2018 Olympic Figure Skating Pairs FS

[Kiarararara]

M/H: Love their style. It is unique and they have very good dynamic. The programs are also very fun. And Valentina going from single to pair is just

J/C: Very modern in package, which I have nothing to complain about. Somehow I always them quite emotional, even though it feels quite subdued in this Olympics.

T/M: Evgenia ((( I hope she does not beat herself up for it. They are young and it’s their first Olympics, not to mention the problems regarding OAR. They are a classic pair who could nail those warhorses nicely, have good tech and SS so hoping they could have a nice future ahead.

D/R: That quad salchow! 4 programs in a row! Gold in team and bronze in pair! Talk about ending their career with a bang! And Meagan’s sportmanship is just amazing.

S/H: I am heartbroken for them. It was so close. Love them to bits. Their Turandot is good, I really like it, and they do theatrical flair quite well, just not yesterday. I don’t think paying homage to their coaches make it a bad program, it is just an East Asian culture thing, even though it does add to the pressure. Hope they could nail that program perfectly in Worlds. But as people have said previously, it is just so great to see them here, silver medalists and almost winning when less than two years ago Wenjing could not skate and they didn’t know if they could come back. It’s their first Olympics so maybe some of the pressures got to them, like those got to T/M. Will be a sweet sweet victory if they stay healthy and win gold in Bejing 2022. Praying from now for that to happen.

S/M: Queen Aliona! And her knight Bruno! Personally I don’t like this program, concept and music as much as Turandot. But thats just taste and it IS a great program, telling a very emotional story. Many of the moves reflects the music and their journey together. I feel like they have skated it to the full potential and even beyond. I love all the pair ladies but just have so much respect for Aliona. She never gave up on her dream. I feel like the last 4 years are not only for this day, for the gold medal, but also for herself and the sport, because she still loves skating and wants to give it her best. And Bruno, he has also come a very long way to get here. Congrats for both of them.

This event kills me in the best way possible. We could label the podium, especially the ladies “perseverance” because they have showed us its definition yesterday.

 

[icekiwi]

Just caught up with all the skates from reading what 'Draqq & Sequinsgalore' had done in the 'Play by Play' section. Thank you so much. Haven't had the chance to watch the actual performances on my video recorder yet. So, this is just a conclusion from what I have read.

I believe the results are correct. I am heartbroken for Yu (so low in the overall results) & Sui. However, would someone here agree with me that The Chinese Federation need to send their pairs' ladies to a 'jump technique specialist' or 'jump camp' this summer, especially if they want any chance for Gold in 4 years?

It is not just at the Olympics but throughout the entire Grand Prix seasons, Yu, Cheng, Wang and Sui (I was worried for her 3 Sal for the FD). They are all wonderful performers, well trained pairs ladies except for one aspect, the 'jumps'. Cheng Peng for example, struggled with her opening jumps the entire Grand Prix this season, last season was no better. No point saying that Sui/Han will be hungry for Gold in 4 years, etc if a basic problem is not fixed. In 4 years, the entire landscape could change, 4Throw could be the norm, two sets of combo jumps could be standard.

 

[bobbob]

Very exciting event. It seems like all of the top pairs, minus Duhamel and Radford, (but adding Stolbova and Kilmov) are all skating past this season and most of them will continue to Beijing. Pairs will seriously have one of the deepest fields of all the disciplines in the next quad!

 

[russianskating4ever]

Just putting it out there,

I am so extremely proud of Natalia and aleksandr. They have only been together since July 2015 till now which is only, TWO and A HALF years and to get 7th in the Olympics among veterans and top skaters like duhamel and Savchenko? Literally veterans who have been to the Olympics like James and cipres, WOW that is an achievement !



I don’t know of any pair who have been together this short amount of time and achieve 7th at the Olympics. AND not to mention, no bias at all and not even on home ice anywhere in Russia. I personally think this is an achievement, they deserve so much praise. If they are 7th only after 2 1/2 years, imagine what they could have done in 4 years...



