2018 Olympic Figure Skating Ladies FS

[wanderlust]

I'm more of a fan of Evgenia as a person (from reading translated interviews) than of her skating. I was devastated for her when she teared up knowing she did the best she could and it still was not enough.

That said, I think Alina deserved the win here. Her base value advantage is about 5.5 points combined in both the short and free. The judges tried really hard to hold Evgenia up with massive goe on her elements that she really didn't deserve. Even the tech panel was forgiving of a very clear flutz. Alina may be lacking on the components side but in the end, her TES should be enough to give her the overall win. Both are overscored on PCS, but I don't see how Evgenia deserves a 10 point cushion like some here are saying.

 

[randomfan]

Zagitova: All criticisms aside, big congrats for the Olympic gold! Her technical power is very respectable, and I’m glad to see that the winner was someone who brought her A-game to both segments.
Medvedeva: Like I said before, I can’t help but feel really sorry for her. Even if her scores were crazy inflated for her entire career, her consistency and charm brought her to the very top, only for that status to be taken away in literally just a few months. This must be a huge disappointment for her, even if she knew that Alina beating her was a possibility.
Osmond: Honestly, I would give her the gold medal in my world, but more than that I’m just thrilled to see that I predicted right - something told me that she was going to bring her absolute best here. It sadly wasn’t perfect (once again...), but very close, and the program was a lot sharper and exciting than before. What a great day for Kaetlyn!
Miyahara: Again, she’d be on the podium in my world. I’m really sad that Satoko brought her very best to the Olympics, even fighting through her injury, only to place right outside the podium. I hope she can rebound from this and go for a World medal.
Kostner: Even with the many jump mistakes, her ethereal skating always wins me over (though her PCS should still be lower). She’s a very inspiring athlete, still skating competitively even at 31.
Sakamoto: I’m so proud of Kaori. Even at the biggest event she skated very well. Too bad about the step-out at the very end, but the rest of the program along with the SP was great. I think she should’ve beaten Carolina. Since Kaori is not going to Worlds, I hope she takes a good rest!
Choi: A big surprise to see her end up placing this high. While we had some scoring issues in the SP (that may have affected the standings), Dabin brought two magnificent performances for the home crowd. Her mental strength is unbelievable, and I hope that her results here will encourage South Korea to watch and invest more in figure skating (this has gotten better thanks to Yuna). :yay:
Sotskova: A great redemption from a surprisingly poor SP. Maria is a lovely skater who I think is under-appreciated by many because of their own faults in drowsing during her performance. I hope that she can do better at Worlds and have a shot at the podium. :thumbsup:

Other Notes:
All three U.S. ladies struggled here, but at least they’ve got the team event to look back at.
Elizabet Tursynbaeva and Hanul Kim also redeemed themselves from a poor SP, which was nice to see.
I’m absolutely devastated for Gabby. Just when we thought her confidence was back, she had a meltdown. I hope that she can recover well from this.

 

[mirai4life]

If the ladies start to land quads and 3As, we would not have to worry about backloading.. it will take another decade or two when ladies backload quads and 3As. So we have some time to have some balanced programs jump layout wise.

It is undeniable that the figure skating advances technically. Top ten skaters have at least two triple (or 2axel) -(half loop) -triple jumps. I am certain it wasn’t like this in Vancouver.

wait until they backload those 4's and 3As.

 

[Fruit Loops]

Unpopular opinion but I liked her 9/11 program (even if the voiceovers were tacky). The second half (with the loop on the music change) was amazing. I wish that was her program this year.

I liked that program too. This was the first time seeing her new program (I've been really out of the loop following skating for awhile now) and I feel like I have to get used to it. Hopefully, we will see her at Worlds. Maybe she'll get her "revenge" there. She at least was trying to make a performance of her skating though she might be doing it a bit too literally with her miming but it's sort of her signature so she can just roll with that.

 

[twirlingblades]

I'm more of a fan of Evgenia as a person (from reading translated interviews) than of her skating. I was devastated for her when she teared up knowing she did the best she could and it still was not enough.

