Mao Asada: Olympic Gold Medal Favourite? | Page 5 | Golden Skate

Mao Asada: Olympic Gold Medal Favourite?

minze

Medalist
Joined
Dec 22, 2012
The ISU is setting the stage for Mao Asada to win a gold medal in Sochi. The fact that her cheated "triple" jumps are being ratified is a sign that technical specialists have been instructed to turn a blind eye to Asada's underrotated jumps. She will be unbeatable for anyone but Kim and Kostner, considering her huge PCS and unique ability to underrotate all of her jumps and have the technical panels turn a blind eye to it.

So let me get the straight. Mao's people: agent, coach , JSF officials had a meeting with the technical specialists and told them "do not mark any of Mao's jumps underrotated or give negative GOE." Please do tell ,where you at that meeting, because you seem to have some inside information about what happened? You taped the conversation? You took picures? Please share all the information you have. Otherwise you are slandering the tech specialists and the JSF:laugh:
 

froh1981

Rinkside
Joined
Nov 1, 2006
2013
4CC 3A<, 3F3Lo<, 3Flutz, 2A3T<, 2S, 3F2Lo2Lo, 3Lo =3triples+ 1 flutz+ 3 under-rotated triple jumps (3A, 3Lo, 3T)
World 3A, 3F<, 3Flutz, 2A3T, 3S, 3F2Lo2Lo<, 3Lo2Lo =5triples+ 1 flutz+ 1 under-rotated triple jump (3F, 2Lo)
WTT 2A, 3F3Lo<, 3Flutz, 2A2T, 3S<,3F<2Lo2Lo<, 3Lo =2triples +1 flutz+ 3 under-rotated triple jumps (3Lo, 3S, 3F, 2Lo)
JOpen 3A, 3F2Lo, 3Flutz, 2A2T, 3S<, 3F2Lo2Lo, 3Lo =4triples+ 1 flutz+1 under-rotated triple jump (3S)
SA 3A<, 3F2Lo, 3Flutz, 2A2T, 3S, 3F2Lo<2Lo<, 3Lo =4triples+ 1 flutz+ 1 under-rotated triple jump (3A, 2Lo, 2Lo)
NHK 3A<, 3F2Lo, 3Flutz, 2A3T, 2S, 3F2Lo2Lo, 3Lo =4triples+ 1 flutz+ 1 under-rotated triple jump (3A)
=========================================================================
I found that this year Asada always received negative GOE on her 3A. Half of them were under-rotated.
She always landed flutz and her 3-2-2 attempts were often under-rotated.
She couldn't bring triple-triple combination and her 2A3T and 3S were inconsistent.
Asada can plan 8 triples, but unfortunately she mostly lands 4 triples, 1 flutz, and one under-rotated triple jump at best.
 

Barb

Record Breaker
Joined
Oct 13, 2009
Well, I guess all this commotion is because Mao si doing very well lately :p :yay:, a lot of people didnt expected it and thought Yu-Na would be have the easy way, sorry but no, Mao is so competitive like Yuna, however calm down, I even think that Yuna has more probabilities of win because she almost never fall and she get tons of scores because goes and pcs, let Mao alone, she has all right to try it anyway.
 

bethissoawesome

On the Ice
Joined
Dec 12, 2005
For me, I think the main difference between the Mao/Yu-Na rivalry this year as opposed to 2010 is that it feels like Mao really wants it (OGM) more this go around than Kim does. It just doesn't feel like Yu-Na's heart has completely been in the game since after winning the OGM in 2010.

That being said... wanting something badly has never meant solid delivery for Mao, unfortunately. Yu-Na is also extremely talented and can skate amazing, clean programs even when it feels like she'd rather be off doing something else. :-/
 

Krislite

Medalist
Joined
Sep 22, 2010
For me, I think the main difference between the Mao/Yu-Na rivalry this year as opposed to 2010 is that it feels like Mao really wants it (OGM) more this go around than Kim does. It just doesn't feel like Yu-Na's heart has completely been in the game since after winning the OGM in 2010.

