2026 Olympics: Pairs' Free Skate | Page 48 | Golden Skate

2026 Olympics: Pairs' Free Skate

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Natalia and Artur were ice dancers (separate discipline from pairs), so can't really compare to the pairs discipline.
M/D were pairs skaters, but I don’t think we can possibly compare pairs from the 6.0 system to the IJS system. Programs from the 6.0 system had so much more freedom and creative identity while programs from the IJS system all look cookie cutter and feel void of emotion due to all the insane technical requirements.
 
I know nothing about pairs skating as I don't follow it.

But I remember back in my youth I saw Natalia Mishkutionok/Artur Dmitriev winning the gold at the Albertville 1992 Olympics. And my mind was just blown away.

So, my question is...was Riku Miura/Ryuichi Kihara better than them? (I haven't seen them skate yet, but it was a world record!).
I know this is impossible to compare as the judging is totally different now...can you really compare them?


Hard to say. Do you feel the same after watching the same skate now, 34 years later?

But first.... let's get you a better video than that CBS broadcast (I just can't with Scott "one-foot-landing" commentary) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bGlG3Hus-KQ

P/S: I'm surprised you didn't dig up videos of Gordeeva/Grinkov from that era.
 
How the hell are judges who have been suspended before for "national bias" get assigned on the panel for the biggest event in the sport? Is the ISU that short on competent judges?
The current procedure is that ISU draws the countries and then the Federations nominate the judges.

The Chinese judge on the panel tonight was also suspended for 2 years in 2018 for her scores to Boyang at 2018 Olympics.
 
M/D were pairs skaters, but I don’t think we can possibly compare pairs from the 6.0 system to the IJS system. Programs from the 6.0 system had so much more freedom and creative identity while programs from the IJS system all look cookie cutter and feel void of emotion due to all the insane technical requirements.
I wouldn't exactly call today's programs devoid of emotion, but current tech requirements -- and tech one-upmanship -- really do detract from creativity.

Programs from the 6.0 era are much more artistically satisfying IMO. That's not to say there aren't exceptions, though.
 
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Hard to say. Do you feel the same after watching the same skate now, 34 years later?

But first.... let's get you a better video than that CBS broadcast (I just can't with Scott "one-foot-landing" commentary) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bGlG3Hus-KQ

P/S: I'm surprised you didn't dig up videos of Gordeeva/Grinkov from that era.
As I said, I know nothing about pairs skating. Gordeeva/Grinkov is just names I remember, don't recall if I ever saw them...

And yes, I feel the same. When I searched out the video, I thought it was great! I can see the techincal mistakes she's making...but somehow it doesn't matter.
 
The Georgian judge was pretty shameless, they gave 150.94 to the Georgians, only 151.49 to the M/K, 133.26 to H/V and 130.13 to the Hungarians. This is much more investigation worthy than the ice dance scandal the US media tried to create.
Yeah that's brutal bias. The Georgians had a mistake on their throw, an ugly AF deaths spiral (although the judge shockingly didn't give it + GOE like some of the other judges did).
Could some kind soul put me out of my misery and explain what the bleep happened to the Georgians' death spiral? Was it just a dumb mistake?

Asking because it looked almost purposeful to me but then again, it's been a long day and I'm still sad for the Germans.

It looked like one of those fan spirals but lacking in flexibility and completely wrong for Metelkiina’s lines and body proportions. Instead of leaning back she was kinda sideways.

Should have been a greater deduction because that position was aggressively bad.
 
Yeah that's brutal bias. The Georgians had a mistake on their throw, an ugly AF deaths spiral (although the judge shockingly didn't give it + GOE like some of the other judges did).


It looked like one of those fan spirals but lacking in flexibility and completely wrong for Metelkiina’s lines and body proportions. Instead of leaning back she was kinda sideways.

Should have been a greater deduction because that position was aggressively bad.
Much thanks!
 
M/D were pairs skaters, but I don’t think we can possibly compare pairs from the 6.0 system to the IJS system. Programs from the 6.0 system had so much more freedom and creative identity while programs from the IJS system all look cookie cutter and feel void of emotion due to all the insane technical requirements.

I don’t see cookie cutter. Cookie cutter were what I would call many of the elements in 6.0… look at the variety of lift positions and death spiral/throw entries. Twists are higher and higher and with footwork leading into them. Pairs skaters were also stiffer and less expressive and the warhorses were abundant.
 
