Olympic Games 2014 - Pairs' Short Programme
The first act of the epic battle between Russia and Germany for the supreme gold medal is here. Both Tatiana Volosozhar/Maxim Trankov and Aliona Savchenko/Robin Szolkowy know that while a short programme cannot get you a victory, it can sure make you lose it. They've got three and a half minutes to get the advantage and not a single second can be ignored.
Maylin Wende/Daniel Wende's November Rain is almost perfect. All the jumps are landed, the costumes are very beautiful, but she falls right after the death spiral. Sometimes luck will work against you in figure skating. In terms of interpretation, they could have turned the volume up on the sadness, but we'll forgive them as they were clearly too excited to be skating at the Olympics to pull off a tragic mask. Their score: 59.25.
It's all a bit too simple, too slow and too inexpressive for Julia Lavrentieva/Yuri Yudrik, but these are their first ever Olympic Games, so just being here is a success for them. She has a two-foot landing on the thrown Triple Loop. They obtain 44.30 points.
Paige Lawrence/Rudi Swiegers go back to the golden era of swing and vaudeville shows with the songs Olivier and I Put a Spell on You. The sassy attitude is obvious from the start and it fits them like a glove. They have excellent lifts and pretty costumes, but she messes the side-by-side Triple Toeloops and puts a hand down on the thrown jump. Their score: 58.97.
Vanessa James/Morgan Cipres stay in the same period as the Canadians with Minnie the Moocher. Except for their costumes, which are almost always dull, there is nothing they could have done better. The elements are great, the choreography and interpretation is spot on. The step sequence in particular is flawless. They obtain 65.36 points.
The artistry of Ksenia Stolbova/Fedor Klimov is in the way they took the most boring of songs and turned it into a masterpiece. In 2018, these two will likely be fighting for the gold. Their score: 75.21.
Meagan Duhamel/Eric Radford have definitely come here to get on the podium...for themselves, for their country and for the coach they're paying tribute to. It is by far the most emotional routine we're likely to see here because the music was written for the programme, not vice-versa. Eric has a small problem with the side-by-side Triple Lutz. They obtain 72.21 points.
Not willing to take any risks, Aliona Savchenko/Robin Szolkowy go back to The Pink Panther. The decision is disappointing, and it somehow feels they have betrayed their worldwide-known creativity in the most important of hours. Other than that, both the sexy panther and the clueless, but dashing Clouseau skate as effortlessly as their reputation claims. This is probably the last time we will see them skate a short programme. Their score: 79.64.
From the Pink Panther, we move on to another hilarious character: the Mask. Stefania Berton/Ondrej Hotarek are adorable together, especially in the way they cheer each other up, but they are not at their best here. Her Triple Toeloop is messy and the choreography is just not challenging enough to come anywhere near the podium. But this is another couple you could find yourself rooting for in 2018. They obtain 63.57 points.
The arena explodes with cheer at the end of Tatiana Volosozhar/Maxim Trankov's programme and it sure sounds as if all Russia is shouting their names. The Masquerade Waltz is absolutely brilliant and flawless in recreating the atmosphere of a ballroom. There isn't much to say except that this is the perfect ending to their short programme history. Their score: 84.17.
Vera Bazarova/Yuri Larionov are not the right pair to put under pressure, which is why their performance comes as a surprise. The only mistake is his Double instead of Triple Toeloop. They skate on Tintine. Although Charlie Chaplin's comedy is definitely in the choreography, it fails to reach their faces. Maybe letting go and staying focused at the same time is not something they know how to do, but I'm still glad they've taken a break from classical music. They obtain 69.66 points.
At their fourth Olympic Games, Qing Pang/Jian Tong can no longer hope for gold, but surely deserve a place on the podium. They skate on Lady Caliph and it is hard to imagine someone more perfect for the role than Qing. Their score: 73.30.
Kristen Moore-Towers/Dylan Moscovitch have changed their costumes! I'm not sure it's an improvement because red and pink should never be next to each other on any piece of fabric, but it's nice to see they did something to differentiate this performance from all the others. With no other goal than to have a great time out there, they skate clean and put a smile on our faces. Their death spiral is worth mentioning, as the girl was facing the ice, which is quite innovative. They obtain 70.92 points.
