to be honest, the mistake in the OFStep had not been so minor, the both of them struggeled with the double twizzle in the end. luckily the panel didn't give them a call for invalid element. the whole performance was kind of insecure, but getting lesser pcs than the Russians is ....
Gabriella Papadakis & Guillaume Cizeron
- Thread starter breathesgelatin
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to be honest, the mistake in the OFStep had not been so minor, the both of them struggeled with the double twizzle in the end. luckily the panel didn't give them a call for invalid element. the whole performance was kind of insecure, but getting lesser pcs than the Russians is ....
they did one major mistake: OFSt was judged level3/2 ( trouble with their double twizzles at the end of the seq) and one minor: the exit of the 3. set of twizzles, was out of sync. But the main problem was that their PCS were lower than S/K`s and that the Russian pair got ridiculously high GOEs.
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- Oct 25, 2017
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- Oct 23, 2017
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S/K were as boring as S/K always are. They were technically good but I found their performance dragged. Gabi had a minor bobble on the one-foot step that I saw; if there was anything else I was at the wrong angle to spot it. They did give a very good performance, though not the best I've seen from them.
The long wait for the scores was apparently at least partly due to a technical hiccup - one of their elements (I think that dratted one-foot step) was originally input as an element from the RD and therefore called invalid and given 0 BV and GOE (hence what I'm told was an initial huge gap in the TES on the score tracker - we don't see that in the rink). The tech panel had to hash that out, which seemed to take for ever, and I think because of that problem many of the judges also waited to input their scores. I don't know what was going on with the PCS though, it doesn't make sense to me.
The reaction when the scores went up was a bit hair-raising in the rink, to be honest. Almost, but not quite, booing.
- Joined
- Oct 26, 2016
Lovely post and sotrue to Gabi and Guillaume's spirit!
- Joined
- Nov 8, 2017
This is SOOOOOOOOOOOO utterly irritating.
Because a) they have only themselves to blame and b) yes, somehow we could have seen this coming from the moment they got these absurd scores for sloppy skating at the start of the season. Those chickens have come home to roost, and it feels immensely crappy.
Personally, I had the feeling that the RD was better than before. It looked all quite neat and clean, quite precise, what you may expect from the gods of ice dance.
Then the Russians skated their rather boring RD (that music, seriously!), but did it really well. And they have found a way to sell stuff that simply cannot be ignored. Just look at it: their energy level, their eagerness, their almost physical need to get high marks is splashing off the screen, and apparently it works.
So oops: a lead after the RD of a whole whopping 0.05 points. That's something we're not used to anymore, and it hatched a beautiful disaster.
What happened to being the overrated favourites? Have we fallen from grace? God help us!
But when you're the gods, there's no-one to help or cry out to but yourself.
They had a whole lovely glorious day in between the RD and the FD to let this sink in deeply and do the work. Only 0.05 points. ANY hiccup would probably mean losing the title. And you get a whole 48 hours to ruminate over that.
Then the draw: they skate immediately AFTER the Russians. A great position to be in if the Russians make a mistake, and the worst if they skate lights out and get a monster score. Guess which happened here.
I was bloody nervous. They needed a totally clean skate, on top of their game. It's not something they cannot do, quite on the contrary: they normally don't do anything else. But then again, they haven't been in this position for almost two years. It's been the total opposite: they've been showered with absurd scores even when not at all on top of their game.
But at their last real competition, the GP final, the FD was a really super skate, totally there where it deserves the high marks. The only thing needed here was to do that again. The gold was totally theirs, on a normal day.
Everyone, judges included, was ready for that. The judges didn't change their minds about them at all. They simply gave the competition more points than usual. Probably because the competition skated better than usual, so that was totally deserved. At the GP Final, S/K were the ones to make the big mistake, and got severely punished for it.
So here we are, and I can strangely and vaguely sense some tension. Victoria and Nikita just got a very high score. But not so spectacular that GG would have to go into a new world record to go over it. Far from it: their last scores were all quite higher than this. Still, the gauntlet has been thrown in: it needs to be clean, the least bit of stumble might lose them the gold.
