Name your top five underrated skaters, past or present. | Golden Skate

Name your top five underrated skaters, past or present.

skateluvr

Record Breaker
Joined
Oct 23, 2011
Maybe 3 per discipline would be more fair.

You can also be honest and say who you felt were overrated
Maybe let’s start with ice dance where many a team couldn’t move up in the 6.0 system when the Russian Fed had a lock on ice dance. I absolutely loved Bourne and Kraatz and their Riverdance was a highlight of Nagano for me. I remember none else really. Pasha and partner were overrated for me and I didn’t enjoy her skating or look or programs. I just didn’t get the two golds but hey it was ice dance. This was the one team I felt had to overcome so much and skate like hell for their one world title.

Who do you think is underrated then or now in any discipline?
 

MGstyle

Crawling around on the ice after chestnuts
Medalist
Joined
Sep 1, 2015
I defo agree about Kevin Aymoz. He just broke out in the mainstream scene last year though, so I do hope and believe he will get the due respect in following seasons. As unfair as it is, it is a norm that it often takes a few seasons for a skater to start receiving the recognition he/she deserves.

While Ice Dancing in the 90s and the early 00s can't be compared with the current ice dancing, as it has completely evolved, in their days Drobiazko and Vanagas was the team which was the most underrated. They never achieved the status which their talent deserved throughout their long, amazing competitive career.
 

Spirals for Miles

Anna Shcherbakova is my World Champion
Record Breaker
Joined
Aug 25, 2017
Anna Tarusina, Ksenia Sinitsyna, Ting Cui, and Nana Araki for me :)

ETA: And Mai!
 

Jeanie19

Record Breaker
Joined
Oct 20, 2017
Country
United-States
I defo agree about Kevin Aymoz. He just broke out in the mainstream scene last year though, so I do hope and believe he will get the due respect in following seasons. As unfair as it is, it is a norm that it often takes a few seasons for a skater to start receiving the recognition he/she deserves.

While Ice Dancing in the 90s and the early 00s can't be compared with the current ice dancing, as it has completely evolved, in their days Drobiazko and Vanagas was the team which was the most underrated. They never achieved the status which their talent deserved throughout their long, amazing competitive career.

I agree totally.
 

hanyuufan5

✨**:。*
Medalist
Joined
May 19, 2018
I'll have to think about this some more, but the ones who immediately come to mind are Elizabet Tursynbaeva (although that's getting better since the 4S), Dabin Choi, Yi Christy Leung, and Avonley Nguyen/Vadym Kolesnik.
 

Jeanie19

Record Breaker
Joined
Oct 20, 2017
Country
United-States
Li Zijun
Alexander Abt
Gilles/Poirier
Drobiazko/Vanagas
Kevin Aymoz
 

lappo

Final Flight
Joined
Feb 12, 2016
Alexander Abt, Akiko Suzuki come to mind. Also G/P should be rewarded more for being one of the few truly creative dance teams.
 

Lunalovesskating

Moonbear power 🐻
Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 3, 2018
Young You, Ting Cui, Kevin Aymoz, Yuhana Yokoi, Tomoe Kawabata.

I watch Young You's and Kevin's programs multiple times a week that is how much I enjoy their skating:luv17:
 

kolyadafan2002

Fan of Kolyada
Final Flight
Joined
Jun 6, 2019
Young You, Ting Cui, Kevin Aymoz, Yuhana Yokoi, Tomoe Kawabata.

I watch Young You's and Kevin's programs multiple times a week that is how much I enjoy their skating:luv17:
I’ve watched Kevin aymoz’s Europeans sp at least 20 times!
I’m sorry but I would have put him in 3rd or maybe even 2nd after worlds short program just based on the severe mistakes everybody else made. I would have put him in the top 10 after the FP, maybe 9th or 10th.
 

