There really needs to be a balance though. We had superb athleticism and artistry with Kaetlyn Osmond, e.g. She was just a bit nervous competitively, coupled with having come back from injuries, so she was not considered a favorite for Olympic gold in 2018. However, the overall quality of Osmond's skating both athletically and artistically was far, far superior to that of Zagitova and Medvedeva. While I have a soft spot for Medvedeva, she had terrible jump technique, which damaged her back, and is the main reason she can't skate any longer. Eteri had Zagitova packaged like a baby ballerina with all the bells and whistles, but it was mostly camouflage. Eteri had them backloading their jumps to gain points. They weren't doing quads at that point, of course. But all anyone could talk about in the lead-up to the 2018 Olympics, were these two ladies. It was a given that one of them were going to win gold, and the other silver.
Both are no longer skating. A lot of Zagitova's appeal was her gorgeous looks and the carefully calibrated bells and whistles. She fell apart after winning Olympic gold in her debut season. Poor judging IMO. Medvedeva should have won, if it was going to be between the two of them alone for gold. If Osmond had possessed a bit more confidence and less nerves at the start of the season, and had she been able to utilize that confidence when she went head-to-head with Zagitova and Medvedeva during the
GP, then there might have been more buzz about her chances for Olympic gold. As it was, there wasn't any certainty that Osmond would medal. But she brought it during the sp, which placed her in a great position. Plus, judges did love Osmond's gorgeous skating, with great jump technique and height.
In any case, Zagitova, as the reigning Olympic gold medalist, had to go through a huge downside the next season after a growth spurt. Suddenly, her cross-overs were laid bare and they looked horrid. But to her credit, she kept working hard with determination, and by the end of the season, with generous help from the judges who were interested in justifying her Olympic win, Zagitova prevailed to at least win Worlds.
Frankly, the way things have gone, the Russian ladies are like a dime a dozen, which is sad. I admire Trusova's grit and athleticism, but there seems to also be a lot of physical and emotional damage that goes on in Eteri's camp. I think Valieva is a gorgeous skater who could have shined without Eteri's influence, and certainly without help from drugs. Despite her prowess, I have rarely enjoyed watching Valieva, because it never seemed like she truly had passion for what she was doing. Her handlers had squeezed all the joy out of her skating. Look what happened to Kostornaia over the years too. She was formerly such a lovely skater.
Even Sotnikova in 2014 (though she wasn't coached by Eteri), won Olympic gold prematurely, and then, she no longer had any motivation to improve. I appreciate the way Liza Tuk has kept trying so hard after her precocious youthful triumphs. While Liza is not a great aesthetic skater, her determination and athleticism are very inspiring.
I never liked Scherbakova's skating. She always seemed so thin, brittle, and desperate to please Eteri. But I haven't seen her in awhile, so at the Olympics, Scherbakova actually looked like she'd grown a bit, and matured somewhat emotionally, Plus, I guess she had to fight so hard to make the team, perhaps that helped her. I actually enjoyed her skating this time. However, I thought Trusova would win with all the quads, but Scherbakova's clean performances were deserving, under the circumstances. Too bad that Trusova went off the deep end emotionally when she didn't win gold. There's something likeable about Trusova -- her spirited personality and her desire, perhaps. But once again, there's also something missing in her skating; she's not well-rounded. It was great seeing Kaori Sakamoto on the podium! Her skating has matured too, and with her clean, solid performances, her bronze medal was very deserving. Even without quads, there's such a delicious quality to the skating of Sakamoto and Wakaba Higuchi.
I also enjoy Loena Hendrickx, because she's not a cookie cutter skater. I'm sorry that Bradie Tennell was injured this season. She's a fighter. Although Karen Chen is such a lovely skater, maybe she should have tried a different coach to see if she could improve technically and competitively. I think Chen certainly has wonderful abilities, but too much self-doubt, IMO, especially under pressure. I wish Amber Glenn had been given more opportunities and encouragement. She has self-doubts too and seemingly a sensitive personality. U.S. fed did not demonstrate much confidence in Glenn, which can be devastating, in addition to dealing with injury setbacks.
ETA:
I also want to say that although the South Korean ladies (Young You and Ye-lim Kim) are wonderful skaters, there's such a reticence about their skating, that might be cultural, or something to do with the training methods and pressure of expectations. I find that I'm disconnected emotionally watching their skating. While there is evidence of passion there, somewhat, they mostly seem to skate with a determined focus that detaches them emotionally from their music. They aren't exactly robotic, but just not fully connected, even though they have lovely choreography and generally nice music selections. It seems as if they are bent on getting through all the tough technical content to the point where it's hard for them to focus on skating fully developed artistic performances.
