Can Lipnitskaya close the gap on Mao & Kim in time for the Olympics? | Page 3 | Golden Skate

Can Lipnitskaya close the gap on Mao & Kim in time for the Olympics?

wootie

Match Penalty
Joined
Dec 21, 2013
It wouldn't be surprising at all if Julia ended up winning the Gold medal in Sochi. I'm not saying she necessarily deserves to win, but when you watch her and look strictly at her jumps and spins, she looks very impressive. Her flow across the ice is good and she has quick virtually everything. Now, when you look at her actual choreography, presentation and expression, that is where things get dicey. I know she's young and her PCS can improve (and most likely will). However, as of NOW, I find her actual presentation in both programs to be...dull. Maybe it's her choice of music, but I find her to be a rather rote, mechanical skater. A technical virtuoso to be sure, but just something about her presentation is uninspiring. I am in awe of her flexibility and speed but find myself drifting off during the middle of her programs due to the sheer boringness of her persona (perhaps it's partly, unfairly, due to the way she looks). Adelina is certainly not as consistent or impressive in terms of speed and precision, but I find her to be a much more interesting presence on the ice. Ditto for Carolina, Yuna and Mao.
 

Gigi13

On the Ice
Joined
Dec 2, 2013
I hope all the girls skate clean tbh I want Asada or Kim to win the Olympics and I don't want Julia to win maybe because I always root for the veterans and I want the newbies to do well, find motivation to continue, and continue to improve in the future. I'm worried for Mao more than Yuna though because Mao is not as consistent as Yuna and Julia but I'm hoping that the whoever wins gold it would be Yuna or Mao. :)
 

Krislite

Medalist
Joined
Sep 22, 2010
209 with a strict panel.
She has a true lutz, ok. I don't know why they dinged her with e calls.

In Sochi, all her lutz will be getting +2 GOE just like in CoR a few months ago.
Mao is out of the running now. I don't see her being clean enough. Lip is zeroing on Kim. Her PCS will be within .5 a point from Kim in the SP and 2 points max from Kim in the LP. Her TES will be 73-75 when the Tech controller realizes she's doing a lutz. Then Kim has no room for error. One step out and it's over.

Sometimes I can't tell whether you're being serious or not. Lipnitskaya's surname would be more accurate as Flutznitskaya. ;)
 

andyjo24

Medalist
Joined
Feb 16, 2010
It wouldn't be surprising at all if Julia ended up winning the Gold medal in Sochi. I'm not saying she necessarily deserves to win, but when you watch her and look strictly at her jumps and spins, she looks very impressive.

Her spins? Yes. Her jumps? No way........
 

RABID

Final Flight
Joined
Mar 17, 2013
Well I think Mao might bomb this year, but we'll see. My issue is there seems to be an effort to set up cleanish Julia > cleanish Mao, Suzuki, Kostner, perhaps even Yuna. Can you imagine a scenario where Yuna pops a jump and gets a dubious edge call, and all of a sudden Julia with that same Euros performance could be propped up even more and the winner? What a disgrace!

Even if you set aside the fact she looks like a little girl out there next to mature ladies ... her skating skills are inferior compared to the top contenders, her jumps are tiny, and she doesn't have any artistry whatsoever after that opening. I hate bashing her because she's very talented for 15, but this is getting ridiculous and entirely too much now by all the people trying to prop her up against the very best in the world.

Look at the bright side, Ven. YuNa by her comments is one who isn't shy about expressing her nervousness and yet she is all about embracing the experience; remember that she wanted her Korean "sisters" to share in that experience. When it is all said and done, that might be the difference. So we need to embrace the experience as well. This is going to be so much fun. :popcorn:
 

Layfan

Record Breaker
Joined
Nov 5, 2009
I never bashed Michelle, FYI. Favourites change; some I keep for longer, sometimes multiples happen. I'm not the only. You may also be surprised to hear that I used to dig this video.
While I raved Yuna's 08-09 season, it took me until the GPF before I appreciated her Schez; before then, I wasn't pleased she had the same coloured of costume and the ending pose as Michelle.[/QUOTE

I never thought you bashed Michelle. There something lost here, we're talking past each other. Time to move on.
 

HalfTriple

Match Penalty
Joined
Jun 8, 2010
It wouldn't be surprising at all if Julia ended up winning the Gold medal in Sochi. I'm not saying she necessarily deserves to win, but when you watch her and look strictly at her jumps and spins, she looks very impressive. Her flow across the ice is good and she has quick virtually everything. Now, when you look at her actual choreography, presentation and expression, that is where things get dicey. I know she's young and her PCS can improve (and most likely will). However, as of NOW, I find her actual presentation in both programs to be...dull. Maybe it's her choice of music, but I find her to be a rather rote, mechanical skater. A technical virtuoso to be sure, but just something about her presentation is uninspiring. I am in awe of her flexibility and speed but find myself drifting off during the middle of her programs due to the sheer boringness of her persona (perhaps it's partly, unfairly, due to the way she looks). Adelina is certainly not as consistent or impressive in terms of speed and precision, but I find her to be a much more interesting presence on the ice. Ditto for Carolina, Yuna and Mao.

