New Pair - Narumi Takahashi & Alexandr Zaboev

[The Finn]

Trying again: In a bid to give Japan a better shot at a medal in the figure skating team event at the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics, Russia’s Alexandr Zaboev has become the new pairs partner of Narumi Takahashi.

The 25-year-old, who did not compete last season, will be eligible to skate in the world championships with Takahashi, but would have to become a Japanese citizen to compete with her in the Olympics.

The interesting note here is that Zaboev has already gone this route once before. He skated pairs with Estonia’s Natalja Zabijako for the 2012-13 and 2013-14 seasons and tried to become an Estonian citizen so they could compete at last year’s Sochi Olympics. Zaboev’s bid for citizenship was denied.

From japantimes.co.jp

She should have found someone better than Zaboev.

 

[gravy]

Why? The feds gonna make her dump him eventually and they'll force some other Japanese male skater to switch to pairs just like with Kihara.

 

[tulosai]

I also feel she could have done better.

I wish them well.

 

[centerpt1]

She / the Japanese Fed never should have dumped Tran. They had a team that won a World Medal.

 

[Sophie-Anna]

I don't know Zaboev's skating skills but unfortunately unless Narumi finds a Japanese partner (who already has Japanese citizenship) or Narumi herself will get the citizenship of another country(like Kawaguti for example)it doesn't change much. From everything I already read about this topic,in Japan it is not easy to get Japanese citizenship, so even if she still will be skating with Zaboev around 2018 they most likely won't compete at the Olympics, because of the citizenships. He just won't get it.
I know it is probably difficult for Narumi to leave her country but does she really still hopes her partner will get the JPN citizenship? If even Tran didn't get it? (And with Tran they were pretty solid couple who succeeded in the past). I like Narumi and I was a big fan of Takahashi/Tran. I still can't deal with their split, but now as they're no longer together I have to say (and I'm not happy at all about it) this leads nowhere

 

[lilshorty]

She / the Japanese Fed never should have dumped Tran. They had a team that won a World Medal.

I thought it was the other way around with Tran not willing to apply for Japan citizenship and deciding to leave.

 

[ice coverage]

I thought it was the other way around with Tran not willing to apply for Japan citizenship and leaving.

Mervin did attempt to get Japanese citizenship when he was partners with Narumi.
He just said so again (not for the first time) in the new TSL interview with Mervin and Marissa.

 

[lilshorty]

Mervin did attempt to get Japanese citizenship when he was partners with Narumi.
He just said so again (not for the first time) in the new TSL interview with Mervin and Marissa.

Oh, I didn't know that. Thanks for telling me.

 

[Abraxis12345]

Now that Narumi got her Olympics, maybe she just wants a decent career? Although, I agree, that Zaboev may not be the best partner out there. Zabijako didn't hold back in criticizing him when their split was announced.

 

[dorispulaski]

AFAIR, Mervin said that not only was it difficult to get Japanese citizenship, he did not try to get it soon enough. Things changed after they won World bronze; the Japanese fed no longer regarded T&T as just a "beta project." But it was too late.

 

[ragdoll]

The Takahashi/Tran split was very unfortunate to say the least. Not ony were they sucessful and won a bronze medal at World's but they were such a good match and had great lines and artistry. I have no idea whose decision it was to break up the partnership but I'm sure they both regret it.

 

[Violet Bliss]

Does Zaboev have an inside or fast track for Japanese citizenship unknown to most people? Why else would Narumi switch to a partner with less success potential than Mervin with whom she split up because of the citizenship issue? :scratch: Or have Narumi and Zaboev both given up on the Olympics?

 

[Jammers]

I think Mervin got it right when he said that T/T had probably gone as far of they could go considering the issues with jumps they always had. Plus Pairs was not nearly as deep when they won the Bronze at Worlds as it is now.

 

[MaiKatze]

Okay....to be honest, I know pairs is a two way street but seeing Narumi compete through these last years I had a feeling she was the one who actually made the most mistakes and not in the pairs elements when there are actually two people involved, but in the solo jumps. So I alway wondered if the issue with the lacking success might not lie with the male partner (in that case Kihara). It's her. But who knows, maybe she'll feel more secure with the new guy. Good luck.

 

[Violet Bliss]

Okay....to be honest, I know pairs is a two way street but seeing Narumi compete through these last years I had a feeling she was the one who actually made the most mistakes and not in the pairs elements when there are actually two people involved, but in the solo jumps. So I alway wondered if the issue with the lacking success might not lie with the male partner (in that case Kihara). It's her. But who knows, maybe she'll feel more secure with the new guy. Good luck.

Narumi is weak in her jumps but she has other wonderful qualities while Kihara is weak all around, far from the Tran's league. However, T/T split because they had no chance of competing in the Olympics and Japan needed a Pair for the Team event. It's difficult for any Pair girl to find a good partner and currently impossible from the Japanese pool for someone like Narumi.

