Welp. I certainly didn't expect any of that.
Kurakova pulled a Nathan Chen circa 2018 lp by moving up so many places.
Karen Chen pulled a Nathan Chen circa 2018 sp. WHY insist on doing the loop when you know it's not there? She's a beautiful skater, but wut?
To file under "What If...": If Bradie hadn't gone down to injuries, her PB would have gotten her 4th here (PB was at USNats, so probably inflated). Her PB outside Nats would have STILL gotten her 4th though. She definitely could have at least matched well against the Japanese.
Mariah and Alysa: good job, ladies. Alysa is still a threat for the future and will be fun to watch. It took Jason Brown a long time to nail the 3A, and now he aces it, so I expect her to do the same. She'll be a good role model for the ones coming up behind her.
Happy to see the Japanese ladies make a statement (and get a medal). Did Midori Ito cover the event? I'd love to know what she has to say.
Kamila: Regardless of the final outcome of the drug testing situation, I hope she gets the psychiatric care she probably needs. Eteri's coaching team are the coldest people I've ever seen, so I sadly have my doubts they'll get her that care.
Trusova: I have not watched the backstage coverage, but going by what was shared here, I have thoughts. That meltdown probably stems from fear that she's now going to "age out" from being one of TT's favored students. TT's skaters just don't come back for a second Olys because the Juniors come along and the focus goes to them. It truly sounded like she fears she won't make it to 2026 (if the minimum age is changed, she might not have to fear the upcoming Juniors so much). I don't like her skating style, but I give her credit for sticking to her vision for her skating. If she'd jump to another coach she would at least escape DanniG as choreographer (dude is the Mike Brady of skating; he can only do the same program over and over again, no matter what the music).
Anna: I don't know much about her, but she seems to be the quiet workhorse in the background, and it's a damn shame her backstage moments after winning were overshadowed by K&T's drama. If Trusova were the "good girl" some people on this board insist she is, she would have saved the meltdown for later and let Anna have her moment. Instead, TT had to run around trying to de-escalate. They reap what they sow. It almost seemed like Anna was afraid for having beaten the two anointed queens of Russian skating, and that's also a damn shame.
I await the world team decisions with bated breath.