2020-21 Russian Ladies' Figure Skating | Page 637 | Golden Skate

2020-21 Russian Ladies' Figure Skating

Status
Not open for further replies.
It would be completely irresponsible for Russian Fed to host an alternative for Euros, especially since that implies having skaters from other countries coming in. Have they learned nothing from how many Russian skaters have already had COVID?

It is absolutely heartbreaking to see these skaters lose out on so many major competitions especially with how short a figure skating career can be. However, that does not mean lives should be put at risk just to make sure they get an extra competition in before the Olympic season.
I completely agree. I get it from the standpoint of the skaters it is hard to have competitions cancelled, but to be fair out of many countries Russia (and a small number of others) has had many competitions, so it’s not like any skater hasn’t competed in 10 months. I feel like everything should just be cancelled so that the entire Russian skating team doesn’t get covid (even though at this point they are more than half way there— many pairs teams, dance teams, and some prominent singles as well). It’s just not worth it to risk these athletes health, especially with the more unknown long term effects of covid.
 
It would be completely irresponsible for Russian Fed to host an alternative for Euros, especially since that implies having skaters from other countries coming in. Have they learned nothing from how many Russian skaters have already had COVID?

It is absolutely heartbreaking to see these skaters lose out on so many major competitions especially with how short a figure skating career can be. However, that does not mean lives should be put at risk just to make sure they get an extra competition in before the Olympic season.
This. The RSF keeps providing more and more evidence that they don't care about their skaters's health. One of their most successful skaters of all time just suffered lung damage from COVID, but they are pretending everything is fine.

It is absolutely sad that some of the ladies aren't able to compete internationally during what might have been among their most successful seasons but it is clear that the longterm health of a minor is far more important than the number of medals that have....
 
Hi everyone!! After a short hiatus, I’m glad to be back on Golden Skate!! I’m excited for Russian Nats, so I decided to make a power (seeding) list of the ladies based on the latest news/results.

Here’s who I think will be the biggest threats to win Russian Nationals and make the world team (on a scale of 1-10):

Russian Nats Seeding
9. Kamila Valieva - one of the few Russian skaters who did not have to recently interrupt training due to illness, I think she has a great shot at taking the title going in. She has a triple axel, quads, and fantastic spins and extension. But her inconsistency in the free skate could cost her if others go clean.

8. Sasha Trusova - she has the quads and the triple axel, and (as far as I know) has been healthy. However, she doesn’t have the momentum going in after her disastrous free skate at Rostelecom. she needs to be clean to win.

8. Daria Usacheva - she has looked much more consistent this season, and she’s got great spins, skating skills , and performance quality (in my opinion one of the stronger PCS skaters in Russia). With no quads to triple axel, it could be tough for her to win, but I think she’s a favorite for the podium.

7. Anna Shcherbakova - I‘m not counting Anna out, but due to her recent battle with pneumonia and slight inconsistencies on the Russian Cup, I don’t think she has the momentum or fitness of the three ladies above her. She could prove all of us wrong and win her third title though :)

6. Alena Kostornaia - no stable 3A (as far as we know as of now) and having COVID-19 do not help her chances of competing well here - but she is a fighter and could skate very strongly here. If she skates well, WATCH OUT!!

6. Liza Tuktamysheva - I love Liza, and she had so much momentum going into this event UNTIL she got COVID. Like Aliona and Anna, an absolute pity she was ill, but it may have impacted her training like Anna/Aliona‘a may have been. If she gets the quad toe in, could be a game changer.

5. Maria Kromykh - similarly to last season, she’s inconsistent and doesn’t stand out among the Russian ladies. She’s landed the quad Sal in practice but hasn’t nailed it in competition yet. could be a wild card or dark horse.

WORLD TEAM PREDICTIONS:
1. Trusova
2-3 should be between Tuk, Anna, and Aliona - I think it will be very close and a tough decision, but I would send Anna and Tuk if they both deliver at nationals and Aliona doesn’t have the triple axel (but I’m rooting for Aliona! I love her skating and want her to do well!)
 
