Pairs long

[Joesitz (RIP)]

Rene and John were superb. They should stay another year and get their medal. They had a brilliant skate. Both Canadian teams were soooo gooood.
Pang and Tong got the marks they deserved. A great team.

Joe

 

[rain]

I totally thought the Zhang's should have lost enough points in the free to finish lower - at least behind Pet/Tik. They were a mess in the LP - not necessarily on the elements - though they had the one really obvious big mistake, but on all the other in-between stuff they were VERY rough and didn't skate much like a pair. It was all out of synch, they have no musical interpretation. I find it disturbing that a team so lacking in the fundamentals of PAIRS skating is so highly ranked. I'm just happy they didn't win gold. I was never a huge fan of the Russian OGM but at least they skated as a pair.

 

[slutskayafan21]

I'm all a'flutter over Inoue/Baldwin's bronze! I thought more folks would be jumping up and down for them. A US pairs team on the Worlds podium this season? Who'da thunk it?! Wahoo!

And congrats to Petrova/Tikhonov, They've been like a pair of Energizer Bunnies in pairs skating. I think they looked better this season than they have since they won Worlds all those eons ago. For their age and with their record, World silver is a great medal to go out with, IMO. I just hope the Russian Federation doesn't give them doody for not winning gold.

I think Alexei Tikhonov was probably the happiest athlete on earth when the event was over. He always struggled so much with stamina, though this year I understand he really trained really hard both on and off the ice to improve his endurance. But I think stamina never came naturally to him and for Alexei to be able to get that albatross off his neck--that is, not having to worry about 4-plus minute competitive programs anymore--he must have been bowing to the skate gods that he and Maria made it through their last Worlds with a very respectable silver. Alexei Tikhonov: '06 World silver medalist and the skater Russia once traded to Japan in exchange for a van. Ah, life.

Sorry to end your flutter, but Inoue/Baldwin came in 3rd (only) in the FS; their final result is 4th. Petrova/Tikhonov's final result is 3rd. The Zhangs got the silver. But between the Zhangs and P/T it was very close; only 0.20 points seperate them.

Maybe the Zhang's medals for some of their recent performances have become so ridiculous some of us are choosing to ignore they even exist and count the results excluding them. :chorus: