NHK Trophy 2017 Highlights - Open Doors (Men SP)
The men's competition in Osaka started with a fiasco for Japan and sad news for figure skating fans worldwide. The sport's most iconic male skater in recent years and Japan's (and my personal) absolute favourite, Yuzuru Hanyu, injured his ankle during practice and had to withdraw. This also means he can't make it to the Grand Prix Final, which will be particularly upsetting for him as it's being hosted in Nagoya, Japan. Still, let's not dwell on the negative, but wish him a speedy recovery, and move our attention to what went on in his absence. The gold was suddenly and unbelievably reachable, and here are the 5 men who are closest to it at the moment:
Keegan Messing did not expect to come to Osaka at the beginning of the season. Patrick Chan's withdrawal is the reason why he could participate. I think he rose very well to the occasion, despite the fall on the 3Axel. His transitions were surprisingly difficult, peppered with the steps we all know from Singing in the Rain. He finished on 5th place with 80.13 points.
Adam Rippon put a show on ice in his short routine. If clubbing happened in ice rinks instead of clubs, it would probably look something like this. I really liked the cheeky 'No, you won't' gesture he did right in front of the judges; that likely got some smiles. His score was 84.95; he's place, 4th.
Jason Brown finished a spot higher than his teammate, and it was mostly because of the artistic part of his programme. Hamilton is a phenomenal choice for a few reasons: it's a very popular musical, so the audience is familiar with it, it allows him to act on ice, which he's great at, and it's a theme no one has done so far (as far as I know). He got 85.36 points.
The stakes suddenly got slightly higher for Alexei Bychenko, but the pressure didn't seem to get to him. There were no errors, he was smiling throughout the programme and all in all did a terrific job. The theme might not be my favourite, which is purely because the music is not really my style, but I can objectively appreciate the great quality of his performance. His score: 85.52.
Sergei Voronov quickly became the bet for gold after Yuzuru's withdrawal, and he did not disappoint. He skated to Adios Nonino, a song that matches the heavy themes that have made up his style throughout the years. He got 90.06 points, which got him the perfect position to go chasing the gold in the free.
So, the men's event has suddenly presented us with an unexpected battle for the gold. Voronov is currently winning, but another performance from Bychenko that is as good as what we saw today might turn things around. Still, he's only 0.16 points ahead of Brown, who is less than one point ahead of Rippon. See what I mean? Who knows which plane the gold will board after tomorrow...
Keegan Messing did not expect to come to Osaka at the beginning of the season. Patrick Chan's withdrawal is the reason why he could participate. I think he rose very well to the occasion, despite the fall on the 3Axel. His transitions were surprisingly difficult, peppered with the steps we all know from Singing in the Rain. He finished on 5th place with 80.13 points.
Adam Rippon put a show on ice in his short routine. If clubbing happened in ice rinks instead of clubs, it would probably look something like this. I really liked the cheeky 'No, you won't' gesture he did right in front of the judges; that likely got some smiles. His score was 84.95; he's place, 4th.
Jason Brown finished a spot higher than his teammate, and it was mostly because of the artistic part of his programme. Hamilton is a phenomenal choice for a few reasons: it's a very popular musical, so the audience is familiar with it, it allows him to act on ice, which he's great at, and it's a theme no one has done so far (as far as I know). He got 85.36 points.
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| Russia's Sergei Voronov is shaping into the 2017 NHK Trophy champion Photograph: insidethegame.biz |
The stakes suddenly got slightly higher for Alexei Bychenko, but the pressure didn't seem to get to him. There were no errors, he was smiling throughout the programme and all in all did a terrific job. The theme might not be my favourite, which is purely because the music is not really my style, but I can objectively appreciate the great quality of his performance. His score: 85.52.
Sergei Voronov quickly became the bet for gold after Yuzuru's withdrawal, and he did not disappoint. He skated to Adios Nonino, a song that matches the heavy themes that have made up his style throughout the years. He got 90.06 points, which got him the perfect position to go chasing the gold in the free.
So, the men's event has suddenly presented us with an unexpected battle for the gold. Voronov is currently winning, but another performance from Bychenko that is as good as what we saw today might turn things around. Still, he's only 0.16 points ahead of Brown, who is less than one point ahead of Rippon. See what I mean? Who knows which plane the gold will board after tomorrow...
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