Kavaguti and Smirnov will go for Pyeongchang 2018 | Page 2 | Golden Skate

Kavaguti and Smirnov will go for Pyeongchang 2018

Anna K.

Final Flight
Joined
Feb 22, 2014
Country
Latvia
No one does. In practice maybe.

No one has ever landed a throw 3axel either. Even the great Shen and Zhao couldn't. Any revolutionary jump was only (to my knowledge) achieved during a skater's peak, and K&S are way past it.

OK, I respect if people have worthy goals in their lives, but why pursue an unrealistic goal? It's only going to lead to disappointment. They couldn't make it in 2014, so extremely unlikely they'll make in 2018 when they're pushing 40.

There are so many wonderful things they can do with themselves that are far more fulfilling.

The impossible dream? :laugh:
Yeah, well, maybe that's why it always works for me.
Anyway, every time I think about all the trust in each other it takes to try it - all the craziness it takes to try it - it's touching. I can't resist :)
Well, not like I don't wish well to K/S without a quad throw, but still. It means something even if it's history :)
 

StellaCampo

On the Ice
Joined
Nov 19, 2011
If K/S are continuing, will Moskvina also continue?
I watched their current season SP/LP. I don't like the SP (hate the music) but the LP could be another masterpiece.
 

hanca

Record Breaker
Joined
Sep 23, 2008
Uhhh... a quad throw not difficult enough? :)

Sorry, I have to admit that I didn't know they have a quad throw.

Well, I wouldn't say they have it, unfortunately. But they kept trying it for a couple of seasons. For me, it counts. It really is a dare. Love all pairs who try it :)


The last time I remember seeing a quad throw from Kavaguti-Smirnov was about 4 years ago, so they definitely don't have it now. If they had it, they would use it at least sometimes. I think they were overtaken by Stolbova-Klimov, so they will be now fighting with Bazarova-Larionova for the third spot. There is also Antipova-Maisuradze; they have the quad twist and improved a lot in the last season. From the next season all the five JGP finalists moves to senior, so by the Olympics in 4 years one of those pairs may grab the third spot. I don't want to sound pessimistic, in most countries Kavaguti-Smirnov would be good enough to be sent but in Russia they will loose in the internal fight for spots.l
 

blue_idealist

Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 25, 2006
OK, I respect if people have worthy goals in their lives, but why pursue an unrealistic goal? It's only going to lead to disappointment. They couldn't make it in 2014, so extremely unlikely they'll make in 2018 when they're pushing 40.

Er, I think they would have made the Olympic team over B/L had Alexander not been injured. It's not like they went to Russian Nats and finished too low so were left off the team.
 

BlackPack

Medalist
Joined
Mar 20, 2013
Er, I think they would have made the Olympic team over B/L had Alexander not been injured. It's not like they went to Russian Nats and finished too low so were left off the team.

Yes... but circumstances were still as such that they were plagued by injury. It's not always about their competitive ability but their physical health. If not physical health, then it's the lack of competitive ability that kept them off the team and that applies to all skaters. It doesn't make a difference what the causes were, we know the what the results were.
 

LRK

Record Breaker
Joined
Nov 13, 2012
Oh, hooray! Be still my heart... Realistic-shealistic - I don't care! After P/T retired, they're my favourite pair - and as with P/T I won't be overly concerned about placement, but regard every time I get to see them compete and skate as a privilege... Oh, I'm so happy I could cry!
 

evangeline

Record Breaker
Joined
Nov 7, 2007
It's sad that K/S kept getting injured and falling down the rankings (and other Russian pairs started getting better) just when their skating finally blossomed. Remember Clair de Lune? If only K/S were able to skate like that at the height of their competitive success.
 

JayW

Final Flight
Joined
Dec 8, 2013
It's sad that K/S kept getting injured and falling down the rankings (and other Russian pairs started getting better) just when their skating finally blossomed. Remember Clair de Lune? If only K/S were able to skate like that at the height of their competitive success.

Yes, I remember that program, beautiful indeed. For a moment, I thought they were going to have a breakthrough. Sigh!
 

JayW

Final Flight
Joined
Dec 8, 2013
Oh, hooray! Be still my heart... Realistic-shealistic - I don't care! After P/T retired, they're my favourite pair - and as with P/T I won't be overly concerned about placement, but regard every time I get to see them compete and skate as a privilege... Oh, I'm so happy I could cry!

I love P/T as well, they are probably the most lyrical pair on ice. Their connection to music and each other are unparalleled. Unfortunately, their peak times overlapped with S/Z, and were greatly overshadowed. Their magic didn't happened as last time in Vancouver, and they retired, I am so sad.
 

anyanka

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 8, 2011
Question: if they continue, does that mean Moskvina will still train them? She mentioned that the Sochi games would be her last but she didn't have a single entry in it (although she did sit with Putin at the opening). Perhaps she will pass Yuko and Sasha to Oleg Vasiliev and either Peter Tchernyshev or Artur Dmitriev will choreograph? What are Moskvina's thoughts on it?

By the way, I would be over the moon happy to read Moskvina's prospective autobiography if it ever becomes available in English.
 

