. Championships behind Madison Chock & Evan Bates, who are making their Worlds debut as a team. With their previous partners, both skaters placed ninth at the senior World Championships. In only their second season together, Chock & Bates have not been the most consistent team, but each outing gives them valuable experience together. In the Great Shpilband/Zoueva Coaching Split of 2012, Chock & Bates were the only top North American team to go with Igor Shpilband. The Shibutanis, Davis & White, and Virtue & Moir all stayed with Marina Zoueva.

Because it wouldn’t be a major skating competition in Canada without a Battle of the Carmens, look to Italian champions Anna Cappellini & Luca Lanotte to be in the hunt for their first step on the world podium. Seizing the opportunity to work with Igor Shpilband (in addition to working with coach Paola Mezzadri), Cappellini & Lanotte have two of the most enjoyable programs of the season. Their “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers” short dance is always a crowd favorite, while their more traditional take on “Carmen” is a great juxtaposition to Virtue & Moir’s provocative interpretation. Like the top two Russian teams, Cappellini & Lanotte also won two silvers during the Grand Prix season and placed ahead of them at the Final, with a fourth-place finish. The tables were turned when the Russians topped the Italians at Europeans, as Cappellini & Lanotte took third in Zagreb.

With the shortened schedule due to the elimination of qualifying rounds, the ice dance competition begins with the short dance on Thursday, March 14 and the free dance Saturday, March 16. Official practices begin Monday.