2019 Europeans: Men's SP

[gsk8]

Russia's Mikhail Kolyada took the lead in the Men's event after the Short Program at the 2019 European Figure Skating Championships on Thursday in Minsk, Belarus. Teammate Alexander Samarin is currently in second, followed closely by Javier Fernandez of Spain.

“It is important now not to let out the emotions,” said Kolyada. “I need to keep them for the free. It was a good performance, not without small mistakes, though. It is definitely easier to skate when you’re healthy. At this point, I am pleased with what I’ve done today. The difference is that I am healthy now.”

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What are your thoughts on the Men's SP?

 

[chopinskate]

Kolyada deservedly leads, and the 4T+3T was amazing.

 

[skatenewbie]

many skaters skate quite well, i hope the FS is not splatfest! bit too high PCS for some skaters but overall its judged fairly. nice segment

 

[Fluture]

Kolyada deservedly in first. How Javi ended up third is still a mystery to me, though...

 

[Interspectator]

Some real Highlights for me were the following programs:
Kevin Aymos -wow, I'd seen this program before, but always with some kind of error in the performance that broke the spell. This time, everything was just right and it was amazeballs!
Mikhail Koylada - another one who finally got all the pieces working together. Huge score, but deserved.
Javier Fernandez- King of Europe in my heart forever.
Adam Siao Him Fa also gave a great performance. The future is suddenly bright for the French skaters.

Other Surprises

Both Daniels were spectacular today. Samohain and Grassl

In general, it was a well skated event.

 

[1904sk8]

I think Javi's place is where he deserves, maybe a bit higher score but I hope he can come and kill the free. He needs to go out with a win

 

[1904sk8]

Some real Highlights for me were the following programs:
Kevin Aymos -wow, I'd seen this program before, but always with some kind of error in the performance that broke the spell. This time, everything was just right and it was amazeballs!
Mikhail Koylada - another one who finally got all the pieces working together. Huge score, but deserved.
Javier Fernandez- King of Europe in my heart forever.
Adam Siao Him Fa also gave a great performance. The future is suddenly bright for the French skaters.

Other Surprises

Both Daniels were spectacular today. Samohain and Grassl

In general, it was a well skated event.

When did france suddenly become good in like every event (they could be stronger in ladies but still have 2 in the top 10)? Literally no one in that country skates, there were like 10 people at french nationals.

 

[coldblueeyes]

Javi really needed a bit more time to prepare, because he didn't look on top of his game, though still a valiant effort. He can still get the title, though. I love Misha but consistent he is not.

Overall, a good competition, lots of guys scoring high, 10 surpassing the 80+ mark, compared to just four last year.

 

[satine]

Overall, it was a pretty good men's sp. I would have had Javi maybe a few points higher, but it is what it is. If Mikhail skates clean, I just might be okay with him winning (though I will cry hard for Javi for sure). I'm looking forward to the free!

 

[chopinskate]

I assume Fernandez was thought to be a little too short on rotation for the 4S? I guess I can see that, but meh. But he should be behind Kolyada for that performance anyway.

 

[LindaTNo1]

Javi just misses his rink mate and best friend Yuzu at the boards with him. Yuzu Javi partnership friendship is very powerful. Both of them propel each other, pushing each other. Encourage each other. Javi, give Yuzu a call. All the best for a great long program.

 

[chopinskate]

Javi just misses his rink mate and best friend Yuzu at the boards with him.

OK, but Yuzuru was never with Fernandez the last few times he won ECs, though?

 

[1111bm]

Pretty sure Javi's 4T should have been called UR too, with this season's stricter rules...

(I will also never understand the high scores he receives every time for that choppy skating in his StSq, yes it's fast-paced and snappy to match the music, but other skaters can still do that with more ease and better flow across the ice when doing their turns and steps)

 

[Icey]

Was Orser there with Javi?

 

[andromache]

Performance-wise, Javi was underwhelming today. He's usually so much more sharp and energetic! I guess I was hoping for some more emotion during his final short program! I hope we will see it in the LP. I want a farewell performance for the ages.

Samarin's PCS are quite......generous. :sarcasm:

Misha deserved every point he got today. The performance gave me chills. I hope he does as well in his LP - it's my favorite men's LP of the entire season and I want to see it delivered! But overall, I am rooting for Javi to get his last title. But I will also be okay with Misha taking it from him.

 

[Maria Anna]

Men's SP was really enjoyable, so many skaters skated very well.

I'm so happy for Misha, he was amazing. Hopefully, he skates great in FS too

I didn't understand Javier's score at all, he deserved more points...

Also, Kevin Aymoz's skate was definitely a highlight too. I loved his performance for the first time.

 

[Machaon]

Was Orser there with Javi?

Yes, he was.

 

[[email protected]]

While Kevin's performance was impressive, technically he was well behind Samarin: a quad toe with a shaky landing vs. a monster 4Lz, a stepout on 3A vs. a big one with perfect landing. Hence, the placement is correct. Lord was somewhat overscored in pcs. I think, that 40 was maximum when compared with other skaters' scores. Then it would be 89.5 - 90. Still ahead of Aymoz.

Strange to see Javi with 2 quads that low. Well, his sal was called and no usual pcs cushion. I guess, his score is fair then. But with overscored Samarin I would see him second.

 

[marta165]

Hello who is in Mińsk?

 

[ladyjane]

Lots of enjoyable moments during this SP. I noticed Kevin Aymoz earlier on in the season, and I definitely like what he brings to the table. It's innovative and nice to watch. I thought Michael Kolyada had one of his best SP's ever, and has a well deserved standing being first. I was surprised that Samarin got more points than Fernandez because Javier is just so much more fun to look at (and I'm not talking about his outward appearance but about his skating) although I agree with some other posters that I've seen him do better. Still, three weeks of real training and then showing a Skate as this one: kudos Javier! I also enjoy the rivalry between the two Italians. I prefer Matteo's skating, but - indeed - Daniel has more technical merit. A pity Brezina wasn't as good as he was in the GP series, I really would love to see him medal but I expect that's not possible any more unless some of the big shots make mistakes (which I don't hope they do). And Majorov is Majorov. Always fun to watch, but just not at the level I would want him to be. Let's see what happens saturday. I hope it's going to be a fantastic show down and there's still a lot of possible outcomes!