GPF 2014 - Last, but Not Least, the Men
Finally, we have arrived to the short programme Barcelona has been waiting for most impatiently: the men's. All of Spain will place their bets on Javier Fernandez, who has never before skated on homeland against such powerful rivals. Will that help or deter his performance? We wish him, and all the other skaters, the best of luck.
Yuzuru Hanyu seems to have recovered from the accident that made him skate first here, at a competition where he would normally skate last. His music is a frantic piano ballad by Chopin, but he manages to express every single change in the music. He loses his axis on the triple Lutz though, which prevents him from aligning the Toeloop right, which is why he falls. His score: 94.08.
Sergei Voronov has nerves of steel, which is why he seems unaffected by Hanyu's amazing performance. Still, you can tell he's being extra careful with every move because he's slower than usually, too slow to match the rapid pace of Danse Macabre. He gets 84.48 points.
Takahito Mura's ability to put mistakes behind him as they happen is what makes him a champion and, consequently, what makes him worthy of being here. The mistake is a fall on the quad Toeloop. His score: 78.35.
Tatsuki Machida gets lost in the stories he tells on ice, which is why it's so easy to believe him; you can see his sadness in his gestures, in his facial expressions, even in the way he presents his jumps. Speaking of jumps, he steps out of the triple Toeloop. The music is from the soundtrack of Ladies in Lavender. He gets 87.82 points.
Javier Fernandez looks nervous from the warm-up, so I'm not really surprised that he can't bring his best game tonight. It's understandable given that this is the first time he's had to deal with the pressure of skating in front of his own country. He falls on the quad Salchow, messes up the combination and stumbles immediately after. The presentation isn't great either. His score: 79.18.
Maxim Kovtun is not perfect tonight, but he sure works very hard to get as close to perfection as possible. His errors are small, like the over-rotated triple Axel. Presentation-wise, his costume puts me off; it's one of the most boring costumes ever worn on ice. He gets 87.02 points,
The atmosphere gets a bit sulkier after Fernandez's flawed performance, so I think it's important to stress that everything is not yet lost for the Spaniard; he might still get the Bronze medal if he's spotless tomorrow.
The good news is that Yuzuru Hanyu is back on top, where he belongs. Tatsuki Machida's impressive skating skills get him the second place, while Kovtun finishes on third. Don't miss the final.
Yuzuru Hanyu seems to have recovered from the accident that made him skate first here, at a competition where he would normally skate last. His music is a frantic piano ballad by Chopin, but he manages to express every single change in the music. He loses his axis on the triple Lutz though, which prevents him from aligning the Toeloop right, which is why he falls. His score: 94.08.
Sergei Voronov has nerves of steel, which is why he seems unaffected by Hanyu's amazing performance. Still, you can tell he's being extra careful with every move because he's slower than usually, too slow to match the rapid pace of Danse Macabre. He gets 84.48 points.
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| Yuzuru Hanyu leads from start to finish. Photograph: Atsushi Tomura/Getty Images Asia |
Tatsuki Machida gets lost in the stories he tells on ice, which is why it's so easy to believe him; you can see his sadness in his gestures, in his facial expressions, even in the way he presents his jumps. Speaking of jumps, he steps out of the triple Toeloop. The music is from the soundtrack of Ladies in Lavender. He gets 87.82 points.
Javier Fernandez looks nervous from the warm-up, so I'm not really surprised that he can't bring his best game tonight. It's understandable given that this is the first time he's had to deal with the pressure of skating in front of his own country. He falls on the quad Salchow, messes up the combination and stumbles immediately after. The presentation isn't great either. His score: 79.18.
Maxim Kovtun is not perfect tonight, but he sure works very hard to get as close to perfection as possible. His errors are small, like the over-rotated triple Axel. Presentation-wise, his costume puts me off; it's one of the most boring costumes ever worn on ice. He gets 87.02 points,
The atmosphere gets a bit sulkier after Fernandez's flawed performance, so I think it's important to stress that everything is not yet lost for the Spaniard; he might still get the Bronze medal if he's spotless tomorrow.
The good news is that Yuzuru Hanyu is back on top, where he belongs. Tatsuki Machida's impressive skating skills get him the second place, while Kovtun finishes on third. Don't miss the final.
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