They start their program. Why am I not confident? I can see nervousness. The beginning looks fine though. Then the first spoken sequence. There's something not as before. Timing is a bit off, precision isn't there: no sharpness. They're not totally in sync as they normally always are. It feels tense, not fluid. I'm worried: don't let this stuff get into your heads!! It's in mine for sure, but I'm not on the ice. God, I have nothing to do with it all, have I? I can freak out all I want, but THEY need to stay cool, calm, focused!
Twizzles... yep: not confident, not as clean, not as sharp, not convincing. Guillaume gets a level 3?!? My doubts become serious worries. THIS IS NOT HOW IT'S SUPPOSED TO GO.
Everything seems mechanically executed, there's no enjoyment, no energy, no conviction, no "GG". We're absolutely not getting the tons of "WOW MY GOD WE'RE SO TOTALLY MESMERIZINGLY EMOTIONAL YOU JUST HAVE TO GET EXCITED!!!" that the Russians threw out in endless doses just a few minutes ago. In fact, I'm getting quite the opposite. I'm getting dryness, doubt, nerves, tension, rigidity, discomfort, and failing attempts to cover the mess up with those old blankets that don't help at all. GG are way too honest to be able to hide their feelings. This is not going as planned. They are not feeling good. They look as if they would have preferred to skate Victoria and Nikita's program instead of their own. It's programs like that that got them where they are in the first place...
But if they don't make real errors, it's probably still going to work out. The judges are still willing to give them the crown, they just need to give them the least bit of excuse to do so.
The one foot step sequence. Something is weird. It doesn't flow as normal. It all feels as if disaster is just around the corner. There's no panache, no certainty, no confidence: it's all as if they are shaking in their boots.
The tech score says pattern step??? What is happening here?? Panic has now totally gotten a hold of me. The tech score is missing an element and not being adjusted. This is wrong. This is definitely wrong. GG, what the F@#@*&*#&$^ are you doing???
The end of the routine. It seems as if Gaby has forgotten how that goes. Where are we? What are we doing?
The magic has turned into something awkward, something disconnected, unintelligible, a disjointed sequence of strange, nervous elements that don't mean anything really, some kind of a vague attempt at something that didn't work out and fell flat. The ingredients remained just what they were, no magic potion was created, the "spell" remained just a silly bunch of mumbled weird words, and the interdimensional portal did not open up. Everything was just what it was before, except for an added disillusion. It's just... total, utter, complete disappointment.
Was this it? The golden skate to put the Russians in their place? To show everybody who's boss? To justify all these world records and extreme scores?
Nope. It wasn't that at all. It was one big disappointment. Because they had forgotten how to be gods. It was just good stuff, but nothing special, nothing magical, not at all what they normally do. Because their heart wasn't in it. Their head was in it more than anything else, and that's not what makes them the legends they are.
But still, the gap is so close... The judges might still give that one hundredth of a point needed to win. Just for their legacy's sake, just for the sake of what they've done for the sport, just for... bloody hell, just for the sake of all of us! Just give them the points and get this over and done with.
Yes, the Russians skated lights out, but it's not as if that program is earth-shatteringly good or interesting. It's a beautiful and very solid program, it's really poetic and they skated as if their lives depended on it, and they did it perfectly, but well, it's not avant-garde or innovative: it's just a great solid beautiful greatly skated program. Nothing to go totally nuts over, right? So give the damn score and let GG win it. They need to get an unparalleled winning streak that will stand unchallenged for centuries, so don't mess that up! We're talking about History here!
Gaby is angry in the K&C. She knows. They all know. They know exactly how it feels to be in the zone, and they know exactly how it feels to be out of the zone. And what just happened was very blatantly the latter.