This. The RSF keeps providing more and more evidence that they don't care about their skaters's health. One of their most successful skaters of all time just suffered lung damage from COVID, but they are pretending everything is fine.

It is absolutely sad that some of the ladies aren't able to compete internationally during what might have been among their most successful seasons but it is clear that the longterm health of a minor is far more important than the number of medals that have....
I’m so sorry I am out of the loop, but which skater had lung damage from COVID. That’s awful! I wish the Federations could all carry things out more safely :(
 
It would be completely irresponsible for Russian Fed to host an alternative for Euros, especially since that implies having skaters from other countries coming in. Have they learned nothing from how many Russian skaters have already had COVID?

It is absolutely heartbreaking to see these skaters lose out on so many major competitions especially with how short a figure skating career can be. However, that does not mean lives should be put at risk just to make sure they get an extra competition in before the Olympic season.
I thought they meant having more ( new) local competitions, not alternative competition for Euros :unsure:
 
So happy to see Yulia is fine and is going to continue coaching. I was a little worried for her, since I thought it was going to be tough to work alone, since Lena exited their academy to join Plushenko. But happy to see that both work together again!

in the meantime Junior section of Moscow Championship concluded:

Sofia Samodelkina attempted rippon 4Lo and 4Sal! unfortunately fell on downgraded 4Lo and on 4Sal. She didn’t go for her reliable 3A in the free, but still a very good skate otherwise and good to see that she’s already attempting 4Lo in competition. It’s going to be an interesting battle of 2 Sofias :)

She’s leading (or already won) the event with 200 points total. Good job!
 
Last edited:
It would be completely irresponsible for Russian Fed to host an alternative for Euros, especially since that implies having skaters from other countries coming in. Have they learned nothing from how many Russian skaters have already had COVID?

It is absolutely heartbreaking to see these skaters lose out on so many major competitions especially with how short a figure skating career can be. However, that does not mean lives should be put at risk just to make sure they get an extra competition in before the Olympic season.
Oh they're going to do it. Hopefully with proper precautions for covid-19 in place.
 
I was hoping she would return to TT and reunite with EG Polina and Zhenya. But it's not to be. Yuliya was the queen of spins and flexibility and she could have imported so much knowledge into KV it would be unbelievable and make her probably unbeatable. Of course if she went back to TT she would probably have to start with the kids and work her way up whereas at PA she probably is going to start at a very high level working with world-class skaters trained by TT. It's an interesting scenario for yuliya and I wish her well. I also wish these two new young mothers would wear masks like all the time. Yuliya and Elena catching Covid is a real possibility for obvious reasons and they can't be bringing that home to their babies. I hope and have to believe they will take the proper precautions. I mean little Veronika did have covid at PA recently. :(

I know the coronavirus vaccines are coming Fast and Furious and it's incredible that that's happening but not everybody is going to want to take them and not everybody is going to be able to take them. I'm dubious about getting a vaccine shot for Coronavirus. I think billions of people are probably up in the air about it.
 
Hi everyone!! After a short hiatus, I’m glad to be back on Golden Skate!! I’m excited for Russian Nats, so I decided to make a power (seeding) list of the ladies based on the latest news/results.

Here’s who I think will be the biggest threats to win Russian Nationals and make the world team (on a scale of 1-10):

Russian Nats Seeding
9. Kamila Valieva - one of the few Russian skaters who did not have to recently interrupt training due to illness, I think she has a great shot at taking the title going in. She has a triple axel, quads, and fantastic spins and extension. But her inconsistency in the free skate could cost her if others go clean.

8. Sasha Trusova - she has the quads and the triple axel, and (as far as I know) has been healthy. However, she doesn’t have the momentum going in after her disastrous free skate at Rostelecom. she needs to be clean to win.

