2021 Worlds: Men's FS "Thoughts and Observations"

[4everchan]

Nathan was gorgeous. Not only his jumps but overall. I loved his spins : positions are so beautiful.
YK did very well. Let's see if he can live with the pressure that is to be a Japanese figure skater and bring it year after year like he did this year.
With how the LP went, Yuzuru is lucky to be on the podium. That's why there is a SP and he clearly got his medal here with his strong performance in the SP.

Shoma redeemed himself. Kolyada : i don't think many skaters would be able to skate the LP he did today. Special refinement (probably only Nathan)..
Keegan made his country proud. I hope this leaves the doubters who were complaining about his selection silent until 2022.
I particularly loved his sit spin.

Outside the top 6, I loved Han Yan the best. Too bad for the mistakes at the end. I am afraid that it will cost him his spot for the games.... his fed will certainly do everything they can to get Boyang up and ready for that, and that's just sad for Han Yan who really deserves to be seen. His skating is pure delight to watch.

 

[Ophelia]

Ughhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. So glad I didn't wake up early for this bulllllllsh!t.

Hanyu T_T. About to drop 4 figures to go to Beijing to see him. Hopefully it'll give me more ROI than this event.

 

[fanyu23]

Yuzuru is a legend but it might be time to consider retiring after Beijing before it affects his mental health.

Nathan is forging his way up to become a legend himself!

 

[CanadianSkaterGuy]

Nathan was gorgeous. Not only his jumps but overall. I loved his spins : positions are so beautiful.
YK did very well. Let's see if he can live with the pressure that is to be a Japanese figure skater and bring it year after year like he did this year.
With how the LP went, Yuzuru is lucky to be on the podium. That's why there is a SP and he clearly got his medal here with his strong performance in the SP.

Shoma redeemed himself. Kolyada : i don't think many skaters would be able to skate the LP he did today. Special refinement (probably only Nathan)..
Keegan made his country proud. I hope this leaves the doubters who were complaining about his selection silent until 2022.
I particularly loved his sit spin.

Outside the top 6, I loved Han Yan the best. Too bad for the mistakes at the end. I am afraid that it will cost him his spot for the games.... his fed will certainly do everything they can to get Boyang up and ready for that, and that's just sad for Han Yan who really deserves to be seen. His skating is pure delight to watch.

I agree that Hanyu’s SP kept it close but I don’t think he’s “lucky” to have made the podium. Yes, he was sloppy in many jumps in his FS but he didn’t fall and executed two strong quad combos. And he was over 11 points clear of Uno (who had errors himself in both segments), so it was a very clear and deserving 3rd place in my eyes. The “scandal” would have been him coming 2nd but (most of) the judges got it right with their GOE and PCS.

I’ll also admit I was a Keegan doubter but so happy he stepped up! Between Keegan and MT/M I needed to have way more home-grown faith in my predictions!

 

[HeadBanger]

I had no problem with placements, not sure about the PCS and resulting spreads, but the order was fine IMO.

Tremendous skate by Chen. Wow, he shot the lights out, that was magnificent.

Yuma: A star is born!

Yuzu, obviously an off day. Didn't have any room for error, but just didn't have it from the start.

Really enjoyed Shoma, Mikael, Keegan and Jason's skates. Great showings, wonderful programs

 

[Dogo]

Compared to the ladies event, the Men's became better the deeper it went into the competition.

What an amazing thing to watch and how exciting!! It definitely sets you up for having a good weekend.

Congrats to the deserved champion and amazing artist Nathan Chen!!!! Demonstrating again and again that he can be an artist on Ice as well as a magnificent jumper. If he and Shae choose to sell black t-shirts I'll be buying one as a souvenir lol

Yuzuru was a bit nervous at the beginning and the first fall probably got to his head too much. He is the iconic champion with already proved artistry and I know he will comeback stronger. I wish he could stop working on the 4A because over-rotating the 3A is what probably made him fall on his best jump. But if that motivates him to keep skating so be it! I hope he achieves it.

Yuma my boy, what nerves of steel he has! Amazing and I know he'll go far in this sport.

Shoma was a fighter and I'm so proud of what he did. He was enjoying his program and there is nothing better than to see a skater happy, being FREE on the ice and not being overly harsh with his performance. I need him to keep skating forever.

