Actually, if all the elements were counted in his SP, Chan would have handily beaten Shoma, though this was the most impressive skate I've seen yet from Shoma, he fought the hardest among them, I'm really convinced he has the mental makeup of a future champion. Javier fought hard too, for the home crowd, no doubt, kudos to him.
Hanyu and Chan, I didn't sense any combative spirit, they were more subdued, they were just out to perform their best. Both were here to prove their mantle, and both did admirably, Hanyu with his flawless jumps, Patrick with his incredible skating skills. Patrick's jumps were quality, even if most of them were triples. His skating was still my favourite to watch tonight even though Javier and Shoma really upped their game and showcased gorgeous skating.
I observed that Patrick's program was so packed with moves (like Javier's), he needs to vary the tempo and pace, like Hanyu's choreography, which was brilliant in leaving room for Hanyu to breathe and at the same time, lots of spread eagles, ina bauers and hydroblade to space out energetic bursts and to provide contrast to his step sequences, without looking like deliberate pauses like Jin's. Patrick could pace himself more if he wants to leave room for the quads. Time to watch how Hanyu do it! I think Patrick's TES has room to grow, he is capable of powerful if not airy jumps.
Hanyu, kudos to him, keeps improving himself and learn from others to compete, that's the intelligent mindset of a top champion. Looking forward to see more from both of them.
