Sochi 2014: Ladies Team Event- Long Program (Live)

Well, that was interesting. How the judges stomached rewarding that bizarre program by Plushenko I will never know. This calls for a shot of something hard and bitter! We'll be seeing the Olympic debuts of Kaetlyn Osmond, Gracie Gold and Valentina Marchei- how will they fare? Two have proven to be prone to meltdowns, so we shall see. 

Here's the starting order for the ladies!

1.) CAN Kaetlyn Osmond- 3F-2T, 2A-3T, 3Lz (fall), 3S, 2F, 3T-2T-2T, 2A. Not her best program. It's a pretty generic 'Cleopatra' routine, and not inspiring at all. She should go back to Carmen. Total= 110.73 (TES 54.53 PCS 57.20)

2.) USA Gracie Gold- 3Lz-3T (hangs on), 2A-3T, 3L, 3F, 3Lz, 3S-2T-2T, 2A. Toddler and Tiara Gracie showed up and showed out on the ice. Seven triples, and clean. Still not the best music fit, but she made it work and it paid off. Total= 129.38 (TES 67.49 PCS 61.89)

3.) JPN Akiko Suzuki- 3F-2T-2L, 2A-2T, 3Lz, 3F, 3L (UR? hangs on), 3S-2T, 3S. FANTASTIC. A little tense today, but still sublime. Total= 112.33 (TES 49.32 PCS 63.01)

4.) ITA Valentina Marchei- 2A-2T, 3Lz, 3F, 2A, 3S, 3Lz-2T, 3S-2T-2T. Vale had a moment, not just on camera but also at her first Olympics! And all that whilst skating like a full-grown woman. Shame about that triple toe, but good job! Should be a good tune up for the ladies event. Total= 112.51 (TES 54.00 PCS 58.51) 

5.) RUS Julia Lipnitskaya- 3Lz-3T (e), 2A-3T-2T, 3F, 2A, 3L, 3S, 3Lz-2T (e). Another clean skate from Julia. A few bobbles here and there, but nothing major. Total= 141.51 (TES 71.69 PCS 69.82)

Source: ESPN

Thoughts?

Frank Caroll clearly has done it again, with Gracie skating superbly. Shame about Akiko's errors, but my God is Julia on a roll! However...the score (esp her PCS) a little too high? Also, if I don't see edge-calls in that protocol... Hmm.  

Somewhere out there, I hope that Kim is adding fuel to that engine, Mao landing those triple axels, and Carolina lighting a whole room full of candles to rival the Olympic flame. 

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EDIT: 

Click HERE for the protocol! 

Just wanted to point out a few things:
-Julia got one 'e' call on her second lutz. Pretty sure there should be two, as the first lutz was also a flutz. Also, her 2a-2t-2t got +2s across the board, when Gracie Gold's only got +1 with a 2a with great height and distance. A tad generous there. 
-The judges gave Julia high 8s in components, including Interpretation, Choreography and Performance, while they gave Akiko and Valentina, who were superior in the said points, mid-7s. 

I have nothing more to say. The candles are lit. 

Sochi 2014: Ladies Figure Skating Team Event- Short Program (Thoughts?)

What's an Olympic event without a few raised brows and a stream of questions on one's Twitter feed? Today's event got tongues wagging as we watched some of the most-anticipated ladies in the field, compete for the first time in the Winter Games roster for their national teams the Figure Skating Team Event. Headliners included Julia Lipnitskaia (RUS), Mao Asada (JPN), Carolina Kostner (ITA) and Ashley Wagner (USA). 

There were a lot of questions afterwards, so instead of writing a preamble, let's just get to it!

