Mikhail Kolyada

[vorravorra]

I'd say he probably got panicked after the 4s because he knew it was a crucial element for his win - especially confidence-wise. But alas, botching the axels was what did him in. Between the fall and popped combos he lost somewhere between 18-20 points in those elements. But of course, extenuating circumstances with the fall and injury, then another fall later on played a big part in this. He might have gotten caught up in the implications and variables after that first fall, and it was downhill from then on. For all intents and purposes, he could have skated all his elements after the quad sal and won.

Yes, I think the 4S was crucial in his mind even though he could have hit everything else and won. But it was likely doomed the moment he heard Javi's score and went "how am I going to skate after that"? Or earlier when he hung too many hopes on that skate. He likely didn't even consider simplifying the layout because it became win or die and also because he didn't realise he wasn't quite as physically recovered as he thought. I sincerely hope Misha goes back to blocking his ears. And concentrating on his own skates and not on what others are doing/have done/will do that is outside his control. I honestly thought he would know better but I guess people are more complicated than they appear.

 

[Heleng]

Yes, focusing on what he can do within his control (which is a whole heck of a lot), and not on what others do or can do that’s not within his control, is the key. Also, coming back after a big mistake. I’m sure intellectually he knows these things, though. I think it’s more a matter of learning/practicing how better to implement them. I hope this experience will give Misha and his team valuable lessons to go by and be beneficial for him in the long run.

 

[cathlen]

Results aside, any news on his wrist?

 

[rachno2]

Results aside, any news on his wrist?

It’s not broken, at the very least

I know TAT said it was a sprain, but did we ever get official word on it from Kogan or Valentina? I hope we hear more today.

I also hope we get some happy banquet pictures.

 

[vorravorra]

It’s not broken, at the very least

I know TAT said it was a sprain, but did we ever get official word on it from Kogan or Valentina? I hope we hear more today.

I also hope we get some happy banquet pictures.

Kogan said it's not broken.

 

[rachno2]

Kogan said it's not broken.

Yeah, I know, but I was wondering if there was any confirmation of the exact nature of the injury. It must be a simple sprain with little to no recovery time.

Misha’s IG post https://www.instagram.com/p/BtJTNacFRnX/?utm_source=ig_share_sheet&igshid=10wjq19xkoox8

Dear fans, I want to say thank you for your support at Europeans! It is very pleasant and important to me. We will make conclusions, do the necessary work and keep fighting! Please don’t worry—there is no fracture

I also saw that the World team will be announced after Russia Cup Final.

 

[vorravorra]

Yes, focusing on what he can do within his control (which is a whole heck of a lot), and not on what others do or can do that’s not within his control, is the key. Also, coming back after a big mistake. I’m sure intellectually he knows these things, though. I think it’s more a matter of learning/practicing how better to implement them. I hope this experience will give Misha and his team valuable lessons to go by and be beneficial for him in the long run.

To be able to come back from a big mistake you need not to pin all your hopes on it. There is no other way.

 

[vorravorra]

Yeah, I know, but I was wondering if there was any confirmation of the exact nature of the injury. It must be a simple sprain with little to no recovery time.

Misha’s IG post https://www.instagram.com/p/BtJTNacFRnX/?utm_source=ig_share_sheet&igshid=10wjq19xkoox8


I also saw that the World team will be announced after Russia Cup Final.

I doubt there is anyone they will replace on the men's team. The ladies' team is a different matter.

 

[vorravorra]

Anyway, why I said we shouldn't predict an imminent mental breakdown - Misha may feel that after his injury he did all he could and thus not be as dragged down by it. Plus it's possible that once he knew he couldn't win 2nd or 5th place honestly didn't matter that much to him.

 

[vorravorra]

Yeah, I know, but I was wondering if there was any confirmation of the exact nature of the injury. It must be a simple sprain with little to no recovery time.

Misha’s IG post https://www.instagram.com/p/BtJTNacFRnX/?utm_source=ig_share_sheet&igshid=10wjq19xkoox8

The exact translation of what has been said is a sprain and contusion (closed trauma which does not lead to fractures or tears). I.e. he hit it hard and pulled a ligament. No info on how bad it is. Hopefully not bad at all.

 

[cathlen]

The exact translation of what has been said is a sprain and contusion (closed trauma which does not lead to fractures or tears). I.e. he hit it hard and pulled a ligament. No info on how bad it is. Hopefully not bad at all.