The current procedure is that ISU draws the countries and then the Federations nominate the judges.

The Chinese judge on the panel tonight was also suspended for 2 years in 2018 for her scores to Boyang at 2018 Olympics.
So a suspended judge "does their time" and when it's over, they're pretty much free to go back to their old tricks? Nice. :bang:
 
M/D were pairs skaters, but I don’t think we can possibly compare pairs from the 6.0 system to the IJS system. Programs from the 6.0 system had so much more freedom and creative identity while programs from the IJS system all look cookie cutter and feel void of emotion due to all the insane technical requirements.
I always get my pairs mixed up...sigh...thanks for the correction.....
 
The current procedure is that ISU draws the countries and then the Federations nominate the judges.
Yep, it's insane that this is still the procedure.

There's no meritocracy in being a figure skating judge. It's 100% politics. Each country just puts forth someone who will give the marks they want to see for their skaters.

Cookie cutter were the elements in 6.0…Pairs skaters were also stiffer and less expressive
Absolutely not. Sale & Pelletier in 2002 showed more expression, freedom, musicality, and storytelling than what was seen in the winner's program tonight. And there were definitely some interesting entrances (like the slide into the death spiral) and exits (like the full twist out of a lift) in their program.

Any amount of better expression the field has gained since 6.0 is solely the result of modern technology that has made it easier to review programs during/after practice and work on things in a way that was not previously possible.
 
What the hell Minerva, did you even want a medal? That was a pathetic display...

Again I have issues with the judging when the team that had clean performances finishes in 4th place.

Well done to the Japanese, but they do not inspire me the same way previous Olympic champions do. Sorry not sorry, the score was also too high, but they've always been overhyped by the judges.

Sui/Han, I'm impressed how high they finished with the errors. Imagine if they had been clean!
 
Born in Tiblisi according to the bio when she was a skater

As a judge, ISU already banned her for a year in 2021 because of national bias.
Salome Chigogidze is a Georgian figure skating judge active in ISU competitions, including assignments for the 2026 European Championships. She was previously suspended for one year following allegations of national bias regarding scores given at the 2021 World Figure Skating Championships, as discussed on another site and sportlandia.link.
Key details regarding Salome Chigogidze:
  • Suspension: In 2021, she received a one-year suspension for national bias, specifically for marking her fellow countryman Morisi Kvitelashvili too high at the 2021 Worlds.
  • Recent Activity: She has continued to act as an international judge for the ISU, with recent appearances including the 2025 Junior Grand Prix Final and 2026 European Championships.
  • Controversy: Analysis of her judging, particularly in 2020-2021, highlighted significantly biased scoring patterns.
 
Salome Chigogidze is a Georgian figure skating judge active in ISU competitions, including assignments for the 2026 European Championships. She was previously suspended for one year following allegations of national bias regarding scores given at the 2021 World Figure Skating Championships, as discussed on another site and sportlandia.link.
Key details regarding Salome Chigogidze:
  • Suspension: In 2021, she received a one-year suspension for national bias, specifically for marking her fellow countryman Morisi Kvitelashvili too high at the 2021 Worlds.
  • Recent Activity: She has continued to act as an international judge for the ISU, with recent appearances including the 2025 Junior Grand Prix Final and 2026 European Championships.
  • Controversy: Analysis of her judging, particularly in 2020-2021, highlighted significantly biased scoring patterns.
Strangely, I am not surprised that the ISU has this approach. Ultimately, the ISU lets the country decide who they put forward. The country can always argue it's none of ISU's business to decide who they put forward as a judge.

What I don't understand is why are there judges from the countries they have skaters competing? As if bias doesn't have a play in these situations...there's no way humans can be neutral.
 
Congrats to the medalists! For me, any one of the top 6 after the FD could have wound up on the podium--and there were 4-6 under them who under a better SP/LP combination could wind up somewhat higher in the rankings. This has been my favorite competition of the individual events so far--heck with it, I'll even include the Team event along with those. This Pairs competition just seemed more--straightforward, more 'fairly judged' (even if that phrase is an oxymoron!) thus it made me feel far less nervous overall. Wish I could feel the same calmness regarding the Women's events coming up...oh, well.
 
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