Well she does have a backup plan in which she does not try to 3A in the short, so maybe she goes for that after 4CC results. But I think she will stick to 2 3As in LP.
In my opinion, Mao needs to take risks as if she doesnt Yu-na may just run away with the gold.
that's why I say play it safe in the SP - leave it out. Who knows how Yuna's going to fare under the extreme pressure she will be under from her country, the sport at large, the media in general and that weirdness that hits people when it's *the olympics*
how many skaters "favored to win" don't just because of some fluke that only seems to hit when it's the Winter Games? Yuna's not 100% all the time.
Play it safe in the short, see what you need to win in the long (if she skates before Yuna in the LP go for broke... if she skates after Yuna let Yuna determine what gets thrown out there)
You do have a good point, Tonichelle. However, the main thing that I am worrying about is Yu-na's large lead over Mao and the rest of the field with her 3-3 combo. Before, I was against Mao's 3A in the short since it was waaayy to risky. But if Yu-na nails all her jumps in the SP, she could be sitting pretty at the top with a score that I think will break her previous SP record. Albeit, Yu-na is a little less consistent with her LP, Mao's needs to garner as many points as she can through her SP and LP. And since she doesnt have any 3-3's, the only way she has an edge over Yu-na is with her 3A.
true, but... if Mao doesn't hit the 3ax and it's under rotated and she falls there's no way she'll win anyway and the lead that Yuna has will be even greater...
there's no perfect answer/plan to beat Yuna... but the pressure is going to be killer for Kim in Vancouver (not just with her home country but I think the international media as well will be breathing down her neck). I hope I'm wrong for her sake. No one should have to deal with that pressure and the disappointment of not making it happen at the olympics. it's devastating to watch no matter if they're a favorite or not.
I wonder why it's harder for her to land one in SP compared to LP. The chances of her landing two 3A in LP seems to be higher than just one in SP. Is it because she needs to have a set up for this jump but in SP, there is not enough time in the beg for the set up so she doesn't have enough speed going in?
I disagree. I don't think she needs 3 of them. What are the odds of her completing the rotation in the short? If not, she'll be credited for a double axel. Wouldn't any other fully rotated jump be better? Also, she has to do a circle of crossovers into the 3ax and that has to hurt her from a Program Components prespective. I don't see Tarasova being able to let go of the 3ax, I don't know about the Japanese Federation. If I were her coach, I'd let her try it in the LP (just one) and play it safe in the short. If she goes for the 3axa nd underrotates it, she'd better hope the other contenders miss the combo completely. I think Mao has a good shot at the gold without the 3ax but not with it, even if it's landed, unless all 3 are completed rotated (which I just do not see happening).of course Mao needs try 3 3a in Vancouver, she has not option (if she wants the gold medal)