Mikhail Kolyada

[Tutto]

On another subject entirely, I've long been wondering who is a psychologist Mika is working with, and Stanislava in her recent interview revealed the name - Gennady Gorbunov. I assume (maybe wrongly) he works with both?
If so he is very well known, very experienced (he is 80!) and if anyone is interested here is a link to his interview which is old but very relevant I think:

https://www.sovsport.ru/figure/arti...abotaju-krovelschikom-kryshi-stavlju-na-mesto

 

[Tutto]

The good news is, most people in the comments assumed that he mixed up Kolyada and Kovtun's names. Unless Misha's agent goes crazy with these promotion posts, I think (I hope) people will know better.

Which is unfortunately doesn't cancel the other stuff... I think he was quite serious talking about physical punishment of the skaters who failed to deliver? He might want to go into details next time - I am interested - would gestapo methods satisfy him or that also won't be harsh enough

 

[rachno2]

Which is unfortunately doesn't cancel the other stuff... I think he was quite serious talking about physical punishment of the skaters who failed to deliver? He might want to go into details next time - I am interested - would gestapo methods satisfy him or that also won't be harsh enough

Does he have any influence? I try not to pay attention to the sports.ru articles, because they will publish literally anybody's opinion. I just hope Misha and his family don't read these things Maxim, too. Russia doesn't deserve a top man if they continue to treat their athletes this way.

I will say that all of this negative press is getting me nervous about Misha's Worlds spot. People do not seem to differentiate him from Kovtun in terms of results, work ethic and psychological state. This latest anecdote is only the most recent and extreme example.

I trust RusFed will be sensible, and common sense says give Misha the spot. But with his luck this season, you never know.

 

[vorravorra]

Which is unfortunately doesn't cancel the other stuff... I think he was quite serious talking about physical punishment of the skaters who failed to deliver? He might want to go into details next time - I am interested - would gestapo methods satisfy him or that also won't be harsh enough

He's hardly the first who has suggested corporal punishment for someone in men's skating, it's almost not worth mentioning any more.

 

[vorravorra]

Does he have any influence? I try not to pay attention to the sports.ru articles, because they will publish literally anybody's opinion. I just hope Misha and his family don't read these things Maxim, too. Russia doesn't deserve a top man if they continue to treat their athletes this way.

I will say that all of this negative press is getting me nervous about Misha's Worlds spot. People do not seem to differentiate him from Kovtun in terms of results, work ethic and psychological state. This latest anecdote is only the most recent and extreme example.

Tikhonov fortunately has nothing to do with figure skating. I wish he would stick to talking about the problems in biathlon which are many, but he feels compelled to comment on every sport.

If Misha could do OK at Worlds after the post-Olympic barrage I am sure he can survive this.

 

[rachno2]

If Max isn't doing Russia Cup Final (or any competition before the World team is named), then he must have been assured of his Worlds spot, no? Does that mean Misha's spot is indeed the one on the line?

And why would Dima change his SP unless he thought he had a chance at the World team?

 

[vorravorra]

If Max isn't doing Russia Cup Final (or any competition before the World team is named), then he must have been assured of his Worlds spot, no? Does that mean Misha's spot is indeed the one on the line?

And why would Dima change his SP unless he thought he had a chance at the World team?

They did say they want to look at substitutes at the Russian Cup Final, not those on the main list. Misha isn't going either. Maxim will be at the Universiade (it's certain according to what he said) unlike Misha, that competition is pretty late though.

 

[rachno2]

They did say they want to look at substitutes at the Russian Cup Final, not those on the main list. Misha isn't going either. Maxim will be at the Universiade (it's certain according to what he said) unlike Misha, that competition is pretty late though.

But won't the team be named before Universiade? I guess I'm trying to understand why Max wouldn't do a competition to show the Fed he is ready, especially if the substitutes do well at Russia Cup Final.

 

[vorravorra]

But won't the team be named before Universiade? I guess I'm trying to understand why Max wouldn't do a competition to show the Fed he is ready, especially if the substitutes do well at Russia Cup Final.

Maxim could also have been assured that he will not get a spot for that matter.

 

[Tutto]

Does he have any influence? I try not to pay attention to the sports.ru articles, because they will publish literally anybody's opinion. I just hope Misha and his family don't read these things Maxim, too. Russia doesn't deserve a top man if they continue to treat their athletes this way.

I will say that all of this negative press is getting me nervous about Misha's Worlds spot. People do not seem to differentiate him from Kovtun in terms of results, work ethic and psychological state. This latest anecdote is only the most recent and extreme example.