That being said... wanting something badly has never meant solid delivery for Mao, unfortunately. Yu-Na is also extremely talented and can skate amazing, clean programs even when it feels like she'd rather be off doing something else. :-/

Wanting something very intensely can also be a hindrance. It can be a motivator, and it can also make you extremely nervous and over-think things. I would say this is one of the reasons Michelle Kwan was too nervous in Nagano and made mistakes in SLC. She wanted it too much, especially in 2002.

Yuna didn't need a second world title. But she delivered her best ever Worlds performance several years after she won everything (including Olympic gold). Whatever problems she may face in Sochi, it won't be lack of motivation.
 

elif

Medalist
Joined
Jan 28, 2010
"Majority of their jumps are clean" when talking about Kostner? LOL! :laugh: They're nice when she lands them, but she happened to have two clean triples in the FS at Cup of China. I suppose doubling your jumps can be considered keeping your jumps clean, but a clean double and a clean triple are two different things. In fact, a clean double is worth about the same as a filthy-looking triple. Having multiple mistakes in every FS is not "a couple of exceptions." Gracie hit 3 out of 7 triples at NHK; that is not better than Mao. At Skate America, Wagner hit 3 clean triples in her FS; that was also not better than Mao. Also, claiming that Asada's jumps deserve << when some of Gold, Wagner, and Kostner have a < is a completely inane statement.
I was talking about underrotated jumps. When Kostner lands them nobody, no commentators, no posters saying this could be underrotated. Yes Kostner sometimes doubled her jumps. But her double jumps are clean to. (Clean for underrotation) Unlike Mao who can't rotate 2Lo.
 

blue_idealist

Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 25, 2006
I don't know. I'll reserve judgment until I actually see Kim this season. I would agree that Kostner is out of the race (for now) though. I'd say Wagner might have a better chance of medalling than her at this point, although only a slightly better chance.
 

CarneAsada

Medalist
Joined
Sep 17, 2011
I was talking about underrotated jumps. When Kostner lands them nobody, no commentators, no posters saying this could be underrotated. Yes Kostner sometimes doubled her jumps. But her double jumps are clean to. (Clean for underrotation) Unlike Mao who can't rotate 2Lo.

At Cup of China, Kostner made as many obvious mistakes as Mao had under-rotations. Saying "when her jumps are clean" doesn't really say much when you accomplished all of 2 clean triples. And of course when Kostner doubles a jump, it's rotated; she's not doing a loop combination, is she? Mao doesn't exactly have issues rotating her doubled Salchows, Flips or Toes, or a doubled Loop that should have been a triple for that matter. Her rather unfortunate 2012 WC championship FS has plenty of clean doubles and singles if that's what you'd rather watch.
 

mskater93

Record Breaker
Joined
Oct 22, 2005
Most of Mao's jumps are less than 1/4 under which makes them "IJS clean". They are usually borderline, but ratifiable. Some of the 3A's she's gotten a serious benefit of the doubt on with the free foot landing simultaneous to the correct landing foot (which is usually at least a < call and often a << call)
 

CanadianSkaterGuy

Record Breaker
Joined
Jan 25, 2013
When it comes down to it, if Kim goes clean, it doesn't matter how well Mao skates. If Kim makes errors, one would hope that Mao's jumps are indeed rotated such that if Mao does beat Kim it's because she has earned it and not because she's being given the benefit of the doubt. I expect a lot of scrutiny when it comes to landings in the Olympics... this isn't like a national competition where it doesn't matter if the favourites are called for URs because they'll win anyways... the world will be watching and you can bet there will be slow-mo replays of the landings and tech specialists who give favours will be put behind the 8-ball.
 

Mao88

Record Breaker
Joined
Mar 9, 2011
New article entitled: 'Asada relishing showdown with archrival'. It reads:-

"Since Vancouver I have repeatedly re-adjusted my jumps from scratch," [Asada] told reporters in Tokyo over the weekend, saying she now felt more confident as a result.

"Now I'm finally beginning to feel the effect of what I have gained in the three years since Vancouver."

"I believe I have stepped up since Skate America. I want to work hard so that I take my programme to a higher level," she added.

"I have no worries. I have practised in a way that lets me get rid of those fears," she said.

"My jumps are getting quite steady so I think I can now aim higher."

