So… that was underwhelming. Well, some thoughts nevertheless (TL;DR at the end):
Anna: Love the music, love the concept and idea, love her portrayal. But the choreography is just…. non-existant, really? There‘s a few vaguely "oriental" hand movements (that could have been copied straight out of Zagitova‘s Cleopatra) and the standard "Shcherbakova-transitions" that Gleikhengauz makes her use in every program. But it will be a good Olympic program, mainly because Anna is one heck of a performer. Even at this point of the season, the intensity is all there. She SOLD this program to me, despite my disappointment about the choreo and her own technical mistakes. I don‘t think there‘s anyone else among the current women who manages to not let mistakes affect the performance in any way. Only her. Jumps? Never been a fan of her technique, never mattered much anyway. She tends to underwhelm at test skates, so… we‘ll see what happens throughout the season.
Sasha: Surprisingly, I think this was my favorite performance, mainly because it surprised me so much. First off, she looks so fierce in that dress with that hair. And her performance felt much improved, so much so in fact, that I could barely believe it‘s her. There were shades of that last year already but today I really felt she was smoother in her movements (without losing any of her power) and less frantic. I‘m not a fan of the music but I can see this program in an Olympic arena. Now, I wish this could carry on to the FS but I fear that with 5 quads, there simply won‘t be much time for something like choreography….
Jumps are same old story, as well. I think she has a similar problem as Zhilina, if less aggravated. Both are very powerful but also kinda nervous skaters and tend to put too much energy into their jumps when under pressure. That‘s why we saw Sasha overrotate the 3Lz in the SP at Worlds and the 3A here. If she gets that under control, though, she‘s a lock for the Olympics. No one jumps like her.
Aliona: Bit of a mixed bag really. The 3A was << and it threw her off hard until the step sequence. The 3Lz and combo have looked better as well. Good for her for not falling but… well. She‘s my favorite, so maybe I have higher standards but I fear for her Olympic chances. She really needs to get that leg wrap and URs under control.
The program is okay, I guess? It doesn’t really feel "Olympic" to me but very few programs today did… Too much wailing for me (Maiia’s music is much better) but she seems to love it and really sold the step sequence. There was a point after the second spin, where she let it all go and almost sang along lol. If she has this kind of energy throughout the entire program, it‘ll be great. She‘s still the best overall skater for me and she has that undeniable "it" factor but she needs to be on.
Kamila: Well, she‘s almost perfect. And maybe that‘s what bothers me so much. Thing is, if I watch Anna, Sasha and Aliona, they all have distinct strengths and weaknesses and personalities and they all come across in the program. Kamila‘s skating, in comparison, feels generically beautiful to me. Like, there‘s nothing obvious to criticise (other than the horrible technique on her combos) but also nothing about her performance that makes it particularly engaging or memorable. It doesn’t help that the SP is pretty much Daniil doing copy paste from Storm and changing the music. She‘ll still win the OGM barring serious meltdown and it will be deserved but she‘s never going to be a favorite of mine.
Daria: I prefer this SP to last year‘s, mainly because I like the music more. Other than that, it‘s the kind of choreography/theme she‘s had for the last few years. She‘s a beautiful skater and she seems more engaged in her performance than Kamila but that‘s about it. If she gets a 3A, she‘ll be in contention for the Olympic team.
Maiia: I like this program and her intepretation has grown from last year. More confidence as well. Same story as for Daria: if she lands the quads, she has a shot. Can‘t really say more about it, other than that I seriously dislike her posture during her combinations.
Liza is the same she‘s always been. Her skating style will never be my cup of tea but good for her for showing that you can be in contention even at the ancient age of 25. (this sounds so wrong lol) She could, theoretically, make the team but I think a lot of things would have to go wrong for the skaters from TeamTut for that to happen.
Sinitsyna‘s program was beautiful and quietly captivating. I liked the choreography as well. She‘s just a good skater overall. Won‘t get on the Olympic team but I hope she can pick up some medals at Challengers and the GP.
Not much to say about Samodurova and Nugumanova, sadly. I like both of them and think they‘re good skaters in their own right but they were outclassed hard today and it shows.
TL;DR: my favorites were Anna and Sasha. Aliona‘s program has room to grow and I think I‘ll end up liking it. Gleikhengauz’s choreography has seen more original times all in all. My opinion also solidified that, if I could choose an Olympic team, it would consist of the "3A". They‘re the most memorable to me because they‘re all unique in their own way and it shows in every performance of theirs.
