Biggest Judging errors in the past

Slutskaya winning the 2001-2002 GPF FS with just 4 triples, while Kwan landed 6 and Hughes, 7. She got outrageously high technical and presentation scores for what had to be the sloppiest performance of her life. Four Eastern-bloc judges put Slute in 1st, while the other three judges had her 3rd. Slute should have been 3rd in this farce, which would have make Kwan the GPF champion.

Judges: GER BUL JPN UKR RUS USA CAN

5.7 5.8 5.6 5.8 5.8 5.6 5.6 1-Irina SLUTSKAYA RUS 1.0
5.9 5.9 5.8 5.9 5.8 5.8 5.7
1 1 3 1 1 3 3

5.7 5.7 5.8 5.7 5.6 5.7 5.6 2-Michelle KWAN USA 2.0
5.8 5.9 5.8 5.9 5.7 5.9 5.9
2 2 1 2 2 1 1

5.8 5.6 5.7 5.6 5.7 5.8 5.7 3-Sarah HUGHES USA 3.0
5.7 5.8 5.8 5.7 5.6 5.7 5.7
3 3 2 3 3 2 2

MKFSfan said:

Are you referring to Bolero in the Cheesefest?
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Yah, that wasn't a Campbell's event? I guess I got Marshall's confused. I also remember a 5 second plus miss on the end of the song. Didn't the Judges give her the 6s (funny to mention that today)? I thought the score came in immediately following thee routine, hum...there goes "ThinkiBu "again. Whoops!

Mathman said:

But IMHO her 2006 Olympic LP was simply abysmal. Who kidnapped my Irina and put this sleepwalking robot in her place?

MM

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I would have to agree. Do you know if she still takes the steroids? I thought, from experience with my Mom, that you shouldn't stay on them for more then a year.??

Irina tapers off the steroids in the off-season, but has to go back on strong dosage when her symptoms start to return. This happened in the 2004-2005 season, after the GPF, and again just before the GPF this past season. She has to be on steroids when competing because traveling and the stress of competition exacerbate her underlying illness.

Lu Chen was one of the most underrated skaters before her win in 1995. In pretty much EVERY major competition before 1995 she had more Triple jumps and, imo, a better presentation than many of the people who placed higher than her:

1991 Worlds - Her short program really wasn't great so it's fine that she didn't medal here...but wow, a wonderful long program. The only lady to do 7 Triples at the competition. She should have placed 4th overall (instead of 12th!!!!! What robbery).

1992 Olympics - She was screwed in the beginning by being ranked SO low for a good short program. But then in the long she does 6 Triples and has a clean, lovely skate but still gets lower marks than Nancy Kerrigan's 4 Triple program.

1992 Worlds - Nancy Kerrigan somehow places above her again. This was the worst Worlds EVER for the ladies and nobody besides Kristi Yamaguchi did very well but, even still, Nancy Kerrigan had a jumbled skate while Lu Chen remained poised despite her mistakes.

1993 Worlds - She should have won. Her "Nausicaä" program is sublime and she outjumped Baiul.

1994 Olympics - I just sorta laugh everytime I remember that Baiul won this. Her high technical markings are ludicrous. Has she EVER done a jump combination that included a Triple? I surely can't remember a time. Plus she only does 5 Triples (the Flip is two-footed) and the hard ones are all frontloaded right at the beginning of the program. Anywho...Lu Chen had the freeskate of the night (more Triples than anyone else and for me the most complete presentation) so it's too bad about the mistake in her short program (She always had a way of being a bit nervous in the Short but then coming back and being AMAZING in the long, except for 1996 when she was perfect in both). Kerrigan - GOLD, Lu Chen - SILVER, Baiul - BRONZE.

Even after her win in 1995 when people suddenly realized how good she was, I can't help but think she was still a bit underrated. 1996 was the most magnificent battle ever with Lu Chen and Kwan. If a ever a tie for Gold was in order, it should have been here. It's hard to pick and it's hard to take that moment away from Kwan...but I really do think that Lu Chen probably should have won if you get very, very specific about their performances (which you have to, since they both gave the performance of their lives). In 1998 at the Olympics her markings were a bit low as well, but thankfully she got her medal!

MKFSfan said:

Are you referring to Bolero in the Cheesefest? I rather liked that performance! her only mistake was a double 3toe. I found she gave an uplifting, pleasant performance that was so much better than her Worlds showings. Sasha, who was 2nd (and IMO, robbed Jenny Kirk-she skated very well), with several wonky and two-ft landings, did not skate well enough to overtake Michelle.

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IIRC Michelle did Bolero in three different cheesefests. Two of them were quite nice, and the third was just OK.

In the October 2004 Campbell's she gave her best performance of that ill-fated program. It was, in fact, outstanding except for a fall on the footwork at the very end. (She reportedly was working hard to upgrade the CoP level of her footwork sequence, and she put in one turn too many.) Arakawa was second, followed by Cohen, Ando and Meissner.