No score yet. I'm done with it. Give the bloody score alright! Goodness me! I've got a life full of work and things that have totally nothing to do with ice dance, there's nothing in it for me here, why am I not able to cope with this? Still no score. GIVE THE SCORE!!! JUST LET THEM WIN!!
They sit there. We wait here. It takes forever. We all know: waiting means trouble. If it has to take that long, it's going to be ugly.
I can't take this. I can't look at this anymore. This is agony. GIVE THE BLOODY SCORE!!! Just tell us whether they won or not, OK? Just show us the "1"! SHOW THE SCORE! SHOW US 131.65!! WE NEED TO SEE 131.65!!
We're getting close to a world record wait. What on earth?!??! YOU ARE ONLY ALLOWED TO TAKE SO MUCH TIME IF YOU ARE GOING TO GIVE 131.65 OR MORE!!
The score is announced. 131.50. There we have it. Silver. By 0.14 points. And what for? For nothing. For the fact that GG didn't skate well. They let the whole "we've only got a 0.05 point lead" get to them, and couldn't handle it. The gods of ice dance were just humans today.
And there's no-one to blame but themselves. They simply forgot how to be divine.
Based on what we saw today, it was deserved. Nikita and Victoria deserved to be scored higher. They served the better dish.
Compare it to star restaurants.
At the three star restaurant, the food and everything is of course up to standards, but somehow the whole atmosphere is subdued today. The waiters and waitresses do their best to put up a happy face, but can't hide the fact that something is off. The diners have booked at least six months in advance, and for most of them it is a very special (and expensive) occasion, so they all have to somehow make it a great moment and keep up pretending it's all fabulous. But nothing feels great and you can pick up whispers about the deliveries today not being quite the expected quality and issues in the kitchen. There's nothing joyful or delightful in the air, but rather the unpleasant sense of a serious concern that has to be covered up in this very posh environment.
Then there's the two star restaurant, where stuff is just that bit less exquisite and expensive, but the whole restaurant is overflowing with delight. Everyone working there is unable to contain their excitement and joy. They have a few new dishes on the menu that are quite similar to those that got the other restaurant their third star, and the place is just packed with positive buzz in anticipation of the same reward for these new additions. The upbeat energy is noticeable from the street.
Where would you want to eat?
At the one place, you have the 'extra' that you can boast about having eaten there, even though your night wasn't something to boast about and the experience left you with a strange emptiness inside. At the other, you had a really great evening that you will always remember and got way more value for your money, with huge free doses of joy.
In the end, we just have to congratulate Victoria and Nikita with their very very good skate and their deserved gold medal.
And look forward to Worlds, where - I guarantee you - things will go quite a wee bit differently.
Gods aren't mere humans after all. Even if sometimes they seem to be.
Because a) they have only themselves to blame and b) yes, somehow we could have seen this coming from the moment they got these absurd scores for sloppy skating at the start of the season. Those chickens have come home to roost, and it feels immensely crappy.
Personally, I had the feeling that the RD was better than before. It looked all quite neat and clean, quite precise, what you may expect from the gods of ice dance.
Then the Russians skated their rather boring RD (that music, seriously!), but did it really well. And they have found a way to sell stuff that simply cannot be ignored. Just look at it: their energy level, their eagerness, their almost physical need to get high marks is splashing off the screen, and apparently it works.
So oops: a lead after the RD of a whole whopping 0.05 points. That's something we're not used to anymore, and it hatched a beautiful disaster.
What happened to being the overrated favourites? Have we fallen from grace? God help us!
But when you're the gods, there's no-one to help or cry out to but yourself.
They had a whole lovely glorious day in between the RD and the FD to let this sink in deeply and do the work. Only 0.05 points. ANY hiccup would probably mean losing the title. And you get a whole 48 hours to ruminate over that.
Then the draw: they skate immediately AFTER the Russians. A great position to be in if the Russians make a mistake, and the worst if they skate lights out and get a monster score. Guess which happened here.
