What? Zhenya debuted in a year when the favorites were Radionova in Russia and Gold, Miyahara, Mao Asada in the international arena. She was literally nobody and there was no confidence in her. She earned her place by overcoming situations of intense pressure: Skate America, with Gracie being favored, Russia; Elena having pcs superior to her. Worlds in Boston, she endures the pressure and when she can not make her 3-3 combo, she quickly changes the design to a 3F, 2A. 3Lo-3T, caused commotion among commentators. In all that year, she never beat anyone in pcs, Ashley, Gracie, elena received more than her, she would have to earn her place by winning another year.
2017, after enduring a whole year of stress being only a teenager,She should again show that She was not the typical Russian 1-season champion. Mihara debuted and had higher BV than she, Caro had returned and the judges still loved her, Kaetlyn was already a favorite, Radionova and Pogo were up and down, so the Federation pressed Zhenya to the maximum. Also to make sure, they artificially pushed Sotskova over Pogo (but the international judges ignored her), Zhenya won and won, and won, she closed his mouth to those who didn't believe in her. Situation of maximum stress: Worlds 2017, Anna collapses,she had to secure the Olympic spots. Zhenya skates right after Anna. She could have been a complete disaster there that day and may have ended without a podium, because the pressure was enormous: defend world title, secure the Russian places, being pressured by her Federation, her teammates collapsed. But she delivered with concentration and calm.
2018 season : she skates injured in Rostelecom and NHK, and even so she does not bomb, only god knows the physical and mental pain that she felt at that moment (remember she limped in NHK). It is forced to resign to the GPF and Nationals, we all know the consequences of that untimely injury. The level of stress and pressure that generates must be hell. Olympics: Zhenya gave everything, still not recovered 100% and suffering from tendinitis on those days, she also fulfilled, sacrificing her own body and mind. Despite having lost the European, she appeared in the Olympics as the favorite. All the pressure was on her.
These facts indicate that Zhenya tolerates better pressure than any other skater that ever existed (only comparable to Yuzuru Hanyu who lived a similar situation this season), without exaggerating. Alina, unfortunately, could not stand the pressure of being the "favorite" in Worlds and it melted. Which is due to her inexperience and to the fact that it was the first time in her life that everything depended on her, because Zhenya was not there to absorb that pressure.
And most likely, the pressure and expectations this new season are still on Zhenya instead of Alina. It's unfair, but she carries the kharma of being "reliable and consistent," and everyone waits for her debut under Orser's care. Again, for the 4th consecutive year she has to live a new situation of pressure and stress, I do not even want to imagine the nerves in the Russian Nationals this year.
Anyway, really all this is so off toppic, and already discussed in the forum of the Olympic event and in other forums in The Edge. You can open a debate about it.
Remember that this is ZHENYA'S FANFEST. I say this for the user @india ... who came here to make unpleasant comments that he then edited. None of us goes to Alina's fanfest to declare that Zhenya should have won, I have never seen someone from this fanfest do such an absurd thing, so I hope they do not come here to lift offtopic or generate controversy.
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), thats why I answered on that first commentary. But as usually, the discussion took the way I did not intend originally (as it always goes this way, partially due to my mistakes or the lack of ability to express myself properly), so it was wrong from me to even start it, I had to consider the consequences. My apology for that.
