Maybe it's better for Michelle now. No more strategizing as to whether to go for 7 triples. In her current position, she has to really do 7 triples, of which 3 are in combos (3/3, 3/2/2,. 3/2) and maybe do two 2As (one in combo).
At first glance at her score, it was shocking. I thought s***, the COP didn't like her. But after knowing how awful her skate was, in fact probably her worst performance in a major competition, she was simply given the marks she deserved.
As for the 5-point lead by Irina, it's wrong to suggest that in the LP it's only a triple jump's points for Michelle because if you look at the orignal lead, it was 20 points. Thanks to the factoring, it's possible for Michelle to close in the gap with her sp. However, come the final round, if they all skate the same as they did in the QR, Michelle again will find herself 20 points behind Irina and one more triple jump (as misleadingly implied by the current 5-point lead) won't do anything to help. That's why I think Michelle really has to maximize her jumps in the final LP.
At first glance at her score, it was shocking. I thought s***, the COP didn't like her. But after knowing how awful her skate was, in fact probably her worst performance in a major competition, she was simply given the marks she deserved.
As for the 5-point lead by Irina, it's wrong to suggest that in the LP it's only a triple jump's points for Michelle because if you look at the orignal lead, it was 20 points. Thanks to the factoring, it's possible for Michelle to close in the gap with her sp. However, come the final round, if they all skate the same as they did in the QR, Michelle again will find herself 20 points behind Irina and one more triple jump (as misleadingly implied by the current 5-point lead) won't do anything to help. That's why I think Michelle really has to maximize her jumps in the final LP.