Medvedeva: 'I'm absolutely thrilled!'

[gsk8]

Medvedeva continued her reign as the sport’s queen, winning her second World championship in Helsinki with a score of 154.40 for a total combined score of 233.41. Skating expressively to Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, the delicate skater’s jumping elements were highlighted by a triple flip-triple toe loop and triple Salchow-triple toe loop past the half-way point.

“Today I really enjoyed skating,” the record holder said. “I was a little bit nervous in the six-minute warm up, but before my skate, I told myself, ‘Evgenia, you need to keep calm.’ I skated really softly and I am satisfied with my performance. Like last year, I felt absolutely calm, not euphoric. I am absolutely thrilled! I did everything I can do and I felt relief.”

More from the top ladies

 

[IceSlayage]

Evgenia 10.0 PCS lol.

Two judges gave her 10.00 on performance. No one gave her lower than 9.50 for performance. ISU after seeing this kind of inflation how are you expecting the world to treat figure skating seriously??? Skating skills 9.75??? Transitions 9.50? The most hilarious of them all: 9.75 almost across the board for Interpretation of music. Really? At the most climatic moments shes doing crossovers completely ignoring the nuisances of the music. Evgenia's technical components are great but those PCS elements are inflated beyond belief. If you want to be bias at least have the decency to do it in a subtle manner. I am so done with ladies figure skating.

Edit: Watched the LP with a professional ballet dancer and male ballroom dancer. All three of us agreed that Kaetlyn gave the performance of the night. The ballet dancer pointed out Evgenia's lack of extension and polish in her moves. There were many emotional moments that Evgenia stayed completely static. ISU if you feel like technicality is all that is important then just remove PCS so we can avoid all this confusion. I asked for their opinion about Evgenia's performance and they had to ask me to rewind the clip to watch it again. It was that forgettable for them.

 

[andromache]

ugh can we not

 

[IceSlayage]

ugh can we not

Yeah lets just casually brush aside the fact that Evgenia's PCS elements are getting near perfect scores... Seems to be the sentiment with most figure skating fans. At the end of the day it is hurting the sport's credentials.

I feel for the skaters who are competing right now. The ones that are not the "chosen ones" for PCS inflation are 10-15 points lower than Evgenia in PCS as a result of purely selective PCS inflation. Evgenia's technical scores look about right but does ISU take us for fools when it comes to those hilarious PCS element scores? 10.0's and 9.25's across the board for interpretation? That performance should bring every single audiece to their knees and a goddess should ascend from the damn ice rink blinding all the judges. It was a clean performance but those PCS are reserved for LEGENDARY programs.

 

[Daniel1998]

I used to be upset about this, but I don't know if I'm just too happy about the Canadians placement to care or that I've just grown used to it, but seriously, I don't think it's that big a deal anymore.

Evgenia deserved to win this event by a handful, and she did. The fact that she broke the world record with the ballooned PCS is meaningless to me, since she owned the record anyway.

The PCS are highly questionable, sure. But Medvedeva is a champion regardless, and deserves a ton of respect for sapping all the negative energy from the Pogorilaya skate out of the arena and delivering ANOTHER perfect skate. There's no one like her in the world right now- she's on another planet, regardless of what the judges are scoring her.

EDIT: I'm not saying PCS scoring isn't a problem- it's the most unjust thing plaguing the sport right now. But let's save the complaining for when it actually hurts someone's placement undeservingly. Medvedeva won with 10's and she would have won with 7's too.

 

[el henry]

I haven't watched any of the ladies' skates. Don't care who wins, don't care about the scores, but...

"LOL" in a *header*? Really? I mean, usually I skip over any thread that has "LOL" or its many wearying variants as an argument or a response, because, well because it's a laughable (intended irony) non-argument or non-response

But I've never seen in a header before. That's a new one.hwell:

 

[pETEs (Sasha Fan)]

Well, figure skating history has been plagued with judging controversies and scandals, whatever the scoring "system" is. I guess, COP makes the inherent subjectivity of this sport even more poignant that the 6.0, and only time will tell how well placed in that history Medvedeva is going to finish.

 

[IceSlayage]

I used to be upset about this, but I don't know if I'm just too happy about the Canadians placement to care or that I've just grown used to it, but seriously, I don't think it's that big a deal anymore.

Evgenia deserved to win this event by a handful, and she did. The fact that she broke the world record with the ballooned PCS is meaningless to me, since she owned the record anyway.

The PCS are highly questionable, sure. But Medvedeva is a champion regardless, and deserves a ton of respect for sapping all the negative energy from the Pogorilaya skate out of the arena and delivering ANOTHER perfect skate. There's no one like her in the world right now- she's on another planet, regardless of what the judges are scoring her.

Yeah say that to all the skaters who are left behind by the selective PCS inflation. They spend their entire lives (and sacrificed childhood) skating and although they may not be technically as strong as Evgenia, their performance skills are not appreciated like Evgenia's. Must be absolutely frustrating for these skaters who are not chosen for PCS inflation.

 

[Daniel1998]

Yeah say that to all the skaters who are left behind by the selective PCS inflation. They spend their entire lives (and sacrificed childhood) skating and although they may not be technically as strong as Evgenia, their performance skills are not appreciated like Evgenia's. Must be absolutely frustrating for these skaters who are not chosen for PCS inflation.

It would help if you provided an example of such a skater. I don't think anyone besides Medvedeva, and perhaps Mai Mihara, in this competition was subject to egregious PCS inflation. Who do you think has been left behind?

 

[IceSlayage]

It would help if you provided an example of such a skater. I don't think anyone besides Medvedeva, and perhaps Mai Mihara, in this competition was subject to egregious PCS inflation. Who do you think has been left behind?

