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That would have been a reasonable list if it weren't for the inclusion of Polina over Gold and believe me I am not part of the Gold bandwagon. This is a mistake, right?
Five Favorites for Olympic Gold in Women's Figure Skating at Sochi 2014
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That would have been a reasonable list if it weren't for the inclusion of Polina over Gold and believe me I am not part of the Gold bandwagon. This is a mistake, right?
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- Mar 21, 2005
I just forgot Gracie but she is up there.
Realistically, it's anyones game.
Yu-Na is not safe. Factor in the Russian inflation, she will be chased by Julia and Adelina.
-----POST EUROPEANS-----------
It seems like the perceived trio of Yu-Na, Mao and Caro is no certainty.
1. Yu-Na Kim.
2. Julia Lipnitskaia.
3. Mao Asada.
4. Gracie Gold.
5. Adelina Sotnikova.
6. Akiko Suzuki.
7. Carolina Kostner.
8. Ashley Wagner.
9. Kanako Murakami.
10. Kaetlyn Osmond..
11. Polina Edmunds.
Realistically, it's anyones game.
Yu-Na is not safe. Factor in the Russian inflation, she will be chased by Julia and Adelina.
-----POST EUROPEANS-----------
It seems like the perceived trio of Yu-Na, Mao and Caro is no certainty.
1. Yu-Na Kim.
2. Julia Lipnitskaia.
3. Mao Asada.
4. Gracie Gold.
5. Adelina Sotnikova.
6. Akiko Suzuki.
7. Carolina Kostner.
8. Ashley Wagner.
9. Kanako Murakami.
10. Kaetlyn Osmond..
11. Polina Edmunds.
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- Mar 21, 2005
Such a tremendous and amazing group of accomplished skaters! The Russian and American baby ballerinas are making their move!
Yu-Na, Akiko, Mao, Gracie, Ashley , Polina, Kaetlyn and Kanako should all go 4CC.
Yu-Na, Akiko, Mao, Gracie, Ashley , Polina, Kaetlyn and Kanako should all go 4CC.
Can you read? I didn't say Mao is more consistent than Yu-Na or has better jump quality. I also didn't say that Mao has incredibly difficult transitions. What Mao does after the sal, whatever be its name, is considered as difficult/creative/unexpected entry. Her entrance to the flip is not incredibly difficult but at least she does something while approaching the jump as opposed to Yu-Na who skates forwards across the whole ice rink. Mao has patently much more transitions and choreography. Period. If you don't see that, you are either blind or don't know what transistions are. The result of having those transitions in the program is a different story though and I've never claimed that Mao manages to combine consistency with the transitions because predominantly she does not. But still, she has more difficult program than Yu-Na.
Mao with her forward crossovers before the axel is still nowhere near the number of crossovers that Yu-Na needs in order to set up much easier jumps than triple axels.
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- Mar 17, 2013
YuNa is a special case I think. As far as getting used to the fight and real competition experience before Sochi, yes. As far as the politics of scoring, no. The one thing about her is that she always gets the benefit of the doubt and I actually think the under-exposure of her programs gives her an advantage going into Sochi.
Yuna doesn't always get the benefit of the doubt. Just look at SP 2013 WCs.
If anything she gets held down by the judges unless she's absolutely perfect. She scores high when she nails a program, but they are very quick to bring her down otherwise, compared to other skaters like Kostner who get over-scored for flawed programs.
If anything she gets held down by the judges unless she's absolutely perfect. She scores high when she nails a program, but they are very quick to bring her down otherwise, compared to other skaters like Kostner who get over-scored for flawed programs.
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- Sep 22, 2010
Julia is a really serious contender for the top spot. 209 points from Euros for two clean skates. 139 for a clean LP. Wow! Only Yuna has ever scored higher than that (2009 TEB, 2010 Olympics, and 2013 Worlds).
It's looking more like the top two could be Julia and Yuna, neither of whom are wearing blue dresses.
It's looking more like the top two could be Julia and Yuna, neither of whom are wearing blue dresses.
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- Mar 17, 2013
Distance makes the heart grow fonder. There will be a quality of freshness the other skaters wont have by the time everyone skates in Sochi. Perhaps, "benefit of the doubt", is an improper way to describe her advantage. Let me try another tac; the Russians are bringing it this season, Goldie has brought it this season and Julia's program is the standout program this season. One thing YuNa has going for her (besides the obvious) are everyone's expectations of excellence from her, she comes with a reputation; that hasn't changed, yet. Don't skate 4CC and peoples expectations for excellence remains still intact. Skate bad at 4CC and that expectation gets tarnished somewhat, especially if the judges are chomping at the bit to reward a new generation. It could be the difference between seeing a serviceable program with "jaundiced eyes" or a serviceable program with "fresh eyes". who knows?
