Paris Hosts Penultimate Stop of Grand Prix Circuit

by Katie Tetzloff | Photo by Seán Gillis

Trophée Eric Bompard, the penultimate event on the Grand Prix Circuit, will take place in Paris this week. Eight teams will compete and several will be fighting for a spot at this season’s Grand Prix Final.

The favorites for this event are Canadians Tessa Virtue & Scott Moir, looking to add a third Trophée Eric Bompard title to the ones they won in 2009 and 2011. This season, they have already won both Finlandia Trophy and Skate Canada International. At Skate Canada, they only received a level two on the short dance twizzles. Their free dance also had some level issues, and they incurred a deduction for an extended lift, allotting them room to improve on their combined score of 181.03. Though they are heavy favorites in France, this will help them prepare for the Grand Prix Final, which they have never won.

Also representing Canada are Nicole Orford & Thomas Williams. Earlier this season, they competed at the U.S. International Figure Skating Classic, where they won the bronze medal. Trophée Eric Bompard will be their first Grand Prix event of the season. Last year, they finished eighth at Rostelecom Cup and fourth at NHK Trophy.  

French team favorites Nathalie Péchalat & Fabian Bourzat can also expect to take home a medal. After a coaching change to Igor Shpilband this season, this team won Cup of China with a total of 165.68. Their short dance includes a foxtrot, quickstep, and Charleston, and their free dance interprets the story of “The Little Prince,” a classic in French literature. Pechalat & Bourzat have competed at the French Grand Prix event an astounding eight times, winning the title in 2010 and 2012. A medal of any color should punch their ticket to the Final.

Their French teammates Gabriella Papadakis & Guillaume Cizeron (pictured, left) will compete at their first-ever Grand Prix this week. They should not be underestimated simply because this is their first year as a senior couple; they won Coupe de Nice last month by over 10 points against more experienced teams, including Ksenia Monko & Kirill Khaliavin, who are also on the roster in Paris.

Russians Elena Ilinykh & Nikita Katsalapov have been assigned to back-to-back Grand Prix events this year. They just competed last weekend at NHK Trophy, barely missing the podium with a fourth-place finish, earning 155.37 points. Ilinykh & Katsalapov are once again strong podium contenders this week with their particularly impressive “Black Swan” free dance, especially if they can improve upon last week’s levels. They would likely need a silver medal, though, to keep their Grand Prix Final hopes alive.

For Ksenia Monko & Kirill Khaliavin, also of Russia, Tropheé Eric Bompard will be their first Grand Prix event this year. This season, they have picked up two senior international medals, a silver at Nebelhorn Trophy in September, and a bronze at Coupe de Nice in October. At Coupe de Nice, though, they lost about eight points from their Nebelhorn score, due primarily to a fall in the Finnstep pattern.

Nelli Zhiganshina & Alexander Gazsi began this season with sixth-place finishes at both Skate Canada International and Ondrej Nepela Trophy last month. Known for their charisma on the ice, spectators can expect very theatrical and entertaining performances from Zhiganshina & Gazsi.  They are interpreting a two-part story that begins in the short dance and continues into the free dance.

From Great Britain, Penny Coomes & Nicholas Buckland also aim to entertain the crowd in Paris, especially with their Michael Jackson free dance. This is their first Grand Prix of the season. They débuted their programs at the U.S. International Figure Skating Classic; they then went on to the Ondrej Nepela Trophy last month and took the gold with a much-improved score of 148.64, finishing five places ahead of Zhiganshina & Gazsi.

The short dance will take place on Friday evening, and the free dance is scheduled for Saturday evening.