I was bloody nervous. They needed a totally clean skate, on top of their game. It's not something they cannot do, quite on the contrary: they normally don't do anything else. But then again, they haven't been in this position for almost two years. It's been the total opposite: they've been showered with absurd scores even when not at all on top of their game.
But at their last real competition, the GP final, the FD was a really super skate, totally there where it deserves the high marks. The only thing needed here was to do that again. The gold was totally theirs, on a normal day.
Everyone, judges included, was ready for that. The judges didn't change their minds about them at all. They simply gave the competition more points than usual. Probably because the competition skated better than usual, so that was totally deserved. At the GP Final, S/K were the ones to make the big mistake, and got severely punished for it.
So here we are, and I can strangely and vaguely sense some tension. Victoria and Nikita just got a very high score. But not so spectacular that GG would have to go into a new world record to go over it. Far from it: their last scores were all quite higher than this. Still, the gauntlet has been thrown in: it needs to be clean, the least bit of stumble might lose them the gold.
They start their program. Why am I not confident? I can see nervousness. The beginning looks fine though. Then the first spoken sequence. There's something not as before. Timing is a bit off, precision isn't there: no sharpness. They're not totally in sync as they normally always are. It feels tense, not fluid. I'm worried: don't let this stuff get into your heads!! It's in mine for sure, but I'm not on the ice. God, I have nothing to do with it all, have I? I can freak out all I want, but THEY need to stay cool, calm, focused!
Twizzles... yep: not confident, not as clean, not as sharp, not convincing. Guillaume gets a level 3?!? My doubts become serious worries. THIS IS NOT HOW IT'S SUPPOSED TO GO.
Everything seems mechanically executed, there's no enjoyment, no energy, no conviction, no "GG". We're absolutely not getting the tons of "WOW MY GOD WE'RE SO TOTALLY MESMERIZINGLY EMOTIONAL YOU JUST HAVE TO GET EXCITED!!!" that the Russians threw out in endless doses just a few minutes ago. In fact, I'm getting quite the opposite. I'm getting dryness, doubt, nerves, tension, rigidity, discomfort, and failing attempts to cover the mess up with those old blankets that don't help at all. GG are way too honest to be able to hide their feelings. This is not going as planned. They are not feeling good. They look as if they would have preferred to skate Victoria and Nikita's program instead of their own. It's programs like that that got them where they are in the first place...
But if they don't make real errors, it's probably still going to work out. The judges are still willing to give them the crown, they just need to give them the least bit of excuse to do so.
The one foot step sequence. Something is weird. It doesn't flow as normal. It all feels as if disaster is just around the corner. There's no panache, no certainty, no confidence: it's all as if they are shaking in their boots.
The tech score says pattern step??? What is happening here?? Panic has now totally gotten a hold of me. The tech score is missing an element and not being adjusted. This is wrong. This is definitely wrong. GG, what the F@#@*&*#&$^ are you doing???
The end of the routine. It seems as if Gaby has forgotten how that goes. Where are we? What are we doing?
The magic has turned into something awkward, something disconnected, unintelligible, a disjointed sequence of strange, nervous elements that don't mean anything really, some kind of a vague attempt at something that didn't work out and fell flat. The ingredients remained just what they were, no magic potion was created, the "spell" remained just a silly bunch of mumbled weird words, and the interdimensional portal did not open up. Everything was just what it was before, except for an added disillusion. It's just... total, utter, complete disappointment.
Was this it? The golden skate to put the Russians in their place? To show everybody who's boss? To justify all these world records and extreme scores?
Nope. It wasn't that at all. It was one big disappointment. Because they had forgotten how to be gods. It was just good stuff, but nothing special, nothing magical, not at all what they normally do. Because their heart wasn't in it. Their head was in it more than anything else, and that's not what makes them the legends they are.
But still, the gap is so close... The judges might still give that one hundredth of a point needed to win. Just for their legacy's sake, just for the sake of what they've done for the sport, just for... bloody hell, just for the sake of all of us! Just give them the points and get this over and done with.
