The entire Italian (sports) press is speculating about the reasons why C/M are not flying to England. Some reports regret the decision, while others refer to the announced “special event” with which the pair wants to surprise everyone at the Olympic Games... (oh, will they skate under hypnosis, have “special arrangements” been made with the judges that they can rely on?!)
Looking back... In their total fixation on Olympic gold, Savchenko/Massot already pursued this strategy back then, skipping the European Championships in the run-up to the Games so as not to jeopardize their big goal in Pyeongchang at the last moment and not to waste valuable time traveling around. Apart from the honor of bringing Olympic victory to their country at home, C/M are now certainly under similar pressure to succeed, as time is running out for them too. Of course, every effort is now being made...
But there is also a lot going on with the Germans. They are pursuing a contrasting strategy, so to speak, with the entire team presenting themselves in a longer public training session in front of a large contingent of press representatives and television crews. H/V seemed in high spirits. Minerva commented that Sheffield was a final stage without experiments, in order to test stability without overexerting themselves (such an understatement could help to ease the pressure of high expectations).
Looking back... In their total fixation on Olympic gold, Savchenko/Massot already pursued this strategy back then, skipping the European Championships in the run-up to the Games so as not to jeopardize their big goal in Pyeongchang at the last moment and not to waste valuable time traveling around. Apart from the honor of bringing Olympic victory to their country at home, C/M are now certainly under similar pressure to succeed, as time is running out for them too. Of course, every effort is now being made...
But there is also a lot going on with the Germans. They are pursuing a contrasting strategy, so to speak, with the entire team presenting themselves in a longer public training session in front of a large contingent of press representatives and television crews. H/V seemed in high spirits. Minerva commented that Sheffield was a final stage without experiments, in order to test stability without overexerting themselves (such an understatement could help to ease the pressure of high expectations).
Jennifer Janse van Rensburg/Benjamin Steffan have withdrawn for health reasons, Charise Matthaei/Max Liebers have replaced them on the entry list.