I trust RusFed will be sensible, and common sense says give Misha the spot. But with his luck this season, you never know.

Its the interesting situation, Samarin was No 3 after Rusnats, he was the one who needed to prove his worth and secure the Worlds spot which he did. Mika was No 2 but under-performed at Euros, however he is was still the second ranking Russian at Euro so by right his spot is secure as well. Kovtun' spot should be in question but as the Russian champion he should get a bye. Hence the same people will go to Worlds in all the probability and God only knows what all these debates are about, probably just to 'give' the skaters all the confidence and piece of mind they need while preparing for the biggest comp of the season :sarcasm:
BTW Kovtun is going to Universiade but not to Russian Cup Final, the Universiade is in March but the deadline for Worlds entries is on the 25th February, so unless they are planning to play around with substitutes, Kovtun's Universiade showing will have no bearing on Worlds selection, will it or I am missing something?

 

[rachno2]

Its the interesting situation, Samarin was No 3 after Rusnats, he was the one who needed to prove his worth and secure the Worlds spot which he did. Mika was No 2 but under-performed at Euros, however he is was still the second ranking Russian at Euro so by right his spot is secure as well. Kovtun' spot should be in question but as the Russian champion he should get a bye. Hence the same people will go to Worlds in all the probability and God only knows what all these debates are about, probably just to 'give' the skaters all the confidence and piece of mind they need while preparing for the biggest comp of the season :sarcasm:
BTW Kovtun is going to Universiade but not to Russian Cup Final, the Universiade is in March but the deadline for Worlds entries is on the 25th February, so unless they are planning to play around with substitutes, Kovtun's Universiade showing will have to bearing on Worlds selection, will it or I am missing something?

I didn't think the team would actually change, either, but Dima just changed his SP, so ??? Now I have doubts.

If Dima, Lazukin, etc. perform spectacularly well at the Final, then obviously they should be considered. I just wonder who would be cut in that situation, the reigning National Champion or the person with the highest SB. You could argue for either.

 

[vorravorra]

I didn't think the team would actually change, either, but Dima just changed his SP, so ??? Now I have doubts.

If Dima, Lazukin, etc. perform spectacularly well, then obviously they should be considered. I just wonder who would be cut in that situation, the reigning National Champion or the person with the highest SB. You could argue for either.

Lazukin no. He's a nobody who'll not get any PCS. And he's had good occasional good skates before but they never stuck. Dima has changed his SP so he is obviously planning to compete somewhere but it doesn't mean he'll get a Worlds spot. He could go to the Universiade instead of Samarin.

Under what logic is cutting Misha a better idea than Maxim? Maxim is not the person to keep three spots, even with good skates his scores have not been fantastic this season, you need time to get into judges' good graces. And he is the opposite of a "won't reach for the stars but could be relied on not to fall below a certain place" perfect candidate for #3.

 

[Tutto]

Lazukin no. He's a nobody who'll not get any PCS. And he's had good occasional good skates before but they never stuck. Dima has changed his SP so he is obviously planning to compete somewhere but it doesn't mean he'll get a Worlds spot. He could go to the Universiade instead of Samarin.

Under what logic is cutting Misha a better idea than Maxim? Maxim is not the person to keep three spots, even with good skates his scores have not been fantastic this season, you need time to get into judges' good graces. And he is the opposite of a "won't reach for the stars but could be relied on not to fall below a certain place" perfect candidate for #3.

If there is any logic at all then Mika's spot is secure, and we have nothing to worry about. It is not like there are other Russian skaters with Worlds medals and 100+ scores in SP (3 times now!) and highest PBs
I hope also that Mika is given that assurance and does not have to worry about Worlds

 

[vorravorra]

If there is any logic at all then Mika's spot is secure, and we have nothing to worry about. It is not like there are other Russian skaters with Worlds medals and 100+ scores in SP (3 times now!) and highest PBs
I hope also that Mika is given that assurance and does not have to worry about Worlds

There are people who are insisting Alina should be replaced with Zhenya. Not a fan of Alina but I honestly do not see how Zhenya is a better candidate in this case. It's not about logic so much as personal likes and dislikes. I hope the Fed doesn't use the same kind of reasoning.