Yes, the Russians skated lights out, but it's not as if that program is earth-shatteringly good or interesting. It's a beautiful and very solid program, it's really poetic and they skated as if their lives depended on it, and they did it perfectly, but well, it's not avant-garde or innovative: it's just a great solid beautiful greatly skated program. Nothing to go totally nuts over, right? So give the damn score and let GG win it. They need to get an unparalleled winning streak that will stand unchallenged for centuries, so don't mess that up! We're talking about History here!
Gaby is angry in the K&C. She knows. They all know. They know exactly how it feels to be in the zone, and they know exactly how it feels to be out of the zone. And what just happened was very blatantly the latter.
No score yet. I'm done with it. Give the bloody score alright! Goodness me! I've got a life full of work and things that have totally nothing to do with ice dance, there's nothing in it for me here, why am I not able to cope with this? Still no score. GIVE THE SCORE!!! JUST LET THEM WIN!!
They sit there. We wait here. It takes forever. We all know: waiting means trouble. If it has to take that long, it's going to be ugly.
I can't take this. I can't look at this anymore. This is agony. GIVE THE BLOODY SCORE!!! Just tell us whether they won or not, OK? Just show us the "1"! SHOW THE SCORE! SHOW US 131.65!! WE NEED TO SEE 131.65!!
We're getting close to a world record wait. What on earth?!??! YOU ARE ONLY ALLOWED TO TAKE SO MUCH TIME IF YOU ARE GOING TO GIVE 131.65 OR MORE!!
The score is announced. 131.50. There we have it. Silver. By 0.14 points. And what for? For nothing. For the fact that GG didn't skate well. They let the whole "we've only got a 0.05 point lead" get to them, and couldn't handle it. The gods of ice dance were just humans today.
And there's no-one to blame but themselves. They simply forgot how to be divine.
Based on what we saw today, it was deserved. Nikita and Victoria deserved to be scored higher. They served the better dish.
Compare it to star restaurants.
At the three star restaurant, the food and everything is of course up to standards, but somehow the whole atmosphere is subdued today. The waiters and waitresses do their best to put up a happy face, but can't hide the fact that something is off. The diners have booked at least six months in advance, and for most of them it is a very special (and expensive) occasion, so they all have to somehow make it a great moment and keep up pretending it's all fabulous. But nothing feels great and you can pick up whispers about the deliveries today not being quite the expected quality and issues in the kitchen. There's nothing joyful or delightful in the air, but rather the unpleasant sense of a serious concern that has to be covered up in this very posh environment.
Then there's the two star restaurant, where stuff is just that bit less exquisite and expensive, but the whole restaurant is overflowing with delight. Everyone working there is unable to contain their excitement and joy. They have a few new dishes on the menu that are quite similar to those that got the other restaurant their third star, and the place is just packed with positive buzz in anticipation of the same reward for these new additions. The upbeat energy is noticeable from the street.
Where would you want to eat?
At the one place, you have the 'extra' that you can boast about having eaten there, even though your night wasn't something to boast about and the experience left you with a strange emptiness inside. At the other, you had a really great evening that you will always remember and got way more value for your money, with huge free doses of joy.
In the end, we just have to congratulate Victoria and Nikita with their very very good skate and their deserved gold medal.
And look forward to Worlds, where - I guarantee you - things will go quite a wee bit differently.
Gods aren't mere humans after all. Even if sometimes they seem to be.
Respect to Gotlev’s dedication as a fan of G/G and the sport.
Honestly, I was trying to rewatch their FD performances and find out where they tweaked things in a way that didn’t work and where they simply had little errors, but I’m having less and less joy. This music becomes so broody and shapeless when you hear it many times in a row. It’s tiring and downward-pushing. The black costumes don’t help. It’s my dear hope that they consider using a classical piece next season.
ETA: just saw S/K’s performance and they had minor wobbles as well. So this is def not a case of G/G not skating best and their opponents skating lights out.
