2018 Olympic Figure Skating Ladies FS

[withwings]

Zhenya, I feel so heartbroken for you.

You may not have gotten gold, but your performance tonight will always be in my heart. Every jump superb, flawless (cmon guys, please let us ignore that one maybe-flutz for one tiny frozen moment in time). GOE through the roof. Interpretation - feels like such a clumsy word, doesn’t it? You can hardly call Zhenya’s skating an interpretation of Anna Karenina when it’s somehow so different, as if you added another dimension to the story. I love the way Caro flows across the ice and how Osmund irresistibly tempts you into her program and how Satton’s every movement is in perfect harmony with everything else, but there is something about you, Zhenya, that I have never seen and doubt I will ever see again. Maybe it’s the way your every program tells a story, or how every moment in your program is filled with these tiny details that turn a good program into an interpretative masterpiece.

Every day, training endlessly for hours, putting heart and soul and something more as well into every moment, while in front of your eyes a young skater almost effortless surpasses you, not by skill but by gaming the system. Years and years of hard work that is the behind-the-scenes preparation for the magic that takes place during your programs. And all for nought? Maybe there is something poetic in how Yuna Kim also lost the battle between true artistry and true system manipulation. Everyone knows that Yuna will always be the real champion of Sochi. Zhenya, for me at least, you will always be the real champion of Pyeongchang.

I saw a clip of you trying out Alina’s 3Lz3Lo in practice… oh Zhenya! You thought that you could beat everyone by just being your perfect self, but you realized that you could not beat Alina. That 3Lz3Lo… you didn’t end up landing that combo, at least not that time. You fell, and banged the wall, and skated away for another try. But maybe you also realized that you couldn’t be exactly like Alina either. What point would there be anyway, to have two clones executing the same program in two different disguises. Backloading, tano, rippon…

Maybe Alina knows this too. And in the end, when she was crying in that box, maybe some of her tears might have been for you too.[/QUOT

 

[Sabrina]

I think the difference between Alina and Evgenia programs is the awesome 3Lz3L Alina does in both programs. Evgenia has no Lz in the SP and has a wrong edge when she jumps the Lz in the FS. Of course the back loading also helps Alina, though I am not a fan of this system. I think Alina deserved this win, and won me when she did that 3Lz3L very late, right on music accents. That was out of this world, and that alone gives her big WOW.
I am sad for Evgenia, as she had a beautiful program. So did Kaetlyn. I think all these 3 ladies deserve a little part of that OGM.

 

[Spirals for Miles]

Wow Kaetlyn finally skated that long program of hers beautifully when it mattered. What's promising is that even with that awkward lutz she received 152+ - she's now in the Russian zone of scoring and so well-deserved! Top spots just got more interesting!!

Olympic scoring.... see Carolina's 140 for a UR and 6 triple skate...

 

[Vili67]

Ladies olympic figure skating went just like I thought.

Gold Alina
Silver Evgenia
Bronze Kaetlyn

:clapper:

 

[Ophelia]

The way the scoring worked last night, and what ladies FS has turned into (backloading jumpfest) is a direct result of where Eteri and Evegnia have been pushing both skating and judging towards over the course of the last quad.

I don't agree with the scoring and haven't for a long time, but we're in a brave new world. The only irony is that the skater who spearheaded this revolution was not able to stay ahead of the revolution's pace. Under the rules of the new world, Zagitova was the rightful winner.

 

[kimganos]

I would actually put Kaetlyn first if we still had the 6.0 system I just prefer her big takeoff and landings over the russian skater's jumps.

Freeskate, Technical, Artistic
Kaetlyn 5.8 (messed up lutz), 5.9 (awesome performance)
Evgenia 5.6 (wrong edges, slow speed), 5.6
Alina 5.7 (managed to land everything but not effortless), 5.2

Not too unpopular given the 27 Thumbs Up so far!

Under 6.0 she very likely would have been awarded gold. But under IJS, she deserved only bronze. The top 2 OARs destroyed everyone technically.

I wish Osmond were credited more for her jumps being vastly superior to the Russians, but they do add more difficult features (arms) and transitions in/out of them to make up for it. It's something Osmond can improve on.

A quote from my brother who has a 13 year old daughter in gymnastics.

"My take on the Women Figure Skating. The Canadian skater is a women and the Russian is a girl! Completely different style from the Canadian very elegant. The young Russian looks like a young girl coming out of her jumps and doing some of her movements. In my judgement she is a junior still!"

 

[chopinskate]

:noshake: This poster doesn't "forget" anything
I think he left out Yuna intentionally!

Yeah, I don't think he thinks much of her artistry.

 

[Icey]

A USA Today article today referred to fans as "sequin heads".

 

[withwings]

Ladies olympic figure skating went just like I thought.