Brown displayed an amazing performance and did his quad!! Of course, underrotated but he is working on it. This probably was a motivation to keep working harder and fully rotate it.

Amazing competition, what a treat!

 

[el henry]

The men once again show why they are my favorite discipline.

Nathan, that is the best I have ever seen him skate. He should skate mad more often. He has improved so very very much over the years, and props for this skate.

Young Yuma, such a cutie. He needs to concentrate on his performance game, but he is one to watch. And Shoma has thrived at Champéry in my opinion, evidence that sometimes nurturing is the best thing that can happen to a skater.

Keegan! So happy for him, he did his job, and he skated like a boss.

I know I'm skipping over performances, but of course I need to mention Jason. I don't care if it was UR, he stood up on one foot on a quad. And Gene Kelly is not a bad program, but in comparison to Sinnerman, one of the best programs ever for anyone and you can't change my mind, it won't be as entrancing.

Well done, gentlemen.

 

[eppen]

If the ladies were lukewarm, this was hot and cold. The first part was pretty cold apart from Aleksandr Selevko doing a much better job and starting the competition with a positive GOE 4Lz. Nikolaj Majorov skates with his mouth open when he is really emoting, which would have been funny if he did not have that awful rough skate.

After that it was Han Yan whose Lalaland must be the only choreo made to that music that I actually like. It was simple and yet powerful and touching. The pocketgraphy was immaculate. Cannot think of anyone else in this competition who could have done that program as effectively!

Then Kevin who is always a joy to watch - I hope these two performances have swept the memory of the Euros 2020 short disaster somewhere far away. Those entries into the 3As

Mark Hanretty commented Semenenko as if he was an old civil servant ticking off one element after another... And those costume changes, guys? A desperate measure to make the skate look ever so slightly interesting? Trying to make sure that the viewers actually understand what you are doing because the choreo is incomprehensible?

The last group was pretty good which was truly great - I was mentally prepping for Milan 2018 style splat fest... But no! Kolyada's 4T is turning into a solid and rather beautiful jump. Brown's FS did not go down as good as the SP - I have still no idea what he is supposed to be doing, but there are some nifty transitions there.

I saw Kagiyama last year in the junior Worlds - my last trip abroad btw - and was perhaps not that impressed, but what a difference a year can make! The SP was really good and I was pleased with the FS, too. The aim is brilliant quality (he said so in the presser) and he is definitely on his way!

It is hard to predict what kind of day Hanyu is having, but after the first quad the scene was set for one of the less than glorious ones. A respectable showing and kudos to my friend who correctly predicted the bronze when the program about half way through.

After the SP I was really wondering how Nathan would deal with this situation, but maybe I should have not wondered. His competition nerves seem not to exist - I wonder how he does in his exams? It was incredible watching him nail all those jumps so perfectly and being also able to create an atmosphere of sombre contemplation to completely forget the explosiveness of the jumps. The majesty of his confidence and control of his every movement was amazing... I am not a fan of the SP, but this FS is just made for presenting that kind of tech content.

The 3-time WC before the Olympic season seems to be poison to Canadians (Browning and Chan), but did not stop Dick Button, David Jenkins or Scott Hamilton winning in 1952, 1960 and 1984. Who knows?

Edit: And I thank from the bottom of my heart the gentle soul who uploaded this to YT: Javier Fernández commenting Nathan's skate "Increible!"

E

 

[lariko]

Andrei Mozalev, who was shaping up to be his biggest rival, seems to have gone somewhat to pieces for whatever reason

Foot injury, he just had surgery for it

 

[lariko]

I feel that there was so much troubles in the beginning group, that it pretty much ruined this part for me, though I am super-happy to see Messing’s performance, Chen’s and Kagiyama’s amazing skates.

Can’t really agree that Uno really did better—imo his best was going into 2019, now he is firmly in 4th and 3rd in Japan, which is lower than were he was last year at the time.

gonna give props to Semenenko for skating clean. He couldn’t have predicted being the second Russian men, his programs were not international oriented, hardly even senior oriented, but he stayed clean. Kolyada managing to stick there with only 4T vs closest competitors’ huge jumping arsenal, is cool.

I am a huge Grassl’s fan since juniors, and glad his free went better than short! Hoping for growth next year.

sad that Cha didn’t finish higher.

