Who is Russia's best skater going into Sochi?

[bestskate8]

As of today

Plushenko
.
.
.
.
Kavaguti-Smirnov
Volosozhar-Trankov
.
Bobrova-Solovev
Ilinikh-Kasalapov
Tuktamisheva
Lipnizkaya
Gachinski

 

[pangtongfan]

LOL Volosozhar & Trankov are 10 times more likely/certain to win a medal (they WILL win a medal of some color unless something drastic happens) and 10 times better a chance to win gold than any other Russian right now, including Plushenko. The dancers have way less chance of a medal than even the ladies do right now. Lastly Kavaguti & Smirnov above Voloszhar & Trankov right now, on what planet exactly?

 

[cosmos]

With Chan and Hanyu almost a lock for gold and silver (in one order or the other) and Fernandez, Takahashi, random #3 Japanese skater, all gunning for the bronze, I dont think Plushenko's hopes of even a medal are good at all. I was impressed with his level of skating at Europeans this past year, WAY above his Olympic performances, and would have easily won there, but unfortunately he waited too last to up his skating level and lose the overconfidence, the field now is many times above the lackluster Vancouver one and simply too strong for him at this point of his career.

So I would have to say one of the women, since while I dont neccessarily expect any of Lipnitskaya, Elizaveta, or Sotnikova to medal, I do think they have a better shot of sneaking out a womens medal than of winning a mens medal right now.

Don't forget team medals.

 

[koatcue]

V\T for gold run.They have 50x50 chance))Liza cand make a podium.I think she is held back in pcs because of her little experience and respect among the judges.It can and should change the next year.Plushenko...Just no.I don't know.He can be fierce but I need to watch him actually compete this year.Dance)I think the 3 place is not out of contention

 

[plushyfan]

With Chan and Hanyu almost a lock for gold and silver (in one order or the other) and Fernandez, Takahashi, random #3 Japanese skater, all gunning for the bronze, I dont think Plushenko's hopes of even a medal are good at all. I was impressed with his level of skating at Europeans this past year, WAY above his Olympic performances, and would have easily won there, but unfortunately he waited too last to up his skating level and lose the overconfidence, the field now is many times above the lackluster Vancouver one and simply too strong for him at this point of his career.

So I would have to say one of the women, since while I dont neccessarily expect any of Lipnitskaya, Elizaveta, or Sotnikova to medal, I do think they have a better shot of sneaking out a womens medal than of winning a mens medal right now.

Well, what you wrote is very logical. I also have thought about this, but remember, he received 156 points in JO, where his Tech marks were unusually low (63, ..) althought he landed two Quads, but he messed up a few other jumps. Plushy and Mishin said he isn't ready, he don't compete, but the Russian experts, not only Mishin continously monitoring his programs. Yes, he grew up in old system, and he needs to learn many new things, but he can do that. In every shows he landed minimum two 3A, 3-3 combo etc. So who knows? We can see in december on Rus Nat. And his goal a medal, the pedestal in Sochi...He would be glad with a bronze medal..he is missing that medal , but he knows that is so hard,so hard....

 

[bestskate8]

LOL Volosozhar & Trankov are 10 times more likely/certain to win a medal (they WILL win a medal of some color unless something drastic happens) and 10 times better a chance to win gold than any other Russian right now, including Plushenko. The dancers have way less chance of a medal than even the ladies do right now. Lastly Kavaguti & Smirnov above Voloszhar & Trankov right now, on what planet exactly?

"Who is (are) Russia's best skater(s) going into Sochi?"

Russia has a few good skaters, who potentially could win or medal in Sochi, what is so funny about skaters I named

Russian have this saying: laughing the one, who laughing the last!

 

[bestskate8]

Well, what you wrote is very logical. I also have thought about this, but remember, he received 156 points in JO, where his Tech marks were unusually low (63, ..) althought he landed two Quads, but he messed up a few other jumps. Plushy and Mishin said he isn't ready, he don't compete, but the Russian experts, not only Mishin continously monitoring his programs. Yes, he grew up in old system, and he needs to learn many new things, but he can do that. In every shows he landed minimum two 3A, 3-3 combo etc. So who knows? We can see in december on Rus Nat. And his goal a medal, the pedestal in Sochi...He would be glad with a bronze medal..he is missing that medal , but he knows that is so hard,so hard....

