- Joined
- Apr 22, 2014
Yes, I agree in fact I posted comments below the video saying how erroneous and insulting it was and all the other times I can remember that he did the same thing. I also had two comments removed and I know person who had their comments removed and two of us are Americans. It continues to show the heavy bias and the withholding and censorship characteristic of the ISU and those who report on and cover the competitions. I have also read articles in Japanese translation that were quite harsh on Mao. I wonder when the next time these journalists apparently writing for Japan hope to find a 3 time women Worlds champion (would have been 4 times if the value of the triple axel were the same as it is today), 4 time Grand Prix Final Champion with the most consistent landing of the triple axel in history for women including 3 times in one Olympics with a silver medal and 4 times in 2 Olympics, and the only women recently to even attempt the triple flip and loop professionally (since Miki Ando) in addition to doing the triple flip / double loop / double loop tano, the best spirals and step sequences, a one handed Biellmann spin extended sit spin with her hands touching the ends of her skates, and abilities in dance and elegant flexibility that have been compared to the equivalent of a prima ballerina by professional dance instructors especially her frontal extension. And on top of it all the power to move people so deeply emotionally as indicated so powerfully in her Sochi LP which should have been a world record score but really is so much more in addition to the emotionally intensity of her Madame Butterfly LP at Worlds after competing for so many years and only training at half intensity for a month in preparation because of her knee injury which has grown worse since then. instead, they feel it is more honorable and constructive (rather destructive) to ridicule her when she has already done all this and has the guts to compete with a left knee injury without complaining, which conveniently isn't even mentioned in Gallagher's hatchet job.
The fact that the skating "expert" says Mao would finish between 4th and 10th at worlds with or without a triple axel and skating clean shows how much these kinds of people have placements "fixed" in their minds without even seeing the other skaters skate. I think she should win comfortably in this circumstance with the triple axel.
Many consider it as “anti” Japan and there are barely trustworthy articles in it, not only about figure skating no wonder they’re deleting those comments that they don’t want to.
Since Mao has tried to pushing boundaries of the sport her whole career. I remember some top skaters referred to that “we need to know how difficult to do triple axel for a lady skater, especially to land 3A combination in particular.” as Joannie said something like that, I always feel top skaters must know the things better each other.
Also for her stingy PCS, that has been said that because she skated early that’s why ..or she needs more achievements she is still young etc etc, even when she delivered the skate of her life. Surprisingly, she got pcs 70+ was only once at the world 2014 with 8 triples program when people considered that she would retire soon at that time. (correct me if I am wrong.)
But seeing the current field has thrown it to younger ones like a candy doesn’t make sense.
In all, I think that even if scoring system can’t do justice to her true value, Mao’s performances themselves still could tell it all.