2023 GPF: Men thoughts?

[gsk8]

Ilia Malinin 'ups the ante' at the Grand Prix Final

2023-24 Grand Prix Final: Men USA’s Ilia Malinin upped the ante while winning the Men’s title at the 2023-24 Grand Prix Final in Beijing, China. He became the first skater […]

www.goldenskate.com

I can't seem to get past the -5 that the Belgian judge gave Malinin on his quad Axel in the SP. It doesn't make sense. Did she blink?

I know Uno is getting on his "skating" years, but I really hope we will see him after 2026 as I enjoy his skating. I feel he still has some unlocked potential in terms of artistry. My only concern is he seems to be more fixated on pleasing his coach than himself.

Kagiyama just makes me smile. I feel so happy when I watch him and I look forward to seeing him grow.

Miura has the goods, he just needs to be more consistent. I don't think he's lacking confidence.

Adam and Kevin didn't have the skates they wanted, but I hope they can move on quickly as both are such good skaters.

What are your thoughts on the Men's event?

 

[cheerknithanson]

The -5 GOE reminds me of that one judge at 2015 US Classic that gave Daniel Samohin a 3 on one of his PCS scores.

Ilia had nerves of steel. Didn't waver after that fall in the FP on the 4A. Like nothing happened. And that 4A in the SP. Wow.

 

[ladyjane]

Lovely men, chaos category or not. Poor Kevin, Adam climbing up, Kao just not yet that performer, Yuma such fun both technical and performance wise, Shoma just perfect, and the true Jumping bean in first...

 

[YuBluByMe]

This was the event I was looking forward to the most and it did not disappoint. Four men - with different styles of skating - could have taken the title and it’s been at least a decade since there were that many competitors that could realistically take home the gold.

Aymoz : He predictably finished last, but this was a deep field. There’s a difference between finishing last with say a 260ish score (he’s more than capable of it) and great skates and finishing last because you skated poorly. After the first singled jump in his free skate, I literally started thinking that his boot broke or something. He was just very hard to watch. I actually thought his PCS was too high. I would have put him at 73-75. It was that bad. His SP, however, was good. I still think it’s boring, but he was the only skater besides Uno that I thought performed the short best at this competition, instead of earlier in the season. This despite of the small mistake.

Miura : I figured that Miura would finish either fifth or last and that’s where he ended up. Both the SP and FS are good vehicles for him yet he doesn’t sell them and he doesn’t listen to his music. He’s a great jumper, but when the jumps don’t work, there isn’t anything left.

Siao Him Fa : He was one of the favorites - arguably the favorite - but a fourth place finish with a 275+ score isn’t a bad result at all. That’s a medal anywhere else. I don’t think he lost any momentum so hopefully he bounces back for his Nationals and Europeans. I hope he works with a different choreographer in the future; the charade game at the beginning of his programs is unintentionally amusing.

Kagiyama : I think of all the recent comebacks in the last two years or so, his has been the most successful. This is because he actually took the time off to properly heal and didn’t rush with his technical content. I was once excited about a matchup with Ilia, but that has cooled somewhat because his current content cannot compete with Ilia’s, but hopefully he’ll return to full form. I think he has the best programs in this field. His SP is definitely the best choreographically. I wasn’t sold on his free when I first saw it, but now I am. It’s easily one of the best single’s programs using that music. He’s the only other skater that gives the climax justice with the amazing step sequence. He may have won “only” the bronze medal, but I thought he performed the best across both programs.

Uno : He’s had better programs. I absolutely cannot get down with that free skate. It takes a very, very special skater to pull that off and as mesmerizing as he can be…that skater just isn’t him. The second half requires not just beautiful skating, but beautiful choreography and beautiful jumps and those things are sorely lacking. Despite that though and I’ve said this once before, if this is his last year, then he would retire as an all-time great. The first half of his free skate is beautiful, world-class stuff.

Ilia : He won by a country mile, made history with the 4A in the short and then made history again with the 4Lo in the free. I find him exciting and I’m loving the displays of superior athleticism. I think it was two years ago that I wrote on here that announcers will eventually stop mentioning his mother in the warm-up introductions and list his accomplishments instead. He’s actually surpassed his mother now so that time has come. He’s never been a nervy skater (something that I’ve also said before), but he has really become a downright steely competitor. Congratulations on the well-deserved gold and his first major international title!