8. Daria Usacheva - she has looked much more consistent this season, and she’s got great spins, skating skills , and performance quality (in my opinion one of the stronger PCS skaters in Russia). With no quads to triple axel, it could be tough for her to win, but I think she’s a favorite for the podium.

7. Anna Shcherbakova - I‘m not counting Anna out, but due to her recent battle with pneumonia and slight inconsistencies on the Russian Cup, I don’t think she has the momentum or fitness of the three ladies above her. She could prove all of us wrong and win her third title though :)

6. Alena Kostornaia - no stable 3A (as far as we know as of now) and having COVID-19 do not help her chances of competing well here - but she is a fighter and could skate very strongly here. If she skates well, WATCH OUT!!

6. Liza Tuktamysheva - I love Liza, and she had so much momentum going into this event UNTIL she got COVID. Like Aliona and Anna, an absolute pity she was ill, but it may have impacted her training like Anna/Aliona‘a may have been. If she gets the quad toe in, could be a game changer.

5. Maria Kromykh - similarly to last season, she’s inconsistent and doesn’t stand out among the Russian ladies. She’s landed the quad Sal in practice but hasn’t nailed it in competition yet. could be a wild card or dark horse.

WORLD TEAM PREDICTIONS:
1. Trusova
2-3 should be between Tuk, Anna, and Aliona - I think it will be very close and a tough decision, but I would send Anna and Tuk if they both deliver at nationals and Aliona doesn’t have the triple axel (but I’m rooting for Aliona! I love her skating and want her to do well!)
I agree with most of that, but to me Daria shouldn't be that high. She still doesn't quite have the technical content to truly challenge. I'm sorry to say this, but if Dasha gets a medal, it simply means that many of the top girls have done poorly. Now that's possible, because of the inconvenient timing of the competition for many skaters, but I hope that won't be the case.
 
It's nice to see a good attendance at the Winter Star tournament in Minsk: skaters from the Netherlands, Belgium, France (Mazzara), Serbia (Dubanina), et al. as well as CIS countries, of course.

In the Short Programme, Viktoriya Safonova has been pipped into second place (67+) by Varvara Kisel (68+). Van Zundert (Ned) is third.
Like Vika, Varvara is also now representing Belarus, though she is from CSKA if I'm not mistaken and still coached by Buyanova's gp. No sign of Panova's Anastasiia unfortunately (though plenty of others from Ukr).

Free Skate Programme tomorrow.

Edit: written before I became aware of Anastasiia's sad news today.
 
Last edited:
Lipnitskaya was already employed of Plushenko in the past so no wonder she returns when the rookie coach needs as much publicity as possible after the failures with all the former Tutberidze skaters. The question is how long they will last on his team, both have their families as their only priority, which is why ilinykh was never seen in a competition again. I just hope they last longer in that team than Rozanov did.
 
Hi everyone!! After a short hiatus, I’m glad to be back on Golden Skate!! I’m excited for Russian Nats, so I decided to make a power (seeding) list of the ladies based on the latest news/results.

Here’s who I think will be the biggest threats to win Russian Nationals and make the world team (on a scale of 1-10):

Russian Nats Seeding
9. Kamila Valieva - one of the few Russian skaters who did not have to recently interrupt training due to illness, I think she has a great shot at taking the title going in. She has a triple axel, quads, and fantastic spins and extension. But her inconsistency in the free skate could cost her if others go clean.

8. Sasha Trusova - she has the quads and the triple axel, and (as far as I know) has been healthy. However, she doesn’t have the momentum going in after her disastrous free skate at Rostelecom. she needs to be clean to win.

8. Daria Usacheva - she has looked much more consistent this season, and she’s got great spins, skating skills , and performance quality (in my opinion one of the stronger PCS skaters in Russia). With no quads to triple axel, it could be tough for her to win, but I think she’s a favorite for the podium.