RANKINGS after the short program:

(Source: Yahoo)

1. (RUS) Julia Lipnitskaya, 72.90 (TES 39.39 PCS 33.51)- Julia skated a clean program. It was surprisingly excellent- but for me, that was mainly due to the crowd. The Russian audience were outstanding in their support for the fifteen year-old as they cheered her on, complete with a standing ovation before she even finished her final spin. Taking the crowd with you and skating a clean program will get you far in the Games, and this performance took Julia to the top. However, was she overscored? In my opinion- yes. Even before looking at the protocol, it was obvious that there were a few kinks in her otherwise fine program. Julia had a very obvious flutz which was 'overlooked' today, and a terrible double axel that warranted a side-comment from Robin Cousins and +2s in GOE from three judges. Considering the entry and the height and distance that her 2A covers- it's generous to give it a +1. Her components score also kept rising, with 2 points higher than her European Championships score. It's not a surprise that such 'inflation' is seen at the Games but when you have the world watching not just the athletes but also Russia itself- one does wonder who's in charge. I also don't understand how the judges could give her a mid-8 score in Interpretation and Choreography when she's hardly an aesthetic performer. There's no fire, no artistry, no choreography. Unlike her free program, this SP is quite bland. Whatever. All I can say is, if the technical panel proves to be lenient on edge calls all the way to next week, Mao better get +GOEs and no calls on her lutz. After all, the Olympics are all about equality, right technical panel?

2. (ITA) Carolina Kostner, 70.84 (TES 35.92 PCS 34.92)- Surprise, surprise! Carolina skated CLEAN. Complete with a triple toe-triple toe, Caro was fabulous on the ice. She skated to her new short program looking inspired and took on her final Olympic bid head on. She's not as flexible as Julia nor as technically competitive, but her crisp landings and considerable ice coverage earned her enough positive GOEs. I'm fine with her being behind Julia in the TES, although really not by four points, but to have them almost neck in neck in components was a joke. Kostner's lines are much more superior, her musicality and interpretation sublime, and her transitions and skating skills greater than Yuna Kim. I just don't get the mark. I would have given somewhere within the region of 36 and Julia around 31. I'm beginning to sense a pattern here. 

3. (JPN) Mao Asada, 64.07 (TES 31.25 PCS 33.82)- Yes, Asada fell. Not only did she fall, her triple Axel was also downgraded and with the deduction- it was basically a null element. HOWEVER, the rest of Mao's program was absolutely fantastic. Her lines were great as always, her spins were also good- overall, it wasn't a bad performance. All season Asada has been undefeated, and that's with a season of no 'clean' programs (except for GPF, that axel was round.) and her components scores have been steadily around the 34 area. All of the sudden today- what's with the drop? Okay fine, the fall caused a dilemma- but it didn't really affect her overall performance. Her spins, which all season has been awarded a Lv.4 has now dropped. A judge even had the audacity to give her 7s in components (!)- and this is a skater who exudes Chopin's musicality to the tips of her fingers! Her program was well-structured, it has enough transitions and her interpretation and skating skills were otherwise on point. DO NOT EVEN GET ME STARTED ON THAT STEP SEQUENCE. Mao is the QUEEN of the StSq- and hers today was not in way shape or form a Level 3. WHAT IS GOING ON?! She's in the right position but should be a point higher in her second mark IMO. 

4. (USA) Ashley Wagner, 63.10 (TES 32.16 PCS 30.94)- Another skater hammered down on PCS was Ashley Wagner. Unfortunately for Diva Wagner, despite landing the triple flip-triple toe which she missed during the warm-up, she landed her backend toe on two feet and her flip was called underrotated. Ouch. She was very cautious and nervous heading in, but in the end she pulled off a good program that would have done her great service at Nationals. However, we're in Russia. Of course it wasn't going to be good enough- and the judges were saving marks for a certain *ahem* favourite. Her skating style fitted the music perfectly, and despite not having the best lines or skating skills (or transitions- while we're at it), her PCS shouldn't have been that low. A 31-2 at the most maybe, and that's with Olympic inflation- but the disgust on her face when she was given her scores said it all. 

