Inna Goncharenko: Does Medvyedeva skate her old content? What does this mean?
Anatoliy Samokhvalov The figure skating season is gaining momentum, the 2018 Olympic champion Alina Zagitova is impressive, but hasn't started yet, the two-time world champion Yevgeniya Medvyedeva gets criticism, but already posted some results. Inna Goncharenko, Merited Coach of Russia, discusses the latest news with Anatoliy Samokhvalov, and the conversation began with the results of the recent junior Grand Prix in Chelyabinsk.
Danielyan is stronger than Gumennik
“The Grand Prix in Chelyabinsk went great when it comes to women's single skating,” Goncharenko said. "Well done everybody! Usually, we are talking in enthusiastic terms about the same skaters, but the Chelyabinsk stage showed that others also exist and they are also good. Kseniya Sinitsyna showed a completely new direction. Yes, she is without quads so far, but has very chic programs, especially her short one, which I have already praised for very successful staging for this specific athlete.
Sinitsyna’s free program was also successful, I’ll note the very accurate match with the dress. I remember when Mariya Sotskova skated, she also had interesting programs, beautiful dresses and various other finds, which were clearly chosen for her. A similar process is observed in the development of Sinitsyna. In these programs, the skater has become even better in sliding and jumping.
I also really want to talk about Arthur Danielyan.
Q: Arthur was in the lead with a good margin after his short program at the Grand Prix in Chelyabinsk, but lost the first place in the fight against Peter Gumennik. Danielyan replaced the quad Salchow with a triple and made mistakes in his program.
A: Nevertheless, I was very surprised by his mature skating, particularly in his short program, which was very well developed. In my opinion, Gumennik won only due to the fact that Danielyan made a mistake in his free. In skating, in his delivery, in the staged programs, he is stronger. For me, he was the undisputed leader of this stage. I remember Gumennik in children's competitions, I know him as a very artistic boy. When he skated with (Alexei) Mishin, he had very interesting finds in the rotations, he himself was a very 'dancing' skater, hearing music, but now I haven't seen anytfrom this. Where did it all go?
Now here is Danielyan, who was not particularly emotionally involved last season, beginning to smile in his routines. Ear to ear in his short, which is amazing. I understand a strong team exists in CSKA and there is someone to work with, the result is obvious. Respect for the coaches and respect for the boy himself. I am absolutely not a fan of Danielyan, but this season he is a completely different skater.
Q: His free program, to the powerful sounds of "Gladiator."
A: After (Alexey) Yagudin, this topic is not interesting to me regarding the performance of others. I am very critical of the boys, because it is time for them to star in the good sense, it's not only for the girls to shine. Therefore, when I see talented boys, I want them to progress, rather than stagnate or even worse, regress. Here Danielyan fired off in the short, and most importantly, so that later we would not talk about his routines in the spirit of "well, yes, well, nothing like that." Because this "well, yes, well, nothing" happens to us in men's single skating every year.
On Medvyedeva's Axel, I flinched
Q: How did you like Yevgeniya Medvyedeva at the Autumn Classics in Canada, where she only lost to Rika Kihira's triple Axels?
A: I am very glad Zhenya is fighting, performing and showing interesting new programs. I really like the staging of her short program, this is my favourite staging by Ilya Averbukh due to sophisticated choreography. Lightness, ease, unobtrusiveness.
I would like to wish Zhenya to achieve more speedy and airy skating, because with such light music I want her to fly.
I would like to add speed and complexity to her rotations, continue to work on her Lutz' edge to make the edge more confident and clear.
She made me shudder on her Axel in the long program, because I had a feeling that Axel was on the verge (of failure). I want a confident execution of that jump.
Q: Let's say Medvyedeva adds lightness, speeds up. Will she be competitive with Aleksandra Trusova, Anna Shcherbakova, Kihira?
A: I think so, because there is no need to be afraid of Kihira or any other competitor. Clearly she already has different skating and from the outside, our perception of her is also different. Zhenya needs to look forward.
Q: Different skating, what about this? Someone notices it, and someone say she performs her old content anyway.
A: Well, everyone is skating their old content, how to put it, their stock of knowledge?
Q: What did Brian Orser add to the skating of this two-time world champion?
A: More balanced skating. Because she doesn't have her previous power and sharpness, her skating at this stage is not always embraced. At the same time her skating has become more balanced and feminine. If there are fewer jumps, faster rotations and more diverse positions, everything will be fine.
Q: How did you like Yelizaveta Tuktamysheva at the tournament in Lombardy?
A: In my opinion, she skated worse than even in the Open Test Skates. But her triple Axel is light and good. What can I say, well done, she fights, just best forget this “troika” of hers, which she often does after the Axel. Because she can exit cleanly from the jump.
Q: The champion of Russia Shcherbakova beat her in Bergamo.
A: It was one thing when Shcherbakova competed amongst the young girls, and now amongst seniors, each time the question arises: "How will the judges perceive her?" And this issue will be relevant in the near future.
In the short program, for obvious reasons, she does not have quads, and the judges, in fact, did not react to her skating. In her free program, "ultra-si" appeared, and the judges were affected, they awarded "higher" and "better". She jumped, did everything, and won. Anna may wish to fight with what she can - jumping. She cannot compete for extreme skating and femininity yet, because she is still a little girl with elastic arms, but underneath all this footwork, she works and works.
Q: In general, at season's start, Zagitova, still untried, looks better than everybody?
A: She looks more experienced and professional.
Q: Even against the background of Medvyedeva and Tuktamysheva?
A: Against the background of everyone - more professional and more confident. Zhenya is looking less confident in her skating due to loss of speed and “prowess”.
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She's from Moscow I think...
