Alena Kostornaia

[Batsuchan]

she was otherworldly today best SP she's done yet this year!!

all 9's in PCS and one even gave her a 10 for interpretation!! AND everything was almost all 4's & 5's, only 4 3's across everything from all judges!

https://www.fsrussia.ru/results/1920/rusnat1920/ENG/Ladies_SP_Scores.pdf

Thanks for the protocols!

How dare they give her some 3s!!

Actually I'm a little surprised her PCS aren't higher--at Junior Nationals in Feb 2019 one judge gave her *THREE* 10s, so I'm a little surprised she got only one here. It sounds a bit ridiculous to say that though.

:eekn: https://vk.com/alextrusova?z=photo-151899764_457256034/wall-151899764_23903

I totally when I saw that pic! Rebel chic indeed! :agree:
Never change, Aliona, never change!!

Wow! Aliona’s 3A keeps getting better and better. This one deserves all the 4-5s she got!!

Now I’m wondering if the layback Ina Bauer entrance could actually be possible for her 3A...

I totally agree. The 3A is looking pretty easy for her now. I think she might be able to get that Ina Bauer entrance! :yes:

Aliona delivered again, that performance was so elegant. Even Ted couldn’t believe it. I loved hearing his reaction after her skate. That axel was so controlled compared to some of the ones she jumped earlier in the season. I think that she has a tighter air position than before. I thought that it was cute in the kiss and cry when Eteri put the stuffed animal up to Aliona’s face. I also liked seeing Alena and Daniil’s reactions to the scores.

I am so happy that Aliona skated clean here--not only because I wanted her to win the SP, of course, but also because I really, REALLY wanted to hear Ted's glowing reaction, and he did not disappoint! :agree:

That moment with Eteri and the bunny was so cute!!

 

[Batsuchan]

Oh, Aliona! The internet is an excellent rumour mill, mostly courtesy of broken telephone.

Honestly, I think this was all our fault, guys! We were talking about Max Ambesi's GPF article where he said she had "an issue" with her tibia, and then that made other people on the forum think that she was injured, and so people were speculating about what would happen if she had to withdraw, and then the Russian forums saw us talking about this, and then the Russian media picked it up!

SO, since we apparently have a ton of power, I kinda want to write some more baseless and untrue but FUN rumors, like, "Aliona is a spokeswoman for GUESS clothing!"

Though personally, I'm actually kind of hoping that one of the luxury brands might choose to sponsor Aliona. :yes: Several of the other ladies are sponsored by athletic companies (like Nike, Puma, etc), but I think it would be really cool if a brand like Dior or Gucci or Louis Vuitton sponsored her. Especially a brand like Dior which has makeup and jewelry lines (in addition to handbags, clothing, etc). I could totally see Aliona in ads for those kinds of things. :yes: Maybe one day! (And maybe, just MAYBE, me writing about this will spark a rumor that will make it to the Russian media and make these brands actually consider this! )

 

[Batsuchan]

Some more random comments from me:

1) Did anyone else notice that Aliona has a new tissue holder? It's like the previous one, but green instead of pink! :luv17:
https://www.instagram.com/p/B6lAjDboA7r/

2) During the warm-up, I could see Aliona take off her jacket in the background, but I didn't who she gave it to, and if she threw it or not.

3) Russian speakers - What did Aliona say in the kiss & cry while she was waiting for her scores?
Also, what did the Russian commentators say about her performance?

4) Aww, Alena Kanysheva put a picture of Aliona with a hand heart in her Instagram story!
https://www.instagram.com/alenka.kameshek05/
Aww, I love the two Alyona's! :luv17:

 

[Edwin]

Side-by-side video with Alyona's SP: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bMSlyxjdNNQ

 

[Batsuchan]

Just watched Aliona's FS run-through in practice--all jumps clean as a whistle including the two 3As! :agree:

I hope she can do that in the actual competition! :yes:

The result of the competition may not be in her hands...all she can do is go out there and skate her very best! :yes:

So SLAAAYYY ALIONA SLAAAAY!!

 

[SkateSkates]

Beautiful long program in practice today! Thinking positive thoughts and that she carries this to the competition later

Good luck vampire Aliona!

 

[nussnacker]

Honestly, I think this was all our fault, guys! We were talking about Max Ambesi's GPF article where he said she had "an issue" with her tibia, and then that made other people on the forum think that she was injured, and so people were speculating about what would happen if she had to withdraw, and then the Russian forums saw us talking about this, and then the Russian media picked it up!

SO, since we apparently have a ton of power, I kinda want to write some more baseless and untrue but FUN rumors, like, "Aliona is a spokeswoman for GUESS clothing!"

Though personally, I'm actually kind of hoping that one of the luxury brands might choose to sponsor Aliona. :yes: Several of the other ladies are sponsored by athletic companies (like Nike, Puma, etc), but I think it would be really cool if a brand like Dior or Gucci or Louis Vuitton sponsored her. Especially a brand like Dior which has makeup and jewelry lines (in addition to handbags, clothing, etc). I could totally see Aliona in ads for those kinds of things. :yes: Maybe one day! (And maybe, just MAYBE, me writing about this will spark a rumor that will make it to the Russian media and make these brands actually consider this! )

Lol, it totally is!
So hilarious at the end of the day!
media blew it out, and some sport commentators (some Russian one, I forgot his name) even said there were “talks behind the scenes about her withdrawal”, which came from online forums and absence of photos on Instagram... xD
Hahahah
And then Daniil reads about it at the airport, and asks Aliona: “Well, apparently you’re not going with us “
I like that they all took it with humor and did not affect Aliona and she performed amazingly!

