It’s not designed to make cleaner skates score higher, it’s designed to reward quality.
Rika has better jumps even though she fell on the 3A. Better speed. Better flow. Better height and landings.
She also had much better speed throughout. I’m sure the difference will be in the GOE.
Personally I find Lil Bet air position quite bad, both her legs are always bent and has a gap between her knees. So even doing a rippon won’t get her the good air position bullet.
But Elizabet has difficult entries for all her jumps (steps going into the rippon lutz, spread eagle into the 2a, spiral into the 3s-rippon 3toe) and the two arms above the head so those things are definitely going to reward more her.
I'd argue that while Rika has more flow and good running edge, she still has rotation issues.
Not to mention again the GOE on the spins.
Anyway I don't think scores are that controversial, Elizabet could have been in first place, she is not but it is still less than a point, so the free skate will decide the champion here.
I know the scoring system has changed but i don't think last year Elizabet would have ever received a score this big anyway, so she is probably happy with it.
Gubanova’s scores have deflated and now Polina seems to be further regressing. Thanks CSKA
That's what i was trying to tell people last month in the thread about Panenkova leaving Eteri.
You have to get used to the fact that CSKA skaters train less their programs which brings weaker stamina, more inconsistency,... and you have to think that for some of these skaters consistency was their biggest strenght.