 

[Ali81]

The free skate was a bit disappointing. Everyone was a little off in one way or another. Kevin’s Bolero choreo seq was absolutely stunning and the only thing that really stuck with me. In terms of the competition as a whole the single best performance was Shoma’s short program which was poetry in motion and art on ice. Really seminal. And Ilia’s 4A in the short was amazing, I think his best 4A.

 

[triplelutzzzzz]

I feel bad for Adam, I know he didn't have the skate he wanted, but hopefully in his next competitions he will perform a bit better! (Not in the competition, but Adam's gala was amazing. I've said it before but him and Hana need to have a light saber battle, ASAP. It would heal me somehow. From what? I'm not sure, but it would.)

Kao is one of my favorites this year, so I'm a bit sad, but gastroenteritis is such a pain to deal with. I have stomach issues and if I had to compete in a huge competition while feeling that way, I guarantee you I would collapse before even getting to the venue, lol. So, good on him for pushing through, but I hope he is able to rest before Japanese Nats. At the kiss and cry he looked very pale, so I hope he's okay.

Yuma, as always, is such a treasure to watch skate! There is no man who can land jumps like he can. They're so light and graceful! He has good technical ability as well as having phenomenal presentation! I love his programs this year and I'm happy for him! I'm impressed by his musicality and his step sequences, they are just so beautiful!

Ilia made history not just once, but TWICE! Which is crazy. Congrats to him on the 4A in the short program and for making history in the free by landing every quad jump. It's definitely an incredible feat of athleticism! He's very confident and it shows! While I think he needs some work on his presentation (a criticism he receives often and has acknowledged himself), he's improved from last year and he's quite good technically! Congratulations on his gold!

 

[skylark]

For me, Ilia's skating is glorious in the moment. The way he skates, so full of dance-ability, and the way he jumps -- just sublime. Watching him jump is like watching a phenomenon of the universe. That doesn't mean that to me, he's only a jumper. What it suggests to me is that his intention in skating -- beauty, joy, exhilaration, athleticism -- is completely in harmony with his technique. I just am so happy that figure skating continues to evolve to show different ways of being one of the finest skaters in the world.

 

[Skating91]

Ilia has made history. He will be unstoppable now. It's one thing to have big jumps, but he seems to bring it every time. The pressure doesn't phase. Such a unique athlete.

I think he has three Olympic cycles in him, he'll be the greatest of all time by 2034.

 

[eppen]

Unhappy for the French boys, but excited for Ilia getting the 6th quad! Now looking forward to seeing all six in one program!

 

[lariko]

I basically assumed that -5 GoE on Ilia's quad was because the judge didn't correct the GoE after Ilia landed a 3A, thus removing any doubts that 4A was valid. I am more frustrated by GoEs lower than 3 on his other jumps. The kid seriously flies. There is no other way to describe the experience of watching him jump.

After this competition what I want is for USFS open the can of worms to increase BV for 4A and, while at it, start looking at BV for quints.

I was incredibly pleased by the way Malinin is packaged. I feel that there is a lot of people who help the family to figure out the spin on his personal story with 3 generations, get music that highlights it, adjust his looks to what the market wants, in addition to the skating.

His talent is worth it and if the FS continues to decline, well, I hope he gets as much limelight as he can. He earned it. The community deserves it. It means a lot to see him close the gala.

I don't know how long his steel and spring would be there for him, but hopefully long enough to win the Worlds.

As for the rest, I love Uno, and I would have preferred Fa with bronze over Kagiyama who imo just doesn't have much to offer beyond being the only reliable successor to Uno in Japan atm. JFS made a strategic mistake by letting Aymoz be pushed into GPF ahead of Sato, but Aymoz's two poor performances gave them a bit of a breather there. It would be interesting to see JNats, not that we'll be able to...

 

[Kris135]

Ilia has made history. He will be unstoppable now. It's one thing to have big jumps, but he seems to bring it every time. The pressure doesn't phase. Such a unique athlete.

I think he has three Olympic cycles in him, he'll be the greatest of all time by 2034.

And guess where the 2034 Olympic games will be. Salt Lake City what skater would not like end their career on the biggest stage in their home country. Ilia being the two time and defending Olympic gold medalist going for the three-peat, a girl can dream right, and getting a final Olympic gold medal before retiring. I think that that fact alone means that I really think he will try to keep going that long. He has a wonderful career before him that could be one greatest of all time if he can stay healthy and out of trouble.