Your observation is due to Julia's age and immaturity that result in incompatibility between what she is able and what she is trying to accomplish. Yet very commendable however. But for me if Julia wins, I will be very surprised. I know many got excited for her win at Euro; some got annoyed. But the truth is where Julia or Adelina is exactly same as they were in 2013 for that matter. Oh my bet! Julia wasn't there 2013 Worlds, but Julia's skating is more or less Adelina; even if she beat Adelina here, her advantage over Adelina is not a given. Julia and Adelina at best form a second group including Osmond, Li, Murakami etc. Well, I don'tknow about Li, because it is possible that Li might be a dark horse if she recovers completely by sochi. I wouldn't let too much illusion from Euro blur the vision in Sochi.
 

miki88

Medalist
Joined
Dec 28, 2009
Actually there is still no guarantee that the all girls will skate at her best or clean...Remember the Ice is slippery :yes:

That's true. Also, Julia is most likely skating in the LP section of the team event, so she has pressure to skate cleanly twice at the Olympics. She is very consistent but is not immune to making minor errors and it's difficult to repeat a perfect performance.
 

Layfan

Record Breaker
Joined
Nov 5, 2009
There's also no guarantee that Julia will be at her best. Julia failed to do well at COR, and she even admitted in an interview that she felt the home-field pressure. Julia has also never been at an Worlds/ Olympics before, so who knows if the nerves will get to her? But I have to admit that I am inclined to think that she will deliver. Let's wait and see...

No, no guarantee of anything. That was my original point.

My problem is I dread the idea of the favorites not winning because it's too heartbreaking. So I can't stand Yuna not doing her best (which probably means winning). But I also really want Mao to win Olympic gold finally. I also desperately want Caro and Akiko to win their first Olympic medals. But they can't both do it if Yuna and Mao are great. Also, I really want to see Julia and Adelina do amazing medal-worthy performances. And Gracie and Ashley.

What's a girl to do????? I guess I can only hope for a night of amazing skating and let the judges decide so that I don't have to feel heartbroken for anyone. My only safe prediction is that IF Mao and Yuna skate well, they are the podium. Everything else will be an exciting battle.
 

Ven

Match Penalty
Joined
Mar 17, 2013
Look at the bright side, Ven. YuNa by her comments is one who isn't shy about expressing her nervousness and yet she is all about embracing the experience; remember that she wanted her Korean "sisters" to share in that experience. When it is all said and done, that might be the difference. So we need to embrace the experience as well. This is going to be so much fun. :popcorn:

Well if they all skate close to their best this is my opinion:

1. Yuna
2. Mao
3. Suzuki
4. Adelina
5. Julia

I think any of them can make a mistake or two, but out of all of them I think Mao is the most likely to bomb and just drop out of the top tier. In that case the others would move up one, but I still can't get my mind around anyone thinking Julia is better than Adelina. If any of the Russians are to medal, I would be fine with it being Sotnikova for bronze or something.
 

Barb

Record Breaker
Joined
Oct 13, 2009
If Julia skate a clean LP in the team event the pressure will be really BIG for the very top skaters
 

HalfTriple

Match Penalty
Joined
Jun 8, 2010
If Julia skate a clean LP in the team event the pressure will be really BIG for the very top skaters

Yes and no. but the kind of plays those veterans did in the past says otherwise. Look at Asada in Vancouver after her 36 point defeat to Kim in TEB. She seized silver magnificently. In 2013 worlds? the podium was stonewalled by them; Li who made such a performance at that time couldn't even clinch podium. Can Julia pull off Li in 2013? Even then how much? Well, let's hope for the best.
 

RABID

Final Flight
Joined
Mar 17, 2013
Well if they all skate close to their best this is my opinion:

1. Yuna
2. Mao
3. Suzuki
4. Adelina
5. Julia

I think any of them can make a mistake or two, but out of all of them I think Mao is the most likely to bomb and just drop out of the top tier. In that case the others would move up one, but I still can't get my mind around anyone thinking Julia is better than Adelina. If any of the Russians are to medal, I would be fine with it being Sotnikova for bronze or something.