I see a bright future for these two but only if they spice up their programs a tad more with more emotional connection. Another thing to consider may be Enbert’ s age

I mean he is not exactly ‘young’ and I kind of don’t see Enbert sticking around for another quad but wish them luck with whatever they do
Natalja Zabijako & Alexander Enbert

I am so extremely proud of Natalia and aleksandr. They have only been together since July 2015 till now which is only, TWO and A HALF years and to get 7th in the Olympics among veterans and top skaters like duhamel and Savchenko? Literally veterans who have been to the Olympics like James and cipres, WOW that is an achievement !



I don’t know of any pair who have been together this short amount of time and achieve 7th at the Olympics. AND not to mention, no bias at all and not even on home ice anywhere in Russia. I personally think this is an achievement, they deserve so much praise. If they are 7th only after 2 1/2 years, imagine what they could have done in 4 years...



I see a future for these two but only if they spice up their programs a tad more with more emotional connection. Another thing to consider may be Enbert’ s age

I mean he is not exactly ‘young’ and I kind of don’t see Enbert sticking around for another quad but wish them luck with whatever they do

 

[anyanka]

Can I get a shout-out to the Marchei and Hotarek??? They were once again awesome, and this time on back-to-back nights! In another games those performances and scores would have gotten them on the podium but medal or not, they looked like they were having the time of their lives. I would easily watch their programs from these games over and over again!

 

[anonymoose_au]

I almost forgot to give a big congratulations to Ryom/Kim who ended in 13th place. What a huge achievement for a team from North Korea! I love their skating style and the catsuit costumes are top-notch!

With any luck we'll see them in the Gala. Their exhibition program is totally awesome!

 

[Mrs. P]

Can I get a shout-out to the Marchei and Hotarek??? They were once again awesome, and this time on back-to-back nights! In another games those performances and scores would have gotten them on the podium but medal or not, they looked like they were having the time of their lives. I would easily watch their programs from these games over and over again!

Yes I agree! As I've tweeted, they had the best Olympics ever!

 

[anyanka]

Yes I agree! As I've tweeted, they had the best Olympics ever!

The after-party should at their place!

 

[anyanka]

I almost forgot to give a big congratulations to Ryom/Kim who ended in 13th place. What a huge achievement for a team from North Korea! I love their skating style and the catsuit costumes are top-notch!

With any luck we'll see them in the Gala. Their exhibition program is totally awesome!

I don't see why they wouldn't be in the Gala! They were exquisite in competition and have loads of potential. The Korean audience would definitely enjoy them, and they some of the breakout stars so far in these games.

Side note: I'd like to see the North Korean cheerleaders again. Talk about "formation"!

 

[ice coverage]

I almost forgot to give a big congratulations to Ryom/Kim who ended in 13th place. What a huge achievement for a team from North Korea! I love their skating style and the catsuit costumes are top-notch!

With any luck we'll see them in the Gala. Their exhibition program is totally awesome!

I don't see why they wouldn't be in the Gala! They were exquisite in competition and have loads of potential. The Korean audience would definitely enjoy them, and they some of the breakout stars so far in these games. ...

Happy to say that Ryom/Kim already have been invited to the gala.

The invite list for pairs is top four at OWG + M/H + Ryom/Kim + Kim/Kam:

https://goldenskate.com/forum/showt...ibition-Gala&p=1974731&viewfull=1#post1974731​

I suppose it is a separate question as to whether Ryom/Kim/DPRK will accept, but I hope it would be a safe assumption that they will accept.

ETA:

I was/am using "top four at OWG" just as shorthand, instead of writing out all the names or initials.
Not/not/not saying that it will be a "rule" for all other disciplines that top four automatically will be invited to OWG gala. I have no idea one way or the other whether such a rule is in effect.​

 

[NanaPat]

Not very well-versed with pairs and the back story but why is T/M unpopular with fans?

They're not. It's the Candyman program that people hate.

 

[YagsFan]

NBC, are you kidding me???? You showed just six Pairs????? And you chocked the Canadian's FS scores????? You call that coverage?
You didnt even show the Americans or North Koreans?
Badly done. I hope ABC or someone else gets the Olys next time.
May the fleas from a thousand camels infest Tara and Johnny's room.