 

[Batsuchan]

Eek, kind of a rough warm-up for Aliona. Hope she can pull it together for the FS!

GOOO ALIONA GOOOOO!!

 

[magdalena]

169.97

She is 2 points behind Anna

 

[Batsuchan]

Personally, I think it will actually be harder for her to win Nationals than it was for her to win GPF. First, she's probably still tired from having NHK/GPF in quick succession (she only had a 2-week break while Anna/Sasha had 3 or 4 weeks before GPF), and Nationals is coming up soon too. Second, internationally she benefits from having higher GOE and PCS than Anna/Sasha, but at Russian Nationals I expect them all to get very-high GOEs and PCS, and something like a +4 on a quad is worth more points than a +4 on a 3A. That being said, if Aliona skates clean (and if the drama doesn't affect the scoring), I wouldn't be surprised if she got some ridiculous scores, especially in terms of PCS. At Junior Nationals in February, one judge gave her three 10s for the SP, and she got around 36 and 75 in PCS there. Thus, at the upcoming Nationals, I wouldn't be surprised if she got a lot of 10s in her PCS if she skates clean. So maybe 38-39 in the SP and 76-78 in the FS. If she also gets only 4s/5s in GOE, I could see her getting scores like 90 and 170 in the SP and FS. :yes:

But that still might not be enough if Anna or Sasha go clean. And also, like I said, Aliona may be feeling fatigued, and we know she has that issue with her tibia. So I'm mostly hoping she can have performances that she is happy with and not over-exert or injure herself.

So I was spot-on with my predictions for Aliona's scores and the results! :yes:

It wasn't a perfect FS, but considering that she looked off in the warm-up and that she had to skate right after Anna put up that massive score, I'm so proud of her efforts here! Amazing job, angel!

Sure, I'm sure she's kicking herself for those small mistakes on the 2A landing and the 3F+3T combo, and who knows? Maybe that would've been enough to win... BUT she needs to remember the big picture. She put out an almost-perfect FS under ridiculous pressure, she moved up a spot on the Nationals podium, AND she booked her ticket to Euros (and hopefully Worlds)!

Congrats on your silver medal, darling!!

 

[Azikin]

C'mon, Alenka, don't be sad. Even Yuzuru was extatic after scoring over 250 points at his first World Championships! :scratch3:

 

[Good Vibes Only]

Alena is so strong for being able to skate like that after hearing Anna’s score. Those triple axels were beautiful and I could tell that she held the landings a second longer so she could get that high GOE, smart girl. I feel like she was a little tentative during that performance because she didn’t want to make a major mistake. She should be proud because her score was still close to Anna’s despite having no quads. I hope that she isn’t too disappointed and will still have fun during the gala. I am so glad that she was in the top two.

 

[Zhenya is DIVINE]

So close! I feel like she could have gotten it with better landings on the 2A and 3F-3T, but we'll never know.

Onwards and upwards, Aliona!

 

[SXTN]

So close! I feel like she could have gotten it with better landings on the 2A and 3F-3T, but we'll never know.

Onwards and upwards, Aliona!

I don't think so. Because the small errors on the 2A and 3F-3T weren't severly deducted.


I'm curious to know if Aliona will introduce a quad this season. She doesn't need more than one in my opinion. A 4T instead of the 2A maybe? If Liza can do a 4T, she can do too. Her 3T is huge.

 

[Fluture]

Well, she is a three time National medalist now. Silver is better than bronze, I‘m happy she climbed a step up. She was tighter than usually but held it together incredibly well after seeing Anna‘s skate. She looked disappointed and I understand her. For me she‘s still the best, though. And she should be proud of skating cleanly and landing two gorgeous 3As.

 

[flanker]

This silver would be gold anywhere else but Russia. Aliona has nothing to be ashamed, nothing to be sad for. I understand the motivation is always the highest, but she delivered two outstanding performances (that so much talked SP was superb, without a debate). The fight at Euros and Worlds will be outstanding, this is the new level of ladies skating.

 

[Scott512]

Wow so sorry she didn't win gold. But she won silver and was amazing as usual.

 

[dhjh811]

Would've been gold in an international competition. Congrats to Aliona!!! Hope she got extra fired up today to win Euros and WC.

 

[SkateSkates]

I’m sure she’s upset about the not so great landings on 2 of her best jumps - but she will come back strong next time. And her 3As were the best we’ve ever seen from her - so secure and fully rotated!

Daniil mentioned she is working on 4S and it sounds like she’s already landed it. I hope we see it at Euros!

 

[taylor1]

So close! I feel like she could have gotten it with better landings on the 2A and 3F-3T, but we'll never know.

Onwards and upwards, Aliona!

No, I calculated it and it wouldn't have been enough