Surprise, surprise! We might not have to wait until 2018 to see Ksenia Stolbova and Fedor Klimov on an Olympic Podium. As for the main contenders, Tatiana and Maxim have one foot on the highest step, but Aliona and Robin have already said they expected the Russians' short to be better, which sounds an awful lot like they have an ace up their sleeves. The game is far from over!
Maylin Wende/Daniel Wende's November Rain is almost perfect. All the jumps are landed, the costumes are very beautiful, but she falls right after the death spiral. Sometimes luck will work against you in figure skating. In terms of interpretation, they could have turned the volume up on the sadness, but we'll forgive them as they were clearly too excited to be skating at the Olympics to pull off a tragic mask. Their score: 59.25.
It's all a bit too simple, too slow and too inexpressive for Julia Lavrentieva/Yuri Yudrik, but these are their first ever Olympic Games, so just being here is a success for them. She has a two-foot landing on the thrown Triple Loop. They obtain 44.30 points.
Paige Lawrence/Rudi Swiegers go back to the golden era of swing and vaudeville shows with the songs Olivier and I Put a Spell on You. The sassy attitude is obvious from the start and it fits them like a glove. They have excellent lifts and pretty costumes, but she messes the side-by-side Triple Toeloops and puts a hand down on the thrown jump. Their score: 58.97.
Vanessa James/Morgan Cipres stay in the same period as the Canadians with Minnie the Moocher. Except for their costumes, which are almost always dull, there is nothing they could have done better. The elements are great, the choreography and interpretation is spot on. The step sequence in particular is flawless. They obtain 65.36 points.
The artistry of Ksenia Stolbova/Fedor Klimov is in the way they took the most boring of songs and turned it into a masterpiece. In 2018, these two will likely be fighting for the gold. Their score: 75.21.
Meagan Duhamel/Eric Radford have definitely come here to get on the podium...for themselves, for their country and for the coach they're paying tribute to. It is by far the most emotional routine we're likely to see here because the music was written for the programme, not vice-versa. Eric has a small problem with the side-by-side Triple Lutz. They obtain 72.21 points.
Not willing to take any risks, Aliona Savchenko/Robin Szolkowy go back to The Pink Panther. The decision is disappointing, and it somehow feels they have betrayed their worldwide-known creativity in the most important of hours. Other than that, both the sexy panther and the clueless, but dashing Clouseau skate as effortlessly as their reputation claims. This is probably the last time we will see them skate a short programme. Their score: 79.64.From the Pink Panther, we move on to another hilarious character: the Mask. Stefania Berton/Ondrej Hotarek are adorable together, especially in the way they cheer each other up, but they are not at their best here. Her Triple Toeloop is messy and the choreography is just not challenging enough to come anywhere near the podium. But this is another couple you could find yourself rooting for in 2018. They obtain 63.57 points.
The arena explodes with cheer at the end of Tatiana Volosozhar/Maxim Trankov's programme and it sure sounds as if all Russia is shouting their names. The Masquerade Waltz is absolutely brilliant and flawless in recreating the atmosphere of a ballroom. There isn't much to say except that this is the perfect ending to their short programme history. Their score: 84.17.Vera Bazarova/Yuri Larionov are not the right pair to put under pressure, which is why their performance comes as a surprise. The only mistake is his Double instead of Triple Toeloop. They skate on Tintine. Although Charlie Chaplin's comedy is definitely in the choreography, it fails to reach their faces. Maybe letting go and staying focused at the same time is not something they know how to do, but I'm still glad they've taken a break from classical music. They obtain 69.66 points.
At their fourth Olympic Games, Qing Pang/Jian Tong can no longer hope for gold, but surely deserve a place on the podium. They skate on Lady Caliph and it is hard to imagine someone more perfect for the role than Qing. Their score: 73.30.
Kristen Moore-Towers/Dylan Moscovitch have changed their costumes! I'm not sure it's an improvement because red and pink should never be next to each other on any piece of fabric, but it's nice to see they did something to differentiate this performance from all the others. With no other goal than to have a great time out there, they skate clean and put a smile on our faces. Their death spiral is worth mentioning, as the girl was facing the ice, which is quite innovative. They obtain 70.92 points.
Surprise, surprise! We might not have to wait until 2018 to see Ksenia Stolbova and Fedor Klimov on an Olympic Podium. As for the main contenders, Tatiana and Maxim have one foot on the highest step, but Aliona and Robin have already said they expected the Russians' short to be better, which sounds an awful lot like they have an ace up their sleeves. The game is far from over!
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