The event MKFSfan is talking about is the 2005 spring Marshall's. This was also quite a nice performance, clearly better than Cohen, Kirk and Meissner (2nd, 3rd and 4th). Kwan fans rejoiced, because it looked like Michele had put her 2005 Worlds experience behind her (the first time in a decade that she had finished off the world podium) and was ready to head into the Olympic season with all torpedos go.

In between was the December 2004 Marshall's thing (I was there ) Michelle did not skate particularly well, finishing second behind Slutskaya, with Cohen and Kirk 3rd and 4th. She had changed the choreography -- many observers felt not for the better -- and she seemed a little slow and not quite "on."

All three of these events were free of judging controversy, as I recall and in my humble opinion.

The next season (2005-06) Michelle missed the October Campbell's (Cohen won, followed by Meissner and Arakawa), the December Marshall's was the voters choice thing, and the spring Marshalls was an exhibition only.

I love cheese! I hope they find a way to keep these competitions going with the new generation of skaters.

MM

I never thought Lu Chen was victimized by a major controversy but I also would have had her higher on multiple occasions:

92 Worlds-definitely over Kerrigan. Kerrigan won her silver with her performances at this event on name alone.

93 Worlds-I actually think she had a better "all around" performance, combining both technical excellent and overall artistry, than either Biaul or Bonaly in the long program.

94 Olympics-I actually think you could argue her performance was better than both Biaul and Kerrigan's although she is ommited from any "who should have won talks". She had 6 triples, Kerrigan had 5, Biaul only 3 clean(5 stood up with 2 two-footed triples). Kerrigan was the only one of the 3 to do a triple-triple, the triple toe-triple toe, Chen though was the only one to do 2 triple lutzes. Her spins were better then Kerrigans I felt, and she had more intricate footwork then Biaul. Choreographicaly her program was quite complex and detailed very well, and I thought she was competitive with both on the second mark as well.

96 Worlds-Although both Kwan and Chen were incredable I felt Chen was still the winner on the 2nd mark.

98 Olympics-I know she did win the bronze, but I just wanted to say I have no idea how Butyrskaya was 1 vote from taking the bronze with her with her tenative, tight, and only 3-clean triple performance? Coming to the Olympics as the European Champion probably helped, it shows Lu really had to far outskate the others to win a medal, since her status was far down from 95-96. In the end she got the placing she deserved though so not too bad.

Lol, OMG, we agree on something. Like, everything you just wrote.

Zuranthium said:

Lol, OMG, we agree on something. Like, everything you just wrote.

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Miracles do happen.

slutskayafan21 said:

94 Olympics Urmanov vs Stojko-Urmanov had a very good performance, but it was not the championship performance of the evening cleary for me. That was Stojko's.

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For you, but for some people (e.g., the guy sitting next to me in the arena in Hamar, and the Romanian judge) it was Petrenko's. Sometimes when I go back to watch on tape I have to agree with that opinion.

Not that it would have given him another gold medal after the bad SP.

Browning's performance also had to be considered in that evening's mix as well.

Urmanov had 7 clean triples, and 2 triple axels, but no triple-triples.
Stojko had 7 triples, 2 triple axels as well, and a triple axel-triple toe. Stojko's spins were far better. His footwork was a bit more intricate.

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All true. Although Urmanov did have a jump sequence with two triples at the very end, which counts for something, and the jumping passes you don't mention were a triple flip landed ugly but on one foot for Urmanov, versus a popped single axel for Stojko.

He was clearly faster and had the better ice coverage.

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Not true. Where did you get that impression? Even Tracy Wilson (in her "Skate" TV show a y ear later), who thought Stojko deserved to win, conceded the speed and ice coverage to Urmanov.

Before I get to my pics, I just want to comment on Chen Lu's 1994 Olympic LP. Don't forget that she had a mistake in the short program on her combination, while Nancy, Oksana, and Surya all had clean skates. And in Chen's long program, she turned her opening triple lutz-double too loop jump combination into a jump sequence with a turn in between. She also put her hand down on her triple flip. Nancy's only mistake was doubling a triple flip, and it wasn't an error that looked sloppy or interrupted the flow like Chen Lu's mistakes.

1998 Olympics - G&P made mistakes during the compulsory and the judges didn't mark them.

1998 Olympics - Ina & Dungjen had perfect skates and finished fourth, behind two couples who made mistakes.

2002 Olympics - Ina & Zimmerman should have been fourth over Totmianina & Marinin.

2001 Worlds and 2002 Olympics - Berezhnaya and Sikharulidze are so far above Sale and Pelletier in choreography, speed, and presentation - they would have to make huge mistakes and S&P would have to make NO mistakes for the Canadians to ever beat them and that did not happen here in my opinion.