Honestly, I was trying to rewatch their FD performances and find out where they tweaked things in a way that didn’t work and where they simply had little errors, but I’m having less and less joy. This music becomes so broody and shapeless when you hear it many times in a row. It’s tiring and downward-pushing. The black costumes don’t help. It’s my dear hope that they consider using a classical piece next season.
ETA: just saw S/K’s performance and they had minor wobbles as well. So this is def not a case of G/G not skating best and their opponents skating lights out.
- Joined
- Nov 6, 2018
Technically ok S/K could achieve better score but PCS for G&G were definitely below the normal level. We could see that in both programs. Politics & politics this time played the main role.
- Joined
- Oct 26, 2016
Thanks @Gotlev for this piece of anthology. You have a true gift my friend, for thrilling narration! I didn't get to see them skate their FD live but I could see myself going through the whole gamut of emotions you went through!
I watched G/G's FD on youtube and I also feel that they were a bit off that day... and I'd say, like you, mainly due to their sense that the wind was shifting. The long wait between events certainly played a role. I don't know if I am alone with my observation, but to me Gabi feels sad and felt sad for quite a few weeks (months?). Nothing to do with the subject, just a digression ... . So they made a few errors but as a whole the FD was still great and I think that we tend to project our own feelings of nervousness and insecurity onto them and their work. One thing is clear to me: they certainly paid for the judge's mishap on the rhythm Dance at the Grand Prix (and both ways, G/G's inflated score and S/K's drastic penalization). Not very fair, given that the dancers themselves have nothing to do with the judges' errors.
S/K now represent Russia's chance at medalling at World's and there will be pressure for them to stay at the top. That said, I think Gabriella and Guillaume's sheer excellence and artistry will prevail. Because they are that good!
- Joined
- Mar 23, 2018
Well, I had a feeling something like this would happen after the RD. I can't believe S/K beat them in the FD though...even V/M could not do it....
Anyway, P/C and Gadbois need to figure out their next step QUICK ! I don't know what game they've been playing, but they are far from where they should have been. Lots of mistakes since the begining of the year, they are not up to the challenge like they were in 2017 and 2018. 2019 was a transition year and yet the RD was polished and incredibly difficult and the FD still had that lightness and smoothness so characteristic of their skating. The coaches need to be careful. P/C are excellent but the programs they create for them, with them and with exterior choreographers are a also a big reason why P/C are able to express themselves so well. They need to go back to Dean ASAP
Anyway, P/C and Gadbois need to figure out their next step QUICK ! I don't know what game they've been playing, but they are far from where they should have been. Lots of mistakes since the begining of the year, they are not up to the challenge like they were in 2017 and 2018. 2019 was a transition year and yet the RD was polished and incredibly difficult and the FD still had that lightness and smoothness so characteristic of their skating. The coaches need to be careful. P/C are excellent but the programs they create for them, with them and with exterior choreographers are a also a big reason why P/C are able to express themselves so well. They need to go back to Dean ASAP
An interview (in French) of GG, it seems Gaby has been going through a rough patch since last year, at one point they even thought of not coming to EC. Wishing the best to her, to the both of them...
https://www.la-croix.com/Sport/Pati...quent-Papadakis-Cizeron-2020-01-26-1301074321
- - - Updated - - -
An interview (in French) of GG, it seems Gaby has been going through a rough patch since last year, at one point they even thought of not coming to EC. Wishing the best to her, to the both of them...
https://www.la-croix.com/Sport/Pati...quent-Papadakis-Cizeron-2020-01-26-1301074321
https://www.la-croix.com/Sport/Pati...quent-Papadakis-Cizeron-2020-01-26-1301074321
- - - Updated - - -
An interview (in French) of GG, it seems Gaby has been going through a rough patch since last year, at one point they even thought of not coming to EC. Wishing the best to her, to the both of them...
https://www.la-croix.com/Sport/Pati...quent-Papadakis-Cizeron-2020-01-26-1301074321
- Joined
- Oct 26, 2016
I am sorry to have been right about this ... she's been exuding sadness for quite some time now. Hang in there, dear Gabi! We love you!