That said, I think Alina deserved the win here. Her base value advantage is about 5.5 points combined in both the short and free. The judges tried really hard to hold Evgenia up with massive goe on her elements that she really didn't deserve. Even the tech panel was forgiving of a very clear flutz. Alina may be lacking on the components side but in the end, her TES should be enough to give her the overall win. Both are overscored on PCS, but I don't see how Evgenia deserves a 10 point cushion like some here are saying.

In reference to my comment, I was talking about Alina's rapid PCS rise this season. At the beginning of the season, Med was scoring about 10 or so PCS over Alina. I do think Med deserves more (especially tonight). Not 10 though.

 

[Kissx3]

I'm not sure any of the current Seniors are going to be in it to win come 2022. Junior women are there in the background pushing tech further and further every season. While gold isn't the only medal, I feel it really is most likely that the next Olympic champion is going to be a 15 year old with a triple axel and two quads.

I do expect the backloading to be adjusted, though. It's too obvious this is one of those Zayak type situations where if you let it go, you're going to end up with a field where every top skater backloads every jump.

 

[BossT]

1st interview Of Olympic Champion
https://youtu.be/JxkM6o2DM2U
Corr.: Where is a smile?? U R an Olympic Champion :luv17:
Alina:

 

[anonymoose_au]

Unpopular opinion but I liked her 9/11 program (even if the voiceovers were tacky). The second half (with the loop on the music change) was amazing. I wish that was her program this year.

I liked it too, but the voiceovers made me uncomfortable doing so because they were really that bad. I still can't believe they kept them in the whole season! Did no-one in officialdom say anything?!

(Although if Dom/Shabs could get away with being outright racist [probably not intentionally, but come on!] in their OD I guess anything goes!)

 

[Proxy]

1. Alina Zagitova
She deserved to win under the current points system. I don't like this system because her program is terribly boring and her skating is not strong or beautiful. However when it comes to jumping, she was amazing and much better than Medvedeva. She was fearless and attacked and went all out. That 5 triple combo in the practice was the difference maker I think.

2. Evgenia Medvedeva
She did her best, sometimes that's all you can ask for. I don't think she's a great performer or artist in general but she skated well that program tonight, it was one of the better skates she's ever had in that regard as far as I'm concerned. I would even say I thought it was pleasant. She's clearly more developed skating-wise and more ready as far as the overall package goes compared to Zagitova...but those jumps are muscled out and tentative with poor technique.

If I have to compare the two, Medvedeva more pleasant to watch but Zagitova is cold-blooded. That girl will cut you in the alley if you don't watch your back. She was running girls down in the warm-up. I'm sure it was on purpose. I think the result was the right one under the current rules. It would have been hilarious to go from:

2010 TV commentators: It's not just the jumps, Evan has the whole package.
2014 TV commentators: It's all about the jumps, so Adelina wins.
2018 TV commentators: It's not just the jumps, Medvedeva has the whole package.

I think the result is the right one but I was kind of rooting for the opposite just so the ISU would have egg on its face.

3. Kaetlyn Osmond
What can you say about this girl? She was fantastic. I didn't think she would go that clean in the FS and except for one small mistake she nailed it. Her jumps and skating were much bigger and enjoyable than the two ahead of her. I just enjoy watching her more but while she should have been closer in the scores, I think her placement is about right. Tremendous job because I really didn't believe in her but she pulled it off.

4. Satoko Miyahara
I'm heartbroken for this girl. When she started on seniors I thought she was the most lovely skater to watch out of this generation. If there is an artist on the ice out of any of them it is Miss Miyahara. She has those absolutely tiny jumps and her skating had such a small quality, it was a fair knock on her. But you know what? She worked on it and got better. Her jumps in this Olympic competition were noticeably higher than I've seen her do a couple years ago. Another Japanese skater even posted that he's been measuring them and they had gotten 5cm higher. I think she's amazing and she skated so incredibly well in both programs. I'm heartbroken for her it doesn't even seem fair she could come in 4th.

5. Kaori Sakamoto
Kaori was my favorite skater of the entire competition. If you ask me who is the best skater out of all the girls, this girl wins hands down. People just talk about her jumps but watch her from the knees down and you will never see anyone better at her age.I would trust this girl to shave me with those blades and I would never blink, that's how good she is. Then you have the jumps which outside of Kaetlyn are the highest quality of the competition. I was just really impressed with this girl. She needs to work on her artistry but she has real flare and potential. I really hope she wins the OGM in 2022 in Beijing.

