Jump for Gold, Part 1

The first day of men's competition is about to start. Canada, Russia and Japan have the strongest teams. Will they rise to their reputation?
  • Yi Wan's program cannot not be compared to Michal Brezina's given that they skate on the same music. Unfortunately for the Chinese, he does not have the skating or the presentation skills of the Czech. Comparison aside, this is a solid program even if it does not impress. Yi gets 58.30 points.
  • Romain Ponsart lands a quad in combination with a triple, just to fail a jump later. The music doesn't help him a lot either, and the program does come off a bit dull. His score: 57.39.
  • Maxim Kovtun fails the test of patience and focus on his last jump, which is really  a shame because his quad was bloody perfect and his last spin was very original. He gets 76.67 points.
  • Max Aaron's legacy looks good so far. With one of the best jumping techniques out there, the American still has a lot to learn about presentation. His score: 77.38.
  • It's not a good day to tango for Han Yan. He falls every single jump, perhaps due to too much speed. When the technical elements fail, the presentation doesn't shine either. He gets 64.54 points.
  • It's always a pleasure watching Konstantin Menshov do what he does best. The Japanese fans fill the ice with gifts after his program, just as he deserves. His score: 80.60 (and Russia has a bear on its flag - talk about intimidating your opponents).
  • Kevin Reynolds is not even half as good as he was at Worlds. Double-footed, under-rotated and failed is what his jumps were. Maybe he's tired after a long season. He gets 73.52 points. P.S.: Andrew Poje rocks an umbrella hat in the background.
  • Brian Joubert. Before I say anything else, Monsieur Joubert, please shave! Now onto the program. His jumps are inconsistent, and he knows it. Other than that, it's all a bundle of French charm. His score: 76.55.
  • Takahito Mura falls on the quad, but otherwise is a living proof that Japanese skaters are artists. He gets 77.65 points.
  • You can say a lot of things about Jeremy Abbott, but not that he doesn't know how to get the crowd going. He falls on his first jump, but every good spy (on ice) knows that falling comes with the job. His score: 80.24. P.S.: Loving Mr Abbott's dance moves and his way of cheering for himself.
  • Moonlight Sonata is a hard song to skate on for men because you cannot find something more expressive, but remember what I said about Japanese skaters and art? Well, Daisuke Takahashi is the cherry on top of that. From the costume to the step sequence, everything he does is brilliant. He gets 80.87 points.
  • Patrick Chan seems a bit tired and falls on the quad, after which he delivers a dodgy triple. Yet, once more, he is saved by presentation skills. His score: 86.67. P.S.: Loving team Canada's creativity and reindeer antlers.
At this point in history, nobody expects Patrick Chan not to win everything, as he seems to be the judges' favourite skater in the whole universe. Nonetheless, both he and Takahashi are bound to deliver artistically brilliant programs in the finale.

For full results go to: http://www.isuresults.com/results/wtt2013/CAT001RS.HTM
To watch the competition, go to: http://livemanager.eurovision.edgesuite.net/isu/site/index.html

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