NHK Trophy 2017 Highlights - Early Days of Glory (Pairs FS)
The pairs' final was as calm as I had predicted, although there was an unexpected shift in the top 5 that I did not see coming - the swap between the Americans and the Canadians. Here are some thoughts on why that happened, as well as on the performances of the rest of the leading pairs.
There was quite the contrast between the technical and the presentation of Alexa Scimeca Knierim/Chris Knierim's free skate. The music, taken from the Ghost musical, was gorgeous, while the choreography was breathtakingly fluid. However, Chris stepped out of the side-by-side 3Salchows and doubled out of the side-by-side 3 Toeloops. The side-by-side spins were not in sync either. Their free score was 126.65; the total, 192.51, made them drop one place and finish fifth.
Julianne Seguin/Charlie Bilodeau simply didn't have the mistakes of the Americans. The choreography amazed me once more - they filled silences with elements and matched other elements with the words of Where's My Love. The side-by-side spins were not in sync though, so that's something to work on. They got 130.39 points in the free and 194.37 in total.
Kristina Astakhova/Alexei Rogonov were the first skaters I've skating to La La Land. He did a great job at acting out his role on ice - I saw some of Ryan Gosling's cheekiness in the film - but I think she needs to work more on expressing different emotions. Technically, she doubled out of the side-by-side 3Salchows. Their lifts were some of the best ones here. Free score: 133.17; overall score: 203.64.
I have so much to say about Ksenia Stolbova/Fedor Klimov's Carmen. First of all, she's an expert at playing femmes fatales - Morticia Adams, Esmeralda, now Carmen. The choreography was masterful - from her position in the death spiral to the pair spin performed against a backdrop of menacing drums. They messed up the second 3Toeloops of the side-by-side combination though. Ksenia and Fedor went home with the silver medal after a free score of 147.69 and a total score of 222.74.
Wenjing Sui/Cong Han broke Volosozhar/Trankov's world record, which should tell you enough about their performance in Osaka. The routine was extraordinary from the start, with a quad throw twist that was so fast it looked like a triple. Turandot feels like an appropriate musical choice for a season that looks like it'll be glorious for them. Free score: 155.10 (new world record); total score: 234.53.
Remember the days when we used to say Volosozhar/Trankov were the best pair skaters wede ever seen? The final in Osaka might just be the beginning of an era in which that title will be associated with Sui/Han. I'm thrilled about the Chinese pair's performance in Japan, but also excited to see how Stolbova/Klimov's Carmen will improve with time and impatient to see the newbie couples grow into tomorrow's superstars.
There was quite the contrast between the technical and the presentation of Alexa Scimeca Knierim/Chris Knierim's free skate. The music, taken from the Ghost musical, was gorgeous, while the choreography was breathtakingly fluid. However, Chris stepped out of the side-by-side 3Salchows and doubled out of the side-by-side 3 Toeloops. The side-by-side spins were not in sync either. Their free score was 126.65; the total, 192.51, made them drop one place and finish fifth.
Julianne Seguin/Charlie Bilodeau simply didn't have the mistakes of the Americans. The choreography amazed me once more - they filled silences with elements and matched other elements with the words of Where's My Love. The side-by-side spins were not in sync though, so that's something to work on. They got 130.39 points in the free and 194.37 in total.
Kristina Astakhova/Alexei Rogonov were the first skaters I've skating to La La Land. He did a great job at acting out his role on ice - I saw some of Ryan Gosling's cheekiness in the film - but I think she needs to work more on expressing different emotions. Technically, she doubled out of the side-by-side 3Salchows. Their lifts were some of the best ones here. Free score: 133.17; overall score: 203.64.
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| Ksenia Stolbova/Fedor Klimov performing the throw twist Photograph: AFP |
I have so much to say about Ksenia Stolbova/Fedor Klimov's Carmen. First of all, she's an expert at playing femmes fatales - Morticia Adams, Esmeralda, now Carmen. The choreography was masterful - from her position in the death spiral to the pair spin performed against a backdrop of menacing drums. They messed up the second 3Toeloops of the side-by-side combination though. Ksenia and Fedor went home with the silver medal after a free score of 147.69 and a total score of 222.74.
Wenjing Sui/Cong Han broke Volosozhar/Trankov's world record, which should tell you enough about their performance in Osaka. The routine was extraordinary from the start, with a quad throw twist that was so fast it looked like a triple. Turandot feels like an appropriate musical choice for a season that looks like it'll be glorious for them. Free score: 155.10 (new world record); total score: 234.53.
Remember the days when we used to say Volosozhar/Trankov were the best pair skaters wede ever seen? The final in Osaka might just be the beginning of an era in which that title will be associated with Sui/Han. I'm thrilled about the Chinese pair's performance in Japan, but also excited to see how Stolbova/Klimov's Carmen will improve with time and impatient to see the newbie couples grow into tomorrow's superstars.
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