2014 World Championships - Ladies' Free Skate
After four impeccable performances, Mao Asada, Carolina Kostner and Julia Lipnitskaia are a stone's throw away from each other. It will take an absolutely flawless performance to win this gold medal.
Nyah by Hans Zimmer is quite a happy song to skate to and Valentina Marchei enjoys every moment. She's elegant, charismatic and knows just how to dance to a guitar. There is no real mistake here. Her score: 107.37. Overall: 157.64.
Anne Line-Gjersem chose a very difficult part of the West Side Story soundtrack and it hurts her. There's no trace of the romance in there and she's not really following the rise and fall of the music. Technically, her only mistake is the fall on the Triple Loop. Not a big fan of the costume! She gets 80.55 points. Overall: 130.03.
La Bayadere is a beautiful song and Natalia Popova's pleasant style can only improve it. Unfortunately, the technical errors bring the interpretation down. She falls on two jumps and double-foots a Triple Toeloop. Her score: 87.43. Overall: 135.05.
The one thing missing from Hae Jin Kim's presentation of Black Swan is the fundamental element: ballet. There's not a lot of balletic steps and movements in there. The mistakes are also distracting you from the story - she falls on the Triple Flip and double-foots the Triple Lutz. She gets 77.99 points. Overall: 129.82.
Eliska Brezinova turns into quite the nice surprise. She has a very good jumping technique, but the step sequence lacks in substance. Great choice of costume too, following the theme of The 13th Warrior. The presentation is not as good as the elements, but with a brother like Michal Brezina advising her, she's sure to improve. Her score: 95.81. Overall: 145.15.
You can always count on Joshi Helgesson for creative programmes. She skates on Warrior Princess and Ancient Muse this time, two epic musical pieces. Although there could be more suggestions of a fight in the choreography, she definitely has a warrior spirit in her. The black and gold costume is awesome, the technical elements are almost perfect and it is clear that she's enjoying herself out there. She gets 107.95 points. Overall: 162.91.
So Youn Park has a bright future ahead of her. Virtually perfect on Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, she is graceful and makes excellent use of her arms. The choreography is very sharp, the routine growing in intensity with the crescendo of the music. Her score: 119.39. Overall: 176.61.
Brooklee Han, Australia's only skater here, skates on the soundtrack of Secret. She always pulls off a pretty interpretation of whatever music she uses; what is disappointing here is the technical: she falls on both a Triple Lutz and the second Triple Toeloop. She gets 91.08 points. Overall: 144.28.
Anna Ovrachova, Switzerland's new face, is at her first Worlds and it shows. The Glenn Miller medley she skates on combines glamour and melancholy, but there isn't much expression of either. She also double-foots the second Triple Lutz, puts a hand down on the second Triple Toeloop and loses focus, falling during a transition. Her score: 89.03. Overall: 143.22.
Coppelia is the perfect piece of music for Zijun Li, because it emphasizes her ballerina figure. She is very light and elegant, but after falling during transition and stepping out of the Triple Flip, she cannot get back into character. She gets 95.97 points. Overall: 150.34.
Gabrielle Daleman, the Canadian debutante who made a fabulous impression in the short, comes very close to repeating the performance. She's incredibly fast on Polovetsian Dances, a music that's not exactly easy to interpret as it is classical, but inspired by folklore. The only mistake is a bad fall on the Triple Salchow. Her score: 109.06. Overall: 164.78.
Kaetlyn Osmond has a soft spot for famous characters. This time, she portrays Cleopatra very accurately, looking chic, powerful and sexy. Unfortunately, the elements are not as convincing. She falls on the Triple Salchow and almost loses control of the second Triple Toeloop. Lovely personalised spins and use of Egyptian culture. She gets 107.72. Overall: 170.64.
Kanako Murakami's Papa Can You Hear Me? is simply divine. She expresses the vulnerability to the point that this truly feels like a prayer. The arena is covered in a peaceful atmosphere after that performance. Her only mistake is double-footing the Triple Lutz. Her score: 111.58. Overall: 172.44.
Nathalie Weinzierl's version of Rhapsody in Blue is not exactly inspiring, but she does send the nostalgia of the song across to the audience. Her blue lace costume is superb and stresses all those blue feelings that come with Gershwin's piano. She's a very strong skater, recovering very quickly after a stumble right before the first jump. However, her Double Axel is only a Single. She gets 106.90 points. Overall: 167.72.
Polina Edmunds's routine makes you think of foggy spring mornings and freshly-washed linen (probably due to the icy-blue of her dress). She does justice to the music, Peer Gynt by Edvard Grieg. No technical errors. Her score: 126.91. Overall: 187.50.
Mae Berenice Maite has a frustrating habit of losing all faith when things start to go wrong. After three falls and a hand down on the Triple Loop, what should have been a smooth, fun routine, turns into a nightmare. She's also very slow, especially in the mid-section. The songs: Europa, We Will Rock You, La Grange. She gets 97.10 points. Overall: 158.72.
Ashley Wagner receives a standing ovation after an extraordinary performance of Samson and Delilah. She's very expressive, changing attitudes in time with the nuances in the music and has some of the best spins out there. The last part of the programme in particular is uplifting, almost glorious. Only one double-footed Double Toeloop to point fingers at. Her score: 129.52. Overall: 193.16.
Carolina Kostner's last competitive skate is bound to be a bitter memory. She tries to play it safe, but after the fall on the Triple Toeloop, she keeps singling jump after jump. Despite this, the programme itself is a masterpiece and at the end of the day, that's what she will be remembered for. She gets 126.59 points. Overall: 203.83.
Akiko Suzuki's own goodbye to the competitive world is hauntingly beautiful. With no major mistakes, she looks gorgeous and is incredibly fast, stressing the artistry of Phantom of the Opera and the pain of the characters. Her score: 122.70. Overall: 193.72. P.S.: I have to confess I got all emotional at the end because she's one of my favourite skaters.
Mao Asada is one of the reasons why this is the Golden Age of figure skating. Confident, wearing a superb blue costume and unique in her ability to perfectly land a Triple Axel, she simply takes your breath away. There is something almost aristocratic about her presentation of Piano Concerto No. 2 by Serghei Rachmaninoff, which is only fit because if there was a royalty in this sport, she'd be one of them. She gets 138.03 points. Overall: 216.69.
Julia Lipnitskaia's rendition of one of the most heart-breaking stories ever told about what is undoubtedly the most awful period of human history, got her a thank you note from Steven Spielberg. She is calm here and unbelievably flexible. The only mistake is a fall on the Triple Salchow. Her score: 132.96. Overall: 207.50.
Anna Pogorilaya's take on the fatal beauty of the Sirens is fierce and error-free. She is exceptional and only 15 years-old, just like her team-mate.She gets 131.24 points. Overall: 197.50.
The Sleeping Beauty by Pyotr I. Tchaikovski is full of big moments, of which Gracie Gold knows how to take advantage. Unfortunately, the Double Axels give her a headache today - she singles the first one and falls on the second. Her score: 124.27. Overall: 194.58.
Mao Asada wins back the World title with a mind-blowing performance! Equally mesmerising, Julia Lipnitskaia takes the silver, while Carolina Kostner settles for the bronze. Congratulations to all of them!
Nyah by Hans Zimmer is quite a happy song to skate to and Valentina Marchei enjoys every moment. She's elegant, charismatic and knows just how to dance to a guitar. There is no real mistake here. Her score: 107.37. Overall: 157.64.
Anne Line-Gjersem chose a very difficult part of the West Side Story soundtrack and it hurts her. There's no trace of the romance in there and she's not really following the rise and fall of the music. Technically, her only mistake is the fall on the Triple Loop. Not a big fan of the costume! She gets 80.55 points. Overall: 130.03.
La Bayadere is a beautiful song and Natalia Popova's pleasant style can only improve it. Unfortunately, the technical errors bring the interpretation down. She falls on two jumps and double-foots a Triple Toeloop. Her score: 87.43. Overall: 135.05.The one thing missing from Hae Jin Kim's presentation of Black Swan is the fundamental element: ballet. There's not a lot of balletic steps and movements in there. The mistakes are also distracting you from the story - she falls on the Triple Flip and double-foots the Triple Lutz. She gets 77.99 points. Overall: 129.82.
Eliska Brezinova turns into quite the nice surprise. She has a very good jumping technique, but the step sequence lacks in substance. Great choice of costume too, following the theme of The 13th Warrior. The presentation is not as good as the elements, but with a brother like Michal Brezina advising her, she's sure to improve. Her score: 95.81. Overall: 145.15.
You can always count on Joshi Helgesson for creative programmes. She skates on Warrior Princess and Ancient Muse this time, two epic musical pieces. Although there could be more suggestions of a fight in the choreography, she definitely has a warrior spirit in her. The black and gold costume is awesome, the technical elements are almost perfect and it is clear that she's enjoying herself out there. She gets 107.95 points. Overall: 162.91.
So Youn Park has a bright future ahead of her. Virtually perfect on Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, she is graceful and makes excellent use of her arms. The choreography is very sharp, the routine growing in intensity with the crescendo of the music. Her score: 119.39. Overall: 176.61.
