NHK Trophy 2017 Highlights - Motivation Is Key (Men FS)
When scores are very close to one another in figure skating, you know you're in for quite a ride. This is even truer in the men's event, where the technical score has a lot of weight, so in consequence, mistakes do too. The final in Osaka was a perfect example of this exact situation, so let's see how and why the top 5 changed in the free skate.
Keegan Messing was one of two skaters to maintain their short programme position. He skated to a medley of Charlie Chaplin soundtracks, which made me want to wish he had skated last week in Beijing, so we could have compared it to Javier's interpretation of the same theme. Keegan's got the silly act down, so this was a great choice of music for him. The quad was so low though, his free leg touched the ice. His free score: 155.67; his total score: 235.80.
Jason Brown avoided the quad in the free skate, which was probably for the best given that there were so many errors in his performance. He fell on both 3Axels and stepped out of the 3Lutz. His Biellmann-like spin was extraordinary though. He lost the bronze and finished on 4th with 160.59 points in the free and a total of 245.95.
Alexei Bychenko was obviously stronger technically than Brown, but not without errors either. He doubled out of the 3Loop and stepped out of a 3Axel. The start of his routine was absolutely phenomenal though, with two amazing quads, one of which was in combination. Not a big fan of his beige costumes, which all seem to resemble each other. He went home with the bronze due to a free score of 166.55. Overall score: 252.07.
Adam Rippon was the star of the day for me. I'm sure a lot of people would agree. He's kept his free programme from last year, which was a good decision as it was the best long routine he's had, in my opinion. I just love the lines he creates with his arms...in the spins, in the transitions, in the jumps. I really hope he can maintain this amazing quality until the Olympics and beyond. His free score was 177.04; he got 261.99 points in total.
Sergei Voronov is definitely an interesting skater. He seems to do better under pressure than when he's got nothing to lose. Could be that knowing he's got a high chance at winning motivates him more than having to fight off countless rivals. Regardless of why, he was a jumping machine in Osaka. He made a tiny mistake in double-footing the 4Toeloop, but who cares at this point? He's the other skater who managed to keep his original position. Free score: 181.06. Overall score: 271.12.
Well, how about that? This final was more exhilarating than both the other two that preceded it (pairs and ladies). Yuzuru Hanyu's absence only made the top men fight harder for a spot on the podium. Congratulations to Alexei, Sergei and particularly Adam for what they achieved in Osaka.
Keegan Messing was one of two skaters to maintain their short programme position. He skated to a medley of Charlie Chaplin soundtracks, which made me want to wish he had skated last week in Beijing, so we could have compared it to Javier's interpretation of the same theme. Keegan's got the silly act down, so this was a great choice of music for him. The quad was so low though, his free leg touched the ice. His free score: 155.67; his total score: 235.80.
Jason Brown avoided the quad in the free skate, which was probably for the best given that there were so many errors in his performance. He fell on both 3Axels and stepped out of the 3Lutz. His Biellmann-like spin was extraordinary though. He lost the bronze and finished on 4th with 160.59 points in the free and a total of 245.95.
Alexei Bychenko was obviously stronger technically than Brown, but not without errors either. He doubled out of the 3Loop and stepped out of a 3Axel. The start of his routine was absolutely phenomenal though, with two amazing quads, one of which was in combination. Not a big fan of his beige costumes, which all seem to resemble each other. He went home with the bronze due to a free score of 166.55. Overall score: 252.07.
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| The men's podium came about after a fierce fight between the US, Russia and Israel Photograph: AFP PHOTO / Kazuhiro NOGI |
Adam Rippon was the star of the day for me. I'm sure a lot of people would agree. He's kept his free programme from last year, which was a good decision as it was the best long routine he's had, in my opinion. I just love the lines he creates with his arms...in the spins, in the transitions, in the jumps. I really hope he can maintain this amazing quality until the Olympics and beyond. His free score was 177.04; he got 261.99 points in total.
Sergei Voronov is definitely an interesting skater. He seems to do better under pressure than when he's got nothing to lose. Could be that knowing he's got a high chance at winning motivates him more than having to fight off countless rivals. Regardless of why, he was a jumping machine in Osaka. He made a tiny mistake in double-footing the 4Toeloop, but who cares at this point? He's the other skater who managed to keep his original position. Free score: 181.06. Overall score: 271.12.
Well, how about that? This final was more exhilarating than both the other two that preceded it (pairs and ladies). Yuzuru Hanyu's absence only made the top men fight harder for a spot on the podium. Congratulations to Alexei, Sergei and particularly Adam for what they achieved in Osaka.
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