5. (CAN) Kaetlyn Osmond, 62.54 (TES 33.86 PCS 28.68)- I really am not a fan of Osmond's and I couldn't care less about her performance- however, she skated cleanly after coming back from the injuries that plagued her all season! Well done. She showed flashes of the Kaetlyn that caught everyone's attention last year, full of fire and personality on the ice. I thought it was funny that the judges gave her a mid-6 for linking footwork and transitions. HER WHOLE PROGRAM IS LIKE RAPUNZEL'S HAIR WHEN ITS BRAIDED! In fact, one would argue that there's too much. Whatever. I don't see her medalling, but I would have been generous and given her a somewhere between a 29-30 in components. 

At this point, I don't know if the judges are trying to prop up Julia as THE medal contender, or if they're sending Kim a message, or they're just being terribly inconsistent or if they're being pressured (yes, I went there.) The good thing is, this is only a team event. I see this more as a good tune-up for the athletes to test out the Sochi ice before their upcoming individual events. After all, one would hate to see one's favourite peak at the most unimportant event in the roster. On a positive note, putting the over/underscoring aside, it's surprisingly fun to watch the teams interact with each other. It's not quite as fabulous as the World Team Trophy, but at least it's giving enough good vibes for all the athletes, having their teammates' support at the Kiss and Cry. 

Click here to see the protocols.

Watch out for tomorrow's free skate event. It's set a 19:00hrs local Sochi time. For us in the UK, we can enjoy Robin Cousin's enlightened commentary on BBC Sports at 3pm. 

Sochi 2014: The Ladies Roster- Who Will Win Gold?

The Games at Sochi is just days away from commencement, and sure enough- the ladies' figure skating event remains the jewel in the crown of the Winter Olympics. The fact that it is slotted in the later half of the event raises more tension and excitement in the air. Who's going to take the gold? We have a very deep field of seasoned veterans and fresh young talent, waiting to take their place on the ice and leap their way to victory. Take a look at the ten ladies you should watch out for: (The ranking is how I predict the top ten will finish)

Yu Na Kim (Getty Images)

1.) Yu Na Kim (KOR)- The reigning World and Olympic Champion comes back to defend her title after a rather light, yet still impressive, couple of seasons. Kim managed to prove her critics wrong when she sashayed in at London, Ontario last year, beating the competition to a pulp despite being away from the circuit all season. In the run up to the Winter Games in Sochi this month, Kim showed little signs of wear and tear, failing to skate clean programs at the Golden Spin Trophy and South Korean National Championships. It's not costly as was shown by her victories, but every little counts when she has young and hungry skaters breathing down her neck. Due to her low ISU ranking, she is set to skate in the earlier groups. This can be a good thing in that there will be no pressure as she should stay ahead of the pack going into the final group. However, as history can often repeat itself- the judges may want to save marks for later and leave Kim a few points behind like they did at Worlds, despite a perfect skate. It will prove vital that she lands her triple lutz-triple toe combination in both her programs, and skate with the fire that has been lacking since her win at Vancouver, to win gold again and the chance to add her name to a rather short and exclusive list of repeat Olympic Champions. 

Mao Asada (Getty Images)

2.) Mao Asada (JPN)- She remains unbeaten in the circuit this season, as she was last season in the run up to the World Championships. However, come the showdown between Asada and Kim last March, she made a couple of costly errors that ultimately cost her the gold. Since her silver medal at Vancouver, she seeked out revered Japanese coach Nobuo Sato to help her restructure and relearn her jumps from scratch to regain full use of her arsenal. Asada remains to be the only woman who is capable of landing all six jumps, however, it all depends of whether she does land them. She has matured greatly in artistry in the last four years, and so in the run up to Sochi, Asada once again looks as a heavy favourite for gold. I put her behind Kim because unless she had changed her mind, she enters the free skate with a hope of landing two triple axels again, therefore removing her lutz (which apart from the change of edge, has been looking solid thus far) and her triple-triple combination. This poses as a problem because she had only managed to land her triple axel cleanly, once this season. Nevertheless, she goes into the Games with the strongest short program, a renewed reputation with the judges, and a gutsy fighting spirit that may serve her well and land her on top of the podium. 