Anna Ovrachova, Switzerland's new face, is at her first Worlds and it shows. The Glenn Miller medley she skates on combines glamour and melancholy, but there isn't much expression of either. She also double-foots the second Triple Lutz, puts a hand down on the second Triple Toeloop and loses focus, falling during a transition. Her score: 89.03. Overall: 143.22.
Coppelia is the perfect piece of music for Zijun Li, because it emphasizes her ballerina figure. She is very light and elegant, but after falling during transition and stepping out of the Triple Flip, she cannot get back into character. She gets 95.97 points. Overall: 150.34.
Gabrielle Daleman, the Canadian debutante who made a fabulous impression in the short, comes very close to repeating the performance. She's incredibly fast on Polovetsian Dances, a music that's not exactly easy to interpret as it is classical, but inspired by folklore. The only mistake is a bad fall on the Triple Salchow. Her score: 109.06. Overall: 164.78.
Kaetlyn Osmond has a soft spot for famous characters. This time, she portrays Cleopatra very accurately, looking chic, powerful and sexy. Unfortunately, the elements are not as convincing. She falls on the Triple Salchow and almost loses control of the second Triple Toeloop. Lovely personalised spins and use of Egyptian culture. She gets 107.72. Overall: 170.64.Kanako Murakami's Papa Can You Hear Me? is simply divine. She expresses the vulnerability to the point that this truly feels like a prayer. The arena is covered in a peaceful atmosphere after that performance. Her only mistake is double-footing the Triple Lutz. Her score: 111.58. Overall: 172.44.
Nathalie Weinzierl's version of Rhapsody in Blue is not exactly inspiring, but she does send the nostalgia of the song across to the audience. Her blue lace costume is superb and stresses all those blue feelings that come with Gershwin's piano. She's a very strong skater, recovering very quickly after a stumble right before the first jump. However, her Double Axel is only a Single. She gets 106.90 points. Overall: 167.72.
Polina Edmunds's routine makes you think of foggy spring mornings and freshly-washed linen (probably due to the icy-blue of her dress). She does justice to the music, Peer Gynt by Edvard Grieg. No technical errors. Her score: 126.91. Overall: 187.50.
Mae Berenice Maite has a frustrating habit of losing all faith when things start to go wrong. After three falls and a hand down on the Triple Loop, what should have been a smooth, fun routine, turns into a nightmare. She's also very slow, especially in the mid-section. The songs: Europa, We Will Rock You, La Grange. She gets 97.10 points. Overall: 158.72.
Ashley Wagner receives a standing ovation after an extraordinary performance of Samson and Delilah. She's very expressive, changing attitudes in time with the nuances in the music and has some of the best spins out there. The last part of the programme in particular is uplifting, almost glorious. Only one double-footed Double Toeloop to point fingers at. Her score: 129.52. Overall: 193.16.Carolina Kostner's last competitive skate is bound to be a bitter memory. She tries to play it safe, but after the fall on the Triple Toeloop, she keeps singling jump after jump. Despite this, the programme itself is a masterpiece and at the end of the day, that's what she will be remembered for. She gets 126.59 points. Overall: 203.83.
Akiko Suzuki's own goodbye to the competitive world is hauntingly beautiful. With no major mistakes, she looks gorgeous and is incredibly fast, stressing the artistry of Phantom of the Opera and the pain of the characters. Her score: 122.70. Overall: 193.72. P.S.: I have to confess I got all emotional at the end because she's one of my favourite skaters.
Mao Asada is one of the reasons why this is the Golden Age of figure skating. Confident, wearing a superb blue costume and unique in her ability to perfectly land a Triple Axel, she simply takes your breath away. There is something almost aristocratic about her presentation of Piano Concerto No. 2 by Serghei Rachmaninoff, which is only fit because if there was a royalty in this sport, she'd be one of them. She gets 138.03 points. Overall: 216.69.
Julia Lipnitskaia's rendition of one of the most heart-breaking stories ever told about what is undoubtedly the most awful period of human history, got her a thank you note from Steven Spielberg. She is calm here and unbelievably flexible. The only mistake is a fall on the Triple Salchow. Her score: 132.96. Overall: 207.50.
Anna Pogorilaya's take on the fatal beauty of the Sirens is fierce and error-free. She is exceptional and only 15 years-old, just like her team-mate.She gets 131.24 points. Overall: 197.50.
The Sleeping Beauty by Pyotr I. Tchaikovski is full of big moments, of which Gracie Gold knows how to take advantage. Unfortunately, the Double Axels give her a headache today - she singles the first one and falls on the second. Her score: 124.27. Overall: 194.58.
Mao Asada wins back the World title with a mind-blowing performance! Equally mesmerising, Julia Lipnitskaia takes the silver, while Carolina Kostner settles for the bronze. Congratulations to all of them!
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