Plushenko's goal in Sochi is gold medal only. And you are right other color medal will be just bonus for his collection.

It is funny how people pretend that Plushenko doesn't exist, or to compete with him is a piece of cake. I mean real competition not JO.
History shall see and ice is slippery.

 

[aschiutza]

What people forget is the team event and i think Plush aims there for a medal, as to win a team medal is always special (especilly as the first time ever a JO team event). He might know very well what his chances are for now, he and Mishin are not stupid and to long in the business. But Russia has a great chance to medal in team event with a very good pair (Germany and China have no real chances for the team event), with quite good ladies and a healthy Plush. Apart from USA and Canada and partially Japan, i cannot see another country with better chances for team event than Russia. France and Italy may come in team event but i don'tthink they have real chances over Russia...

 

[plushyfan]

Plushenko's goal in Sochi is gold medal only. And you are right other color medal will be just bonus for his collection.

It is funny how people pretend that Plushenko doesn't exist, or to compete with him is a piece of cake. I mean real competition not JO.
History shall see and ice is slippery.

I read his every interview, he said not only once, he will be glad if he will stand on pedestal. But he is Plushenko, he wants to be a best, and he is working for it. And he is still very confident, he said:

"- You follow the results of the international season?
- Of course - I watch all the major competitions. Greatly added the Japanese, they have in the team now, four or five athletes at the same, a very decent level. But that there is such skater, which I saw and can say "Wow" - no. Yes, there are good athletes. I would be interested to compete with them. I love all the new, love to conquer, to do what no one else did. I like it, no matter how is it difficult. "

He said in other interview, the best skater and competitor is Chan.





http://www.team-russia2014.ru/article/6289.html

 

[let`s talk]

Here's the documentary about Leonova (RN-2013 not including), mostly about her sport route, some rare shots from the childhood, as well as video from the communal state apartment where her family lives):
www.youtube.com/watch?v=uhZZP9cOZLw

 

[silverlake22]

Plush could still medal in Sochi. Hanyu, Chan, Takahashi look like strong bets for the podium, but none of them are infalliable and after what happened at the GPF, any one of them, or two even, could fall of the podium. Javier is capable of greatness but you have to keep in mind he has not even managed to medal at Europeans yet and his highest finish at Worlds has been 9th - in the past year or so we saw him skate really well early in the season, then choke when it matters most. I'm not sure he has overcome those demons yet, we'll know more after Worlds and Euros, but his presentation could still be better and so could his spins, and when he doesn't skate well his PCS drop a lot rather than hold him up the way someone like Chan's or Takahashi's do. Then anyone else you throw in the mix is just so inconsistent...Kozuka or Mura, Gatchinski, Amodio, Brezina, Abbott, Dornbush, Joubert if he's even a factor at all anymore, you never know what any of them will do on any given day and they have all had their fair share of bad international competitions so really, Plushenko does have a chance to medal. Most likely he'll be 4th, but Chan barely medaled at the GPF, Hanyu WAS 7th after the SP at Worlds lasy year and at SA we saw he really can meltdown, and then Dai's jumps are simply not that consistent, and he sometimes botches his spins and loses easy points there. Unless Javi medals at Euros and Worlds this season, I really don't think his odds of medaling in Sochi are better than Plushenko's, yes he has 2 quads and his 4s is a monster, but we've also seem him bomb time and again recently and when the jumps don't work, there isn't that much else there yet. So yes Plushenko can be on the podium.

 

[pangtongfan]

I agree Plushenko has an outside shot at the bronze in Sochi. That is not an unreasonable thing to say.

Anyway Russia's best skater going into Sochi are clearly the pair team of Volosozhar & Trankov who are seemingly a mortal lock for the gold or silver medal barring something catastrophic.

 

[yaya124]

I agree Plushenko has an outside shot at the bronze in Sochi. That is not an unreasonable thing to say.

Anyway Russia's best skater going into Sochi are clearly the pair team of Volosozhar & Trankov who are seemingly a mortal lock for the gold or silver medal barring something catastrophic.

Plushenko is the best skater among Russian men to go into Sochi, maybe this statement will not raise any argument.