Gold Alina
Silver Evgenia
Bronze Kaetlyn

:clapper:

yes, it could not be better

 

[Sam-Skwantch]

The way the scoring worked last night, and what ladies FS has turned into (backloading jumpfest) is a direct result of where Eteri and Evegnia have been pushing both skating and judging towards over the course of the last quad.

I don't agree with the scoring and haven't for a long time, but we're in a brave new world. The only irony is that the skater who spearheaded this revolution was not able to stay ahead of the revolution's pace. Under the rules of the new world, Zagitova was the rightful winner

Say your prayers for a skater to come along who rubs your artistic funnybone and doesn’t have technical deficiencies. That is what the ISU is creating with the current judging trends with emphasis on technical proficiency first and foremost. My guess is Rika Kihira is going to make a lot of people very happy they stuck around to watch the sport continue to grow.

 

[qwertyskates]

Why is Evgenia the winner of FS when they both scored the same 156.65?

 

[WeakAnkles]

Say your prayers for a skater to come along who rubs your artistic funnybone and doesn’t have technical deficiencies. That is what the ISU is creating with the current judging trends with emphasis on technical proficiency first and foremost. My guess is Rika Kihira is going to make a lot of people very happy they stuck around to watch the sport continue to grow.

Send me a postcard when that happens.

 

[chairmanmao]

We're not buying that "fact" so we don't need it to "sink in". We read your post, waited for an appropriate amount of time for it to get sunk in, and we decided that we weren't buying it.

You know the wonderful thing about Medvedeva is that despite her complete dominance coming into this Games this past 2 years you felt she was still grounded that she could still be beaten. There is no sense of entitlement that just showing up would earn her the gold medal. Of course you cannot say the same for a certain skater who sporadically showed up before the Olympics and expected to be given the gold medal just by backstroking her way to the title.

 

[Ravyn Rant]

A USA Today article today referred to fans as "sequin heads".

Yet they wonder why figure skating isn't popular in the US anymore. Sequin heads! Way to make 'em take the sport seriously, US media.

 

[anyanka]

I just managed to watch the ladies (not a big fan of Ladies) and I see Evgenia lost because of her SP. Is it curse people are talking about; the favourite for OGM will not get the gold?

I wouldn't call it a curse, but I think it's a matter of the perceived favourite not getting it. Observe:

- 1994: Oksana over Nancy (who was favoured at least in the west
- 1998: Tara over Michelle (both were co-faves, really)
- 2002: Sarah over Michelle and Irina
- 2006: Shizuka over Irina
- 2014: Adelina over Yuna
- 2018: Alina over Evgenia (co-faves, as well)

Arguably, the only overwhelming favourite who got the big prize at the end was Yuna in 2010.

For some reason, the Olympics are just different in that regard.

 

[Ophelia]

You know the wonderful thing about Medvedeva is that despite her complete dominance coming into this Games this past 2 years you felt she was still grounded that she could still be beaten. There is no sense of entitlement that just showing up would earn her the gold medal. Of course you cannot say the same for a certain skater who sporadically showed up before the Olympics and expected to be given the gold medal just by backstroking her way to the title.

Don't be bitter just because your fave showed up all 4 years and packed 8 triples but imploded at the Olympics and left with no titles.

Med was completely dominant until this season. The grounded feeling only began a few months ago. If I was in Camp Eteri, I would be terrified of constantly having to look over my shoulder.

 

[Figure 8's]

Every skater has the opportunity to back load their program. But few do because they don't have the stamina. Alina skated very difficult gutsy programs. Her jumps were clean as a whistle in both programs. Technical scores have ALWAYS carried more weight than the artistic scores. The short often is the deciding factor in who wins the Gold as it was this time. Taking all this into consideration, the judges got it right.

 

[anyanka]

Mao Asada isn't an OGM but Alina Zagitova is. I still cannot. Cannot. No.

Now that you mention it ... I can't, either. See also: Michelle Kwan, Midori Ito.

 

[Shayuki]

Hahahah, what a joke.

The other three disciplines are all BIGGER golds than ladies.

Hanyu being the first guy in like 50 years to defend his title.

Savchenko finally getting her gold after 5 Olympics.

V/M skating almost to perfection to regain the title they lost in Sochi.

Ladies, completely predictable.

You just must be bitter it’s the ONLY individual medals OAR could muster.

The main event of figure skating has always been Ladies. It's... really not about the context, or an opinion.

 

[Figure 8's]

Don't be bitter just because your fave showed up all 4 years and packed 8 triples but imploded at the Olympics and left with no titles.

Med was completely dominant until this season. The grounded feeling only began a few months ago. If I was in Camp Eteri, I would be terrified of constantly having to look over my shoulder.

I think the injury robbed her of a lot of her confidence.