Julia's PCS will rise significantly in Sochi. It's risen steadily this season. They are obviously setting her up to take the title. What a joke of a sport.
Anyway, it's over for Carolina. She can't overtake the Russians anymore.
I'm thinking Mao is also on the chopping block.
Yuna will have to be perfect. One mistake, and they will put her down the list, too. No way will they allow a clean Julia to place under anyone with a mistake.
Anyway, it's over for Carolina. She can't overtake the Russians anymore.
I'm thinking Mao is also on the chopping block.
Yuna will have to be perfect. One mistake, and they will put her down the list, too. No way will they allow a clean Julia to place under anyone with a mistake.
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- Sep 17, 2011
Whenever the OSM comes back for another Olympics, she always gets bronze. Kwan and Slutskaya anyone?It's looking more like the top two could be Julia and Yuna, neither of whom are wearing blue dresses.
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- Sep 22, 2010
^Let's not all panic too soon. Julia's LP PCS was 68 at Euros for a clean skate, and Kostner got 71 points for PCS with mistakes. That's still a good margin, and I imagine Mao and Yuna can likewise get 71+ for PCS if they're reasonably clean. That means they can still overtake Julia with clean skates. But it's a tough demand for Kostner or Asada to go clean in the free.
I think my point is best summed up this way....
clean Yuna >>> clean other skaters
1-mistake Yuna > 1-mistake other skaters
2-mistake Yuna = or less than 2-mistake other skaters
If Yuna goes clean, the judges are happy to score her very high compared to the other ladies. But if she makes a mistake or two, they are quick to tear her down and prop up the others.
clean Yuna >>> clean other skaters
1-mistake Yuna > 1-mistake other skaters
2-mistake Yuna = or less than 2-mistake other skaters
If Yuna goes clean, the judges are happy to score her very high compared to the other ladies. But if she makes a mistake or two, they are quick to tear her down and prop up the others.
Who is "they", exactly, and what is the process by which "they" fix things the way "they" want?
Mel, is that you?
(loved you in "The Road Warrior", though
)Why are being so meek and unassuming, Krislite? Are you a convert to the Church of the Skate Gods?
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- Mar 23, 2010
that's why i said last year.. that once again yuna needs to be clean/perfect in order to win.. if others do well and yuna doesn't.. she will not win.. 2010, 2011 worlds come to mind.. the judges will not hesitate not to give her the title..
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- Sep 22, 2010
Why are being so meek and unassuming, Krislite? Are you a convert to the Church of the Skate Gods?
It's best not to offend the skate gods when we're less than a month from the Olympics.
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- Sep 17, 2011
Kim has gotten 73+ for a clean performance but what mattered just as much were the +2 and +3 GOEs she got on every single element. Asada's highest PCS was a 70+ at NHK which was as you said reasonably clean. I've been saying all season that Asada can beat even a clean Kim if she is perfect (very small chance) but I've also said she is very capable of bombing out of the final flight (small chance but still bigger than that of her being perfect). Kostner like Asada can bomb her way out of the top 6 but she has neither the enormous GOE advantage Kim gets when clean (maybe in the SP but in the LP, no way) nor the enormous BV Asada attempts (and I might add though Asada never achieves her BV, Kostner never even achieves her own middling BV).
There are still no (as in >1%) threats to a clean Kim unless the Sochi judges pull off the biggest home inflation in history, but a 1-mistake (mistake on a triple I might add, not some throwaway 2A or omitted 2Lo) Kim is perhaps not as secure a lock as was previously thought. Julia might overtake that with the way her scores have been increasing and the Olympics being home ice.
Well, if Yuna makes some errors and one of the other top ladies goes clean, then the other skater probably deserves to win. It's about who does it that particular night. My only issue is that when they all make some mistakes, look at Kostner in past years. The judges would be like "oh, she fell? it's ok 
!" but if someone like Yuna makes a mistake, her score starts plummeting to really under-scored territory.
!" but if someone like Yuna makes a mistake, her score starts plummeting to really under-scored territory.Similar threads