 

[Skater Boy]

Leonova is finished isn't she for this year or will she have a chance because of age limiits and such? From World silver to not even making top 5 at her own nationals = sad. I wonder whether Makarova who did even worse than Leonova will retire?

 

[FSGMT]

Leonova is finished isn't she for this year or will she have a chance because of age limiits and such? From World silver to not even making top 5 at her own nationals = sad. I wonder whether Makarova who did even worse than Leonova will retire?

Lipnitskaya will be eligible next year, too, so, unless puberty hits her disastrously (probable thing), the team will be Julia, Liza and Adelina, it would require a miracle for Leonova is she wants to be in the Olympic team: I can easily see Korobeneykova beating her, and maybe Makarova, too, if the judges don't keep holding her (Alena, I mean) up with absurd PCS...

 

[ImaginaryPogue]

Leonova has demonstrated in the past she shouldn't be written off. This has been a bad season for her, but I maintain that point of view.

 

[hanca]

Leonova has demonstrated in the past she shouldn't be written off. This has been a bad season for her, but I maintain that point of view.

This has been two bad seasons for her, not just one...ending 7th and 8th at GP events this season doesn't bode well. She did well last season at nationals (though some could argue that she was held up by the PCS), and she did manage to get to GP final, but only because she had 3 attempts at GP events and two best counted. 4th and 3rd place wouldn't get her to GPF, but she had third attempt where she placed 2nd... 2nd at worlds was great, but 7th at Europeans was pretty bad for a skater like her. So this season was very bad, but last season was pretty inconsistent.

 

[ImaginaryPogue]

Exactly. She had an inconsistent season last year too but managed to deliver a clutch performance at Worlds, winning the short program and silver overall. The season before she was 3rd and 9th (!) in her GP events, missed the GPF, was 5th at Europeans.... and managed to deliver a top five performance at Worlds on home ice. She got Russia a second spot for the Vancouver Olympics on her own and has been instrumental in getting and maintaining a third spot at Worlds.

She's certainly not a lock for Sochi. But I maintain that we shouldn't write her off.

 

[babayaga]

Exactly. She had an inconsistent season last year too but managed to deliver a clutch performance at Worlds, winning the short program and silver overall. The season before she was 3rd and 9th (!) in her GP events, missed the GPF, was 5th at Europeans.... and managed to deliver a top five performance at Worlds on home ice. She got Russia a second spot for the Vancouver Olympics on her own and has been instrumental in getting and maintaining a third spot at Worlds.

She's certainly not a lock for Sochi. But I maintain that we shouldn't write her off.

One excuse that I have for Alena's poor performances this season is that she is very emotional and still could have a hangover over her second place finish at worlds. She was a "placeholder" for wonderbabies for many years and she is not used to be a frontrunner. I believe Russian Fed is planning to send her to Worlds and I agree with their decision to leave her off Europeans team. Leonova needed a slap in the face to wake up. I still think she has a good chance for the Olympic team since Lipnitskaya might have a difficult season ahead of her with coming puberty.

 

[hanca]

I don't think that not sending Leonova to Europeans was slap in the face. I think it was to avoid more embarrassment, because at this moment she is definitely not ready, the same as she has not been ready since the beginning of this season. I am really glad Gosviani got her chance. She deserved it. She was substitute at JGP events, but because no one withdrew, she never got her chance. In any other country (except of Japan and USA) she would be on podium at nationals, but in Russia they didn't even put her on their national team and didn't give her any international assignments. It was pure luck that she got to compete at their nationals, as a third substitute, because three other ladies withdrew.

I am just curious what happens if Nicole Gosviani delivers at Europeans - would they still send Leonova to worlds, or would they give Nicole a chance? She would have to meet the TES scores for worlds of course. And what happens in Nicole doesn't deliver, but their skating test/internal competition shows that neither Leonova nor Makarova skate any better than they skated this season. I don't think they have anyone else to send. Well, Korobeynikova, but she had exactly the same results as Leonova and Makarova at GP events, 7th and 8th, and ended up just under them in Russian nationals, so all three of them skate the same (bad) at this moment. Lipnitskaya, hurry up and get a year older. Your (young) age is causing inconvenience.