(EDIT: Mao has just announced she's ditching the second 3A in the free program for a more balanced layout. Phew! Good girl! Read it here.)

Julia Lipnitskaya (Getty Images)

3.) Julia Lipnitskaya (RUS)- This young Russian prodigy has proven that she is a main threat. She doesn't yet have the artistry of Kim and Asada but she has the technical goods to blow the competition away. Despite her tendency to flutz and her relatively small jumps, she is capable of landing a solid triple lutz-triple toe. Puberty is also on her side, being small still and so flexible- so if she hasn't gone through the ugly shift just yet, then now will be the time to strike! Clean will have to be Julia's agenda heading into the Games, and the fact that she will be competing on home turf and skating to Schindler's List- the stars may very well align for this young talent and get her a medal at her first Olympics. Her recent victory at the European Championships will also help with the judges to cement her status as a serious contender. Yes, her scores have seen a rather dramatic rising from the Grand Prix Series to the Euros, but will we see the same 'inflation' at Sochi? The Russians are notorious when it comes to politicking, but at the end of the day, ice is slippery. She showed cracks when she competed at the Cup of Russia earlier this season, and she heads into the Games as Russia's number two. Anything can happen. 

Thoughts on Four Continents 2013: Ladies' Event

Hello darlings!

Apologies to those who read my blog, for the lack of recent posts. I have recently started at a new job and finishing up the other contract has really drained me. The free time I had in between was spent catching Zs and watching a backlog of American TV, in hopes of just switching my brain off and recharging. Also, I seem to be going through an uninspired lull- going through the motions with nothing greatly exciting to rouse my spirits. I have a BIG holiday coming up real soon and the momentum for that has been steadily rising, so I am foreseeing a slew of posts running up to my departure for The Philippines. Also, any excuse to write a post on skincare essentials for an Asian summer- SPF 15 won't cut it. And although I'm only going to be gone for two weeks, I need to readjust my routine to fit what I am assuming to be excruciating 40-degree weather. Anyhow, let's move on!

Mao Asada, skating to Tchaikovsky's seminal 'Swan Lake' (Getty Images)

What a weekend it has been in Osaka! The ladies' event at the Four Continents Championships was crammed to the top with fantastic skates, and equally sloppy showings that it really did highlight who wants to go for Sochi. Without the likes of Kim Yu Na, Ashley Wagner and the Europeans, the field was open for Mao Asada and Akiko Suzuki to dominate- and THAT THEY DID, resulting to a Japan 1-2-3 finish.

The undefeated Asada finally incorporated her signature triple axel in her programs and successfully landed a blinder in her FANTASTIC short program. Skating to Gershwin's 'I Got Rhythm', the two-time World champion swapped her 2A for her signature element and scored an astounding 74.49 points, just a few marks away from her all-time best. Team Sato had timed her season well enough to start her upgrade in the run-up to the World Championships in March. Mao is already showing early signs of Olympic fire and her win at the 4CC is a great booster for her- not only in ranking, but also mentally and emotionally. Her second attempt at the 3A was unsuccessful in her free programme, but despite three UR calls and only four clean triples, she still garnered 130.96 and a cumulative score of 205.45- just .05 shy of her Olympic score. I really do wish she would either work on her salchow or swap with with a solo 3T instead because she either strains to land it or she doubles. That said, she later commented that her free programme performance was actually on par with her practice run-through and so she was satisfied with the result. To be fair, barring the stellar performances from her teammates, she actually didn't need much to win the title, especially with her comfortable lead in the short. She seems to be coming back on a better form, and we can only hope that Team Asada goes from strength to strength from here on end.

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