Now I am really scared about what they will do with icedance, mens and ladies....... :eeking:

OK, I came here to share others's joy over the pairs results . . . BUT, I keep seeing all of this NBC bashing, and it's driving me mad! If you don't like the commentators, or the "fluff" pieces, or whatever, you are entitled to your opinions. However, as the saying goes, you are NOT entitled to your own FACTS! In fact, the American and North Korean pairs were indeed shown (with much praise from the commentators, I might add, for the NK pair). ALL of the earlier pairs were shown on NBCSN, just like tonight's early skaters will be, starting at 7:00 pm Eastern. Surely most have the ability to record programs?? All you have to do is record the main NBC programming starting at 8:00, while watching the earlier skaters on NBCSN. Then switch to your recording for the rest of the comp. I believe that of all of the skaters, only 2 pairs were skipped between the 2 channels (and not the ones you named).
I have to wonder if some of this dissatisfaction comes from people who aren't used to watching Olympic coverage. No matter the network covering the Olympics (and I've been watching the winter games for 50 years or so now) they always jump around between events, so that the most people can see those sports they are most interested in. My advise would be to use this type of coverage to get into new sports, as well as your favorites!
Also, I keep seeing this idea that the events are being ruined by being forced by the big, bad American network to be early so as to show up in Prime Time in eastern US. Believe me, this has been arranged in any number of ways. When events start at times not conducive to our prime time schedule, then a network will do lots of tape-delays rather than live programming. Guess what?? Loads and loads of people complain about no live programming!! They really can't win.
Finally, CoyoteChris, no matter your opinion---to which you are entitled---of Tara and Johnny, NBC programming decisions are really not in their hands, so your fleas are misdirected!

Sorry for the long rant, but really . . .

 

[YagsFan]

NBC’s coverage was despicable. They didn’t even show OUR ONE COMPETITOR! Really?!!! That’s traitorous to me. And they built up the Italian team and NK team only not to show them either. Nor did they show Yu and Zhang’s SP, despite this being his 5th Olympics too and in medal contention.

Plus I always enjoy fluff, where was the fluff? Where are the interviews and the glimpses of their hometowns and families? Their journeys? Booooo hisssss to NBC.

Raatkirani: PLEASE, see my response to CoyoteChris! I'm sorry, but you've just got it all wrong . . .

 

[ladyjane]

Sorry, you are right. I misread your original comment. I apologize for that.

Never said the judging system was lovely. There are many problems with it. The technical panel only has access to one camera view to review rotation.This leads to inconsistent calls on jump rotation. There should be separate panels of judges to evaluate PCS and TES scores because there is very little time during the performance to really do both well so judges tend to reputation judge. They assume a skater performed well because they usually do, for instance. Also, I don't think judges from the countries whose pairs are gold medal contenders should be allowed to have judges on the panels. Many issues. I only said that the type of conspiracy you are trying to suggest, on this particular day, given the protocols and the judging panel is realistically impossible.

In regard to nationalism, many people do support skaters just because they are from their country. But, if you really love skating you will support skaters for other reasons. If you were really a pairs skating fan, I think you would so happy after viewing this long program because the performances were amazing and I am so happy for all the medalist. I don't like their accomplishments marred by fake "judging scandals".

I am done with this discussion. I have better things to do than to argue with someone looking for a reason to be upset. I hope you have a good day.

Hahaha. Lucky me then for not even being able to be nationalistic as there are no Dutch Figure Skaters at the Games. So, I can just admire and enjoy the skates. Of course I have my favourites, but thankfully nothing to do with any nationalistic bias. I might be vouching for the Belgian skaters though...but they're no medal threat I think. i think this event was judged rather well. D/R had an almost clean skate, and great difficulty, so they were second in the free. S/H, whom I really love, just didn't do what they are capable of, and very right were 'only' third in the free. I don't think anyone can even doubt the greatness of S/M's skate, and to me it shows excellent judging that the difference in the end was so small. Heartbreaking maybe for S/H but nonetheless.

