Internationaux de France 2017 - Getting Up (Men's SP)

The Internationaux de France hasn't been the most glorious event of this Grand Prix Series so far. There were systems crashing (more about that in my post about the pairs' event) and lots of mistakes from unexpected places (more about that in my ladies post). So as we go into the men's short, I can't help but feel a bit apprehensive. Hopefully, the technical side of things has been fixed and it'll be smooth sailing from now on in Grenoble.

Romain Ponsart is unfortunately not off to a good start. He falls on the 4Toeloop, steps out of the 3Axel and makes a mistake on the 3Loop that might very possibly be interpreted as a second fall. He skates to Je Suis Malade, but the errors massively overshadow the presentation. His score: 63.81 (and I was right about the 3Loop, the mistake is scored as a fall).

Kevin Aymoz has a lot of fans here tonight, but he still has a long way to go in terms of consistency. He over-rotates the 3Axel and doubles out of the 3Loop. He's puts amazing attention to details in his hand movements though. His music is Wicked Game. He earns 70.00 points.

Denis Ten is still not back to the technical form that put him on the Sochi Olympic podium. He falls on the 4Salchow here. He's still one of the most captivating skaters when it comes to presentation though. His score: 83.70.

The previous version of Misha Ge's Ave Maria costume
Photo: Xiaolu Chu/Getty Images AsiaPac

 Moris Kvitelashvili lands the first clean quad of the night, but then falls on the 4Toeloop. His song is Feeling Good, but I have to say he doesn't seem to feel or interpret the music, so expressivity and body language are aread that need improving. He earns 86.98 points.

Vincent Zhou also falls on both his quads, which I think affects his presentation - his gaze is on the ice, not the audience for most of the routine afterwards. It's a shame because Chasing Cars is a gorgeous song that seems to fit his style very well. His score: 66.12.

Misha Ge has the best acting skills of the night, and I can confidently say that even with five more skaters left to perform. He's gone back to an old theme, Ave Maria, but I don't think he's using the same musical arrangement and/or choreography. The costume is really similar though, which is a bummer for me because it wasn't one of my favourites, but that's just a personal opinion. He earns 85.41 points.

Spain's Javier Fernandez portraying Charlie Chaplin
Max Aaron's bronze medal from the Cup of China made me expect grea things from him here. Unfortunately, he over-rotates the 4Toeloop, falls on the 3Toeloop and wobbles on both the sit spin and the combination spin. His score: 78.64.

Could Alexander Samarin be Russia's comeback to the top of male skating? He certainly has a chance to reach the podium after the short programme! He still needs a lot of improvement on his presentation skills though. There is no emotion expressed on his face except the effort of skating. He earns 91.51 points.

Last week, I said I didn't quite get Alexei Bychenko's Hava Nagila. Well, I've changed my mind. I can recognise some steps of the famous dance incorporated in the choreography and I can see how the hectic first half of the song doesn't leave much room for interpretation, which is probably why it's the backdrop for most of the elements. His score: 86.79.

It's crazy to realise Javier Fernandez will likely not make it to the Grand Prix Final, because he is just phenomenal tonight. He makes no errors, so he's just his usual charismatic version of Charlie Chaplin. I love the choreographic exit out of the camel spin. He earns 107.86 points. May I add, 'well done' to whoever got him the Charlie Chaplin hat?!

Shoma Uno basically gives Javier the lead when he falls on the 4Flip. His rendition of Vivaldi's Winter is not unique, but his arm movements and commitment to the choreography are some of the best out there. His score: 93.92.

Well, so went the first event of the men's competition in Grenoble. I've seen lots of falls, I'm afraid, but also an amazing comeback from Europe's finest skater, so... I'm a happy blogger tonight. 😊

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