***It was an absolute travesty how low she was scored compared to Carolina Kostner. Kaori should have placed MUCH higher, that scoring was ridiculous. If she had gone clean i would have placed her ahead of Miyahara even, but with the mistake 5th place right behind her seems about right. 6th place was an absolute joke.

6. Carolina Kostner
I have rarely liked watching Carolina skate nor any of her programs, with few exceptions. Ave Maria at Sochi was glorious and I was so happy she won an Olympic medal after such a long and distinguished career. Even though I usually don't like her, I respect her. But she was washed up at this competition technically. She didn't give her best skates to pull the points out of those component scores but she was gifted anyway. She made several mistakes in both the short and long programs and she finished ahead of Sakamoto? Are you kidding me? She would have been lucky to place ahead of Choi if I had been scoring her. Absolute sham.

7. Dabin Choi
I was so happy for this girl. What an Olympic moment on home ice. She finished 7th in the Olympics! Arguably she should have finished 6th! Outside of Sakamoto and Kaetlyn I would say Dabin was the highlight of the competition for me. She had nice lines and solid graceful jumps. Real joy in her skating and I think the audience helped her so much. Even Yuna would bow down to her on this night. Great job!

 

[Fruit Loops]

I liked it too, but the voiceovers made me uncomfortable doing so because they were really that bad. I still can't believe they kept them in the whole season! Did no-one in officialdom say anything?!

(Although if Dom/Shabs could get away with being outright racist [probably not intentionally, but come on!] in their OD I guess anything goes!)

What were the voice overs again? Were they actual recordings from the day? I'm trying to remember the controversy.

 

[*~RussianBleux~*]

I'm surprised anyone was surprised at Zagitova's win. It was obvious that once Zag's PCS ballooned well above the 9s that Evgenia couldn't win unless Zag made mistakes. It was very close here and I think the judges realized, too late, that they had made it no contest. Hence, Zag's "lower" PCS in her long program. That kept it close but it wasn't enough. I prefer Evgenia, but put my money, so to speak, on Zagitova.

I disappointed but not surprised. They really screwed up Alina's PCS this season. She did that EXACT same program at junior worlds last season and scored a 62 in PCS. The same one. Like I need someone to sit down and explain to me exactly why this was deserving of 13 points higher.

 

[Ophelia]

I disappointed but not surprised. They really screwed up Alina's PCS this season. She did that EXACT same program at junior worlds last season and scored a 62 in PCS. The same one. Like I need someone to sit down and explain to me exactly why this was deserving of 13 points higher.

I need someone to sit down and explain to everyone why either Med or Zag score the way they do.

 

[madison]

1st interview Of Olympic Champion
https://youtu.be/JxkM6o2DM2U
Corr.: Where is a smile?? U R an Olympic Champion :luv17:
Alina:

What does she say in the interview?

- - - Updated - - -

Ironically, Alina had problems almost all seasons with the short programme, and now she wins because of it

 

[*~RussianBleux~*]

Robin Cousin during Evgenia's performance near the end...."This is a gold winning performance".

Truly, after Sochi fiasco, he really should prevent himself from saying that before everyone gets to see how it plays out.

What happened in Sochi? Was it like Scott and Sandra in 2002?

 

[franzkatka]

Regarding Med/Zagi, I really do not have any strong opinions one way or the other. I was Team Med for most of the season, because like many I believed it was only right that she earn OGM after her two years of dominance (I realize that that is not a good reason alone to support a skater). After Euros, I was pretty much certain that Alina was going to win. The little girl in a red tutu dethroning the world champion at the Olympics--the image was simply irresistible for judges, and I do think there is a fetish surrounding young girl skaters that needs to be critically addressed at some point.

Alina started winning me over in the Team event. Whilst I found Zhenya’s SP to be quite cold, I thought Alina’s FS was exhilarating. The SP further solidified my support for Zagi thanks to her improved black swan program. Then the FS happened last night and Zhenya sold Anna Karenina to me. We can argue about PCS inflation all we want, and we certainly should, but at the end of the day Med and Zag are two exceptional athletes who have changed women’s FS forever, for better or for worse.

