European Championships 2015 - The Men's Final Act
The second final of these European championships belongs to the boys. After the short skate, Javier Fernandez leads with over eight points ahead of Sergei Voronov. Michal Brezina managed to take the third place, but there are only two points separating him from Maxim Kovtun, who is on fourth. Let's see if the standings remain unchanged.
Adian Pitkeev shouldn't be stressed tonight as he's not up for any medal, but the amount of talent that has recently emerged out of Russia has surely put pressure on him to prove himself. He shows us he's good enough to be here, but there's nothing unique about him yet, probably because he's only sixteen. Also his interpretation of a heavy song like Sarabande Suite is not as profound as an experienced skater's would have been. The only real mistake is the stepping-out of the last jump. His score: 141.09. Overall: 210.87.
Daniel Samohin made quite a sensation in the short when he finished in the top 10. For the free skate, he chose the soundtrack of Once Upon a Time in Mexico, opting to portray the drama rather than the violence of the story. He's convincing enough in his role, but he makes a few technical errors such as stepping out of the quad Toeloop and the triple Axel. He gets 137.28 points. Overall: 209.83.
How can you not love Ivan Righini's programme? He's one of the best entertainers on ice right now and he mirrors Frank Sinatra very well through elegance and charisma. His best jump is the first triple Loop and his worst is the quad Toeloop, which he can't land today. His score: 143.30. Overall: 210.75.
Great Britain has returned to single figure skating with the help of Phillip Harris. Unfortunately, today is not his luckiest day as he falls on the triple Axel and injures his right hand in the process. He manages to finish the routine in spite of the injury though. He's got good low spins. He gets 108.51 points. Overall: 173.67.
Alexander Majorov's costume depicting an angelic skeleton is awesome. He makes a few mistakes (fall on the triple Lutz and a hand down on the triple Flip) in the second half of the programme, but he seems to gain confidence as the music (Archangel by Thomas J. Bergersen) speeds up and reaches the climax. His score: 134.47. Overall: 202.57.
Alexei Bychenko is improving with every season. He skates on Nostradamus by Maksim Mrvica, an exhausting, dramatic piece of music, and aces every single jump. Great job! He gets 146.59 points. Overall: 220.22.
Javier Fernandez can't bring his A-game on ice tonight. The presentation is excellent and you can tell he researched The Marriage of Figaro thoroughly, but he falls on the quad Salchow and pops out of a few triples. His score: 173.25. Overall: 262.49.
Peter Liebers can't get his act together either during the first half of the routine, perhaps due to nerves, and falls twice. His music is Who Wants to Live Forever by David Garrett. He gets 138.09 points. Overall: 213.57.
Florent Amodio's Blood Diamond and Lion King mash-up is one of the best routines of the season. It's meditative in the first half and so cheerful in the second that it simply brings a smile on your face. His thematic costume is a masterpiece as well. Unluckily, he double-foots the landing of the triple Salchow, over-rotates the first triple Axel and steps out of the second one. Choreography-wise, there are some blank spaces in the transitions between the big jumps that could be filled with some dance steps. His score: 136.05. Overall: 210.11.
Sergei Voronov's black leather costume is such a far cry from the style of the music (This is a Man's World, Come Together, At Last and Big Time Boppin') that I can't help but feel it is damaging his presentation. His elements are good though with only a double-footed landing on the quad and a hand down on the triple Axel as errors. He gets 151.99 points. Overall: 233.05.
Perhaps I should have mentioned this in relation to his short programme given that his free skate costume actually matches Exogenesis Symphony, but what is it with Maxim Kovtun and black attires? They don't help him at all as they sometimes make his routines seem dull. Anyways, he puts in a good effort here despite stepping out of the quad Salchow and triple Axel, and putting a hand down on the quad Toeloop. His score: 157.47. Overall: 235.68.
I had a feeling Michal Brezina would let pressure get the best of him, but I really, really wish I had been wrong. He falls on both the quad Salchows and steps out of the triple Lutz. His own version of The Marriage of Figaro is just as good artistically as the Spaniard's so it's a huge shame that he can't control his elements in times like these. If he could the battle between them would be really interesting. He gets 139.25 points. Overall: 220.11.
