2014 World Championships - Pairs' Short Programme Highlights
Aliona Savchenko & Robin Szolkowy have postponed their retirement to win one last World gold medal and you know they're not going home without an epic fight. Will any of the other couples be able to defeat them? Here's the first act:
Maylin Wende/Daniel Wende may not be the top German pair, but once in a blue moon, they have a performance you just can't take your eyes off. This is one such performance. Skating on November Rain, they ace every element. Their score: 58.19.
Julia Antipova/Nodari Maisuradze's senior debut is not at all bad. Skating on Beethoven's Five Secrets, this pair is excellent technically, but the presentation is nowhere near as good. Everything is pretty, of course, but there is no personal mark on the routine, no story. The costumes are again quite standard, emanating a classical Russian air. They get 66.78 points.
Cheng Peng/Hao Zhang have grown immensely in just one year of skating together. I'm glad they proved me wrong about how promising their future is. The costumes are fabulous, the elements are flawless and the Death Spiral is innovating, with her right leg bent over the left. There isn't a thing to criticise here. Their score: 71.68.
Let the champagne flow and the music play! Paige Lawrence/Rudi Swiegers bring a bit of 1940s glamour on ice, emphasized by their brash attitude and outfits. The only mistake is the fall on the thrown Triple Lutz, which occurred right at the end. They get 59.84 points.
Wenjing Sui/Cong Han's La Strada benefits from impeccable elements and one difficult lift, but the interpretation needs just a bit more commitment. The choreography follows the ups and downs of the music, but they need to feel the story just the tinniest bit more. Their score: 72.24.
Put in some good jumps, add a pair of yellow pants, sprinkle some silliness for flavour and you get Stefania Berton/Ondrej Hotarek's recipe for success. She double-foots the thrown Triple Loop, but their Death Spiral is incredibly low. They get 62.73 points.
Colourful and giddy, Kirstin Moore-Towers/Dylan Moscovitch stop when the music stops, hop when the music hops and all in all, are in perfect synchronicity with their theme. Great choice of skates for him! Their score: 69.31.
Funny has been the name of the game in pairs skating this season. For Vera Bazarova/Yuri Larionov, who skate on Tintine, there's a bit of tragedy in there. Technically, she puts a hand down on the side-by-side Triple Toeloops; artistically, she almost gets there, but in general they don't come out as light-hearted as the story requires. They get 67.41 points.
It's all about rhythm and body language for Ksenia Stolbova/Fedor Klimov. The Russian pair are stronger than ever, proving to the world that it was not their nationality that got them the Olympic medal. The best thing about them is how they always have little to no preparation to their elements, which stresses how good they really are. Their score: 76.15.
Vanessa James/Morgan Cipres bring a bit of Latin taste to Japan and end in big style with one of the most popular dance hits, Jumping Jack. He barely catches her at the end of the Triple Twist, but otherwise they are error-free. They get 64.01 points.
With a programme from when no one could hold a candle to them, Aliona Savchenko/Robin Szolkowy are comedic, sexy and very enjoyable. There are no major mistakes, which hopefully means they're on their way for one last victory. Their score: 79.02.
Black is the most elegant colour, but when worn too often, it becomes really dull. That's the case with Marissa Castelli/Simon Shnapir. They struggle with the elements too - he doubles the side-by-side Triple Salchows and the Death Spiral is both too slow and incomplete. They get 60.60 points.
The music Meagan Duhamel/Eric Radford skate on is so inspiring, it makes you want to get up off your couch and go do that one thing you've always been afraid of doing. That's probably intentional,as the piece is a tribute to their first couch, who, no doubt, got them to where they are today. Their score: 77.01.
Germany has the gold medal in their pockets for now, but Canada and Russia can snatch it easily in the free skate. Be sure not to miss the final!
Maylin Wende/Daniel Wende may not be the top German pair, but once in a blue moon, they have a performance you just can't take your eyes off. This is one such performance. Skating on November Rain, they ace every element. Their score: 58.19.
Julia Antipova/Nodari Maisuradze's senior debut is not at all bad. Skating on Beethoven's Five Secrets, this pair is excellent technically, but the presentation is nowhere near as good. Everything is pretty, of course, but there is no personal mark on the routine, no story. The costumes are again quite standard, emanating a classical Russian air. They get 66.78 points.
Let the champagne flow and the music play! Paige Lawrence/Rudi Swiegers bring a bit of 1940s glamour on ice, emphasized by their brash attitude and outfits. The only mistake is the fall on the thrown Triple Lutz, which occurred right at the end. They get 59.84 points.
Wenjing Sui/Cong Han's La Strada benefits from impeccable elements and one difficult lift, but the interpretation needs just a bit more commitment. The choreography follows the ups and downs of the music, but they need to feel the story just the tinniest bit more. Their score: 72.24.
Put in some good jumps, add a pair of yellow pants, sprinkle some silliness for flavour and you get Stefania Berton/Ondrej Hotarek's recipe for success. She double-foots the thrown Triple Loop, but their Death Spiral is incredibly low. They get 62.73 points.
Colourful and giddy, Kirstin Moore-Towers/Dylan Moscovitch stop when the music stops, hop when the music hops and all in all, are in perfect synchronicity with their theme. Great choice of skates for him! Their score: 69.31.
Funny has been the name of the game in pairs skating this season. For Vera Bazarova/Yuri Larionov, who skate on Tintine, there's a bit of tragedy in there. Technically, she puts a hand down on the side-by-side Triple Toeloops; artistically, she almost gets there, but in general they don't come out as light-hearted as the story requires. They get 67.41 points.It's all about rhythm and body language for Ksenia Stolbova/Fedor Klimov. The Russian pair are stronger than ever, proving to the world that it was not their nationality that got them the Olympic medal. The best thing about them is how they always have little to no preparation to their elements, which stresses how good they really are. Their score: 76.15.
Vanessa James/Morgan Cipres bring a bit of Latin taste to Japan and end in big style with one of the most popular dance hits, Jumping Jack. He barely catches her at the end of the Triple Twist, but otherwise they are error-free. They get 64.01 points.
With a programme from when no one could hold a candle to them, Aliona Savchenko/Robin Szolkowy are comedic, sexy and very enjoyable. There are no major mistakes, which hopefully means they're on their way for one last victory. Their score: 79.02.
Black is the most elegant colour, but when worn too often, it becomes really dull. That's the case with Marissa Castelli/Simon Shnapir. They struggle with the elements too - he doubles the side-by-side Triple Salchows and the Death Spiral is both too slow and incomplete. They get 60.60 points.
The music Meagan Duhamel/Eric Radford skate on is so inspiring, it makes you want to get up off your couch and go do that one thing you've always been afraid of doing. That's probably intentional,as the piece is a tribute to their first couch, who, no doubt, got them to where they are today. Their score: 77.01.
Germany has the gold medal in their pockets for now, but Canada and Russia can snatch it easily in the free skate. Be sure not to miss the final!
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