 

[skylark]

Nathan's skating was gorgeous -- brilliant technique, sensational jumps to die for, true emotion throughout, magnificent if sometimes more subtle artistry. And the way he stands up to pressure is one for the ages. When asked how he felt afterward, another for the ages: "I'm elated."

Watching the men's program was balm for the nerves and for the indignation muscle, after the ladies. Being a responsible adult, I had to get my sleep, so I only saw the second half today, but I opened myself to what each skater tried to put across, and it was great. Shout outs to Han Yan, Jason, Keegan, and Kolyada. Those four have had staying power over the years in different ways and for different reasons, and I felt a strong heartfelt reaction to their skates, and to Nathan's.

 

[Flying Feijoa]

Ughhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. So glad I didn't wake up early for this bulllllllsh!t.

Hanyu T_T. About to drop 4 figures to go to Beijing to see him. Hopefully it'll give me more ROI than this event.

Why's it bullshit? This was a really good event overall. Only one fall in the last two groups, which is virtually unheard of in a men's event.

It's unfortunate that Hanyu didn't perform up to his usual standard, but he has a really nice programme going into Olympics and I still enjoyed watching it. I guess you probably won't like Chen no matter what he does, but what about Yuma? Or Jason, Keegan, Mikhail, Shoma.... Virtually everyone in the last half of the event had beautiful, inspiring skates.

I didn't wake up early either, but that's because I really like my sleep.

 

[Blades of Passion]

I don't know what GOE Kagiyama gets for his 4T, but it's not enough.

You have to watch really closely to realize it's not a triple. Effortless.

The reason it "looks like a triple" is because he pre-rotates more on the takeoff. I still like the height he gets and the flow on the landings, but it's so effortless because cheating the rotation at the start of a jump inherently makes it easier.

Is kinda ironic how Boyang bombing this competition will cause Han Yan to miss out going to his home olympics. Unless Boyang performs really badly next season, it looks very unlikely they will sent Han Yan over Boyang. Boyang has finished above Han Yan in every international competition since his senior debut.

Yeah this hurt more than anything else, the worst part of this Men's competition. The qualification system that figure skating has is so dumb, it's outrageous that such an outdated system is still used.

 

[Ophelia]

Why's it bullshit? This was a really good event overall. Only one fall in the last two groups, which is virtually unheard of in a men's event.

It's unfortunate that Hanyu didn't perform up to his usual standard, but he has a really nice programme going into Olympics and I still enjoyed watching it. I guess you probably won't like Chen no matter what he does, but what about Yuma? Or Jason, Keegan, Mikhail, Shoma.... Virtually everyone in the last half of the event had beautiful, inspiring skates.

I didn't wake up early either, but that's because I really like my sleep.

Bullsh!t not because of the event itself, but because I thought Hanyu reasonably had this in the bag and I bet Tesla stock on him against a friend. Now I gotta pay up and I'm peeved at my $ loss and just sad for Hanyu. Ughhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. Maybe I used up all my skating prayers on his 2nd OGM.

I enjoy watching Brown and Kolyada, but not to the degree that I would wake up early or fly to Beijing to go see them live or in-person.

 

[moonvine]

If the ladies were lukewarm, this was hot and cold. The first part was pretty cold apart from Aleksandr Selevko doing a much better job and starting the competition with a positive GOE 4Lz. Nikolaj Majorov skates with his mouth open when he is really emoting, which would have been funny if he did not have that awful rough skate.

After that it was Han Yan whose Lalaland must be the only choreo made to that music that I actually like. It was simple and yet powerful and touching. The pocketgraphy was immaculate. Cannot think of anyone else in this competition who could have done that program as effectively!

Then Kevin who is always a joy to watch - I hope these two performances have swept the memory of the Euros 2020 short disaster somewhere far away. Those entries into the 3As

Mark Hanretty commented Semenenko as if he was an old civil servant ticking off one element after another... And those costume changes, guys? A desperate measure to make the skate look ever so slightly interesting? Trying to make sure that the viewers actually understand what you are doing because the choreo is incomprehensible?

The last group was pretty good which was truly great - I was mentally prepping for Milan 2018 style splat fest... But no! Kolyada's 4T is turning into a solid and rather beautiful jump. Brown's FS did not go down as good as the SP - I have still no idea what he is supposed to be doing, but there are some nifty transitions there.

