- Joined
- Oct 20, 2017
It won't be announced until after Europeans
2019-20 Russian Ladies' Figure Skating
- Thread starter Spirals for Miles
- Start date
It won't be announced until after Europeans
Likely those who grab medals in EC will go to WC. Losers will be substituted. If no medal at all, there's a dilemma.
- Joined
- Jan 25, 2013
I don't think it's an issue for the top 3 if any of them fail to medal. It will be exceedingly easy though. Lindfors was a surprise bronze last year to prevent the Russian sweep, but Stanislava and Alina underperformed and she lit it up -- this year though, there is literally nobody to challenge the top 3.
Without fear of contradiction or jinxing, if there's any 100% certain ladies Russian sweep (barring injury/withdrawal), it's this year's Euros with Anna/Alena/Alexandra.
The highest non-Russian season's best is Ekaterina Kurakova of Poland (who was clean at the Warsaw Cup to win it over Tennell) got 201 points there, which is well below any of the Russians. http://www.isuresults.com/isujsstat/sb2019-20/sbtslto.htm
- Joined
- Feb 10, 2018
^ Although ... I think there is a pretty good chance that one of the Russian ladies will win a medal. Maybe two.
With Viveca Lindfors out and Loena Hendrickx returning after a long rehabilitation due to injury (though she doesn't do quads
), whose PB score is just 204 points, I can hardly imagine some of the 3A finishing out of the podium. Of course everything is possible and I don't wanna curse it, but it would require not just a bad skate, it would require something 100 % worse than Sasha's free skate at nationals.
^ Although ... I think there is a pretty good chance that one of the Russian ladies will win a medal. Maybe two.
Or three.
Let's see. The only ones in contention (if one of the 3A has a really really baaaad skate) are the ex-Russians Kurakova, Safonova and Ryabova.
But I can't see it happen. The top3 for the 3A are practically secured...I think...
- Joined
- Feb 24, 2012
What about Pagianni or Lindfors? I agree though it will be tough to stop 3A unless someone steals their skate or the skates get broken like Evgenia. Even with a melt down like Trusova at Nats she still was significantly better than most in Europe.
Ok, Paganini might be a small threat too. Lindfors though is injured and won't be there.
Yeah it's theirs to lose.
Kurakova, very nice skater to watch, great performer, polished skater but many of her triples often look underrotated to me.
Safonova is the opposite: excellent jumper but she has yet to develop a personality on the ice.
Ryabova, also not the greatest performer and a bit more inconsistent of the other two but she is getting stronger this season.
Will she compete there? She has WD all competitions so far this season.
As for Paganini she could fight for 4th place
Lindfors wasn't at Nationals, and that effectively ruled her out for Europeans. Finnish rules.
- Joined
- Oct 13, 2019
Truth. Everyone is at Sasha’s mercy. If she does everything she’s capable of - five quads and a triple axel - everyone else is fighting for silver and it wouldn’t be close. Sasha’s biggest competition is herself.
- Joined
- Feb 27, 2014
9, Aliona and Anna are not at Sasha's mercy she is clearly the third wheel of 3A this season. It's hype like you gave her everyone's at Sasha's mercy that have given her unrealistic expectations for a skater that is super spectacular but has a lot of work to do. She never skates clean with Anna and Aliona in the same competition and now Sasha's program is too complicated in the free skate it's too much for her. Her handlers really need to pull Sasha back a step or two and let her become cleaner and more consistent and then when she does had perhaps a 5th quad. Absolutely no need for that now it causes more harm than good. I played baseball when I was in high school and college and Sasha is like a baseball player that tries to hit a home run every at bat whereas Anna and aliona go for singles and walks that they are happy with that for anyone here who understands baseball.
There is no need for anyone try to hit a homerun every at bat and there's no need for Sasha to try to set a world record with every free skate. We get it she's a phenomenon that we've never seen before in figure skating. But I want to see some longevity with this girl it seems to me that she's burning the candle awfully hard early in her career. But that's just one mans opinion. Mine. Actually it's a lot of people's opinion I think. Always good luck to Sasha seeing her cry the other day was upsetting. Someone needs to pull her back and say hey slow down a little bit.- Joined
- Oct 13, 2019
Everyone is at Sasha’s mercy because there is nobody with as much scoring potential as her and she’s the only skater who doesn’t need to rely on the mistakes of others when she skates her absolute best. Nobody can beat five quads and a triple axel.
Sasha hasn’t skated clean because of bad luck and letting the pressure overwhelm her. It’s not because she can’t do it. She can do everything perfect in practice. It’s just a matter of doing five quads and a triple axel in competition.
Things change really quickly. If/when Sasha wins her gold at Euros and/or Worlds, nobody will be talking about her earlier misfortunes.
Sasha hasn’t skated clean because of bad luck and letting the pressure overwhelm her. It’s not because she can’t do it. She can do everything perfect in practice. It’s just a matter of doing five quads and a triple axel in competition.
Things change really quickly. If/when Sasha wins her gold at Euros and/or Worlds, nobody will be talking about her earlier misfortunes.
- Joined
- Feb 25, 2014
Keep in mind: if scoring potential were the only thing that mattered, a different person would have won Worlds last season.
- Joined
- Oct 13, 2019
The point was, if Sasha lands her five quads and a triple axel, she is unbeatable. She probably doesn’t even need to do all of that to win, though. I think that’s overkill, tbh. But she can do it. She does it in practice.
- Joined
- Jun 21, 2003
- Joined
- Feb 25, 2014
Sasha is incredibly capable and a warrior of an athlete, but the problem is that you're referencing an absolute best skate that we haven't come close to seeing yet. And practice and competitions are two different things, especially when even the videos we've seen of her 3A in practice (presumably the best they'd been able to get to date) were borderline.
I would not be surprised if Sasha manages the 5 quads by the end of the season. That as her best versus Anna at her best seems more realistic.
- Joined
- Nov 20, 2018
Sasha has not yet produced a clean 3-quad program. It is early to say that Anna is at her mercy.
- Joined
- Oct 13, 2019
It hasn’t been seen in competition yet because of bad luck and skating last (too much pressure).
Her 3A is more like 50/50 right now, or a little more. She’s not fully confident in it yet, but it’s getting there. She’ll probably have a stable 3A by Worlds. And next season almost certainly.
Anyway, this season for her is looking really similar to last season. She wasn’t at her best initially and saved her best for last.
