Cup of China 2017 Highlights - Bumpy Roads (Men)
Remember the good old days when figure skating predictions were easy to make? Well, for the most part, those days are completely gone. What we're living at the moment are the even better days when medals are easy to grab for anyone with a technical prowess and convincing presentation. One of the disciplines where this is obvious is the men's. Cup of China 2017 wasn't any different. The podium was unexpected, so I've put together a few lines on how we got there.
SHORT
Max Aaron finished the short on 5th place. His routine is set to Les Miserables, another programme that is part of a bunch of increasingly emotional choices we've seen from him in the past few seasons. There were a lot of big arm movements in the choreography, which I know some people don't like, but I'm always supportive of his attempts to up the artistry. Technically, his flying camel spin was a bit slow and he put a hand down on the triple Axel. His score: 83.11.
Keiji Tanaka reminds me a little of Daisuke Takahashi, who is one of my favourite skaters ever. I loved his super fast, super high 3Axel here in Beijing. Good pacing of the music, which was Gary Moore's Memories. He didn't have the best positions in the sit spins though, but that's not unusual in the men's competition. He earned 87.19 points and the 4th place after the short.
Javier Fernandez was the unpleasant surprise of the day because he finished 3rd after the short. The fact his poor performance was due to health reasons might be a relief to his fans as it means he should get back to top form once he's healthy again. He's gone back to Charlie Chaplin music, although I don't think it's the same music as his previous Chaplin routine (correct me if I'm wrong). Still, I could recognise some parts of the old choreography here. He tripled out of the 4Toeloop, doubled out of the 3Toeloop and over-rotated the 3Axel. His score was 90.57.
Boyang Jin had troubles with his quads - he put a hand down on the 4Lutz and over-rotated the 4Toeloop. Also, his flying camel spin didn't look very centred to me, especially during the first positions. I still think he needs to work harder on presentation, but having a theme like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, which is more powerful than melodic, is a good idea for his style. He finished second with a score of 93.89.
Mikhail Kolyada leading after the short might seem surprising from the outside, but a quick comparison to the other four leading men will give you the explanation. His programme was the only one who had both perfect technical elements and a very good presentation. His routine was softer than the others', being set to Mozart's Piano Concerto no. 23. The step sequence was amazing; loved the upper body movements that accompanied the actual steps. His score was 103.13.
FREE
Keiji Tanaka finished the entire competition on 7th place, which was not really his fault as much as his rivals'. He tripped and fell during a transition, and tripled out of the 4Toeloop. He skated to a medley of soundtracks from films by Federico Fellini. I think it's the first time I've seen this approach to choosing a theme. His free score was 159.98 and his overall score was 247.17.
Well, if I was surprised Javier Fernandez finished third after the short, I would have been downright shocked when he finished on 6th place overall if I hadn't seen the performance. He tripled out of the 4Toeloop and the second 4Salchow, he put a hand down on the first 4Salchow and the second 3Axel, and he double-footed the first 3Axel. He got 162.49 in the free and 253.06 overall. Great to see him put on a brave face and shrug after seeing that score. It shows he's a fighter and knows better than letting it affect him too much.
Han Yan's free routine would have got him a place higher than 5th if his short hadn't disappointed. I absolutely loved his rendition of I'll Take Care of You. It was a lot of fun to watch although it looked quite demanding. He was quite exhausted by the end of it, but happy with his performance, as he should have been. Well done! His free score was 172.39 and his total score was 254.61.
Vincent Zhou was another skater to debut at senior level in Beijing. He skated to Moulin Rouge, but a less dramatic version of the soundtrack. There was more storytelling and more instrumentals, with both halves of the programme building up to grand moments. Technically, he fell on the 4Salchow and stepped out of the second 4Lutz. He finished fourth with a free score of 176.43 and a total score of 256.66.
The one thing the fashionista in me really doesn't like about Max Aaron's Phantom of the Opera is the costume. There are some themes that should not be paired with a random gray top and that is one of them. Sorry, Max. Anyway, great communication with the audience and loved how the spin transitions were in sync with the music. A free score of 176.58 and an overall score of 259.69 got him the bronze medal.
Boyang Jin really struggled to keep his silver medal. He put a hand down on the 4Lutz and first 4Toeloop, stepped out of the 4Salchow and fell on the second 4Toeloop. He skated to soundtrack from The Planets and Star Wars, which didn't quite resonate with me so I found his routine really long. The technical errors likely affected his interpretation as well. A free score of 170.59 led to a total score of 264.48.
