2018 Rostelecom Cup Men's Short Program

[Colonel Green]

Now my biggest concern for tomorrow... can Keegan still podium?

It’s a men’s event. Anything can happen.

In all seriousness, he’s nine back of third. That’s one clean quad, or one bad quad from somebody else.

All that said, Junhwan must be getting hopeful based on Keegan and Mikhail’s current placements.

 

[Baron Vladimir]

25 points for my predictions as of now. arty:

15 for me thanks to Yuzuru

 

[somelikeitpink]

I literally just about managed to get online in time to watch yuzu and wow... watching him perform that live in helsinki two weeks ago was amazing and seeing him top that even now.

He looks so free right now, and dear god is there even anyone coming close at the moment? GPF will be interesting when Shoma and nathan will be there to actually get a bit of a competition started. At the moment he really is on his own planet.

 

[Ichatdelune]

All that said, Junhwan must be getting hopeful based on Keegan and Mikhail’s current placements.

Oh dear heavens don't get me on that again, darling squirtle is going to be on the ice in 3 hours plus some minutes...

 

[hanyuufan5]

Ahhh, thank you, Yuzu, for that beautiful performance.

Misha... there's still the free skate... It is NOT too late for you to pull a Zhenya/Kaori.

 

[NoNameFace]

15 for me thanks to Yuzuru

20 for me, glad we seems to be ALL affected

 

[frida80]

In Misha's defense, this is first competition in Russia since the Olympics. It must have been awful skating in front of the home crowd after such a disappointing result in the team event.

 

[laiyamanika]

Thank you Yuzu for gracing us with your presence

 

[lala34345]

Poor Misha. You know it's bad when he does his -5 MPH skate to the kiss and cry when he's done; seriously, he probably just set a world record for how long it takes to skate to the boards from center ice. He just can't get out of his own head, and every time he screws up like this it just gets worse and worse. He is so supremely talented, but really needs a sports psychologist or SOMETHING because at this point it's just getting ridiculous. It's time for him to ignore the traditional Russian stoic-ness/stigma towards mental health and find someone who can help him with this, because he's got some really bad stuff going on psychologically.

 

[flanker]

It's odd...as far as I know TAT and others say the Russian men are too soft these days in terms of life experience. I mean Plushy travelled 1000 miles from home when he was 13 to skate and lived by himself for a whole year. That sort of thing would put stuff into prespective (although you could argue there'd be even more pressure then...because if he didn't skate well he'd never be able to help his family out), so it's kinda of a mystery.

WOOOW 110.53 for Yuzu! Brian bows to him! Pooh does his little wave and the Yuzu fans are crying tears of happiness!

But it is in such contrast with the strength of the ladies in this field. Bah, russian junior pair skaters (like Galliamov) are stronger jumpers than this...

 

[Ichatdelune]

Well, Emperor Hanyu Yuzuru, Son of the Winter Skies and Grand Lord of Winnie the Pooh's, has shaken me enough for me to not be able to concentrate on preparing for tomorrow's work (gaaaaaah I might miss him oh please let him skate last), so I'm just moving on to ID. Who cares about sleep at this point?

 

[TallyT]

I really ought to head in, have to get up at fivethirty tomorrow, but I'm so hyped up by this that I will find it hard to sleep....

And darling little Kazuki did well too!

 

[Interspectator]

Right after the SP, in an interview with Shuzo-san, Yuzu said that more than happy, he was relieved. He feels he can say it's a no-miss performance, but not perfect yet. -Just from my memory.

 

[NoNameFace]

In Misha's defense, this is first competition in Russia since the Olympics. It must have been awful skating in front of the home crowd after such a disappointing result in the team event.

I really don't know at this point...Now it begins to look like a huge unrealised potential he has irks people more than his in/out execution of his programs - the execution, pops, stepouts and jumping problems became already his kind of thing we expect from Mikhail and him lucking out when the field is not doing well - but how about making the logic the other way, to expect realizing his quality in action consistently, no matter what field does? I do wonder if he already accepted the fact he's headcasing his jumps, because his body looks ready while his entrances are getting longer and longer - he overthinks what he's doing on ice instead of just doing it. And his remorseful stare, expressionless and blank, at the end of such skate won't help.

He looks like to have the support, still, despite being in and out, but he does nothing to make the support worth it at this point. It just does not feel confident and top class seeing him, his uncertain approach towards his skating. No doubt he is talented, skilful, has lovely qualities, but when the full potential of all of this will be realized, giving him (and us) some satisfaction?

 

[demarinis5]

I had no doubt that Yuzu would be the class of the field today! His execution of his technical content was spot on to my eye

Bad day for both Keegan and Mikhail. I thought they would be 2-3 after the SP.

Very nice skates from Morisi, Alexander and Kazuki!

 

[somelikeitpink]

does anyone know if the press conference will be livestreamed?

 

[Colonel Green]

Keegan and Mikhail should commiserate over a round of vodka.

But tomorrow is another day.

 

[Ichatdelune]

Right after the SP, in an interview with Shuzo-san, Yuzu said that more than happy, he was relieved. He feels he can say it's a no-miss performance, but not perfect yet. -Just from my memory.

At this point I have to wonder just what perfection is to him. He truly is an artist on the ice, isn't he?

Off-topic but it kinda reminds me of Uchimura Kohei, he was (and probably still is) never 100% satisfied with his performances even when he was being called basically perfect. Come to think of it Yuzuru mentioned his attitude on performances during an interview after his FS at Helsinki, what is it with those inhuman Japanese performers...

 

[hanyuufan5]

You guys, there was a 30 second reduction in the free skate that Misha and everyone else still have to get used to. He got 4th at Helsinki, it's early in the season, and we have no idea what he'll do in the free skate. If his problems this season are caused by an injury or just getting used to the new rules or any of the 58675649+ other plausible explanations, I sure hope he's not reading all these theories about his supposed mental health problems...

 

[Interspectator]

I've revived myself enough to really cheer, --about an hour after everyone has left the building! Typical.

Hoooray, Yuzu!
Hooray, Moris -you chaotic gem.

Tomono, Fentz, Majorov you guys were great too!

Some bright spots today. In the end, not as dire as the last GP Men's SP.