 

[vorravorra]

On another subject entirely, I've long been wondering who is a psychologist Mika is working with, and Stanislava in her recent interview revealed the name - Gennady Gorbunov. I assume (maybe wrongly) he works with both?
If so he is very well known, very experienced (he is 80!) and if anyone is interested here is a link to his interview which is old but very relevant I think:

https://www.sovsport.ru/figure/arti...abotaju-krovelschikom-kryshi-stavlju-na-mesto

I am not sure, Misha isn't like Stasya (due to personality or age) to give verbatim accounts of his sessions with his psychologist's full name. She said "we started working with Gennady Gorbunov this season", did she mean her and Misha I don't know. It sounds like she may be new to working with a psychologist while Misha definitely isn't, but he could have changed his psychologist to this one.

 

[Tatjana]

Misha maybe will compete at Russian Cup Final and not in Tallinn. But I don't have confirmed information yet.
As for all that crap that is written about him - he always says he doesn't read it and I believe he is smart enough to really not read it. His fans also should stop reading it. :dev3:

As for Dima Aliev changing the SP - for sure he wants to prove at the Russian Cup Final that he is still a contender. Also, he maybe is looking to get an early start for next season and needed something new and fresh.

The Fed wants to check on the form of their men at the Russian Cup Final I guess. It doesn't matter that Max Kovtun is not skating there. The Fed can look at him at the Universiade. They can exchange their entries with substitutes at any time. So if he has another meltdown and they decide to exchange him, they can easily do so after the nomination deadline. The Fed just needs to make sure they have their substitutes submitted.

 

[Tutto]

Misha maybe will compete at Russian Cup Final and not in Tallinn. But I don't have confirmed information yet.
As for all that crap that is written about him - he always says he doesn't read it and I believe he is smart enough to really not read it. His fans also should stop reading it. :dev3:

As for Dima Aliev changing the SP - for sure he wants to prove at the Russian Cup Final that he is still a contender. Also, he maybe is looking to get an early start for next season and needed something new and fresh.

The Fed wants to check on the form of their men at the Russian Cup Final I guess. It doesn't matter that Max Kovtun is not skating there. The Fed can look at him at the Universiade. They can exchange their entries with substitutes at any time. So if he has another meltdown and they decide to exchange him, they can easily do so after the nomination deadline. The Fed just needs to make sure they have their substitutes submitted.

Many thanks for the update!
If it is the Russian Cup Final for Mika then it looks like his Worlds spot is really in 'danger' (which is ridiculous) and that it is going to be a high pressure event for him and other 'contenders'
Oh dear when the RusFed will learn that there is no such thing as consistency in men's FS with the tech they attempt. Any man who will do well in the Cup Final can easily bomb at Worlds. I would not be surprised if Samarin will have a bit of meltdown in Saitama because of all the expectations on him to repeat his success at Euros (I do not wish it on him of course!)
They should decide on the 'body of work' criteria really but I guess they want the decision be made for them so to speak
I really feel for the guys -still not being sure about Saitama in February!
I wish Mika and his team will take 4sal out for now but it is not likely I guess. What is your opinion?

 

[Shedi0806]

This whole Russian selection process in way out of control for me at this point, it is so difficult to follow, so confusing. :con3:

 

[coldblueeyes]

Many thanks for the update!
If it is the Russian Cup Final for Mika then it looks like his Worlds spot is really in 'danger' (which is ridiculous) and that it is going to be a high pressure event for him and other 'contenders'
Oh dear when the RusFed will learn that there is no such thing as consistency in men's FS with the tech they attempt. Any man who will do well in the Cup Final can easily bomb at Worlds. I would not be surprised if Samarin will have a bit of meltdown in Saitama because of all the expectations on him to repeat his success at Euros (I do not wish it on him of course!)
They should decide on the 'body of work' criteria really but I guess they want the decision be made for them so to speak
I really feel for the guys -still not being sure about Saitama in February!
I wish Mika and his team will take 4sal out for now but it is not likely I guess. What is your opinion?

The quad sal is hardly his only problem. And if his spot is in danger - which I don't think it is - with the way the Fed likes quads, he has a better chance of keeping it if he jump as many quads as he can.

But I see him going to the Russian Cup Final, still not confirmed, as a way of wanting to guarantee his spot. The field in Tallinn would be abismally empty, and winning that competition wouldn't be important at all to him, so a podium finish over his peers at the Cup Final has much more value. And if he can't do that, then maybe Misha should just declare the season over and rest.

 

[Tutto]

This whole Russian selection process in way out of control for me at this point, it is so difficult to follow, so confusing. :con3:

To be fair, the Russian guys (and ladies) done everything they could this season to make life (choice) difficult for RusFed
Why not keep it simple and send the same team to Worlds hoping for the best? Would be most obvious thing to do in my book?