JPN Takahiko Kozuka Start No: 24
Notes: Music: Piano Concerto - Gershwin / black with red panel in centre of shirt / 3a little swingy on landing and couldn't do 2nd jump / 3z low landing but clean / strt steps are with music - but seem to be lacking something to me / 3l / 3s / sit spin with variations is very nice / some chor now / spread eagle series with hydroblade / death drop to good spin / a bit more chor / 2a3t / music is building now / 3z2t1l / 3f / 2a2t / O ftwrk is with the music & builds as the music builds / combo spin to end is very fast with great pos & seems to go on forever / 119.98 in the free 180.05 tot into 1st /
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I haven't really had time to think about it yet, possibly a little but he definitely did enough that he should have been in 1st - so maybe the margin is a bit big but the placements were correct. If there was any over-marking, I felt that it was that Ponsero's components marks were high.
The Japanese men seem to be keeping up with the Japanese ladies (may be not quite, but they are on the way up). Two Japanese men in the top 5 is pretty impressive.
Nice to hear that the second place Russian was coached by Urmanov.
Urmanov is one of the few Russians that stayed in Russia instead of migrating to the west. It's a nice reward for him.