#1 WUZROBBING OF ALL TIME - Alexei Yagudin over Alexander Abt at 2002 Euros.

-1998 Olympics-Tara Lipinski -MK was robbed.
-2002 Olympics MK's LP even with her mistakes
beat Irina's sloppy performance.
-2006-Olympics Fumie should have placed third, Irina 4th
-2002-Olympics B/S long program was better than
S/P and should have won gold if there was no cheating,
but of course we all know that story.

The three judges who placed Cohen's LP at Dortmund over Arakawa's, and the one who joined them to place Kwan's LP over Arakawa's.

Yagudin over Abt at 2002 Euros was a bad decision, IMO.

Joesitz said:

It's easy to tear apart an injured skater.

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It's also easy to tear apart certain posters...or I should say, a certain poster.

hockeyfan228 said:

The three judges who placed Cohen's LP at Dortmund over Arakawa's, and the one who joined them to place Kwan's LP over Arakawa's.

Yagudin over Abt at 2002 Euros was a bad decision, IMO.

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I agree. How on earth anybody could have placed Cohen's tenative flawed performance with one big error and several shaky jumps over Arakawa's stunning masterpiece of a skate is beyond me. Kwan I would also not have put above Arakawa, but atleast her performance was closer to Arakawa's then Cohen's was.

The 2002 Europeans was also a bad decision I agree. Abt was never given any gifts by the judges. The 2002 Worlds was not a big controversy that he did not medal, since Honda and he were fairly close, and Goebel outjumped both in the long program by a long ways, but alot feel he should have gotten atleast the bronze still. At the 2000 GP final he skated better then both Stojko and Goebel in the first long and short, and should have been in the A-final as it was called to get crucified by Plushenko but he still would have been 2nd instead of 4th where he ended up.

Ap

MKFSfan said:

Are you referring to Bolero in the Cheesefest? I rather liked that performance! her only mistake was a double 3toe. I found she gave an uplifting, pleasant performance that was so much better than her Worlds showings. Sasha, who was 2nd (and IMO, robbed Jenny Kirk-she skated very well), with several wonky and two-ft landings, did not skate well enough to overtake Michelle.

Other competitions, that to me were wrong:

Worlds 2003-I truly feel Tim should've won.

Sarah/Sasha 2003 Nationals-I felt AP was robbed of Silver and should have been on the Worlds Team that year.

Sasha SA 2003-Jenny should've won the LP.

VV CofRussia 2002-Sasha skated pretty clean back to back performances, still couldn't win.

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I must remind you that AP was held up in the short after falling on her 3loop. I remember because it was the first time I was actually glad someone was held up. Sure do miss her.

goldberry99 said:

Before I get to my pics, I just want to comment on Chen Lu's 1994 Olympic LP. Don't forget that she had a mistake in the short program on her combination, while Nancy, Oksana, and Surya all had clean skates. And in Chen's long program, she turned her opening triple lutz-double too loop jump combination into a jump sequence with a turn in between. She also put her hand down on her triple flip. Nancy's only mistake was doubling a triple flip, and it wasn't an error that looked sloppy or interrupted the flow like Chen Lu's mistakes.

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Not true. Nancy also made the mistake of leaving out an entire jumping pass, therefore only completing 5 Triples. Lu Chen did 6. She had better spins too. Put their performances into COP -- Lu Chen wins. Although, yes, Nancy deserved Gold overall when taking the short program into account.

Jenny should have won the LP in SA 2003? Wow. Um. Jenny, while she landed all her jumps, didn't have near the difficulty in her program that Sasha did. Jenny never really progressed, which is a shame, because she was a nice skater to watch.

How the heck did Viktoria win 2002 CoR? Wasn't it the random dumping of scores that helped her win over Sasha who skated very nicely?

I agree with most of the comments above. I find that lots of the mid-tier skaters are overmarked or undermarked, but that's JMO. Like G/P beating the Kerrs at Worlds? What planet were the judges on? And I like G/P, but that made me scratch my head.

Another ne - Angela Nikodinov bronze in 2001 Nats. WHAT?! She should have had silver. I think she was undermarked at 2001 Worlds also and do think she should have been on the 2002 Olympic team over Sarah. USFSA seemed to hate her.

Lanie said:

Another ne - Angela Nikodinov bronze in 2001 Nats. WHAT?! She should have had silver. I think she was undermarked at 2001 Worlds also and do think she should have been on the 2002 Olympic team over Sarah. USFSA seemed to hate her.

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I have to disagree about Angela on the 2002 Olympic team and 2001 Worlds. Angela skated a terrific SP in both competitions, but she went on to double jumps in the last minute of her FS, just as she's done in just about every important competition. I love Angela's skating, but she just couldn't keep herself from backing off in the clutch.

Didn't Nikodinov either medal or win one year at SA or something?