When you have Medvedeva getting PCS inflation, others suffer. It is as simple as that. If you want to inflate PCS it must be universal inflation. Example: Zijunli although not better artistcally or technically stronger than Medvedeva should not have been 10 POINTS BEHIND evgenia in JUST PCS after the short. Zijunli and Hongo both were left behind in PCS inflation. A 10 point difference in PCS should be the difference between a GODLY performance and a junior performance. That simply isnt the case here.

 

[Daniel1998]

When you have Medvedeva getting PCS inflation, others suffer. It is as simple as that. If you want to inflate PCS it must be universal inflation. Example: Zijunli although not better artistcally or technically stronger than Medvedeva should not have been 10 POINTS BEHIND evgenia in JUST PCS after the short. Zijunli and Hongo both were left behind in PCS inflation. A 10 point difference in PCS should be the difference between a GODLY performance and a junior performance. That simply isnt the case here.

I don't disagree, but again, regardless of whether or not Medvedeva got overscored, she would have won the competition. Rika would still have finished 16th and Zijun 21st. PCS did not have that big of an unfair impact on the placement of the athletes in this particular competition- no medals were stripped away and the top 5 was the right top 5. We complain about PCS often enough, why bother complaining after an event where it didn't cause any problems?

 

[evasorange]

What, pretending to skip rope and answer a telephone with your mouth open isn't the pinnacle of performance and interpretation for you??

 

[IceSlayage]

I don't disagree, but again, regardless of whether or not Medvedeva got overscored, she would have won the competition. Rika would still have finished 16th and Zijun 21st. PCS did not have that big of an unfair impact on the placement of the athletes in this particular competition- no medals were stripped away and the top 5 was the right top 5. We complain about PCS often enough, why bother complaining after an event where it didn't cause any problems?

Because the inflation was selective. That is a big enough reason. There is a difference between finishing 10 points behind and 30 points behind. It destroys the morale of skaters who are not picked for inflation. It makes them feel like they will never make it because they are so far behind (but in reality it is a result of inflation). When I saw those PCS scores for zijunli I was absolutely disgusted knowing how Medvedeva is scored. There is no way Medvedeva's PCS is that ahead to warrant a full 10 point above Zijunli or Hongo.

 

[IceSlayage]

What, pretending to skip rope and answer a telephone with your mouth open isn't the pinnacle of performance and interpretation for you??

I would have deducted a full point for interpretation for that if I was a judge. As a senior skater you should be beyond literal actions like rope skipping and telephone pickups. Rope skipping I assume to represent childhood innocence should have been represented by the way she skates using subtle nuisances. The program should be organic and not amateur theatrical.

 

[andromache]

Because the inflation was selective. That is a big enough reason. There is a difference between finishing 10 points behind and 30 points behind. It destroys the morale of skaters who are not picked for inflation. It makes them feel like they will never make it because they are so far behind (but in reality it is a result of inflation). When I saw those PCS scores for zijunli I was absolutely disgusted knowing how Medvedeva is scored. There is no way Medvedeva's PCS is that ahead to warrant a full 10 point above Zijunli or Hongo.

There's a lot I love about Rika, but man, her posture is more than enough reason to place someone 10 points higher. Sorry Rika.

 

[Daniel1998]

There's a lot I love about Rika, but man, her posture is more than enough reason to place someone 10 points higher. Sorry Rika.

Well... You said it, not me. lol

 

[IceSlayage]

There's a lot I love about Rika, but man, her posture is more than enough reason to place someone 10 points higher. Sorry Rika.

Good thing you aren't a judge. Evgenia doesn't have the most pleasant posture either.

"her posture is more than enough reason to place someone 10 points higher"
Yeah that someone should have posture of a ballet dancer. My friend who is a professional dancer found Evgenia's posture to be far from perfect.

 

[andromache]

Good thing you aren't a judge. Evgenia doesn't have the most pleasant posture either.

"her posture is more than enough reason to place someone 10 points higher"
Yeah that someone should have posture of a ballet dancer. My friend who is a professional dancer found Evgenia's posture to be far from perfect.

And what did your friend say about Rika's posture?

Seriously though, with Rika, I'm not interested in kicking someone while she's down. But to compare her to Evgenia is absurd. Zijun is better artistically than Rika, IMO, but it's my understanding that Zijun has major issues with speed when viewing her live.

 

[IceSlayage]

And what did your friend say about Rika's posture?

Seriously though, with Rika, I'm not interested in kicking someone while she's down. But to compare her to Evgenia is absurd. Zijun is better artistically than Rika, IMO, but it's my understanding that Zijun has major issues with speed when viewing her live.

My friend did not like Rika's posture but she felt her energy with the riverdance. It was different and refreshing. You were saying that Rika's posture was a big enough reason to have her 10 points lower than Evgenia. But Evgenia's posture is no ballet princess either. So I feel as though you were not only rude to Rika (she obviously was injured or forced to participate due to Mao's injury) but completely bias for considering Evgenia's posture the "textbook". Hongo was in tears at the kiss & cry and emotionally spent and here you are putting her down. It is obvious your bias lies with Evgenia. She is a technically fantastic but that should not warrant such inflated PCS scores. I am so embarrassed by the sport whenever I take a look at the detailed scorings. Those PCS is the gateway for all sorts of black magic inflation and political messiness.

 

[Watermelondrea]

She's just a captivating, highly original skater. No one has backloaded, or done as many tanos, or rippons, and yet maintained such great speed and carriage across the ice as she.

As for the choreography - it's different. In the old codes, you don't really have a chance to do literal interpretation but with this code, with the voices being allowed, she's the first skater to use mimes in her choreography. Like it or love it, she stands out. Not just now, but from the rest of history, and that's a huge statement, all at the age of 17.