- Joined
- Nov 8, 2017
Quick translation:
In Graz, on Sunday, the day after the loss of the European crown they monopolise since 5 years, Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron opened up about the difficulties they are going through: about a delicate period for her and the shared challenge to stay totally involved when winning becomes a habit.
Q: How did you prepare for this competition?
GP: We knew we weren't at 100% of what we normally can be. Given that fact, we did however we could. Since a year, I'm going through some difficult stuff in my life. I have been pushing myself, forcing myself (to overcome them). There came a moment when I got into mental and emotional overload. January was difficult. There's been a moment when I wasn't able to train anymore. I couldn't go on anymore. I wanted to, it wasn't a problem of motivation, but my body didn't respond anymore. I felt like crying all the time, I had anxieties, I felt exhausted. It was the first time that this happened to me so strongly, and it's rather hard to accept. But once I had accepted that this was happening, things calmed down a lot. And I had the blessing to have Guillaume and the coaches who were super understanding and who told me "You don't háve to train, you don't háve to go to the European Championships, nobody is forcing you". Just to have that conversation already helped me a lot. That's why the championships were really important emotionally, because we clearly almost didn't come.
Q: How do you see the rest of the season?
GC: We're going to take rest, take a holiday of two weeks to make a fresh start, let the pressure drop, fill ourself with energy, get into shape again, physically, mentally, so we can push ourselves for the coming 5 weeks until Worlds (mid-March in Montréal, ed.). We know what we have to do, we've got an extremely competent team behind us, we're not completely lost, thinking "My god, what are we going to do to get back on track?". There were specific circumstances here that created an opening, and the Russians burst through it in full force. But we know what we're capable of. Even though we trained very little and were not on top of our game - making some mistakes -, we were still close to winning.
Q: After two years of invincibility, wasn't there a part of you that, unconsciously, simply took it easy?
GC: Even though we are aware of the danger and don't want it to happen, it's kind of inevitable. Losing gives you a sort of aggressive eagerness to win that we need as competitors. When you always win, you will lose this feeling after some time. And you can't fake it. We're at a stage in our careers where we have already broken plenty of records, we won four, five times... The public feels that it's totally normal to see us win; we're having the same feeling and it's not good for the athlete's drive. In a career of ten years, there will always be highs and lows. We're a bit in a low right now, but it's not dramatic, it allows us to bounce back.
Q: Can it be a good thing to have more serious competition?
GC: It's a boost. Having competition means having an opponent, something to push against. When you're only spinning your wheels, you're wasting your breath for nothing. But when you have a wall in front of you, you push against it, and you would never have pushed as hard if the wall hadn't been there. It's not necessarily nice to feel pressure, but it's what gives the eagerness to compete and the drive to really push yourself.
Q: Looking towards the 2022 Olympics, Worlds this year in mid-March are an important step...
GP: Well, I suppose it's clear that people will now be thinking "They're not unbeatable after all, and we may just snatch the gold from them". We talked a lot about that with our coaches yesterday (Saturday). We can accept that we were not able to perform at our top level at this one competition, but it should not become our trademark. It needs to remain the exception that proves the rule.
- Joined
- May 21, 2014
I hope she'll feel better soon, but I have no doubt she's well surrounded. One could feel something wasn't right this season with all those uncharacteristic errors she kept making. I admire them for being so strong last season even if she was apparently already struggling. This is but a bump on their road and surely will make them stronger like everything else they had to overcome so far. Rest well and come back the quirky, fun and free self you are Gaby.
- Joined
- Oct 23, 2017
- Country
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Thanks for that link Tila. I'm so sorry to hear that Gabi has been dealing with what sounds like an episode of depression; it's horrible to deal with and feels like there's never going to be a far side of the river to arrive on sometimes. But her team is amazing and are clearly helping her just right - no pressure, just understanding and support. She'll come through it and be okay, I'm sure.