 

[tulosai]

It is frustrating that people come and make the same negative comments every time Takahashi or Tran is mentioned, and I say this as someone who really loved them as a pair and is still not fully over their split myself. All these points have been talked to death. The truth is that we will never know exactly what happened or why but there were strong indications at the time that Takahashi split from Tran because she wanted to go to the Olympics. To many of us, who just want to see beautiful skating, that seems or seemed to be a pity and a waste, but we are not her and do not know firsthand what it is like to have the opportunity to go to the Olympics for sure if you take one path, and to be almost certain if not certain not to be able to go if you take another. She chose the path to the Olympics, and she has reaped the benefits and consequences of that decision. While we can express our disappointment (and we have, over and over, to the point of tedium) it's not really any of our business.

Now it appears that she has decided that she does not want to finish last in every event she enters for the rest of her life, and is giving up the chance of subsequent Olympics in order to be able to compete at a decent level again- at least a level where she actually is able to skate her long program at major competitions. I don't see what is so weird about this, or what it has to do with the original split from Tran. I was surprised when it became clear that she was looking for a non-Japanese partner, and did have a knee jerk reaction that it was a waste that she had split from Tran, but from her perspective it wasn't really, was it? She got to go to the olympics, and she also seemed to learn that the Olympics weren't actually as important to her going forward as having a compatible partner.

As for the endless posts about how she can't jump, no, she can't. But that doesn't diminish the fact that she has other very important skills and qualities as a pairs skater and that there is no need for someone of her caliber (and she is at a high caliber as a pairs skater even with no jumps) to finish last in every single competition she enters.

 

[Sai Bon]

It is frustrating that people come and make the same negative comments every time Takahashi or Tran is mentioned, and I say this as someone who really loved them as a pair and is still not fully over their split myself. All these points have been talked to death. The truth is that we will never know exactly what happened or why but there were strong indications at the time that Takahashi split from Tran because she wanted to go to the Olympics. To many of us, who just want to see beautiful skating, that seems or seemed to be a pity and a waste, but we are not her and do not know firsthand what it is like to have the opportunity to go to the Olympics for sure if you take one path, and to be almost certain if not certain not to be able to go if you take another. She chose the path to the Olympics, and she has reaped the benefits and consequences of that decision. While we can express our disappointment (and we have, over and over, to the point of tedium) it's not really any of our business.

Now it appears that she has decided that she does not want to finish last in every event she enters for the rest of her life, and is giving up the chance of subsequent Olympics in order to be able to compete at a decent level again- at least a level where she actually is able to skate her long program at major competitions. I don't see what is so weird about this, or what it has to do with the original split from Tran. I was surprised when it became clear that she was looking for a non-Japanese partner, and did have a knee jerk reaction that it was a waste that she had split from Tran, but from her perspective it wasn't really, was it? She got to go to the olympics, and she also seemed to learn that the Olympics weren't actually as important to her going forward as having a compatible partner.

As for the endless posts about how she can't jump, no, she can't. But that doesn't diminish the fact that she has other very important skills and qualities as a pairs skater and that there is no need for someone of her caliber (and she is at a high caliber as a pairs skater even with no jumps) to finish last in every single competition she enters.

Thanks for a fair and reasonable analysis, Tulosai. I too enjoyed T/T and was gutted when they split. I wonder how much pressure Narumi was under to form a Japanese pair for Sochi. I think Tran would have regretted giving up Canadian citizenship just to go to the Olympics and the outcome was right for him. Some things like citizenship (unless you are in a fortunate position to be entitled to dual citizenship) are more important than yes, even the Olympics. I used to have mixed feelings about the Reeds, but at least their mother is Japanese and they've made an effort to learn the language and truly be a part of the Japanese team.

I wish Narumi all the best and hope she can make the most of her last few years as a competitive skater. She is a very smart young woman attending one of Japan's top universities and will no doubt move on to a different career path when her body has had enough. I am also excited about Tran's new partnership and look forward to seeing their international performances this season.

 

[Hyena]

If anyone wants to check out the new couple in action, according to Sylvia, Takahashi and Zaboev are competing their SP at Skate Detroit this weekend. https://unseenskaters.wordpress.com/2015/07/22/2015-skate-detroit-on-thursday-july-23/

The pairs SP is tomorrow night (Friday, July 24) at 8:50pm EST. There's a live stream of the competition here. The streams aren't being archived.

For those who like a bit of tension/drama with their skating, Castelli and Tran are also competing at Skate Detroit.

 

[hanca]

That's quite quick to compete a few months after they paired up, isn't it? I would expect them later in the season at some B competition or challenger event, but at one of the first competitions in the seasons, that's unusual. Unless they paired up earlier and released only when they saw that it is leading somewhere.

 

[Hyena]

Popping in to say that Takahashi/Zaboev are not in the starting order for tonight, per Sylvia's Unseen Skaters blog post for today. I swear they were on the list yesterday. But yeah, as hanca said, this would've been really early for them to compete.