 

[DancingCactus]

And you guys are wondering why some of us are annoyed by this Ilia hype? I mean, you can be fans and think he's the best thing since sliced bread, but maybe keep it to what he has actually achieved?

 

[Dreamer57]

I'm very happy to see Shoma and Yuma on the same podium with their Olympic mascots, brings back happy memories

Really concerned watching Kevin's free skate! Those were bad falls, reminding me just how dangerous this sport is. And he has to go to nationals this week??

I will probably be in the minority in saying I'm not sure Ilia can maintain this level of skating for 3 future Olympic cycles. We've never seen anyone else land the 4A and the effects of all jumping six quads might take a toll on his health over the years.
(To put my feelings into context, after watching NHK 2018 I thought Rika would be the undisputed champion of Japan for years to come. But it hasn't happened that way)
By all means, his first major championship win here should be celebrated! I would just be cautious with all the future plans people have in store for him.

 

[cheerknithanson]

And guess where the 2034 Olympic games will be. Salt Lake City what skater would not like end their career on the biggest stage in their home country. Ilia being the two time and defending Olympic gold medalist going for the three-peat, a girl can dream right, and getting a final Olympic gold medal before retiring. I think that that fact alone means that I really think he will try to keep going that long. He has a wonderful career before him that could be one greatest of all time if he can stay healthy and out of trouble.

I love Ilia's skating very much and hope he wins a medal at the 2026 Olympics and hope it is gold. And of course win World Championships. Having said that, Ilia will be 29 by the time the Salt Lake City Olympics come. I'm not sure if he'll be at the same level he's at now by the time February 2034 comes around. Would it be great if he could do it? Of course. However, we don't know what'll happen over the next 10 years to him (I think that's a long time away, but then I remember the 2014 Olympics is already almost 10 years old, so I know it'll come sooner than I think). I know that Yuzuru Hanyu competed at 3 straight Olympics, won gold 2 Olympics in a row, and was 27 at his 3rd Olympics. We don't know what will happen. Let's just hope Ilia stays healthy and injury-free between now and Milan 2026 as a starting point.

 

[noskates]

I really enjoyed the free skate. It ended up as I thought it would. Ilia's technical skills, when skated clean, are just almost impossible to overcome. And now that his presentation is evolving it really makes him a huge threat to the rest of the field. I love Shoma and I love his skating. I liked his SP better than the free and he seemed kind of tight or a little off to me. I will be sad when or if he retires. He has it all! Adam is fresh and exciting. Benoit's music choices are always a bit different and Adam delivers the choreography brilliantly. Yuma is a cutie and he has great energy but I'm always gritting my teeth waiting for him to make a mistake. Not much of a fan of Miura's and did not know he was ill. And Kevin. Gotta love the guy and his passion for skating but he was significantly outskated in that group.

 

[skatingguy]

I basically assumed that -5 GoE on Ilia's quad was because the judge didn't correct the GoE after Ilia landed a 3A, thus removing any doubts that 4A was valid. I am more frustrated by GoEs lower than 3 on his other jumps. The kid seriously flies. There is no other way to describe the experience of watching him jump.

The triple Axel in the short program was a 2 - it wasn't his best jump.

 

[lariko]

The triple Axel in the short program was a 2 - it wasn't his best jump.

That's fine, but low-balling his 4Lz in short, and pretty much everything in the free was uncalled for. When he has a beautiful jump, give him GoE that jump deserves, not 1 or 2 like it's average. Because they are not.

 

[lariko]

And you guys are wondering why some of us are annoyed by this Ilia hype? I mean, you can be fans and think he's the best thing since sliced bread, but maybe keep it to what he has actually achieved?

Yeah! We are! Over. The. MOON. ABOUT IT!

 

[skatingguy]

That's fine, but low-balling his 4Lz in short, and pretty much everything in the free was uncalled for. When he has a beautiful jump, give him GoE that jump deserves, not 1 or 2 like it's average. Because they are not.

I think 2, or 3 is debatable for those jumps - they were clean, but not a lot of flow/speed coming out, and there's no choreography or steps going so I think the judge can probably provide a good argument for the 2.

 

[lariko]

I think 2, or 3 is debatable for those jumps - they were clean, but not a lot of flow/speed coming out, and there's no choreography or steps going so I think the judge can probably provide a good argument for the 2.

There is plenty of flow and speed on the exits. And the height and position in the air is off the charts. As effortless as could be. So, 3-4.