Not gold but other colors. Akiko does not have the difficulty of kim or asada, she needs a 3-3 on her Lp to dream of gold. Think about it if Julia goes perfect with her level of difficulty, she will win over a perfect Akiko internationally. Kim yuna can have one error on her double axel if she lands her hughe 3-3 she will beat clean Akiko internationally. If Mao lands ger 3a even if she underrotates her double loops she will beat Akiko.
However, if Akiko perform like this is bad news for every woman if they make multiple mistakes
Ashley should take notice
Akiko's win was well deserved, but she's definitely not get 72+ PCS from international judges, not even with an Olympic bonus I'm afraid. But I would say she is a solid podium contender if she can build on this stunning win. Let's all calm down and remember this was only one competition--a nationals competition in particular. Predicting the future based on one data point is fraught with perils.
I think so. Because Olympic scoring can be just as crazy as any Nationals, if not more so.
Regardless of that, I think she would need both Kim and Asada to skate less-than-perfect... but both have shown sub-par performances (by their standards) this season. So perhaps it's possible, and yes she could take it.
I'd rate her chances higher than Kostner's, and at least as good as Lipnitskaia's.
You have a point.Now this I would disagree with. Lipnitskaia's chances for the podium and OGM are much higher than Akiko's. Now if the Olympics were in Japan, it would be different. But remember the Games are in Russia, and Lipnitskaia is the far more consistent skater internationally.
Congrats to Akiko but come on now, her PCS was less than 1 point different than Yuna's Les Mis at WC this year. That should tell you how over-inflated JNats scoring is.
Akiko's performance and interpretation are superior to Yu Na's, in my opinion. Akiko skates from the heart. And I agree with Dick Button that Yu Na always looks likes she's suffering when she tries to emote.
Now this I would disagree with. Lipnitskaia's chances for the podium and OGM are much higher than Akiko's. Now if the Olympics were in Japan, it would be different. But remember the Games are in Russia, and Lipnitskaia is the far more consistent skater internationally.