Yeah, hopefully it will heal quickly. With 3 spots there's a big chance Misha will get a spot.

 

[vorravorra]

If any of the three is up for replacement, it's Kovtun with his 14th place, and I have doubts they'll replace him. They are not going to replace two skaters because there is nobody to replace them with. I don't know where this idea comes from that Misha will be replaced.

 

[coldblueeyes]

If any of the three is up for replacement, it's Kovtun with his 14th place, and I have doubts they'll replace him. They are not going to replace two skaters because there is nobody to replace them with. I don't know where this idea comes from that Misha will be replaced.

It's not like there's any skater in Russia besides Voronov that has made a case for themselves in the first half of the season or before, and also, Sergei is not that well regarded, and doesn't really help himself domestically, so it's a moot point.

 

[vorravorra]

It's not like there's any skater in Russia besides Voronov that has made a case for themselves in the first half of the season or before, and also, Sergei is not that well regarded, and doesn't really help himself domestically, so it's a moot point.

I am not sure Voronov is even back to training yet after his injury.

 

[vorravorra]

This is regarding a conversation on another forum, but I think I'll just post it here as fyi. if anyone is holding it against Valentina that she is not letting Misha switch to another coach (by reminding him explicitly or implicitly how much he owes her) it's very much not the case. It's about Misha and honoring his promise to himself. He really is that much of a decent human being for better or for worse (is anyone surprised by his hyperresponsible approach to skating?). Valentina never made him promise anything to her and would let him go without recriminations if he made up his mind to do so. But if the Fed said "switch coaches or we'll take away your livelihood" he would quit that very second and they know it perfectly well.

 

[vorravorra]

Sigh, I wish Misha hadn't had that freak fall and injured himself (obviously), but I mean because I would have liked to see what kind of program he was actually capable of skating physically and mentally at that point. Now it's impossible to judge with any confidence after the axel.

 

[rachno2]

‪Oh, me too People are of course chalking this up to Kolyada being a headcase, but has he ever had a full-blown meltdown in the FS? I don’t recall him having a free where just about every single jumping pass wasn’t clean. Even in this situation, he fought for everything and never gave up. The fact that he was kicking himself over not attempting the second 4T—despite thinking his hand was broken—shows how eager he was to do his best, no matter the circumstances, and to get the highest placement possible (at that point, gold and likely silver were already gone).

If he was indeed mentally ready, as he said, I think silver might have been in the cards were not for the axel. After all, he landed the 4T after falling on the opening 4S. It wasn't in combination, but this was not headed for disaster from the beginning. The possibility for recovery was there, and I believe he would have done enough for the podium at the very least. His lowest-scoring free of the season, at Golden Spin, would have gotten him the bronze with an 11-point margin.

‪It’s such a shame and a lot to recover from, especially being first after the short. But maybe knowing there was nothing he could have realistically done after the axel makes it a bit easier to process. ‬

 

[coldblueeyes]

Well, all the reports we've had from training placed him in his best form yet this season, but it's hard to know how he would skate. I think it's telling that he landed his 4t even after the fall, but I wonder what happened with his axels. I think it's a crucial jump because it's the one he tends to pop the most when he's under pressure--even though it's a very good jump for him if you consider that he favors it above the lutz and had both of them combination in the FS.

On a positive note, this is the layout I loved the most of all he tried - even though he didn't really compete it fully. I think it's a layout he could very well take with him to the rest of the cycle, even though I'd like him to put a damn quad lutz in place of that loop because it seems like a cursed jump for him this season.

 

[rachno2]

The practice sessions in particular lead me to believe he would have been OK. He looked very sharp.

At least he didn’t pop the axel (in hindsight, maybe it would have been better if he had, because he wouldn’t have gotten injured.....but a pop could have broken him psychologically). Even in the short he had trouble with it, but he landed and saved it, and that is an encouraging development.

I hesitate to make any calls about the 4Lz until we know the true story behind it this season. Is it just inconsistent in practices or is it killing his back?

 

[vorravorra]

Yes, I am not sure what exactly went wrong on that first 3A, Misha obviously was totally unprepared for that. The second axel was not likely to happen under the circumstances. And no way he would have landed that 4T either, he probably realised that once he could think straight. I would like to have seen if he could land a 4T in the second half while in one piece though (he'd have to do it in a combo too). And the axel. And combos.