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), which ironically is one of the things she apparently left Eteri over, only for it to work here. Though the results clearly show why she will in fact need more quads, since the judges won't give it to her if BV is relatively equivalent.
I don't know how she managed to do this, but it was epic! 
3 times National Champion! 
to Team Tutberidze. After a difficult start of the season, with pandemic and loss of on ice-time, with loss of what was rumoured to be the most valuable coach, and very talented skaters, they proved that as long as you work hard, success will come to you despite the challenges.Well Sasha wanted to be #1. Clean skater won't give her that.Those were Sasha's best performances for the entire season. The idea to reduce the tech content in order to gain more stability, proved right. The only wrong thing is that this strategic move came too late, but I guess her team should know it better for the next year. She really tried very hard to listen to the music and to be expressive, which in my opinion, was successful. Still, she is behind her competition in this category, but this shouldn't discourage her. I hope she's not too hard on herself after this competition, her spot on the National team is secured.
Valieva - as some other posters, I was actually predicting that Sasha would win the event after pulling of all of her jumps like a badass. I also was doubting that Kamila would keep it together under the pressure, so you can imagine how my jaw dropped after her final pose. She was fierce! I really think that for the first time she presented a more darker and determined version of herself, quite different from all the "cloudy" and "dreamy" programs she has had so far. I loved the sharpness of every move, it gave me chills! If she had landed her 3A in the SP, she probably would have been able to top Anna.. or at least to be very, very close to her.
Anna - no words. I was literally thinking that's it, the pressure after a clean Sasha and clean Kamila plus the fact of her own health problems, would probably lead to a disastrous skate. If you have managed to read everything I've written so far, you'll probably have noticed that I am really bad at predictions
Dasha and Maia - they were deemed to be a something like a "weaker" pack of juniors, but here they proved the opposite. I am very happy for a clean Daria after 3 phenomenal skaters before her. The pressure should have been enormous! And as for Maiia - even though she fell on the quad, I think this was the cleanest she has skated her FS so far? Last year I found her quite dull, but she really has grown into a very energetic performer!
Last but not least -
Yeah, but had she started the season lower and up-ed the tech gradually towards the Nationals, the result today could have been different. Of course, this is only a could have should have discussion, we don't know at the end. But to throw multiple quads and 3As at the GP and then get injured for the most important competition of the season didn't get great results as well.
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We here in Russia are accustomed to the absurd and are not surprised at anything already.
I'm sure Rika (and Wakaba and Kaori) have something to say about that. But as a whole, they are all amazing!!
I haven’t seen their LP’s, but I did see Rikas SP. I am not certain she will beat these girls. There is no certainty on figure skating though. I thought she was going to beat Alina easily for world champion, but she didn’t skate consistently. Alina was definitely benefiting from Olympic champion boost scores that season, but Rika could’ve beaten her had she stayed clean. These Russian girls have nerves of steel. When is the Japanese ladies LP?
They haven't done their long programs yet. Their LP is tomorrow. True but except for Anna, the Russian girls aren't pillars of consistency either. Rika also has the advantage of a 3A in the short.
She needs a clean skate but if her competitors with better non-jump elements and slightly more difficult jumps are clean she needs to up her game. I think Shcherbakova and Nationals provides a blueprint for Trusova stick with the higher values quads and stabilize combinations for them, she doesn't necessarily need 5 quads and a triple axel.
I assumed the 2A was a holding place for the 3A and that one of the lutzes would later become another quad and another quad would be added too but you might be right.