Let's be honest: the skaters (all of them) showed greater sportmanship than anyone. I mentioned on another thread how touched I was by Sui's (who had just lost by less than half a point) gesture when Aljona got all emotional when she realised she had got the gold. And Sui must have been really disappointed too. Furthermore, T/M also showed great sportmanship after the disappointment had been lived through. They openly acknowledged the judging was right. So why are there people here turning a well skated and correctly judged event into a 'judging scandal' if the skaters do not?

 

[ladyjane]

Happy to say that Ryom/Kim already have been invited to the gala.

The invite list for pairs is top four at OWG + M/H + Ryom/Kim + Kim/Kam:

https://goldenskate.com/forum/showt...ibition-Gala&p=1974731&viewfull=1#post1974731​

I suppose it is a separate question as to whether Ryom/Kim/DPRK will accept, but I hope it would be a safe assumption that they will accept.

ETA:

I was/am using "top four at OWG" just as shorthand, instead of writing out all the names or initials.
Not/not/not saying that it will be a "rule" for all other disciplines that top four automatically will be invited to OWG gala. I have no idea one way or the other whether such a rule is in effect.​

How lovely that M/H are invited to the Gala! They were a joy to watch, both in their programmes and in the K&C. That enthusiasm!

 

[Logirl]

Sui was in serious pain

Just caught up with all the skates from reading what 'Draqq & Sequinsgalore' had done in the 'Play by Play' section. Thank you so much. Haven't had the chance to watch the actual performances on my video recorder yet. So, this is just a conclusion from what I have read.

I believe the results are correct. I am heartbroken for Yu (so low in the overall results) & Sui. However, would someone here agree with me that The Chinese Federation need to send their pairs' ladies to a 'jump technique specialist' or 'jump camp' this summer, especially if they want any chance for Gold in 4 years?

It is not just at the Olympics but throughout the entire Grand Prix seasons, Yu, Cheng, Wang and Sui (I was worried for her 3 Sal for the FD). They are all wonderful performers, well trained pairs ladies except for one aspect, the 'jumps'. Cheng Peng for example, struggled with her opening jumps the entire Grand Prix this season, last season was no better. No point saying that Sui/Han will be hungry for Gold in 4 years, etc if a basic problem is not fixed. In 4 years, the entire landscape could change, 4Throw could be the norm, two sets of combo jumps could be standard.

It is amazing what Sui was able to do with that type of pain. Sui had foot surgery. Her feet will never be like a skater without that type of injury. And she was in pain during this skate.

 

[OS]

OOoof.... just caught up with the pairs!! Holy crap!!! That was close!!! Less than half a point apart. Incredible competition.. BBC described it as the best pairs competition ever!! (and that is before the final flight start.)

Heartbreaks for Sui-Han, really great fight. Congrats Aliona and Bruno, incredible come back... and it is gold!!

Incredible fortitude and fight over 4 years Aliona. What a journey she has had. I remember all that drama with the fed, coaching change and split with Robin and to deliver this gold performance at this late point in her career is pretty incredible .. amazing determination and self-preservation. Girl power + Boy strength

Inspiring!! Marvelous!! Spectacular!! (Honrable Mention: best audience reaction- Katerina Witt. Britain's Christopher Dean choreographed the program.)

Hope this inspires Sui Han for gearing up for a great come back.... in 4 years... at home no less!!!

 

[Beckett]

I don't know if it's geoblocked but german tv station zdf has the VR version of the LP online here.

Looks geoblocked, unfortunately. I bet the VR is fantastic.

 

[Blades of Passion]

I don't think there was an active effort to calculate or maniuplate, I mean that would take way too much work, honestly, especially in reviewing elements in real time.

It doesn't take much work if someone knows the scores. Sui/Han had an element downgraded after the performance. Once the judges scores are in, you can just drop the levels accordingly to whatever is needed to create the desired result.

 

[Franza]

Explain one thing to me: Why is there way less emotional investment in Pairs than in any of the other disciplines? I might just read the wrong posts but all in all the athmosphere appears to be much more laid back and respectful of all skaters here than in threads where ID, ladies or men are involved.