2016 Europeans: The Grandeur of Victory (Pairs FS)
Aliona Savchenko fought with all she had to be able to come back with a new partner and challenge her old rivals, Tatiana Volosozhar & Maxim Trankov. She and Bruno might be second after the short, but with only four points behind, they are going to give it their best to beat the odds.
Kudos to Vanessa James/Morgan Cipres for attempting a thrown quad Salchow at 11 in the morning. She steps out of it, but it is fully rotated. The other mistake is her double-footing out of the side-by-side Triple Toeloops, which were out of sync. The music is Romeo and Juliet, and I'm glad to see they are finally wearing costumes that fit the music rather than just being pretty. Love the exit out of the pair spin with him lifting her. Their score: 123.45. Overall: 185.55.
Valentina Marchei/Ondrej Hotarek have sync issues both in the side-by-side triple Lutzes and the side-by-side spins. Their music is a collection of hits from 'the good old days', aka the 80s, such as Disco Inferno, which provides the background for an explosive choreographic sequence at the end. They get 124.14 points. Overall: 182.61.
Nicole della Monica/Matteo Guarise are delightful to watch despite the mistakes. She falls on the side-by-side triple Toeloops and double-foots the thrown triple Salchow. The music is the romantic Cosmic Journey and it sets the atmosphere for an ode to life, which is what this feels like. Their score: 117.46. Overall: 178.96.
Evgenia Tarasova/Vladimir Morozov are not as sharp as they would like. She doubles out of the triple Toeloop and singles out of the second double Toeloop of the combination, as well as steps out of the thrown triple Loop. Beautiful choreography, emphasizing the gentle piano of Chopin. I also like how suggestive her dress with the Clef is. They get 127.38 points. Overall: 197.55.
Can we take a moment to simply gawk at Tatiana Volosozhar/Maxim Trankov's absolutely gorgeous crimson costumes? These two never impress at presentation. The menacing atmosphere of Dracula fits them perfectly. Small mistake when he steps out of the side-by-side triple Toeloops. Their score: 142.89. Overall: 222.62.
Bad luck strikes for Aliona Savchenko/Bruno Massot. Both their lifts are messy, but the first one is an absolute failure as she loses her position. He also doubles out of the first side-by-side triple Toeloop and she double-foots both thrown jumps. The side-by-side spins though are crazy fast. The song is Sometimes by Max Tailor. I have to say it falls very short of the Russians' grandeur. They get 125.24 points. Overall: 200.78.
Thus Tatiana Volosozhar/Maxim Trankov win their fourth European title. Aliona Savchenko/Bruno Massot have not done so bad either, going home with a silver medal. Bruno looks heart-breakingly disappointed, so for all of you who feel the same, let me remind you they are a new team. Absolute success can't come from the first attempt, but that doesn't mean it won't eventually come their way. Congratulations to Evgenia Tarasova/Vladimir Morozov as well for their bronze medal.
Kudos to Vanessa James/Morgan Cipres for attempting a thrown quad Salchow at 11 in the morning. She steps out of it, but it is fully rotated. The other mistake is her double-footing out of the side-by-side Triple Toeloops, which were out of sync. The music is Romeo and Juliet, and I'm glad to see they are finally wearing costumes that fit the music rather than just being pretty. Love the exit out of the pair spin with him lifting her. Their score: 123.45. Overall: 185.55.
 |
| Russia's best pair ever is back with a bang in Bratislava Photo: AP Photo/Petr David Josek |
Valentina Marchei/Ondrej Hotarek have sync issues both in the side-by-side triple Lutzes and the side-by-side spins. Their music is a collection of hits from 'the good old days', aka the 80s, such as Disco Inferno, which provides the background for an explosive choreographic sequence at the end. They get 124.14 points. Overall: 182.61.
Nicole della Monica/Matteo Guarise are delightful to watch despite the mistakes. She falls on the side-by-side triple Toeloops and double-foots the thrown triple Salchow. The music is the romantic Cosmic Journey and it sets the atmosphere for an ode to life, which is what this feels like. Their score: 117.46. Overall: 178.96.
Evgenia Tarasova/Vladimir Morozov are not as sharp as they would like. She doubles out of the triple Toeloop and singles out of the second double Toeloop of the combination, as well as steps out of the thrown triple Loop. Beautiful choreography, emphasizing the gentle piano of Chopin. I also like how suggestive her dress with the Clef is. They get 127.38 points. Overall: 197.55.
Can we take a moment to simply gawk at Tatiana Volosozhar/Maxim Trankov's absolutely gorgeous crimson costumes? These two never impress at presentation. The menacing atmosphere of Dracula fits them perfectly. Small mistake when he steps out of the side-by-side triple Toeloops. Their score: 142.89. Overall: 222.62.
Bad luck strikes for Aliona Savchenko/Bruno Massot. Both their lifts are messy, but the first one is an absolute failure as she loses her position. He also doubles out of the first side-by-side triple Toeloop and she double-foots both thrown jumps. The side-by-side spins though are crazy fast. The song is Sometimes by Max Tailor. I have to say it falls very short of the Russians' grandeur. They get 125.24 points. Overall: 200.78.
Thus Tatiana Volosozhar/Maxim Trankov win their fourth European title. Aliona Savchenko/Bruno Massot have not done so bad either, going home with a silver medal. Bruno looks heart-breakingly disappointed, so for all of you who feel the same, let me remind you they are a new team. Absolute success can't come from the first attempt, but that doesn't mean it won't eventually come their way. Congratulations to Evgenia Tarasova/Vladimir Morozov as well for their bronze medal.
Sorry for Bruno :(
ReplyDeleteI know, he looked so sad. I think he felt a lot of pressure because of all the press around their partnership. But these things happen.
Delete