Olympic Games 2014 - Men's Short Programme
With Evgeni Plushenko out of the way before his rivals even touched the ice, the way to the highest step of the Olympic Podium is wide open for Patrick Chan. But what about the other contenders? Daisuke Takahashi and Yuzuru Hanyu could each take the Olympic title to Japan, while Javier Fernandez will surely do his best to bring a medal to Europe.
Jeremy Abbott's programme is chaotic, but thank God he's alright. After that awful fall, to get up and skate perfectly, AND finish in time with the music, is just amazing. Judging this is going to be terribly hard, but right now I'm sure everyone's just happy he's fine. Lots to admire from this guy, who apparently doesn't give up no matter the obstacle. His score: 72.58.
Zoltan Kelemen seems affected by what happened to Abbott and can't get three rotations on the Triple Flip. He also puts a hand down on the Triple Lutz and rushes out of the spins. He gets 60.41 points.
Victor Pfeifer jumps only a Single Lutz and stumbles a couple of times during the step sequence. Artistically, the routine is dull, but he skates it with such ease that it's hard to take your eyes off him. His score: 56.60.
Javier Raya's clothes seem too big for the Spaniard, but I guess that was the style in the time of The French Revolution. He has a hand down on the Triple Axel and doubles the Triple Flip. He gets 59.76 points.
Alexei Bychenko skates on the soundtrack of Swing Kids. He has one fall, but otherwise flies across the ice-rink without a moment's rest. His score: 62.44.
There is no question regarding Jason Brown's talent. His best element is the Triple Lutz jumped with one hand above the head and his flexibility gives him plenty of space to work in artistically. He gets 86.00 points.
A plain black pair of paints and an even plainer black t-shirt is the worst choice of attire, AC/DC or no AC/DC. We do however understand where Kevin Reynolds is coming from and we can forgive him just because he looks like a veritable rock-star out there. The technical suffers though from falls on both the Quad Salchow and Triple Axel. His score: 68.76.
Tomas Verner has been in a duel with himself for too many years now and it looks like he's finally heading towards a brighter tomorrow. The only mistake he makes is falling on the Quad. His cowboy persona is hilarious and making us laugh out loud with just his body language is something he can be very proud of because few can do that. He gets 81.09 points.
Yuzuru Hanyu's aspirations are much grander than the regular 19-year-old boy's and it looks like he's extremely close to fulfilling them. He's another skater to take on a rock-star attitude on ice and he is fabulous at it, but then again, what isn't he fabulous at? His score: 101.45.
Javier Fernandez's nerves get the better of him and he over-rotates both the Quad Salchow and the Triple Toeloop. The spins are also slightly out of ax. He gets 86.98 points.
There is no room for errors, no matter how small, at the level Patrick Chan is competing at and he knows it. Unfortunately, there's a bit of a problem with the Triple Axel. Artistically, he's almost majestic in his interpretation of Rachmaninoff's Elegie in E Minor, but he's nowhere as dynamic as Hanyu. His score: 97.52.
Alexander Majorov's Khorobushko receives loud cheers from the audience, which in this situation, is the biggest compliment his routine can get. He's also great technically, with absolutely no mistake. He obtains 83.81 points.
Florent Amodio seems to always be a step behind when it comes to jumps this season. He lands them all, but where there was supposed to be a Quad, there's a Triple and then the Triple turns into a Double. The dance part of the routine goes on as planned; at least that's one thing he excels at. His score: 75.58.
Just like his costume, Brian Joubert is on fire. On his last Olympic Games, the French superstar has nothing to lose and gives it all both technically and artistically. This is the best we've seen him in a long, long, too long time. He gets 85.84 points.
Michal Brezina has a hand down on the Quad Salchow and doubles the Triple Toeloop. In the Hall of the Mountain King still remains one of the best, if not the very best, short programme for him. His score: 81.95.
Skating on Danse Macabre, Denis Ten looks the judges right in the eye during one of his most terrifying poses, but that won't erase the hand on the Quad and it won't turn the Double Toeloop into a Triple either. Very good at presentation, as always. He gets 84.06 points.
Peter Liebers has a premiere for us today: the first time he lands a Quad Toeloop in combination with a Triple Toeloop in competition. The rest of the programme is just as brilliant. He's yet another skater who proves that those who have nothing to lose, have everything to win. His score: 86.04.
Han Yan, China's only skater in this competition, is funny and not that bad technically, with only two step-outs. Now, that might sound bad, but when you learn he's never again competed at such a high level, you can forgive him the two small mistakes. He gets 85.66 points.
Here to upgrade his medal from Bronze to Gold, Daisuke Takahashi tries hard, but double-foots the Quad. His interpretation exceeds everything we've seen so far while his fans are loudly making their presence felt in Sochi. His score: 86.40.
Less known than his compatriots, but full of potential, Tatsuchi Machida's single error is doubling the Triple Lutz. His music is the soundtrack of East of Eden. He gets 83.48 points.
