Before I forget, another photo of our supermodel in action:
http://s799.photobucket.com/user/AbsoluteSkating/media/2016eurosdailies/day1/SPJ_4724daily.jpg.html
I know! I agree it is annoying, esp when Elena skates her best and is probably wondering what more can she do. The only thing that makes me feel better is that I know Elena has not reached her full potential, and still has things she can improve on. I am of course, still hoping that she can pull a surprise upset here or at Worlds. But if she doesn't, hopefully she will be fired up for next season! I just feel like Elena is not getting the credit and recognition that she deserves, and that makes me mad!
You and winky97 are not the only ones who thought Lena should've been first! I did too! And the Polish commentators, apparently. And Sophie-Anna, who saw it live:
http://www.goldenskate.com/forum/sh...s-Euros-2016&p=1357575&viewfull=1#post1357575
But I understand why she's not. Evgenia is getting pushed as Russia #1, and from the Fed's perspective, it makes sense because she's reliable and she has a great LP and no obvious flaws. Lena has some very obvious flaws (bad posture, flaily arms, bad programs), but she also has the power to move people, to touch them emotionally, as Sophie-Anna said. Despite all her strengths, I don't think Evgenia has Lena's innate expressive power (but I will see what I think after Worlds). So I'm hoping that losing to Evgenia pushes Lena to work on these things and hopefully choose better programs. :agree:
The other reason I am not too upset is because I know that people in the skating world LOOOOVE Lena. That journalist alluded to this in one of the articles I posted earlier--she's the favorite amongst the members of the Russian team, and he said she's the favorite among the journalists too.
Look what Laura Lepisto said yesterday! She didn't write about any of the other Russian girls (as far as I can tell), but she tweeted this:
"Just love the touching atmosphere Radionova is able to create nowadays with her skating. So genuine!"
https://twitter.com/LauraLepisto/status/692343687016218624
And this is from the website of Utako Nagamitsu, Daisuke Takahashi's former coach. I guess she has conversations with various people in the skating world, and in this week's post, she talked with Mihoko Higuchi, who is Shoma Uno's coach. They talked a lot about Shoma and Kanako Murakami, but then they started talking about Worlds, and this is what they said.
http://www.fujitv.co.jp/sports/skate/archive/2016012701/index.html
On page 5:
Utako: It seems that this year’s Four Continents and World Championships will be high-level competitions.
Mihoko: Because last year’s World champion Tuktamysheva seems like she won’t be able to participate.
Utako: In Russia, the leaders keep changing. Amongst them, Radionova has grown a lot but she’s still amazing, isn’t she? (2015 Grand Prix Final 3rd place)
Mihoko: She got really big, didn’t she ?
Utako: Even so, she always manages to get good scores—that’s why she’s amazing.
Mihoko: Yes, that’s true.
They didn't say a word about Medvedeva in their conversation!
And then Lena does things like stay until the very end so every fan who wants to get an autograph can get one. :agree:
Perhaps I'm being overly optimistic, but I'm hoping that one day--maybe not this season, but one day--all this goodwill and admiration she has generated amongst the skating community and fans will pay off for her. :yes:
So GOOOO LENA, skate your freakin' heart out tomorrow, make the audience cry, and make it VERY DIFFICULT for Evgenia! 
(Not to get my hopes up or anything, but I will point out that the two times that Liza lost to Lena last year, she had to skate right after a clean Lena LP....just sayin'!)
If she can add a few more steps before and keep the edge clean, that should definitely boost her TES a bit. 
and thought that Coach Inna looks younger at that moment haha~ channeling Lena's feeling perhaps :luv17:
