Could one of the Russian ladies become the best ladies skater EVER next season?

[macy]

After seeing Kamila's 4S today, it got me thinking if one of these amazing ladies could become the very best female skater ever by the end of next season in terms of skill (and not necessarily how long they've been around). i think it's very possible, with Kamila being the front runner followed by Anna. they are both pretty well rounded skaters, but Kamila truly has it all- grace, presentation, skating skills, speed, flexibility, beautiful positions, consistency, a triple axel, quads, fast and difficult spins, and most of all, QUALITY. she does everything so incredibly well, and this is what got me thinking if we will see someone become the greatest ladies skater in history soon.

yes, next season has yet to happen and a year is a lot of time in the skating world. anything can happen. things could flip upside down for Kamila or anyone else, but i'm just thinking of potential. this is the greatest era of Russian ladies skating in history with the world providing almost zero competition for them. what does it take for one of them to be the very best of all time?

many think Yuna is the best ladies skater of all time. what do these girls need to meet that level or surpass it? do they need to keep breaking their own records? do they need to consistently win or at least podium every competition they enter? this is a very different era of skating than when Yuna was around- what has changed for them to earn that title?

 

[Skatesocs]

many think Yuna is the best ladies skater of all time. what do these girls need to meet that level or surpass it? do they need to keep breaking their own records? do they need to consistently win or at least podium every competition they enter? this is a very different era of skating than when Yuna was around- what has changed for them to earn that title?

This will always depend on what people perceive skating to be.

Do people believe skating is about "artistry"? You have an answer in Michelle Kwan, or Mao Asada, or Yuna Kim.
Do people believe skating is about "sport"? Then yes, these skaters have surpassed all of them. I would say only Trusova has managed to surpass Midori Ito on this regard, however.
Do people believe skating is about "an overall package"? Here comes the war. I personally don't care.

 

[alexocfp]

Going on how things are trending, on paper it does sure seem like we are seeing skating take not one step forward, but 3.

The innovations are coming fast and furiously. The ground is rumbling.

On the third anniversary of the Olympic skating competition, the programs today all feel like they are 20 years old.

In 3 years, it’s a whole new sport.

 

[sparklestan]

Just think about how hard it will be to qualify to Russian Nationals next year:

Shcherbakova, Valieva, Trusova, Kostornaya, Usacheva, Khromykh, Tuktamysheva, Akatyeva, Samodelkina, Petrosyan, Muravyova, Sinitsyna, Frolova, Tsibinova, Samodurova, Guliakova, Nugumanova, Gubanova, Berestovskaya, Tarakanova, Medvedeva, and Zagitova are all eligible

The fight to even get there will be insane.

 

[mrrice]

I think we have to go by "Era's" When Maria landed 7 Triples at Worlds in 1999 it was considered a huge accomplishment. Times and training methods have changed and I expect skating will continue to grow when it comes to difficulty. However, I still have Yuna as the best overall due to her supreme performance ability. She really did create a character when she performed. I feel like Med is a great performer as well. She really creates a character and though there are Russian Ladies who can out jump her, I still like her from a Components standpoint.

 

[Lamente Ariane]

Personally I would never call a skater the best ever based on one season, no matter how great. Best of that season yes, most technically impressive skater we’ve yet seen sure, but to me “best ever” implies multiple types of achievements over a period of some time, at least one 4-year period but preferably more.

 

[Jeanie19]

I think it's hard to compare the skaters now to past skaters. I think competitive mindset is what usually wins. And Katerina Witt, Michelle Kwan, Yuna, Mao etc.... Would have done what needed to be done to win.
Score wise, I'm sure the Olympics will break all records. But then the next generation will come and 2026 will be amazing.

 

[Zora]

To me, that would be the musicality. Yuna was able to pick up any change in the music and turn it into choreography. It's hard to even point out a moment, because she does it basically all the time: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eoMkWIA2jVY
I'm pretty sure Kamila and Anna are also very musical skaters, but it's not their style of choreography.

 

[Minz]

It’s hard to tell. The sport is changing before our eyes. If one of the ladies at the 2018 Olympics did 2 quads and triple axel, they most likely would have won. Now, they are simply keeping up. It’s crazy to think that because it’s INSANELY DIFFICULT. But that’s how far the bar has been pushed.

 

[yume]

Midori still is the best for me because she was so much ahead of her time.

 

[icybear]

Well its a pity if people think the artistry of a first year senior is superior to the artistry displayed by great skaters like Kwan, Yuna etc. Kamila is talented no doubt but to say she can be GOAT in her first senior year is far fetched. She still needs to work on her interpretation, let the music dictate her skating not just a robot going through the moves she memorised. Anna and daria listens to the music more than her. And she needs better program. None of her program so far would be called masterpiece for decades to come.