The bitter disappointment for me is of course Satoko. Her jumps will never be as big and bold as Osmond’s, but I actually thought they were lovely last night and fit the mood of the program perfectly. Her skating is just sublime. Kaetlyn deserves respect for laying down two clean programs when many doubted her, but I wish Satoko had had a fighting chance to start with. The odds were stacked against her from the beginning.

The American ladies performed as expected. As boring as I find Bradie, I actually thought her Cinderella FS was pretty and engaging, though obviously not at the level of the other competitors. She should be proud of herself. My first instinct with Mirai was to be angry with her. I could see she was incredibly nervous, but the last thing I expected was for her to pop that 3A! Seeing her in the K&C afterwards, however, it seemed to me that she came here for closure after what happened in 2014 and to prove to herself that she could land the 3A on Olympic ice. Having fulfilled both of these goals, I think she will leave the Games at peace with herself--and with a medal, no less!

Karen makes me sad, though I have become numb to her results lately. I see a lot of similarities between her and my other inconsistent favorite, Mikhail Kolyada, in that I adore their skating skills (and massive jumps), but I doubt they will ever be able to reach their potential. Misha is 23 and after the emotional roller coaster of these games it might be best for him to leave the sport behind, as much as I would like to see him win a world medal one day. Karen, on the other hand, is only 18; if she received better training and became more consistent, I can see her being the veteran team USA member in 2022. But, as much as I hate to presume the mental state of other skaters, I don’t see the fighting spirit in her that I did in, say, Mirai.

 

[anonymoose_au]

What were the voice overs again? Were they actual recordings from the day? I'm trying to remember the controversy.

Yes! They literally had people screaming and crying and George W Bush saying something, and sirens wailing.

It was just...as some people pointed out that sort of thing could cause PTSD flashbacks for people involved, I'd hate to think of that happening to someone who just went to an event to enjoy some figure skating.

I actually felt bad for Zhenya skating to that, I'm not sure if she understood the English voice overs or what, but it was the sort of program that makes haters!

 

[Fruit Loops]

I need someone to sit down and explain to everyone why either Med or Zag score the way they do.

I would appreciate that too....maybe. I don't really care for protocol arguments. But other than their obviously impressive jumps I don't get why they score so much higher than everybody else. They're talented but forgettable. Will we remember them by next Olympics? The sport is going in a direction that boring performances with hard jumps win every time. Yes, it is a sport but figure skating is more than that. With such demanding jump requirements the sport is going to have a huge turnover rate like when people would turn pro right away. Especially in the women's division. A full-figured woman can't jump the way the willowy teens are able to but the women are far more sophisticated.

 

[leilaraj]

YEEEEEES ALINA YOU DID IT!!! So damn proud of this young girl, delivering and keeping her nerves in check, while the whole nation and even her trainers were rooting for her biggest competitor... Alina you deserve this gold medal so much, it´s a happy day )

 

[Metis]

What were the voice overs again? Were they actual recordings from the day? I'm trying to remember the controversy.

Yes. But they’re from the soundtrack to Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, which is a terrible book by Jonathan Safran Foer, who was supposed to be the Milan Kundera of his set. And said book is all about 9/11 with a child narrator; his writing is... you know, I thought his debut novel was good, if overhyped, and at least that film used Gogol Bordello for music and cast the band leader as the main character.

The audio clips in the “9/11” program likely can’t be removed or would require dramatically remixing the audio. Because the soundtrack isn’t common and the program’s theme is loss, I actually don’t mind keeping them in; they’re also quite brief and fold into the music well. But yeah. That’s why they’re there.

 

[ancientpeas]

I was happy for Alina. She skated well and won. Good for her.
I was sad for Evgenia but she nearly did it and should be very proud of herself.

Thrilled for Kaetlyn, Satoko, Kaori and Dabin for skating so well. :thumbsup:

Gutted for Gabby. She looked in shock. Sad for Mirai but she seemed okay with it. I wish she would have gotten that 3 axel again. It's a thing of beauty.

All in all I thought it was a good night.