Best ladies lutz according to the judges

[Skatesocs]

We could make our own list... Who does GS think have the top 10 triple lutzes of all time in ladies figure skating? :think: It can be best shown via examples.

 

[Harriet]

We could make our own list... Who does GS think has the top 10 triple lutzes of all time in ladies figure skating? :think: It can be best shown via examples.

Cool. I'll start the list with Tonya Harding. https://youtu.be/OhGwWqRP4QI?t=63

 

[4everchan]

Josée had huge jumps... https://youtu.be/Y6fAMdfqUbI?t=47

 

[mrrice]

Josée had huge jumps... https://youtu.be/Y6fAMdfqUbI?t=47

Another Gorgeous Canadian Lady......

 

[Jontor]

Interesting. At least the judges don't seem to be one country biased, as both Medvedeva and Osmond are obvious flutzes.
We mustn't forget though, that all of these jumps were beautiful. So if you as a judge missed the "wrong" edge, the scores were deserved.

 

[Blades of Passion]

01. Tonya Harding
02. Julia Sebestyen
03. Midori Ito
04. Yu-Na Kim
05. Karen Chen
06. Tatiana Malinina
07. Elizaveta Tuktamysheva
08. Yulia Lavrenchuk
09. Viktoria Volchkova
10. Miki Ando

 

[Skatesocs]

I confess I'd never heard of Yulia Lavrenchuk. This is an amazing set up to a 3Lo https://youtu.be/jwcMyVktpbI?t=84

(AND https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cu6alPkZJwI TITANIC! TITANIC!)

While my top 4 was certain (Harding, Sebestyen, Kim, Ito), I really wasn't sure how to rank the rest. Just from the Japanese Ladies I can shoot off Araki and Kawabata with great lutzes currently :think: And Higuchi. And then Chen and Tuktamysheva exist lol. I'd rank Victoria Volchkova somewhere in it, too. My least favourite quality to a Lutz is how some lean in the air on it, though.

 

[EyesOfLove]

Victoria Volchkova. She had one of the best triple lutzes among the ladies, achieving stupendous elevation from pure pole-vault takeoff!
https://youtu.be/zXFRGBgFyeM?t=37

Even her double lutz had wonderful height to it: https://youtu.be/0F1DXdAOhng?t=29

 

[Blades of Passion]

I confess I'd never heard of Yulia Lavrenchuk.

Yeah not well remembered by many people I think. Lavrenchuk had a bit of a wild technique, picking in more sideways, but she went into it with such speed and had good speed out on her best ones, and got completely around to backwards in the air before landing. '98 Worlds and '99 Europeans in the SP were probably her best.

 

[Skatesocs]

My list is pathetic and indecisive and lacks examples so I will toss in my favorite triple flips which the judges will call as triple lutz anyway
1. Tonya Harding: https://youtu.be/63flkf3S1bE?t=266
2. Julia Sebestyen: https://youtu.be/50HLghRkKAA?t=47/ https://youtu.be/Vt1Kar3Yr6g?t=55 lol
3. Yuna Kim: https://youtu.be/AJenywCRf8M?t=173
4. Midori Ito: https://youtu.be/cyu8GYBRIjE?t=24

Triple Flip:
1. Midori Ito: https://youtu.be/hKGasODrAcU?t=91
2. Yuna Kim: https://youtu.be/Vh-850kqJoE?t=36
3. Julia Sebestyen: https://youtu.be/tJSBVTHp-Pk?t=41
4. Carolina Kostner: https://youtu.be/dEHzfiygvtU?t=69

 

[CanadianSkaterGuy]

My list is pathetic and indecisive and lacks examples so I will toss in my favorite triple flips which the judges will call as triple lutz anyway
1. Tonya Harding: https://youtu.be/63flkf3S1bE?t=266
2. Julia Sebestyen: https://youtu.be/50HLghRkKAA?t=47/ https://youtu.be/Vt1Kar3Yr6g?t=55 lol
3. Yuna Kim: https://youtu.be/AJenywCRf8M?t=173
4. Midori Ito: https://youtu.be/cyu8GYBRIjE?t=24

Triple Flip:
1. Midori Ito: https://youtu.be/hKGasODrAcU?t=91
2. Yuna Kim: https://youtu.be/Vh-850kqJoE?t=36
3. Julia Sebestyen: https://youtu.be/tJSBVTHp-Pk?t=41
4. Carolina Kostner: https://youtu.be/dEHzfiygvtU?t=69

Ito's lutz is lovely but that flip would probably get an edge call these days.