GF2445

Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 7, 2012
Wow. Respect if they continue. It would be best for them to think season by season instead of aiming for 2018. I really hope that they have one last good skate to finish off their careers.
 

blue_idealist

Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 25, 2006
Yes... but circumstances were still as such that they were plagued by injury. It's not always about their competitive ability but their physical health. If not physical health, then it's the lack of competitive ability that kept them off the team and that applies to all skaters. It doesn't make a difference what the causes were, we know the what the results were.

It sounds like that was a complete accident when Alexander injured himself, and had nothing to do with his general physical health.
 

dorispulaski

Wicked Yankee Girl
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
Country
United-States
No one does. In practice maybe.

No one has ever landed a throw 3axel either. Even the great Shen and Zhao couldn't. Any revolutionary jump was only (to my knowledge) achieved during a skater's peak, and K&S are way past it.

OK, I respect if people have worthy goals in their lives, but why pursue an unrealistic goal? It's only going to lead to disappointment. They couldn't make it in 2014, so extremely unlikely they'll make in 2018 when they're pushing 40.

There are so many wonderful things they can do with themselves that are far more fulfilling.

Vise & Trent landed a quad Salcow throw at TEB.
I&B landed 3As in international competition more than once. Their best effort was 2006 Olympic SP.
 
Joined
Jan 22, 2004
I view the bigger issue than B/L (though B/L beating K/S at least sometimes is surely conceivable given their history recently, especially with K/S's injuries and age) as the fact that Russia also has MANY promising junior pairs. Some, it can be expected, will not survive the little girl's puberty. However, it can also be expected that some will. S/K is obviously also around and not going anywhere, and B/L improving is very unlikely but not unimaginable. If she could land her SBS jumps they would score MUCH better, obviously.

Tarasova/Morozov already seem past puberty, their technical elements are impressive (textbook twist lift) and they skate with good energy. With some polishing, they could easily develop into medal contenders at the senior level.

There are many other promising pairs but as you said, with the girls being as young as they are and often pre-pubescent, who knows what will happen over the next few years.

That's not true. Inoue/Baldwin did in 2006 olimpic games
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5i_DGC74fA

And not only then. IIRC, their throw triple axel was reasonably consistent for them for a while.

Abitbol/Bernardis have tried it a number of times but never managed to land it. Zagórska/Siudek have been working on it but stopped after she knocked a few of her teeth out on a bad fall :slink: from what I can recall.

It's sad that K/S kept getting injured and falling down the rankings (and other Russian pairs started getting better) just when their skating finally blossomed. Remember Clair de Lune? If only K/S were able to skate like that at the height of their competitive success.

I remember thinking that picking this music for them was crazy. They're not a classical, balletic team and it would only highlight their weaknesses. And apparently Moskvina was very much against it as well. But Tchernyshev asked her to just let him try and in the end the results surprised everyone involved. And the program was beautiful. :)

Question: if they continue, does that mean Moskvina will still train them? She mentioned that the Sochi games would be her last but she didn't have a single entry in it (although she did sit with Putin at the opening). Perhaps she will pass Yuko and Sasha to Oleg Vasiliev and either Peter Tchernyshev or Artur Dmitriev will choreograph? What are Moskvina's thoughts on it?

My guess it that she will pass them on to Vasiliev and that Tchernyshev will continue to choreograph for them.

Vise & Trent landed a quad Salcow throw at TEB.

Ding/Ren had the throw 4toe which they attempted and rotated regularly but it was always landed on two-feet, IIRC.

Sui/Han attempted the throw 4salchow a few times but it was always two-footed, from what I can recall.

Zhang/Zhang landed a clean throw 4salchow but at a national competition.

So Vise/Trent remain the only pair to have landed a clean quad throw in international competition.
 

slider11

Medalist
Joined
Jan 12, 2014
Yikes! How long can that girl survive? How many shoulder pops, back injuries etc do they both need? This, to me, is a Pluchenko, I've go nothing better to do, let's squeeze every drop of blood out of this move. I admire perseverance but at some point...enough!
 

Amei

Record Breaker
Joined
Nov 11, 2013
As someone else pointed out - in Russia they are not likely to make it out of the internal fight to get to the Worlds/Olympics stage.

Here's a thought (I'll admit I don't watch a ton of pairs so feel free to correct me if I'm way off base) Yuko is originally from Japan, could they go compete for Japan? Japan doesn't seem to be all that strong in Pairs, their pair didn't even advance to the FS at Sochi.
 

Sai Bon

Final Flight
Joined
Dec 28, 2013
Country
New-Zealand
Yuko took Russian citizenship so she could compete in pairs at top level. Japan doesn't allow dual citizenship and as we saw with Mervin Tran and Narumi Takahashi, Alexander doesn't have a hope in hell of becoming a Japanese citizen.
 

anyanka

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 8, 2011
Yuko took Russian citizenship so she could compete in pairs at top level. Japan doesn't allow dual citizenship and as we saw with Mervin Tran and Narumi Takahashi, Alexander doesn't have a hope in hell of becoming a Japanese citizen.

The citizenship issue is why she and Alexander Markuntsov broke up in 2002. They were world junior medalists and were being groomed for 2002/06 OG, but he couldn't get his passport. She had to give up her Japanese citizenship and become Russian, and even then his scary injury last fall prevented them going to Sochi anyway. :(
 
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