OK.. I am here with a few comments... I walked very fast from the rink... because, well... i want a rare celebratory beer LOL
and now, instead of well, drinking, I am posting.
Here are a few thoughts.
Both German teams really delivered strong elements. Their programs were both MEH.
The Hungarians are such strong skaters. Maybe one day, they will also be good performers, but for now, that will prevent them from winning big events.
Bad night for both Italian teams. I felt sorry for Conti Macii but it's often not a good idea to bring back an old program... but there is worse : Cats.
Georgians were overscored for what they did tonight.
American teams : I still prefer the overall skating of Valentina and Max. Too bad she doesn' t have her SBS jumps. They got level 4s on everything. Emily and Spencer : if you want to do Muse you need to be clean... that's the only possible way to make this awful music successful in figure skating. of course, they get a pass because they are just starting back to compete. Ellie did well with her jumps but her throws still need work. Great lifts but yeah, I still prefer Valentina and Max (not so much in Top Gun however).
Lia and Trennt... one mistake... a bit underscored in my opinion.
Now, what you all want to hear about ...
When Deanna and Max pretty much landed everything, especially that 3S that Deanna had on a lean... it was always going to be difficult for Riku and Ryuichi. With a 4 point lead, they would have needed at 148 LP. Not impossible but I was very dubious about it. In the warm up, they had a huge fall on the throw lutz. They were not super comfortable. Deanna was uber tight as well. Both teams did amazingly well during the actual competition considering their warm up.
Some of you have mentioned that Riku and Ryuichi lost the title when Riku doubled the salchow. Well, how can you assume that she would have landed it with positive GOE? That's one of the elements that has caused them problems in the past as well. It may have been a fall. A jump short of rotation with a step out... etc. There is no guarantee that it would translate into the 4 missing points.
On PCS : I agree with the judges : Riku and Ryuichi have better skating skills. However, tonight, there was pretty much only two great programs in the top ten in terms of choreography (call me biased but Lia and Trennt's Gladiator is fabulous and Deanna and Max's vampires... I would add Cinema Paradisio but not tonight). So many programs were bland, one note and borderline boring. And unfortunately for them, the Japanese had to go back to a very one note program. The woman program can work and it did last year, but only with them at full speed and amplitude, which wasn't the case tonight. So in the end, the judges gave the edge on choreo and performance to the Canadians, which I completely agree with.
Other areas where Riku and Ryuichi lost points : twist. q on the 3t. death spiral.
They gained points on the throw lutz but that wasn't enough.
I actually thought Riku and Ryuichi would earn about 142 points or so.
This is just my take on it. The old saying : you can't win it in the SP but you can lose it there seems to be relevant this time again. With 4 points behind, they needed 1) to be flawless (they weren't) 2) that Deanna and Max make a significant mistake or multiple small mistakes (that didn't quite happen).
So not a wuzrobbed moment at all in my humble opinion.
On another note, very sad that Riku and Ryuichi couldn't attend the medal ceremony. Health comes first obviously but it was very odd. I am happy to read that it as just a temporary moment and not an injury or something worse. I hope that they will be able to skate in the gala and perhaps receive their medal there in a formal manner.
I am a fan of the three teams on the podium and that was how I was wishing it would end... so I got my wish. That never happens
. Why in earth he was at home today too. Usually he is already at work at this time. I try calm down myself. A good way to start to ruin my free day which I wanted (and earned).