I saw Kagiyama last year in the junior Worlds - my last trip abroad btw - and was perhaps not that impressed, but what a difference a year can make! The SP was really good and I was pleased with the FS, too. The aim is brilliant quality (he said so in the presser) and he is definitely on his way!

It is hard to predict what kind of day Hanyu is having, but after the first quad the scene was set for one of the less than glorious ones. A respectable showing and kudos to my friend who correctly predicted the bronze when the program about half way through.

After the SP I was really wondering how Nathan would deal with this situation, but maybe I should have not wondered. His competition nerves seem not to exist - I wonder how he does in his exams? It was incredible watching him nail all those jumps so perfectly and being also able to create an atmosphere of sombre contemplation to completely forget the explosiveness of the jumps. The majesty of his confidence and control of his every movement was amazing... I am not a fan of the SP, but this FS is just made for presenting that kind of tech content.

The 3-time WC before the Olympic season seems to be poison to Canadians (Browning and Chan), but did not stop Dick Button, David Jenkins or Scott Hamilton winning in 1952, 1960 and 1984. Who knows?

Edit: And I thank from the bottom of my heart the gentle soul who uploaded this to YT: Javier Fernández commenting Nathan's skate "Increible!"

E

Thanks! Seems my Spanish is much better than I thought while still being much worse than it should be.

 

[ladyjane]

What an incredible, wonderful event. I will never understand the popularity of the ladies' event while watching the men is so much more fun. The variety both in music and in styles of skating is so much more enjoyable. Pairs is my favourite discipline, but men come close. Today proved it.

There were a few let downs...Boyang Jin had a disastrous skate, and Nicolaj's and Alexei's were even worse. I felt sorry for them. Alexei was so tired at the end and his dream of being the oldest Olympic single's skater next year is put into dispute. And how awful for Jin to be responsible for his compatriot Han Yan not going to the OG, but that's the situation. I don't even remember Ivan's skate, and that's also a let down I suppose.

Donavan was great, as always. He may not have all the technical basics, but his performances are always joyful and great to watch. I adore his sass and musicality. He may not yet have got the automatic spot for the OG, but he still ended in a better place than in 2018 (which was his greatest success until now). I really hope he will be successful at Nebelhorn, I wish to see him at the OG.

I love Michal's programme, it so fits him. Not a great skate today, and he seemed to be in pain afterwards. Kudos for him to end it (even though there were pops and such at the end - when you're in pain that tends to happen).

I love Deniss, but it wasn't his day either. Still, some lovely moments in his skate.
Konstantin had a good skate (and as the commentator said: a good celebration of his birthday), rather classical.

Congratulations to Alexandr! He did exactly the same thing as Lindsay van Zundert yesterday: starting first as 24th in the SP, and ending as 16th. Excellent!

Lucas did well too. It's been a while since we have seen a good Swiss skater ( the last one was Stephane) and although Lucas is not at the highest level yet, it looks promising.

I am so pleased that Morisi had a bit of redemption today. I wish he was more consistent but when he's on he can really deliver. and he did today. Not perfect, but so much better than in his short.

I adore Han Yan's skating. That knee bend, those edges. He did well. It's not his fault the Chinese have lost a spot, but I expect he won't be the one to skate at the OG next year. I'll really miss him. I don't care at all he had no quads. It was just such a great skate, mistakes and all.

So happy Daniel skated well today. I felt so sorry for him that he had a bad short, and this was definitely redemptive. He skates youngish (and of course he is very young) but that smile on his face is warming. Good for him!

Glad that Matteo also delivered. Maybe less technically solid than his teammate but he is a lovely skater. Great musicality. I think those two Italian guy really thrive on their rivalry - making them both better. And - here's me being terribly shallow - Matteo is so good looking which also helps in watching him.

Cha also did well. another one of those lovely skaters. Sure, he dropped in the standings but his skate was still wonderful.

I loved Kevins' Lighthouse FS last year, and I still do. I adore his movements and skills and they are mesmerising. I am so glad he passed that awful mishap at Europeans last year and that he's back in the game. Ensured the possibility for a 2nd French skater at the OG too. Yay!

 

[ladyjane]

Continued...

The Russians were right to send Semenenko. Like the commentator said: he's ticking off the elements and that's it, but he definitely did tick them off! Not so fascinating yet (and his costume change was far less interesting than Daniel's), but a good skate. Mishin can be proud.

