Cup of China 2014 - Ladies' Final
The short programme of the ladies went on just as predicted, with Lipnitskaia and Tuktamysheva fighting for first place and the elegant Kanako Murakami right behind them on third.
Evita is a roller-coaster of emotions (happiness, excitement, sadness, desperation), but Ashley Cain doesn't portray any of that despite the fact that the songs she chose go through them all. Frankly, I believe she's not doing the musical any justice. Biggest mistakes are the fall on the triple Lutz and the step out of the double Axel. Her score: 85.01. Overall: 124.81.
Anne Line Gjersem struggles with the jumps today - two falls (triple Flip and Toeloop) and two step outs (second triple Loop and second double Axel). Presentation wise, I am a purist and so I think she should have worn white with a song such as Un ange passe (An Angel Passes). She gets 80.85 points. Overall:122.78.
Hae Jin Kim skates to George Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue. Her transitions don't have a lot of detail in them and her presentation tends to disappear around the big elements, but all in all, this is a strong performance. Her only mistake is a stepping out of the second triple Flip. Her score: 92.90. Overall: 137.62.
Christina Gao is fantastic at communicating with the audience, making them feel they're part of the story by looking at them and projecting towards them. Unluckily, there are just too many errors for this to shine at full potential - a fall on the first triple Flip, missed jumps and double-foot landings on the triple Loops and double Salchow. She gets 77.89 points. Overall: 125.04.
We enter the realm of fairytales with Polina Edmunds' Tinker Bell, Tinker Bell. I love every part of it, from the gorgeous pink costume to the twizzle slickly incorporated into her transitions. She captures the feeling perfectly and makes no technical mistakes. Her score: 110.95. Overall: 161.27.
It was very clever of Viktoria Helgesson to go back to one of her best free routines, Sunset Boulevard, but take advantage of the rule change and use the lyrics. So it's the same programme, but feels different. It's a shame that she has so many errors today. She gets 91.95 points. Overall: 143.95.
Zijun Li is such an elegant skater, but this routine gradually loses power. So stamina is something she needs to work on. She doesn't make many mistakes, but the biggest one is jumping a single instead of a triple in the last combination. Her score: 98.96. Overall: 152.62.
Gabrielle Daleman chose En Aranjuez con tu amor by Joaquin Rodriguez for the free. It's as good as any other, but personally I am not dazzled by anything in particular. One tiny mishap, a step out of the triple Lutz, is the only problem. She gets 102.77 points. Overall: 161.26.
Kanako Murakami's long programme might just be the most unique Phantom of the Opera routine a single skater has ever done. As the costume suggests, she is telling the story from the point of view of both the main characters. Now isn't that innovative? You can see the rage and the pain all wrapped in a poised presentation. However, technically this is not her day. Her score: 108.95. Overall: 169.39.
Elizaveta Tuktamysheva's confidence gets better as the programme progresses. I really enjoy the contemporary traditional vibe the music has, and her dance moves to it. I see this as her best long routine yet. She gets 128.61 points. Overall: 196.60.
Julia Lipnitskaia is a very sensitive skater and as much as she can tap into that for the interpretation, it can also hurt her when there's too much pressure. There might also be physical reasons for the mess her routine turns out to be today. I'm looking forward to seeing her compete against Radionova because to me, they're the exact opposite. Her score: 104.01. Overall: 173.57.
At the end of the day, experience and chance help Elizaveta Tuktamysheva win this event. Hers is also the only clean routine from the top three. Both Lipnitskaia's (silver) and Murakami's (bronze) are deeply flawed. Congratulations to all of them nonetheless and kudos to Polina Edmunds for an amazing skate.
Evita is a roller-coaster of emotions (happiness, excitement, sadness, desperation), but Ashley Cain doesn't portray any of that despite the fact that the songs she chose go through them all. Frankly, I believe she's not doing the musical any justice. Biggest mistakes are the fall on the triple Lutz and the step out of the double Axel. Her score: 85.01. Overall: 124.81.
Anne Line Gjersem struggles with the jumps today - two falls (triple Flip and Toeloop) and two step outs (second triple Loop and second double Axel). Presentation wise, I am a purist and so I think she should have worn white with a song such as Un ange passe (An Angel Passes). She gets 80.85 points. Overall:122.78.
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| Hae Jin Kim, eager to fill in Yuna Kim's skates Photograph: Kevin Lee/Getty Images Asia |
Christina Gao is fantastic at communicating with the audience, making them feel they're part of the story by looking at them and projecting towards them. Unluckily, there are just too many errors for this to shine at full potential - a fall on the first triple Flip, missed jumps and double-foot landings on the triple Loops and double Salchow. She gets 77.89 points. Overall: 125.04.
We enter the realm of fairytales with Polina Edmunds' Tinker Bell, Tinker Bell. I love every part of it, from the gorgeous pink costume to the twizzle slickly incorporated into her transitions. She captures the feeling perfectly and makes no technical mistakes. Her score: 110.95. Overall: 161.27.
It was very clever of Viktoria Helgesson to go back to one of her best free routines, Sunset Boulevard, but take advantage of the rule change and use the lyrics. So it's the same programme, but feels different. It's a shame that she has so many errors today. She gets 91.95 points. Overall: 143.95.
Zijun Li is such an elegant skater, but this routine gradually loses power. So stamina is something she needs to work on. She doesn't make many mistakes, but the biggest one is jumping a single instead of a triple in the last combination. Her score: 98.96. Overall: 152.62.
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| Elizaveta Tuktamysheva finally having fun on ice Photograph: Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images North America |
Kanako Murakami's long programme might just be the most unique Phantom of the Opera routine a single skater has ever done. As the costume suggests, she is telling the story from the point of view of both the main characters. Now isn't that innovative? You can see the rage and the pain all wrapped in a poised presentation. However, technically this is not her day. Her score: 108.95. Overall: 169.39.
Elizaveta Tuktamysheva's confidence gets better as the programme progresses. I really enjoy the contemporary traditional vibe the music has, and her dance moves to it. I see this as her best long routine yet. She gets 128.61 points. Overall: 196.60.
Julia Lipnitskaia is a very sensitive skater and as much as she can tap into that for the interpretation, it can also hurt her when there's too much pressure. There might also be physical reasons for the mess her routine turns out to be today. I'm looking forward to seeing her compete against Radionova because to me, they're the exact opposite. Her score: 104.01. Overall: 173.57.
At the end of the day, experience and chance help Elizaveta Tuktamysheva win this event. Hers is also the only clean routine from the top three. Both Lipnitskaia's (silver) and Murakami's (bronze) are deeply flawed. Congratulations to all of them nonetheless and kudos to Polina Edmunds for an amazing skate.
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