Her silver medal in Vancouver owed much to three triple axels she landed in two programmes, the only woman to have done so.

Asada said she might repeat the same feat in Sochi. "I have come to believe I can land two triple axels (in the free skate)."

Looking ahead to the Winter Games, Asada said: "It will really be a huge inspiration for me if I can skate together with (Kim) on the big and supreme stage and at the centre of attention, as we did in Vancouver.

"It will be great if we can show each other what we have."
 

plushyfan

Record Breaker
Joined
Jun 27, 2012
Country
Hungary
I say that almost daily.
That would be great if we can love our favorite skaters, and we don't care of any UR jumps, TR's , PCS, levels and so on......As I did for many years. But yet every day we are here because something hooks us..
 

Poodlepal

On the Ice
Joined
Jan 14, 2010
That's the problem when "underrotations" and "wrong edges" are considered a more serious crime against figure skating than "falling." The judges can choose not to scrutinize the favorites as closely as the non-favorites. I'm not saying that they are doing this, but it sounds like some people are accusing them of looking the other way when it's a star ur'ing and wrong edging.

Frankly, I do not want to see Mao, YuNa or Carolina on the podium. I'm sick to death of the three of them (least sick of YuNa, the best of the three). I'm sick of Mao's dark, heavy music and I'm sick of Carolina messing up and still winning. I'd be happy to see any other three people on that podium--Ashley, Gracie, any one of the Russian girls, Akiko, Miki Ando coming back from maternity leave. . .

But I think it's pretty much set with YuNa getting her second gold, Mao getting her second silver and Carolina getting her bronze. Possibly one of the Russian girls can unseat Carolina, but it's not likely.
 

gimble

On the Ice
Joined
Feb 26, 2010
But I think it's pretty much set with YuNa getting her second gold, Mao getting her second silver and Carolina getting her bronze. Possibly one of the Russian girls can unseat Carolina, but it's not likely.

I think it's too early to tell. As others stated earlier, we haven't seen Kim skate yet. With injury and lack of training/competition, who knows how Kim will skate. It's one thing to skate at the Worlds, it's entirely another to skate at the Olympics I would think. Kostner usually starts slow and gets better (hope she doesn't have disastrous experiences as 2009 World or 2010 Olympics). Asada is having a much better season prior to Sochi Olympics, especially compared to the season before Vancouver. So, from what we've seen Asada does seem to be the frontrunner at this point. And of course there are others such as Russians and Wagner.
 

drivingmissdaisy

Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 17, 2010
Possibly one of the Russian girls can unseat Carolina, but it's not likely.

Julia has already topped Carolina's all-time career personal best total (~198) and Ashley and Akiko have come within 5 points of that total this season, even with their mistakes. Carolina has also struggled to skate well at previous Olympics, so I think it is increasing likely that she will be off the podium.
 

pangtongfan

Match Penalty
Joined
Jun 16, 2010
When it comes down to it, if Kim goes clean, it doesn't matter how well Mao skates. If Kim makes errors, one would hope that Mao's jumps are indeed rotated such that if Mao does beat Kim it's because she has earned it and not because she's being given the benefit of the doubt. I expect a lot of scrutiny when it comes to landings in the Olympics... this isn't like a national competition where it doesn't matter if the favourites are called for URs because they'll win anyways... the world will be watching and you can bet there will be slow-mo replays of the landings and tech specialists who give favours will be put behind the 8-ball.

I think if Kim and Asada both skated completely clean it would be much more like 2007-2008 when it could go either way. It would not be like 2009-2011 where even a clean Asada had no hope vs a clean Kim. I do agree if Kim skates cleanly no way is Asada beating her, since even a great skate by Asada is not clean, but just in the hypothetical it ever happened it would be extremely close and could go either way, just like it was back in 2007-2008. Worlds last year was in an odd way disconcerting a bit for Kim as it showed while her consistency still makes her the heavy favorite, the judges also don't consider her head and shoulders above her closest challengers if they skated perfectly like they did back in 2009-2010.

Remember Asada's base value in the LP is like 10 points away. That would not just be easily made up by Kim if Asada skated cleanly.
 
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