That flip by Kostner too is GORGEOUS.

 

[Skatesocs]

Ito's lutz is lovely but that flip would probably get an edge call these days.

That's strange. I've heard the opposite, that she's a flutzer.

I disagree on both counts.

 

[drivingmissdaisy]

That's strange. I've heard the opposite, that she's a flutzer.

Who said Ito flutzes?

 

[Mathman]

That's strange. I've heard the opposite, that she's a flutzer.

Go with your eyes, not your ears. Here is the very link that you posted.

Midori Ito: https://youtu.be/cyu8GYBRIjE?t=24

 

[Skatesocs]

Who said Ito flutzes?

People who don't know what they're talking about

Go with your eyes, not your ears. Here is the very link that you posted.

Midori Ito: https://youtu.be/cyu8GYBRIjE?t=24

Yes, I think it's clear that is a Lutz.

 

[CanadianSkaterGuy]

That's strange. I've heard the opposite, that she's a flutzer.

I disagree on both counts.

Her entry isn't really a solid LFO-LBI 3-turn. It kinda reminds me of Arakawa's lip.

 

[Skatesocs]

Her entry isn't really a solid LFO-LBI 3-turn. It kinda reminds me of Arakawa's lip.

I agree it's not a proper three turn, and it does seem to place her on an outside, but she changes her edge as she's picking in, and is on an inside edge by the time she picks in? That's why it's still a 3F, imo. I'll agree that a bad three turn is usually why people lip (Hanyu? Not anymore, but that's why I assumed he did), but it's not so here.

Arakawa did a mohawk entry didn't she? I'm being too lazy to look it up.

 

[Blades of Passion]

I browsed a bunch of performances and Ito rolls up to a flat on her Lutz takeoff. She also tends to pre-rotate a bit more than I remembered, almost 1/2 a turn at times, but not always - a couple times she just did 1/4 on the takeoff. She's very capable of getting fully to backwards in the air though and actually lands past backwards in some instances. Overall she tends to do 2.6-2.75 rotations in the air, with monster amplitude, and good speed out. It's up for debate how much the lack of holding a deep outside edge throughout the whole takeoff detracts in comparison to the other qualities.

 

[Skatesocs]

I browsed a bunch of performances and Ito rolls up to a flat on her Lutz takeoff. She also tends to pre-rotate a bit more than I remembered, almost 1/2 a turn at times, but not always - a couple times she just did 1/4 on the takeoff.

I agree it's a variable technique (it's why she's fourth instead of making the top 3), but I don't think she's a flutzer, because she just rolls on to a flat at times - and she does that after being on a deep outside edge to begin, so there's counter rotation there for sure.

 

[kolyadafan2002]

I confess I'd never heard of Yulia Lavrenchuk. This is an amazing set up to a 3Lo https://youtu.be/jwcMyVktpbI?t=84

Amazing 3Lo, but definitely not an amazing setup. 2 laps of skating with a telegraphed entrance. It's more skilful to have a jump come out of nowhere, or for loop have turns / connecting steps. The jump itself is great though.

I agree it's a variable technique (it's why she's fourth instead of making the top 3), but I don't think she's a flutzer, because she just rolls on to a flat at times - and she does that after being on a deep outside edge to begin, so there's counter rotation there for sure.

Ito was a very "powerful" jumper. I don't think she really thought about technique. She'd go along the ice and throw herself into an amazing jump as she had the ability to. Sometimes you see that with very powerful triple jumpers (you can't get away with it so much on quads).


Now to original topic - for me:
1) Medvedeva - beautiful outside edge (sarcasm).

1) Harding
2) Elizebeta Tuktamysheva - shouldn't need to justify this.
3) Polina Tsurskaya (other than the variations on the lutz which detract from the beauty of the jump).
4) Yuna Kim.
5) Carolina Kostner.
6) Rika Kihira
7) Maria Sotskova
8) Mako Yamashita.
9) Gracie Gold.
10) Julia Sebastian