Sam-Skwantch

“I solemnly swear I’m up to no good”
Record Breaker
Joined
Dec 29, 2013
Country
United-States
Anastasia Gubanova
Zijun Li
Anastasia Tarakanova
Sergei Voronov
Cappellini/Lanotte
 

skateluvr

Record Breaker
Joined
Oct 23, 2011
Alexander Abt, Akiko Suzuki come to mind. Also G/P should be rewarded more for being one of the few truly creative dance teams.
OMG yes Akiko I used to sing her praises and I never felt she got the marks she deserved. She was wonderful and a truly joyful skater. One of Japan’s all time top ladies IMO. But all the talk was always MAO who of course was a legend and had triple axel for so long. Akiko was very special I think. Wonderful programs.
 

Clairecz

On the Ice
Joined
Apr 4, 2018
Country
Czech-Republic
Maxim Kovtun and Sergei Voronov in general,
Nathan's performance skills are also underrated

And I'd also add that a skater can be "underrated" by skating fans but also by general public (journalists writing articles and people reading them or watching sports news) and in the latter meaning I'd say ALL Spanish skaters are underrated by general public in Spain and also sadly Michal Březina.

What can I say I have a soft spot for small fed skaters and the Spanish ones in particular. And it's sad to read how Javi remembered that only after he won the second WC people in Spain said: oh, so you are really good, we thought that it was just a fluke... (like really, he was 4-time European champion by that time).

I think the majority of skating fans at least acknowledged the Breznaissance ;) whereas in Czech newspapers in was like: hmm, Brezina advanced to GPF, but let's see what he does at Euros, he usually messes up... (of course, we know now that he didn't win a medal /though he had the biggest chance in many years/ but this mistrust and discouragement in advance :rolleye: )
 

Skater Boy

Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 24, 2012
Current Underrated Skaters

Gilles and Poirier
Mai Mihara
Weaver and Poje
Satoko Miyahara
Keegan Messing


Another time Underrated Skaters

Blumberg Sieberg
Lucinda Ruh
Bourne and Kraatz
Wilson McCall
Emmanual Sandu
Joannie Rochette/Kaetlyn Osmond/Josee Chouinard - I don't think people realize actually how good skaters they are/were. Edging, jumps and style when on. Maybe it is the Canadian curse?


Hmm, I just noticed there are a lot of Canadians on the list.
 

kolyadafan2002

Fan of Kolyada
Final Flight
Joined
Jun 6, 2019
Current Underrated Skaters

Gilles and Poirier
Mai Mihara
Weaver and Poje
Satoko Miyahara
Keegan Messing


.

100% agree about Keegan Messing. He always has life in his performances.

As a sidenote though I’d like to see him perform something other than Charlie Chaplin
 

ruga

Final Flight
Joined
Oct 20, 2017
Underrated GOE wise:
Mako Yamashita
Tomoe Kawabata
Elizaveta Tuktamysheva

Underrated PCS wise:
Kevin Aymoz
Satoko Miyahara
Anastasiia Gubanova
Emmi Peltonen

Underrated in general:
Mai Mihara
Viveca Lindfors
Anastasia Tarakanova
 

yume

🍉
Record Breaker
Joined
Mar 11, 2016
PCS wise Mao Asada was severely underrated in her two final seasons. Judges never gave her 70 pcs in the free.
Carolina Kostner though is severely overrated since her comeback in 2016. Getting 75 pcs even with a disaster free skate.

Mai Mihara is the most underrated current skater. She has a worlds top 5 material. Consistent, no big flaws, nice jumps and spins. She has just so much bad luck that she has never the chance to get a reputation.
 

tokoyami

On the Ice
Joined
Nov 9, 2018
Keegan Messing and Sota Yamamoto are my top underrated skaters, as well as Ivett Toth on the Ladies side. I really dig her unabashed confident music choices

As far as overrated goes, I never really got Alexei Yagudin's style and Yuna bores me immensely. But I can still appreciate all that they've done for the sport and the incredible athletes that they are
 
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