NHK Trophy 2017 Highlights - Skaters That Inspire (Ladies SP)
Did anyone expect the ladies' short programme in Osaka to end as it did? Okay, okay, I don't mean the top spot, but the order of say...the next five skaters? I was a bit surprised when I found out the results, so I'm having a look at the top five ladies to catch up on what went on.
Mirai Nagasu has grown so much technically since I last saw her. Congratulations on landing that amazing 3Axel. After I saw it, it suddenly made sense why she looked rather stressed at the very beginning. She's one of the skaters who keeps growing every season, so it's always a joy to see her skate. She finished on 5th, with 65.17 points.
I don't have a favourite Japanese skater at the moment, but Rika Hongo comes pretty close. I have to be honest, I was so mesmerised about her performance, I forgot to take notes. Carmina Burana was an amazing choice for her, the costume was breathtaking and the elements were extraordinary. Loved every second of it. Unfortunately, it didn't get her higher than 4th place; the score: 65.83.
Polina Tsurskaia skated to Light of the Seven, a song from the soundtrack of Game of Thrones. I didn't really see a lot of references to the TV series, but her interpretation of the soft music was on point. That being said, the song is rather uneventful, which affected the way I perceived the whole routine. I didn't notice enough original choreographic details to make it stand out for me. Her score, 70.04, got her in 3rd place.
Carolina Kostner's maturity is an advantage for her in terms of presentation in Osaka. Her body language was a lot more suggestive and her expressions were more convincing than those of the younger ladies here. The difference between the woman and the girl was noticeable, especially as she skated to Ne Me Quitte Pas by Celine Dion. She over-rotated the second 3Toeloop of the combination. Her score, 74.57, got her in 2nd place.
Evgenia Medvedeva is already an inspiration for a lot of junior Russian skaters; I can tell a lot of them, including Tsurskaia, try to emulate her style. She did an amazing job here as well, of course. There were fewer elements of storytelling than I'm used to seeing in her routines, but the softness of movement and the ease of jumping made up for it. The score that got her the lead was 79.99.
That concluded the first event of the ladies' competition in Osaka. I do expect some shifting to take place in the long programme. One of the skaters whom I didn't mention was Satoko Miyahara, who finished on 6th; I personally really hope she'll move up from this position. I'll be keeping my fingers crossed for everyone to do their best though.
Mirai Nagasu has grown so much technically since I last saw her. Congratulations on landing that amazing 3Axel. After I saw it, it suddenly made sense why she looked rather stressed at the very beginning. She's one of the skaters who keeps growing every season, so it's always a joy to see her skate. She finished on 5th, with 65.17 points.
I don't have a favourite Japanese skater at the moment, but Rika Hongo comes pretty close. I have to be honest, I was so mesmerised about her performance, I forgot to take notes. Carmina Burana was an amazing choice for her, the costume was breathtaking and the elements were extraordinary. Loved every second of it. Unfortunately, it didn't get her higher than 4th place; the score: 65.83.
Polina Tsurskaia skated to Light of the Seven, a song from the soundtrack of Game of Thrones. I didn't really see a lot of references to the TV series, but her interpretation of the soft music was on point. That being said, the song is rather uneventful, which affected the way I perceived the whole routine. I didn't notice enough original choreographic details to make it stand out for me. Her score, 70.04, got her in 3rd place.
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| Evgenia Medvedeva's short is set to Frederic Chopin's Nocturne Photograph: Ryohei Moriya / Yomiuri / The Yomiuri Shimbun |
Carolina Kostner's maturity is an advantage for her in terms of presentation in Osaka. Her body language was a lot more suggestive and her expressions were more convincing than those of the younger ladies here. The difference between the woman and the girl was noticeable, especially as she skated to Ne Me Quitte Pas by Celine Dion. She over-rotated the second 3Toeloop of the combination. Her score, 74.57, got her in 2nd place.
Evgenia Medvedeva is already an inspiration for a lot of junior Russian skaters; I can tell a lot of them, including Tsurskaia, try to emulate her style. She did an amazing job here as well, of course. There were fewer elements of storytelling than I'm used to seeing in her routines, but the softness of movement and the ease of jumping made up for it. The score that got her the lead was 79.99.
That concluded the first event of the ladies' competition in Osaka. I do expect some shifting to take place in the long programme. One of the skaters whom I didn't mention was Satoko Miyahara, who finished on 6th; I personally really hope she'll move up from this position. I'll be keeping my fingers crossed for everyone to do their best though.
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