2021 Worlds: Men's FS "Thoughts and Observations"

[Jaana]

Although I only watched the last two groups, it was a highly enjoyable skating event!!! Maybe all the skaters were not totally clean, but the performances of these skaters were still very enjoyable to watch:

Cha
Yan
Aymoz
Messing
Kolyada
Uno
Hanyu
Kagiyama
Chen

Feeling sad that Hanyu was not at his best in the freeskate, but he has nothing to prove.. .Kagiyma is the new wonder boy, what a huge talent!!! I also thought that I have never ever seen Chen skate like this, WOW!!!

 

[fanyu23]

Is it time for Yuzuru to retire? What do you guys think?

 

[lostlutz]

Is it time for Yuzuru to retire? What do you guys think?

Yes. This won't be popular but I'm not sure he should have continued at all after the Olympics. With a few exceptions his skating has been looking mediocre since 2018, lacking energy and projection, skating skills looking laboured and sloppy. Yesterday, after all the great performaces before him, he just looked pitiful and washed up. No offense.
He sounds completely demotivated too, fixating only on that stupid quad axel which is very unlikely he'll land at that age. He should focus on delivering good perfomances next year and finish his career on a respectable note to preserve his legacy as a champion and not be remembered as someone who overstayed his welcome to chase after an unrealistic goal.

 

[readernick]

Yes. This won't be popular but I'm not sure he should have continued at all after the Olympics. With a few exceptions his skating has been looking mediocre since 2018, lacking energy and projection, skating skills looking laboured and sloppy. Yesterday, after all the great performaces before him, he just looked pitiful and washed up. No offense.
He sounds completely demotivated too, fixating only on that stupid quad axel which is very unlikely he'll land at that age. He should focus on delivering good perfomances next year and finish his career on a respectable note to preserve his legacy as a champion and not be remembered as someone who overstayed his welcome to chase after an unrealistic goal.

He still gave a fabulous performance in his SP. I didn't find that washed up at all and I'm not a Yuzuru super fan. He has also had several other wonderful skates the last few years including two lovely skates at JN ( his only other competition this year). Yuzuru has won everything so maybe it isn't worth it for him to just skate clean and win another title. Perhaps, the 4A is his only real goal. If that's that the case, let him do what he wants. A bronze medal would be a dream come true for most other skaters. It isn't like he is taking another skater's spot. I don't understand people who like to insist a skater quit just because they struggle.

 

[Samoyed]

Yes. This won't be popular but I'm not sure he should have continued at all after the Olympics. With a few exceptions his skating has been looking mediocre since 2018, lacking energy and projection, skating skills looking laboured and sloppy. Yesterday, after all the great performaces before him, he just looked pitiful and washed up. No offense.
He sounds completely demotivated too, fixating only on that stupid quad axel which is very unlikely he'll land at that age. He should focus on delivering good perfomances next year and finish his career on a respectable note to preserve his legacy as a champion and not be remembered as someone who overstayed his welcome to chase after an unrealistic goal.

And why it is bad to dream big? If quad axel motivates him to skate, why it is bad, even though it might not be reachable? I have to admit, I do not have a lot of knowledge about men's skating (still expanding and learning though), but his SP program was good and approaching FS he was visibly ill, not demotivated... Because I didn't follow his career in the past, I checked his results: post Olympics he was mostly 1st, sometimes second. Actually his whole career looked like that. So I do think, if he wants to quit after next Olympics then it is fine, but I would not say, that he overstayed his welcome in case he would want to continue.

 

[anonymoose_au]

After such skate, he will surely be torn to pieces by his countrymen, just like Plushenko in 2014. Poor guy...

I hope not...are the Chinese known for that? Because Russia has form in turning against their skaters. Two words Artur Gachinkski.

He should focus on delivering good perfomances next year and finish his career on a respectable note to preserve his legacy as a champion and not be remembered as someone who overstayed his welcome to chase after an unrealistic goal.

Well his idol is Plushy, perhaps he figures he might as well go out the same way he did

In all seriousness though, this is jumping the gun a bit, Yuzu's SP was glorious!

 

[kan01]

Jason landed his first quad.

His second quad to be more precise (see 2016 Skate America--that one was clean). He also stood up on a << one at 2020 US Nationals, but I guess it doesn't count since it was <<.

 

[SpiffySpiders]

I'm still in awe of what Nathan did.

I want my girl Sasha Trusova to watch Nathan's skate from this Worlds every day and understand that is what she's aiming for. He was perfection; wonderful jumps combined with understated and measured artistry that compliments the jumping rather than interfering with it. That was what a five quad, unbeatable, legendary skate looks like. It was a masterclass for aspiring big jumpers.

Is it time for Yuzuru to retire? What do you guys think?

No. It's time for him to retire when he decides he has nothing more to chase in skating. He can keep competing for the rest of his life as far as I'm concerned. Or he can walk away tomorrow if he wants and know he is, and will always be, a legend in the sport. It's his choice. He's earned that status.

 

[karne]

I for once hope, perhaps selfishly, that China will make ISU get them a host spot at the Olympics .

