Rostelecom Cup 2015 - In the Absence of Quads (Men's SP)
The men's short programme is set to bring less drama than the short dance on the ice. There is a clear favourite here: Javier Fernandez; and he hasn't got many direct rivals. In fact, the only one I can think of is Sergei Voronov, but last time these two met, the difference between them was of 50 points, which makes the Russian very unlikely to pose a threat in Moscow.
The first skater, Mikhail Kolyada, has a very dance-like routine: a combo of tango and foxtrot. Not a lot of dance comes through though, but he does seem like a funny character. The crowd loves him despite the fall on the quad. His score: 79.64.
Did you know Ivan Righini is from Moscow? The Russian-turned-Italian steps out of the triple Axel and falls on the quad Toeloop. Presentation-wise, I love how the intensity slowly builds to the climax, which is emphasized by the final spin - clever choreography. Much better than last time we saw him, when the performance was swallowed by the errors. He gets 68.90 points.
Classy Ross Miner skates to New York State of Mind by Billy Joel. He doesn't have a quad, but his jumps are all strong and clean. Lovely spins as well. His score: 85.36.
Takahiko Kozuka's choreography for Respedo y Orgullo Farruca by Jin Oki is super, full of Spanish dance steps. His elements are less great: he double foots the quad and triple Toeloop, and makes a mess of the triple Axel. He gets 69.61 points.
Alexei Bychenko also falls on the quad, and doubles out of the triple Flip. His routine, set to All Alone by Geir Ronning, is greatly put together, expressing the blues of the broken-hearted man very well. His score: 67.46.
I've seen Adian Pitkeev before, but he's never stood out quite like this. What a difference it makes when the elements are all right. The music, Pain by Takeshi Hama and Apassionata by Secret Garden, is very emotional and full of nuances, which he expresses very well. He gets 87.54 points.
Fabulous musical choice for Adam Rippon: Who Wants to Live Forever by Queen. The epic feel to it is emphasized by his body language and choreography. He keeps trying to land the quad Lutz, but again he fails. His score: 78.77.
This is the first time I see Nam Nguyen's short programme for the season. Love the music, Killing Fields soundtrack by Mike Oldfield, and the story that comes with it. Unfortunately, he runs out of space for the triple Toeloop and falls on it. He gets 70.78 points.
Sergei Voronov's Butterflies and Hurricanes is simply awesome. It's completely his style, which makes it more impressive to me than Adian's emotional routine. It's also harder to skate on because it's not as flexible. His score: 84.17.
Javier Fernandez could teach a lesson on how to dance to Malaguena. The amount of details put into his arm movements is simply astonishing. Surprisingly enough, he triples out of the quad Salchow. Everything else is good. He gets 86.99.
We didn't get a lot of drama, but we did get a huge surprise in the boy's short programme. Adian Pitkeev takes the lead, after a lot of skaters who score better on paper, fail to keep control of their elements. Javier Fernandez is second, but in a perfectly good position to still win, while Ross Miner is, again surprisingly, on third. Don't miss the final.
Watching the pairs' short programme next? Here are my thoughts on it.
The first skater, Mikhail Kolyada, has a very dance-like routine: a combo of tango and foxtrot. Not a lot of dance comes through though, but he does seem like a funny character. The crowd loves him despite the fall on the quad. His score: 79.64.
Did you know Ivan Righini is from Moscow? The Russian-turned-Italian steps out of the triple Axel and falls on the quad Toeloop. Presentation-wise, I love how the intensity slowly builds to the climax, which is emphasized by the final spin - clever choreography. Much better than last time we saw him, when the performance was swallowed by the errors. He gets 68.90 points.
Classy Ross Miner skates to New York State of Mind by Billy Joel. He doesn't have a quad, but his jumps are all strong and clean. Lovely spins as well. His score: 85.36.
Takahiko Kozuka's choreography for Respedo y Orgullo Farruca by Jin Oki is super, full of Spanish dance steps. His elements are less great: he double foots the quad and triple Toeloop, and makes a mess of the triple Axel. He gets 69.61 points.
Alexei Bychenko also falls on the quad, and doubles out of the triple Flip. His routine, set to All Alone by Geir Ronning, is greatly put together, expressing the blues of the broken-hearted man very well. His score: 67.46.
I've seen Adian Pitkeev before, but he's never stood out quite like this. What a difference it makes when the elements are all right. The music, Pain by Takeshi Hama and Apassionata by Secret Garden, is very emotional and full of nuances, which he expresses very well. He gets 87.54 points.
Fabulous musical choice for Adam Rippon: Who Wants to Live Forever by Queen. The epic feel to it is emphasized by his body language and choreography. He keeps trying to land the quad Lutz, but again he fails. His score: 78.77.
This is the first time I see Nam Nguyen's short programme for the season. Love the music, Killing Fields soundtrack by Mike Oldfield, and the story that comes with it. Unfortunately, he runs out of space for the triple Toeloop and falls on it. He gets 70.78 points.
Sergei Voronov's Butterflies and Hurricanes is simply awesome. It's completely his style, which makes it more impressive to me than Adian's emotional routine. It's also harder to skate on because it's not as flexible. His score: 84.17.
Javier Fernandez could teach a lesson on how to dance to Malaguena. The amount of details put into his arm movements is simply astonishing. Surprisingly enough, he triples out of the quad Salchow. Everything else is good. He gets 86.99.
We didn't get a lot of drama, but we did get a huge surprise in the boy's short programme. Adian Pitkeev takes the lead, after a lot of skaters who score better on paper, fail to keep control of their elements. Javier Fernandez is second, but in a perfectly good position to still win, while Ross Miner is, again surprisingly, on third. Don't miss the final.
Watching the pairs' short programme next? Here are my thoughts on it.
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