Regardless how they all place I think the thing to remember is that we now have a better idea of what to expect; we know where Sochi is, we know the Russian girls are blazing a trail, we know Americans believe they have their ice princess but most especially we're getting some powerful hints about what to expect from the judges. And yes Julia can close the gap. Take it all together, this Olympics promises to have just as much if not more drama than Vancouver's. Enough so to turn a queen into a legend. (there, I said it) :biggrin:
 

Ven

Match Penalty
Joined
Mar 17, 2013
Yeah those rankings are my opinion of their skating and performance abilities. I understand the judges have an agenda, but let's hope it doesn't go too far.
 

prettykeys

Medalist
Joined
Oct 19, 2009
To answer the question, it seems she already has closed the gap. Her personal best is now higher than any ISU score by Mao, and the gap between her personal best and Yuna's best is now merely 10-20 points. If she's clean, then only a clean Yuna can realistically beat her and not by a very big margin. It's definitely stunning how rapid her PCS has jumped in only a few months.
I completely agree.

Julia is a very determined competitor so it's hard to predict how she will hold up to Olympic pressure. I still believe it's likely that YuNa will be cleaner than the other top contenders given her track record, but she is as human as is Julia or any other skater.

To be honest, I love YuNa and would only have her beat Julia if she is completely clean. If she falters, then a clean Julia deserves to win the Gold medal, IMO. YuNa maxes out her LP at 6 triples whereas Julia does 7 triples along with 3-3 and 2A-3T. In the competitive world of figure skating, I have always sided with the technical over the artistic/presentation. Technically, Julia's biggest weakness is her Skating Skills (and then the low height of her jumps) but she really does have great spins and the choreography and theme of her LP is moving.

I hope YuNa is clean!

As for Mao, I just don't believe she is going to go clean. I hope she proves me wrong and I can eat my words, but she piles on the ambitious layouts without doing enough work to perfect them. Yes, even when she is near-clean she is stunning, but the Olympics probably demands "clean" more than any other event due to the international attention and past scandals.
 

guanchi

On the Ice
Joined
Mar 31, 2012
Of course Lip can win gold.
Russia has spend over 50billion for these games, maybe even more nobody knows. They have to deal with terrorism issues, the lgbt issue, and make sure everything goes well without a hitch. Skating is probably low on their priority -some small suspect judging in a girly event will not raise much of an eyebrow.
That's why the gold is between Kim and Lip, that's it. Everyone else it shut out. Kim has the advantage over all other Lip competitors in that she's very consistent, that she's the reigning Olympic and world champion, and has a very high rep among the judges. These cannot be overlooked no matter how well Lip skates.
However the home crowd and a clean 7 triple with a very cleverly thought out LP could push Lip over the top.
It might be a squeaker, maybe a 2-3pt diff. between gold and silver.
I don't see anyone else at this point challenging these 2. They look like the 2 toughest competitors, by far.
 

ahy

Final Flight
Joined
Jul 29, 2013
If they put a clean julia over a clean yuna, they just don't do justice - -, i mean julia's ss, the quality of jumps are a mile apart from yuna...but if yuna bombs and julia is clean then of course she deserves her win, and the possibility of seeing mao clean is 0.5%, i hope she can finally skate a clean program in the olympics...
 

miki88

Medalist
Joined
Dec 28, 2009
Why is Mao predicted to most likely bomb when Suzuki and Adelina have proven to be just as much if not more likely?
 

Ven

Match Penalty
Joined
Mar 17, 2013
Why is Mao predicted to most likely bomb when Suzuki and Adelina have proven to be just as much if not more likely?

I have a feeling Akiko and Adelina will bring their A game to Sochi. They seem to be improving their consistency. Look what Suzuki did at Japanese Nationals. Adelina had a great SP at Euros and for her not a bad FS even with a mistake or two. Just a little cleaner and she's good to go. Mao might also bring her A game like she did in 2010 and if she does she's better than those two. But she seems to be struggling this year, we'll see.
 

miki88

Medalist
Joined
Dec 28, 2009
I have a feeling Akiko and Adelina will bring their A game to Sochi. They seem to be improving their consistency. Look what Suzuki did at Japanese Nationals. Adelina had a great SP at Euros and for her not a bad FS even with a mistake or two. Just a little cleaner and she's good to go. Mao might also bring her A game like she did in 2010 and if she does she's better than those two. But she seems to be struggling this year, we'll see.

You're basing it on basically one competition. Akiko didn't make the Grand Prix this season. She had an almost equally amazing performance at NHK last years and then did poorly at Worlds. Adelina skated well enough to place second in the GPF and then came last in the LP. Mao hasn't been clean in her LP but neither has Adelina. Mao also, as of now, still holds the highest ISU score for the SP this season. Certainly, anyone can bring their A game to Sochi. But I just don't see how those two have a better track record than Mao considering their performance history and overall season showings so far this season. Just to add, Mao's LP score is slightly higher than Adelina's LP, despite it being one of her "worser" showings this season. Perhaps Mao's errors are more noticeable because it's on her axels, but she still landed 5 triples, same as Adelina at Euros.
 
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