7. Anna Shcherbakova - I‘m not counting Anna out, but due to her recent battle with pneumonia and slight inconsistencies on the Russian Cup, I don’t think she has the momentum or fitness of the three ladies above her. She could prove all of us wrong and win her third title though :)

6. Alena Kostornaia - no stable 3A (as far as we know as of now) and having COVID-19 do not help her chances of competing well here - but she is a fighter and could skate very strongly here. If she skates well, WATCH OUT!!

6. Liza Tuktamysheva - I love Liza, and she had so much momentum going into this event UNTIL she got COVID. Like Aliona and Anna, an absolute pity she was ill, but it may have impacted her training like Anna/Aliona‘a may have been. If she gets the quad toe in, could be a game changer.

5. Maria Kromykh - similarly to last season, she’s inconsistent and doesn’t stand out among the Russian ladies. She’s landed the quad Sal in practice but hasn’t nailed it in competition yet. could be a wild card or dark horse.

WORLD TEAM PREDICTIONS:
1. Trusova
2-3 should be between Tuk, Anna, and Aliona - I think it will be very close and a tough decision, but I would send Anna and Tuk if they both deliver at nationals and Aliona doesn’t have the triple axel (but I’m rooting for Aliona! I love her skating and want her to do well!)
My predictions for Senior RusNats.

1- Kamila. If she doesn't feel pressure from the presence of the Angel-Devil(Alëna) and the queenslayer (Sasha) on the rink.
2- Anna. Russian judges favor her so much no matter how many mistakes she makes.
3- Tukta / Alëna, (Depending on Alëna's trixels status)
The rest of the competitors are filler.

World Team.

1- Anna
2<-->3 Alëna / Liza T.
1st Substitute: Gulyakova

I am skeptical about Trusova. I doubt that she gets a spot for the National Team this and next
season.
 
My predictions for Senior RusNats.

1- Kamila. If she doesn't feel pressure from the presence of the Angel-Devil(Alëna) and the queenslayer (Sasha) on the rink.
2- Anna. Russian judges favor her so much no matter how many mistakes she makes.
3- Tukta / Alëna, (Depending on Alëna's trixels status)
The rest of the competitors are filler.

World Team.

1- Anna
2<-->3 Alëna / Liza T.
1st Substitute: Gulyakova

I am skeptical about Trusova. I doubt that she gets a spot for the National Team this and next
season.

I think this really depends, Tuktamysheva if she's on fire is good, but as long as Trusova avoids an implosion with 3 or more falls, she's likely going to beat Tuktamysheva because her BV is so much higher - for comparison at GP Russia this year Trusova's BV was 82.27 (with under-rotations and q's which I believe reduces the BV) while Tuktamysheva's was 67.07.
 
Last edited:
I think this really depends, Tuktamysheva if she's on fire is good, but as long as Trusova avoids an implosion with 3 or more falls, she's likely going to beat Tuktamysheva because her BV is so much higher - for comparison at GP Russia this year Trusova's BV was 82.27 (with under-rotations and q's which I believe are reduces the BV) while Tuktamysheva's was 67.07.
Not to mention, Liza already commented that she was planning to try a quad and replace one of her 3A with it. So the BV will not increase substantially with the addition of a quad.

i think world team will be Sasha, Anna, Aliona/Liza. Kamila and Daria might podium, but Kamila is a nervous competitor, can make mistakes and Dasha needs to be squeaky clean. So everything‘s possible, including that neither even makes the podium if Aliona/Liza will go clean. Sasha I believe just had a one off, I think she’ll be able to land 3-4 quads and 3A at nationals, and possibly win too.
 
Gubanova on why she didn’t compete up until SPb championship: she was in quarantine several times, she came in contact with infected people, when she was only about to gain her competitive form, she would suddenly have to quarantine again, thus she missed all Cup stages and couldn’t earn a spot for Nationals. She herself didn’t get infected (wasn’t sick).
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top