But that long program on Nationals had NOT been cream of the crop. That was skim milk, no matter how much you love Alina. So she was held up, cause the fed hoped can she clean up her act and she did in the end. They had not been so nice to Tuktamysheva. And many others.
I mean.... OGM did nothing for Adelina and Julia...
OGM did nothing for Adelina because as much as I respect her and like her she won out of luck, at the expense of Julia not skating her program clean and everybody was aware of it. I don't remember Julia being treated unfairly. On the contrary, she was the darling, who was given a green go at every turn but her continuous down-slide and inconsistency let other skaters take the top spots. Alina had ups and downs in 2018/19 but before winning the worlds she won 3 competitions and lost 2. She was not held up, she was exactly where she was supposed to be. The only discord of opinion was caused by Medvedeva vs Tuktamisheva decision where Rusfed were accused of bias.