Jason landed the 4sal!!!! Yay. Under rotated maybe but on one leg. He jumped a mental hurdle so to speak. His skate was sublime, as always (I think he has the greatest transitions, skating skills (edges!), spirals, spins, and performance skills of all the men) and I think his PCS should be the highest of all. It doesn't work that way but he was fantastic today.
joy to see his reactions in the KnC

Keegan! Keegan! Keegan! I repeated his name three times in the Canadian Figure skating thread, and I am doing it again. Great skate, and I think this was his highest placement ever at a WC. Deservedly so. He has a style all of his own and some wonderful spins into the bargain. I love the music too. So fitting for him.

As a total contrast to Keegan, Mikhail was the most balletic of the day. This Nureyev skate is so fitting. And (someone else mentioned this before but it's true) he even manages to fall gracefully. What a joy to watch. Moving. I want to see that film now. Not many male skaters can pull off such a classical piece but Mikhail can. Mesmerising.

Shoma did great. He remains an inspiring skater and Stephane has helped him to grow. A small medal for him today only, but deservedly so.

Yuzu is Yuzu. Not his best skate today but it's his 7th World medal (no need to mention some of his other accomplishments), and even with mistakes he is a joy to watch.

Yuma is a sensation. He of course skates young, and misses some of the grace and maturity of other - older - skaters but what a joy to see his reactions in the KnC. I love it. Deserved 2nd place. What a debut at a WC.

Nathan is just awesome. Somehow he manages to put 5 perfect quads in a programme and not leave one thinking he is a jumping bean only. He's done bad spins in competitions but not today. I really thought he was the best and not just because of his jumping prowess. I loved the other parts as well.

Great, lovely afternoon of skating. I love the men.

 

[fzztsimmons]

Up until Nathan I thought the PCS was generally a bit reserved but relatively fair, and then I had an aneurysm lol.

But aside from that it was clear that Nathan was the deserved winner, and it still baffles me the level of humility he has despite all his talent - he is such a genuine guy - when they put the camera on him whilst Yuzuru was waiting for his scores he was waving it away from him and back to Yuzuru, and this is not the first time he's done that. Three-time world champion is an incredible achievement (whilst also being at Yale, like leave some talent for the rest of us please).

Jason - he landed that quad. It went up and it came down on one foot. Yes, short of rotation, but it's not like he's the only one to ever UR a quad, and importantly he didn't let it phase him and delivered the rest of his performance wonderfully. It wasn't squeaky clean perfect and in all honesty it isn't my favourite FS of his, however it is still wonderfully Jason. And the transition of that knee slide into that final camel spin is literally a +10 GOE if I've ever seen one!

Keegan!! Probably my favourite performance of the night - after all the back and forths about which Canadian men to send, he proved he was absolutely the right choice, not just by skating cleanly across both segments but by placing high enough to get a provisional second spot for the olympics. He was just on today!! Honestly his edges were better virtually all of the ice dancers that competed after him. Loved his shout out to Nam too - I love their friendship and whilst I think Roman is great, I would love to see Keegan and Nam together in Beijing, if only for the hijinks they would get up to.

 

[NanaPat]

Donavan was great, as always. He may not have all the technical basics, but his performances are always joyful and great to watch. I adore his sass and musicality. He may not yet have got the automatic spot for the OG, but he still ended in a better place than in 2018 (which was his greatest success until now). I really hope he will be successful at Nebelhorn, I wish to see him at the OG.

I think under the new rules, if there is only one singles skater from a country, and they make the free, then they earn an Olympic spot. I believe this is a happy result of the new rule, which prevents the US from earning 3 Oly spots with 2 men, or Canada from earning 2 Oly spots with one man.

We'll see on Monday when the Olympic quotas are announced.

 

[ladyjane]

I think under the new rules, if there is only one singles skater from a country, and they make the free, then they earn an Olympic spot. I believe this is a happy result of the new rule, which prevents the US from earning 3 Oly spots with 2 men, or Canada from earning 2 Oly spots with one man.

We'll see on Monday when the Olympic quotas are announced.

I surely hope so!!!! Though I also hope Canada gets two men there eventually. They have a lot of talent among the men and it would be a shame if they wouldn't get an extra spot.