They can't. They qualified a spot in men, so no host spot. They can only get a host spot in disciplines they don't qualify a spot for. Russia went through this very rule with the ISU with great rigor in the year before Sochi (looking for a second men's spot also). If THEY couldn't get it I doubt China will - and nor should they.

 

[jenaj]

Is it time for Yuzuru to retire? What do you guys think?

No. He is still among the top two skaters in the sport. The Chen-Hanyu rivalry is the best thing in skating right now. Without Hanyu, what incentive would Nathan--or anyone--have to get better? As long as Hanyu is healthly and has the motivation, I think he should continue.

 

[lariko]

He still gave a fabulous performance in his SP. I didn't find that washed up at all and I'm not a Yuzuru super fan. He has also had several other wonderful skates the last few years including two lovely skates at JN ( his only other competition this year). Yuzuru has won everything so maybe it isn't worth it for him to just skate clean and win another title. Perhaps, the 4A is his only real goal. If that's that the case, let him do what he wants. A bronze medal would be a dream come true for most other skaters. It isn't like he is taking another skater's spot. I don't understand people who like to insist a skater quit just because they struggle.

Pretty much what I thought. If he really wants to sign the 4A to his name, let the guy do it. He still skates above most of the rest of the field. I wasn’t a big fan of either short or free in this particular competition, but he did plenty.

 

[eppen]

His second quad to be more precise (see 2016 Skate America--that one was clean). He also stood up on a << one at 2020 US Nationals, but I guess it doesn't count since it was <<.

He did two in that competition, the one in the SP he fell and the one in the FS was underrorated. Stayed on his feet, but still a long way from a clean jump, I'm afraid.

He has attempted the 4T 16 times and only 3 have been fully rotated but those are with -4.00 GOE so without checking, I guess falls? Including the 4S in the FS here, he has 3 tries for that jump with one downgrade and two underrotations. This for international competitions.

E

 

[giulia95]

Is it time for Yuzuru to retire? What do you guys think?

Yuzu heard your question

https://twitter.com/Iron_Klaus/status/1376166142100770818?s=20

 

[lariko]

Yuzu heard your question

https://twitter.com/Iron_Klaus/status/1376166142100770818?s=20

Thank you for sharing!

 

[readernick]

Yuzu heard your question

https://twitter.com/Iron_Klaus/status/1376166142100770818?s=20

Very clear what Yuzuru's goal is and it isn't a World Championship medal. I wish him luck!

 

[kan01]

the one in the FS was underrorated.

If it wasn't ratified as clean by judges, it doesn't mean it wasn't actually clean, judges make mistakes and a lot of people believe it was wrongly marked under. It could have been q, I did not check closely and I'm not very good at detecting URs either, just saying what people more knowledgeable than me have been saying (including Wong if I remember correctly or another journalist), and they say it was actually clean even though the judges were quick to call it UR. I believe them. We've seen judges quick to call URs on some skaters and not on others. That being said the 4S from stockholm was < but not that "long way" from being clean IMO.
OP's words were: "landed his first quad" They were both "landed" though.

Edit: I actually looked for it. In the replay even the commentators were confused why it was called 'cause it looked clean to them.

2016 Skate America Jason Brown LP USA NBC (clean+successful quad)

www.youtube.com

long way from a clean jump? I doubt it.

 

[fanyu23]

Thank you all for replying to my question. I hope Yuzuru achieves his goal. As a fan of his, I find solace in knowing that he’s just skating for himself now and that no defeat can demoralize him unhealthily.

 

[Holy Headband]

Nobody was propping Mozalev. All the Russians could talk about all that year, up until his withdrawal due to injury, was Samsonov, Samsonov, Samsonov. Ad nausea. Internally, Mozalev barely made the junior worlds, Samsonov was junior national champion. Semenenko was the 4th, but didn’t even have qualification to go to the Worlds when Samsonov withdrew, so Yablokov went as the next down the list.

Samsonov was their answer to Kagiyama, not Mozalev...

Samsonov got the Eteri/RusFed treatment for sure, but I think it was pretty obvious Mozalev was propped up too, especially at his first JGP in Riga. I have a lot to say about that season of junior men's events, but I don't know if this is the best thread for it, so let's just say you're free to disagree with me if you have a different take.

 

[lariko]

Samsonov got the Eteri/RusFed treatment for sure, but I think it was pretty obvious Mozalev was propped up too, especially at his first JGP in Riga. I have a lot to say about that season of junior men's events, but I don't know if this is the best thread for it, so let's just say you're free to disagree with me if you have a different take.

Let’s agree to disagree. But Kagiyama obviously went far, far higher in the first senior & grats to him.

 

[Jeanie19]

My thoughts on the free skate.
Nathan was mesmerizing. It's not that he landed 5 quads, he did them effortlessly.
I knew Keegan was the right choice, and his guns n roses is my favorite of his.
Yuma is a delight, bright future.
The Russian men brought, got the third spot.
Jason was great, landed a 4S!!!.
Kevin was great. I love his artistry and he secured 2 spots for France.

Deniss , not his best. But RJ is a good program, please watch his Nebelhorn performance.

Lastly, sad that China lost a spot.