Mikhail Kolyada barely managed to win the gold after a routine full of errors - fell on the 4Lutz and singled out of the 4Salchow and 3Axel. The good bit was that his routine was created on the back of his strengths. He's funny, he's energetic, he's charismatic; so he can convince us he's Elvis Presley for a few minutes. His free score was 176.25; the overall score was 279.38.
Well, the road to the podium wasn't very smooth for the boys. A lot of them could keep their positions or move up only because of the short results. This is to be expected in a discipline that relies so much on technical elements. Is that good, is it bad? Perhaps the direction men's skating is taking is something to ponder on.
SHORT
Max Aaron finished the short on 5th place. His routine is set to Les Miserables, another programme that is part of a bunch of increasingly emotional choices we've seen from him in the past few seasons. There were a lot of big arm movements in the choreography, which I know some people don't like, but I'm always supportive of his attempts to up the artistry. Technically, his flying camel spin was a bit slow and he put a hand down on the triple Axel. His score: 83.11.
Keiji Tanaka reminds me a little of Daisuke Takahashi, who is one of my favourite skaters ever. I loved his super fast, super high 3Axel here in Beijing. Good pacing of the music, which was Gary Moore's Memories. He didn't have the best positions in the sit spins though, but that's not unusual in the men's competition. He earned 87.19 points and the 4th place after the short.
Javier Fernandez was the unpleasant surprise of the day because he finished 3rd after the short. The fact his poor performance was due to health reasons might be a relief to his fans as it means he should get back to top form once he's healthy again. He's gone back to Charlie Chaplin music, although I don't think it's the same music as his previous Chaplin routine (correct me if I'm wrong). Still, I could recognise some parts of the old choreography here. He tripled out of the 4Toeloop, doubled out of the 3Toeloop and over-rotated the 3Axel. His score was 90.57.
 |
| Javier Fernandez during his free skate, set to Man de la Mancha |
Mikhail Kolyada leading after the short might seem surprising from the outside, but a quick comparison to the other four leading men will give you the explanation. His programme was the only one who had both perfect technical elements and a very good presentation. His routine was softer than the others', being set to Mozart's Piano Concerto no. 23. The step sequence was amazing; loved the upper body movements that accompanied the actual steps. His score was 103.13.
FREE
Keiji Tanaka finished the entire competition on 7th place, which was not really his fault as much as his rivals'. He tripped and fell during a transition, and tripled out of the 4Toeloop. He skated to a medley of soundtracks from films by Federico Fellini. I think it's the first time I've seen this approach to choosing a theme. His free score was 159.98 and his overall score was 247.17.
Well, if I was surprised Javier Fernandez finished third after the short, I would have been downright shocked when he finished on 6th place overall if I hadn't seen the performance. He tripled out of the 4Toeloop and the second 4Salchow, he put a hand down on the first 4Salchow and the second 3Axel, and he double-footed the first 3Axel. He got 162.49 in the free and 253.06 overall. Great to see him put on a brave face and shrug after seeing that score. It shows he's a fighter and knows better than letting it affect him too much.
Han Yan's free routine would have got him a place higher than 5th if his short hadn't disappointed. I absolutely loved his rendition of I'll Take Care of You. It was a lot of fun to watch although it looked quite demanding. He was quite exhausted by the end of it, but happy with his performance, as he should have been. Well done! His free score was 172.39 and his total score was 254.61.
Vincent Zhou was another skater to debut at senior level in Beijing. He skated to Moulin Rouge, but a less dramatic version of the soundtrack. There was more storytelling and more instrumentals, with both halves of the programme building up to grand moments. Technically, he fell on the 4Salchow and stepped out of the second 4Lutz. He finished fourth with a free score of 176.43 and a total score of 256.66.
 |
| Mikhail Kolyada kept his cool and his leading position throughout the competition Photograph: Mark Schiefelbein/AP Photo |
Boyang Jin really struggled to keep his silver medal. He put a hand down on the 4Lutz and first 4Toeloop, stepped out of the 4Salchow and fell on the second 4Toeloop. He skated to soundtrack from The Planets and Star Wars, which didn't quite resonate with me so I found his routine really long. The technical errors likely affected his interpretation as well. A free score of 170.59 led to a total score of 264.48.
Mikhail Kolyada barely managed to win the gold after a routine full of errors - fell on the 4Lutz and singled out of the 4Salchow and 3Axel. The good bit was that his routine was created on the back of his strengths. He's funny, he's energetic, he's charismatic; so he can convince us he's Elvis Presley for a few minutes. His free score was 176.25; the overall score was 279.38.
Well, the road to the podium wasn't very smooth for the boys. A lot of them could keep their positions or move up only because of the short results. This is to be expected in a discipline that relies so much on technical elements. Is that good, is it bad? Perhaps the direction men's skating is taking is something to ponder on.
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