In the aftermath of Plushenko's withdrawal, the temporary podium is not that surprising: Japan is first, then Canada and finally Spain. That being said, the podium would have probably still remained the same even if Plushenko had competed because these three gentlemen are the very best figure skating has to offer right now. On fourth and ready to sprint forward is another great, Daisuke Takahashi.
Jeremy Abbott's programme is chaotic, but thank God he's alright. After that awful fall, to get up and skate perfectly, AND finish in time with the music, is just amazing. Judging this is going to be terribly hard, but right now I'm sure everyone's just happy he's fine. Lots to admire from this guy, who apparently doesn't give up no matter the obstacle. His score: 72.58.Zoltan Kelemen seems affected by what happened to Abbott and can't get three rotations on the Triple Flip. He also puts a hand down on the Triple Lutz and rushes out of the spins. He gets 60.41 points.
Victor Pfeifer jumps only a Single Lutz and stumbles a couple of times during the step sequence. Artistically, the routine is dull, but he skates it with such ease that it's hard to take your eyes off him. His score: 56.60.
Javier Raya's clothes seem too big for the Spaniard, but I guess that was the style in the time of The French Revolution. He has a hand down on the Triple Axel and doubles the Triple Flip. He gets 59.76 points.
Alexei Bychenko skates on the soundtrack of Swing Kids. He has one fall, but otherwise flies across the ice-rink without a moment's rest. His score: 62.44.
There is no question regarding Jason Brown's talent. His best element is the Triple Lutz jumped with one hand above the head and his flexibility gives him plenty of space to work in artistically. He gets 86.00 points.
A plain black pair of paints and an even plainer black t-shirt is the worst choice of attire, AC/DC or no AC/DC. We do however understand where Kevin Reynolds is coming from and we can forgive him just because he looks like a veritable rock-star out there. The technical suffers though from falls on both the Quad Salchow and Triple Axel. His score: 68.76.
Tomas Verner has been in a duel with himself for too many years now and it looks like he's finally heading towards a brighter tomorrow. The only mistake he makes is falling on the Quad. His cowboy persona is hilarious and making us laugh out loud with just his body language is something he can be very proud of because few can do that. He gets 81.09 points.
Yuzuru Hanyu's aspirations are much grander than the regular 19-year-old boy's and it looks like he's extremely close to fulfilling them. He's another skater to take on a rock-star attitude on ice and he is fabulous at it, but then again, what isn't he fabulous at? His score: 101.45.
Javier Fernandez's nerves get the better of him and he over-rotates both the Quad Salchow and the Triple Toeloop. The spins are also slightly out of ax. He gets 86.98 points.
There is no room for errors, no matter how small, at the level Patrick Chan is competing at and he knows it. Unfortunately, there's a bit of a problem with the Triple Axel. Artistically, he's almost majestic in his interpretation of Rachmaninoff's Elegie in E Minor, but he's nowhere as dynamic as Hanyu. His score: 97.52.Alexander Majorov's Khorobushko receives loud cheers from the audience, which in this situation, is the biggest compliment his routine can get. He's also great technically, with absolutely no mistake. He obtains 83.81 points.
Florent Amodio seems to always be a step behind when it comes to jumps this season. He lands them all, but where there was supposed to be a Quad, there's a Triple and then the Triple turns into a Double. The dance part of the routine goes on as planned; at least that's one thing he excels at. His score: 75.58.
Just like his costume, Brian Joubert is on fire. On his last Olympic Games, the French superstar has nothing to lose and gives it all both technically and artistically. This is the best we've seen him in a long, long, too long time. He gets 85.84 points.
Michal Brezina has a hand down on the Quad Salchow and doubles the Triple Toeloop. In the Hall of the Mountain King still remains one of the best, if not the very best, short programme for him. His score: 81.95.
Skating on Danse Macabre, Denis Ten looks the judges right in the eye during one of his most terrifying poses, but that won't erase the hand on the Quad and it won't turn the Double Toeloop into a Triple either. Very good at presentation, as always. He gets 84.06 points.
Peter Liebers has a premiere for us today: the first time he lands a Quad Toeloop in combination with a Triple Toeloop in competition. The rest of the programme is just as brilliant. He's yet another skater who proves that those who have nothing to lose, have everything to win. His score: 86.04.Han Yan, China's only skater in this competition, is funny and not that bad technically, with only two step-outs. Now, that might sound bad, but when you learn he's never again competed at such a high level, you can forgive him the two small mistakes. He gets 85.66 points.
Here to upgrade his medal from Bronze to Gold, Daisuke Takahashi tries hard, but double-foots the Quad. His interpretation exceeds everything we've seen so far while his fans are loudly making their presence felt in Sochi. His score: 86.40.
Less known than his compatriots, but full of potential, Tatsuchi Machida's single error is doubling the Triple Lutz. His music is the soundtrack of East of Eden. He gets 83.48 points.
In the aftermath of Plushenko's withdrawal, the temporary podium is not that surprising: Japan is first, then Canada and finally Spain. That being said, the podium would have probably still remained the same even if Plushenko had competed because these three gentlemen are the very best figure skating has to offer right now. On fourth and ready to sprint forward is another great, Daisuke Takahashi.
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