 

[[email protected]]

The best skater ever would be the one who would outscore in real competition all of the other skaters should they perform side by side in their best shape. I am sure that neither Yuna or Mao or Michelle would stand any chance against the current top skaters. One can refer as much as she like to "artistry", "the feel of music", and other esoteric notions. They would lose in an actual competition, no doubt. But then we will find "the best spot skater".

If we speak about the GOAT then the arguments of the number of medals, big titles, years in business, etc. come to play. Every person would attach her own weight of importance to those factors based on what their favorites showed. Like Yuna never missed a podium. Who cares that the field then was very different? If one states that not mising a podium is an essential factor for the GOAT those who for whatever reason missed it just once are out of consideration. And then we shall never get to the shared opinion on the topic. It will be yet another saga of never ending battle between those who think that "the grass was greener" and those who think that Eteri's wonder skaters are "simply the best, better than all the rest".

 

[jenaj]

I don't think the skater that can do the most jumps is necessarily the best ever. People use many different measures--medal count, Olympic golds, World golds, jump content, artistry, standing in her era, longevity, skating skills. Kamila and the other young Russians who have never even been to Worlds fall short on many of these criteria and will still fall short even if one of them wins the Olympics.

 

[el henry]

Will one of the current Russian ladies complete the most revolutions in the air in one program?
Probably, haven't they already

Does completing the most revolutions in the air make *any* singles skater the best ever?
Not for me

 

[TallyT]

Didn't everyone have this exact conversation last year, and the year before, and probably the year before that, and definitely 2014 (Lipnitskaya), with just another Russian name slotted in?

And didn't it always (yes, even for Zagitova and her short-lived reign) end in... well, no?

 

[TontoK]

Didn't everyone have this exact conversation last year, and the year before, and probably the year before that, and definitely 2014 (Lipnitskaya), with just another Russian name slotted in?

And didn't it always (yes, even for Zagitova and her short-lived reign) end in... well, no?

Raf was right. Disposable cups.

 

[Zagipatra]

I think consistency is part of greatness...Yuna has never has never finished off the podium...Imagine that! And she wasn't just active for 2 years.

Marketing-wise, I don't think this "progression" is good. People grow to like someone, then they blink and that said athlete may have already "paused" their career. Makes people care not as deeply because you don't want to become too attached. It's likely that no Russian skater (ladies) will get to go to two Olympics as there will always be a skater fresh out of the juniors who is younger and fitter and probably has better jumps as well.

 

[Ic3Rabbit]

No.

 

[Adjesusluvsu]

Like many have said above, I don’t think you can pronounce anyone a GOAT in their first or second senior year. The original poster said they were considering GOATness based off pure skill rather than longevity, but then they brought up Yuna Kim, so I’ll first talk about pure skill NOT longevity.

Pure skill
Everyone knows that Yuna couldn’t even be compared (regarding technical abilities) with Valieva, Trusova, Shcherbakova, etc. Anna has stabilized two quads (although her Lutz should get called), and she has great spins. Trusova has the most difficult jump layouts and highest quality jump technique. Kamila has much much more skating skills and PCS factors than Trusova, and her arsenal of 3A, 4T, 4S? is quite promising, but her change of edge in combos is not promising. If we’re going purely off jumps, then Trusova. Full package? Probably Kamila by the Olympics.
BUT, overall skating skills and edge quality are definitely still held by Yuna, Carolina, etc. Those are some of the major things that made them great.

Longevity
However, these girls will have had three years international experience or less by the end of the Olympics. I am a firm believer that consistency should have no affect on scores (I know they do, but I think it should be based on each skater’s specific performance that day.) However, consistency and longevity do affect GOATness in my opinion. Yuna, who won all the possible international competitions and did not place off the podium, far outranks any Russian skater who wins 1 Olympics, 1 Worlds, and retires. Others, like Carolina Kostner, had even longer careers. I don’t think the current Russian ladies will have that kind of longevity.

Also, I hope no one takes this as an insult to Sash, Kami, Anna, and the others! They have pushed the sport in ways never done before, and they are so tenacious and competitive. I just think GOAT is not the right topic for them right now.

I’m still a diehard Yuna fan, just to be transparent also

 

[kirauza343]

No. “Best skater ever” isn’t a title for one good senior season. It implies longevity, a presence in the sport for years and potentially multiple Olympics. As good as they are even Kamila who will be a first year senior next season is unlikely to make it to a second. Especially with how competitive Russian Ladies is someone would have to be head and shoulders above the rest for multiple years to be able to claim they’re the best.