Worlds 2016 - When Things Go As Planned...Kind Of (Men's Short)
The men's competition has always kept us on the edge of our seats. Each season the World Championships seem more difficult for them, as the number of quads rises and the artistry gets more important. With three men reaching for the gold and at least three others targeting the other two spots on the podium, this season's Worlds won't be any less exciting than the ones before.
Let's start with Misha Ge, who surprised us last season by finishing the Worlds on 6th place. That's very unlikely to happen here. His programme is clean, but he has no quads. Did you know he's one of the few skaters who can change direction during his camel spin? The music is Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 2. His score: 77.43.
Adam Rippon doesn't attempt his famous Quad Lutz, but does land a triple with his arms aloft. The music is Who Wants to Live Forever by Queen. The crowd gets wild cheering for him. Beautiful spin at the end. He gets 85.72 points.
If we didn't get a Quad Lutz from the American, we do get it from Boyang Jin. It's in a combination too, which causes him to do an extra turn, but it does count. He also lands a Quad Toeloop at the end of the routine like he was born doing it. He definitely deserves all the good talk going on about him at the moment. In terms of presentation though, it seems like his movements don't reach his eyes. A bit more work there is needed. His score: 89.86.
Has Max Aaron worn a similar costume in other seasons? I just realized whenever I think of him, I imagine him in a white top and black pants. Not that it matters much, but I will look into that. About his routine, I'm not a big fan of the choreography for his Nessum Dorma - it looks a little plain especially with such a powerful song. Hand down on the Quad Salchow. He gets 81.28 points.
Shoma Uno can be easily compared to Boyang as they are both rising stars at the moment. But whereas Boyang is stronger technically, Shoma has the charisma of a superstar already. He feels the music and transmits it to the audience, which is what the Chinese needs to learn how to do. The only mistake is doubling out of the Triple Toeloop and landing quite shakily while at it. His score: 90.74.
When Javier Fernandez steps on the ice, the crowd's roar is almost as loud as the one they gave their own skaters, which says a lot. This guy didn't become World champion by accident. I have no words to describe the artistry of what will surely be known as THE Malaguena programme, so I'll talk about the technical. He has quite a nasty fall on the Quad Salchow, but it is round. Everything else, great. He gets 98.52 points.
Denis Ten looks really nervous from the beginning, and those nerves come off loud and clear in his performance. His Quad Toeloop is all kinds of wrong (hand down, double-footed landing) and then he doubles out of the triple Toeloop, lands the double and falls a second after. The music he skates to is Misa Tango by Luis Bacalov. His score: 78.55.
This might be the worst time to come back into the men's competition, but Patrick Chan's got all the assets he needs to overcome the circumstances. Unfortunately, he hasn't done it yet. He falls on the triple Axel and stumbles a little in the step sequence. He gets 94.84 points.
Yuzuru Hanyu looks very confident today, which I think comes from his amazing concentration. He has no problem following the frantic piano of Chopin's Balade No. 1 from Opera 23, and then some. He almost lands the Quad Toeloop too low, but saves it in the last moment. His score: 110.56.
Things go south quickly for Maxim Kovtun. After tripling out of the quad Toeloop, he repeats the triple Toeloop, which means the second one becomes null. Rules say you cannot repeat a jump in the short programme. The huge mistake also makes him lose focus and he steps out of the triple Axel. He gets 78.46 points.
The short programme is over and the results are exactly as predicted: Yuzuru Hanyu is first (and miles away from the rest), Javier Fernandez is second and Patrick Chan, third. Looks like a sure thing for the final, but you should never say that in figure skating.
Let's start with Misha Ge, who surprised us last season by finishing the Worlds on 6th place. That's very unlikely to happen here. His programme is clean, but he has no quads. Did you know he's one of the few skaters who can change direction during his camel spin? The music is Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 2. His score: 77.43.
Adam Rippon doesn't attempt his famous Quad Lutz, but does land a triple with his arms aloft. The music is Who Wants to Live Forever by Queen. The crowd gets wild cheering for him. Beautiful spin at the end. He gets 85.72 points.
If we didn't get a Quad Lutz from the American, we do get it from Boyang Jin. It's in a combination too, which causes him to do an extra turn, but it does count. He also lands a Quad Toeloop at the end of the routine like he was born doing it. He definitely deserves all the good talk going on about him at the moment. In terms of presentation though, it seems like his movements don't reach his eyes. A bit more work there is needed. His score: 89.86.
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| The US' Adam Rippon enjoys the roar of his home crowd in Boston Photograph: Maddie Meyer / Getty Images North America |
Shoma Uno can be easily compared to Boyang as they are both rising stars at the moment. But whereas Boyang is stronger technically, Shoma has the charisma of a superstar already. He feels the music and transmits it to the audience, which is what the Chinese needs to learn how to do. The only mistake is doubling out of the Triple Toeloop and landing quite shakily while at it. His score: 90.74.
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| Canada's Patrick Chan skates to music by Michal Buble Photograph: Maddie Meyer / Getty Images N America |
Denis Ten looks really nervous from the beginning, and those nerves come off loud and clear in his performance. His Quad Toeloop is all kinds of wrong (hand down, double-footed landing) and then he doubles out of the triple Toeloop, lands the double and falls a second after. The music he skates to is Misa Tango by Luis Bacalov. His score: 78.55.
This might be the worst time to come back into the men's competition, but Patrick Chan's got all the assets he needs to overcome the circumstances. Unfortunately, he hasn't done it yet. He falls on the triple Axel and stumbles a little in the step sequence. He gets 94.84 points.
Yuzuru Hanyu looks very confident today, which I think comes from his amazing concentration. He has no problem following the frantic piano of Chopin's Balade No. 1 from Opera 23, and then some. He almost lands the Quad Toeloop too low, but saves it in the last moment. His score: 110.56.
Things go south quickly for Maxim Kovtun. After tripling out of the quad Toeloop, he repeats the triple Toeloop, which means the second one becomes null. Rules say you cannot repeat a jump in the short programme. The huge mistake also makes him lose focus and he steps out of the triple Axel. He gets 78.46 points.
The short programme is over and the results are exactly as predicted: Yuzuru Hanyu is first (and miles away from the rest), Javier Fernandez is second and Patrick Chan, third. Looks like a sure thing for the final, but you should never say that in figure skating.
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