Well, the standings haven't remained unchanged as it so often happens in this sport. Javier Fernandez keeps his European title after a rather nervous, but truly enjoyable performance. Maxim Kovtun looks thrilled to have landed the second spot on the podium, while his countryman, Sergei Voronov, drops a place from last year's podium and takes home the bronze. Congratulations to all of them and to Alexei Bychenko, who came very close to winning a medal.
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| Adian Pitkeev is at the start of his career Photograph: Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images Europe |
Daniel Samohin made quite a sensation in the short when he finished in the top 10. For the free skate, he chose the soundtrack of Once Upon a Time in Mexico, opting to portray the drama rather than the violence of the story. He's convincing enough in his role, but he makes a few technical errors such as stepping out of the quad Toeloop and the triple Axel. He gets 137.28 points. Overall: 209.83.
How can you not love Ivan Righini's programme? He's one of the best entertainers on ice right now and he mirrors Frank Sinatra very well through elegance and charisma. His best jump is the first triple Loop and his worst is the quad Toeloop, which he can't land today. His score: 143.30. Overall: 210.75.
Great Britain has returned to single figure skating with the help of Phillip Harris. Unfortunately, today is not his luckiest day as he falls on the triple Axel and injures his right hand in the process. He manages to finish the routine in spite of the injury though. He's got good low spins. He gets 108.51 points. Overall: 173.67.
Alexander Majorov's costume depicting an angelic skeleton is awesome. He makes a few mistakes (fall on the triple Lutz and a hand down on the triple Flip) in the second half of the programme, but he seems to gain confidence as the music (Archangel by Thomas J. Bergersen) speeds up and reaches the climax. His score: 134.47. Overall: 202.57.
Alexei Bychenko is improving with every season. He skates on Nostradamus by Maksim Mrvica, an exhausting, dramatic piece of music, and aces every single jump. Great job! He gets 146.59 points. Overall: 220.22.
Javier Fernandez can't bring his A-game on ice tonight. The presentation is excellent and you can tell he researched The Marriage of Figaro thoroughly, but he falls on the quad Salchow and pops out of a few triples. His score: 173.25. Overall: 262.49.
Peter Liebers can't get his act together either during the first half of the routine, perhaps due to nerves, and falls twice. His music is Who Wants to Live Forever by David Garrett. He gets 138.09 points. Overall: 213.57.
Florent Amodio's Blood Diamond and Lion King mash-up is one of the best routines of the season. It's meditative in the first half and so cheerful in the second that it simply brings a smile on your face. His thematic costume is a masterpiece as well. Unluckily, he double-foots the landing of the triple Salchow, over-rotates the first triple Axel and steps out of the second one. Choreography-wise, there are some blank spaces in the transitions between the big jumps that could be filled with some dance steps. His score: 136.05. Overall: 210.11.
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| Javier Fernandez has won three European titles in a row Photograph: David Ramos/Getty Images Europe |
Perhaps I should have mentioned this in relation to his short programme given that his free skate costume actually matches Exogenesis Symphony, but what is it with Maxim Kovtun and black attires? They don't help him at all as they sometimes make his routines seem dull. Anyways, he puts in a good effort here despite stepping out of the quad Salchow and triple Axel, and putting a hand down on the quad Toeloop. His score: 157.47. Overall: 235.68.
I had a feeling Michal Brezina would let pressure get the best of him, but I really, really wish I had been wrong. He falls on both the quad Salchows and steps out of the triple Lutz. His own version of The Marriage of Figaro is just as good artistically as the Spaniard's so it's a huge shame that he can't control his elements in times like these. If he could the battle between them would be really interesting. He gets 139.25 points. Overall: 220.11.
Well, the standings haven't remained unchanged as it so often happens in this sport. Javier Fernandez keeps his European title after a rather nervous, but truly enjoyable performance. Maxim Kovtun looks thrilled to have landed the second spot on the podium, while his countryman, Sergei Voronov, drops a place from last year's podium and takes home the bronze. Congratulations to all of them and to Alexei Bychenko, who came very close to winning a medal.
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