Finally! The Men.
I had a bit of a crisis to sort out this morning, so the Men’s predictions are being posted rather a lot later than I hoped.
Given all the drama, I was relieved to find it was actually a straightforward enough process. I knew who I wanted to put in my Top 4, and in what order. The question was the same as it is every year – where to put Kovtun.
You never know which Max is going to show up. So, I was torn. Do I take a chance and put him in 5th? Then next option was Besseghier, who can also be iffy enough, but when he is on it, he is on fire. Or do I go with Hendrickx, who is showing a resurgence?
In the end, I went with Jorik, then Chafiq and then Maxim.
To round up my Top 10, I had three guys who, on their day, are more than capable of getting into the Top 5: Březina, Majorov and Samohin.
Březina had the highest absolute PB, but it is rather old compared to the other two. Plus, he has had a habit the past couple of years of falling a lot. So, I put him in 10th. I probably could have put him lower, but I like the guy and didn't want to push him out completely.
Of the other two, I put Majorov into 8th. Not just because his absolute PB is higher and more recent than Samohin’s, but mainly because I have total admiration for him after what he did for his Dad last year.
All the best, guys!
Caroliza_fan
EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS
Men
1. Javier FERNANDEZ, ESP
2. Mikhail KOLYADA, RUS
3. Alexander SAMARIN, RUS
4. Alexei BYCHENKO, ISR
5. Jorik HENDRICKX, BEL
Just for fun
6. Chafik BESSEGHIER, FRA
7. Maxim KOVTUN, RUS
8. Alexander MAJOROV, SWE
9. Daniel SAMOHIN, ISR
10. Michal BREZINA, CZE
I had a bit of a crisis to sort out this morning, so the Men’s predictions are being posted rather a lot later than I hoped.
Given all the drama, I was relieved to find it was actually a straightforward enough process. I knew who I wanted to put in my Top 4, and in what order. The question was the same as it is every year – where to put Kovtun.
You never know which Max is going to show up. So, I was torn. Do I take a chance and put him in 5th? Then next option was Besseghier, who can also be iffy enough, but when he is on it, he is on fire. Or do I go with Hendrickx, who is showing a resurgence?
In the end, I went with Jorik, then Chafiq and then Maxim.
To round up my Top 10, I had three guys who, on their day, are more than capable of getting into the Top 5: Březina, Majorov and Samohin.
Březina had the highest absolute PB, but it is rather old compared to the other two. Plus, he has had a habit the past couple of years of falling a lot. So, I put him in 10th. I probably could have put him lower, but I like the guy and didn't want to push him out completely.
Of the other two, I put Majorov into 8th. Not just because his absolute PB is higher and more recent than Samohin’s, but mainly because I have total admiration for him after what he did for his Dad last year.
All the best, guys!
Caroliza_fan
EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS
Men
1. Javier FERNANDEZ, ESP
2. Mikhail KOLYADA, RUS
3. Alexander SAMARIN, RUS
4. Alexei BYCHENKO, ISR
5. Jorik HENDRICKX, BEL
Just for fun
6. Chafik BESSEGHIER, FRA
7. Maxim KOVTUN, RUS
8. Alexander MAJOROV, SWE
9. Daniel SAMOHIN, ISR
10. Michal BREZINA, CZE