Rostelecom Cup 2015 - The Comeback of Confidence (Ladies' SP)
The most exciting news about Rostelecom Cup 2015 is that Adelina Sotnikova returns to competition. The Olympic champion suffered from a nasty ankle injury last season which forced her to take the entire year off. Now that she's back, there are a lot of questions on everyone's mind. The most important is: how will she fare against Russia's fresh new stars?
The first to skate is Hannah Miller from the US. Absolutely gorgeous purple costume covered in Arabic embellishments, as befitting Arabesque. She double-foots the triple Flip and steps out of the double Axel. Her score: 47.98.
Dasa Grm is the first skater to perform on music by Hugh Laurie (Dr. House), as far as I know. She's also wearing an unusually long dress for the ladies' discipline, which makes her stand out fashion-wise. She's very nervous at the start, and singles the triple Lutz. All in all, I see potential. She gets 44.72 points.
Riona Kato is also very nervous because this is her first Grand Prix competition too. She double-foots the second triple Toeloop, and doesn't really pay a lot of attention to the interpretation of Cherry on the Ice Wall. Lovely double Axel. Her score: 50.26.
Do you think nerves are contagious? It sure seems so as Yuka Nagai also singles out of the first element, a triple Lutz. From there on it's smooth gliding for the Japanese. The music is Madame Butterfly by Giacomo Puccini. She gets 53.19 points.
I've really missed Adelina Sotnikova! Her Latino routine is super fun, the dress is gorgeous, the elements are alright and this is a successful comeback. Can't ignore the little slip in the step sequence, but I'm willing to forget all about it even as I write this. Her score: 65.48.
I'm very curious about Roberta Rodeghiero's short, which got her a third place in Bordeaux last week... It's not quite as spectacular as I expected, but I appreciate the red dress, which looks exactly as the one wore by Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman. The iconic white gloves are also present. She gets 56.85 points.
Evgenia Medvedeva has nothing to lose because she is a newbie on the senior ice, but she's also got everything to lose because she's already made a reputation. She knows it too, especially after falling on the triple Flip. I love how the choreography follows the piano while also telling a story of loss. Her score: 67.03.
Polina Edmunds has come a long way since the soundtrack of Tinker Bell. She also has a more mature expression, almost poised. She's trying to convey the sadness of Moonlight Sonata, but doesn't quite pull off the softness. Still, she's on her way up. She gets 65.29 points.
Rika Hongo knows how important the start of the routine is to set the mood. Hers is very intense, and the intensity doesn't waver throughout the routine. It always stays at a climax. The music is Incantation from Cirque du Soleil. Her score: 63.45.
Elena Radionova seems unfazed by the pressure of a home audience or that of competing against the Olympic champion. She is not of course, and it shows at the end of the routine, when she bursts into tears. I've got nothing but admiration for this girl. At the end of the day, the tears are of joy because she absolutely aces the performance. She gets 71.79 points.
Adelina Sotnikova's return to the ice is not what it might have been (4th place), but that doesn't take away from how fabulous she was today. Nor does it mean we should ignore the other skaters. Elena Radionova was brilliant out there. If she keeps it up in the final, she'll have this gold medal in no time.
The first to skate is Hannah Miller from the US. Absolutely gorgeous purple costume covered in Arabic embellishments, as befitting Arabesque. She double-foots the triple Flip and steps out of the double Axel. Her score: 47.98.
Dasa Grm is the first skater to perform on music by Hugh Laurie (Dr. House), as far as I know. She's also wearing an unusually long dress for the ladies' discipline, which makes her stand out fashion-wise. She's very nervous at the start, and singles the triple Lutz. All in all, I see potential. She gets 44.72 points.
Riona Kato is also very nervous because this is her first Grand Prix competition too. She double-foots the second triple Toeloop, and doesn't really pay a lot of attention to the interpretation of Cherry on the Ice Wall. Lovely double Axel. Her score: 50.26.
Do you think nerves are contagious? It sure seems so as Yuka Nagai also singles out of the first element, a triple Lutz. From there on it's smooth gliding for the Japanese. The music is Madame Butterfly by Giacomo Puccini. She gets 53.19 points.
I've really missed Adelina Sotnikova! Her Latino routine is super fun, the dress is gorgeous, the elements are alright and this is a successful comeback. Can't ignore the little slip in the step sequence, but I'm willing to forget all about it even as I write this. Her score: 65.48.
I'm very curious about Roberta Rodeghiero's short, which got her a third place in Bordeaux last week... It's not quite as spectacular as I expected, but I appreciate the red dress, which looks exactly as the one wore by Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman. The iconic white gloves are also present. She gets 56.85 points.
Evgenia Medvedeva has nothing to lose because she is a newbie on the senior ice, but she's also got everything to lose because she's already made a reputation. She knows it too, especially after falling on the triple Flip. I love how the choreography follows the piano while also telling a story of loss. Her score: 67.03.
Polina Edmunds has come a long way since the soundtrack of Tinker Bell. She also has a more mature expression, almost poised. She's trying to convey the sadness of Moonlight Sonata, but doesn't quite pull off the softness. Still, she's on her way up. She gets 65.29 points.
Rika Hongo knows how important the start of the routine is to set the mood. Hers is very intense, and the intensity doesn't waver throughout the routine. It always stays at a climax. The music is Incantation from Cirque du Soleil. Her score: 63.45.
Elena Radionova seems unfazed by the pressure of a home audience or that of competing against the Olympic champion. She is not of course, and it shows at the end of the routine, when she bursts into tears. I've got nothing but admiration for this girl. At the end of the day, the tears are of joy because she absolutely aces the performance. She gets 71.79 points.
Adelina Sotnikova's return to the ice is not what it might have been (4th place), but that doesn't take away from how fabulous she was today. Nor does it mean we should ignore the other skaters. Elena Radionova was brilliant out there. If she keeps it up in the final, she'll have this gold medal in no time.
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