2016 JGP Ljubljana Cup Ladies FS

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I feel so sad about Alina's meltdown. She was tense before the program and was touching her nose. I have cold this weekend - may be she as well? Anyway, her first combo - her visiting card with rippon lutz - she did not rippon it. That's for those who think that tanos and rippons are a piece of cake once a skater masters them - looks like not at all.

Rika's jumping skills are fantastic. Artistically, well, she has a lot of time ahead of her. But with such jumps she will be gold contender in any competition this season and a big irritant or, positively saying, stimulus for Eteri. Next step will be standard 3A and possibly quads in her team starting next season.

Russia does not need Tsurskaya and Gubanova both winning the last 2 events. Hope, they will be pushed against each other next week. It can be informative for the fed as well. I remember Gubanova's competing against Tsurskaya was interesting already 2 years ago.

Although we don't know details. Gubanova just scored 69,5 in SP in a local competition but then skipped FS. I wonder if she is OK.

Eunsoo Lim girl is a future star - the best I've seen from Korea recently.

 

[bosskil]

The Noble and Most Distinguished

Order of the Triple Axel

wishes to announce
the admission of

Lady Rika Kihira
(2016, JPN)

into its companionship.


Lady Kihira is the eighth member
and fifth Japanese to join the order.


Ljubljana, September 24th, 2016

The Board of Representatives
Mao Asada (2004, JPN)	Elizaveta Tuktamysheva (2015, RUS)
The Council of Seniors
Midori Ito (1988, JPN) Yukari Nakano (2002, JPN)	Tonya Harding (1991, USA) Ludmila Nelidina (2002, RUS)
Honorary member
Miki Ando (2002, JPN)

​

Please post this in Japanese Ladies Thread as well. :agree:

 

[Leonardo]

Honestly, if Evgenia can get a TES of 77 by doing crazy tanos, Rika's TES should be like 100

YES! First lady to land 8 clean triples EVER!!

 

[skatelikewind1966]

One of the surprise today is Eunsoo, what a strong mind to have a comeback with that quality after that crash on the board. I so agree with Ted that she is "A New Yuna Kim"

I fully agree, for any skater, especially a 13 y.o. making her first JGP appearance, to have that happen early in the program yet have the mental strength, competitive fight and self confidence to keep everything together while not missing a beat and not feeling the need to push is remarkable - what a performance and what a start to a what might be a fantastic career.

 

[brookes1968]

I fully agree, for any skater, especially a 13 y.o. making her first JGP appearance, to have that happen early in the program yet have the mental strength, competitive fight and self confidence to keep everything together while not missing a beat and not feeling the need to push is remarkable - what a performance and what a start to a what might be a fantastic career.

Yes she was incredibly brave - didn't Miss a beat. Why was Marin holding her stomach - she looked so nervous

 

[Sam-Skwantch]

Sooner or later it will happen, but I expect it to be a cumbersome fight that takes decades until the quads become standard. The ladies do not progress so quickly in tech as the men do. Since Midori's 3A in 1988 we have seen just seven ladies to do it, just as many as ladies winning the OGM.

Well if 'Lil Bet has anything to say about it we'll be talking sooner than later. A quad sal in Korea could make things very very interesting.

 

[EdgeCall]

Please post this in Japanese Ladies Thread as well. :agree:

Just quote and copy the text and repost it where you see fit.

 

[EdgeCall]

Well if 'Lil Bet has anything to say about it we'll be talking sooner than later. A quad sal in Korea could make things very very interesting.

They can do it in juniors, but the real challenge will be to get it to seniors before it can become standard. Mao's 3A also looked better in juniors, and Miki's 4S ... the old ladies' curse.

 

[skatelikewind1966]

Sooner or later it will happen, but I expect it to be a cumbersome fight that takes decades until the quads become standard. The ladies do not progress so quickly in tech as the men do. Since Midori's 3A in 1988 we have seen just seven ladies to do it, just as many as ladies winning the OGM.

I remember watching Vivian Le during her first JGP last year and during her post-competition interview she was asked about her big jumps and what she is looking forward to the most in the upcoming season (this was 2015-16 Season). She said working on getting her quads and 3A. I felt so sad because Vivian is such a strong skater and if she needed to work on anything to get more of the low hanging-points it would be body control, extensions, skating skills, footwork, spins (hence the change to Raf). Sometimes I think the art of figure skating is falling to the side. This is such a tough sport and these young ladies make it look so easy, my hats off to each and every one of them for doing what they do and I, for one, would be ok if the ladies took a couple of more decades before making quads standard in their programs.

 

[Sam-Skwantch]

They can do it in juniors, but the real challenge will be to get it to seniors before it can become standard. Mao's 3A also looked better in juniors, and Miki's 4S ... the old ladies' curse.

But Elisabeth is a senior. I have to admit that the thought of her having an old lady curse is pretty funny though

 

[EdgeCall]

But Elisabeth is a senior. I have to admit that the thought of her having an old lady curse is pretty funny though

You just wait and see how her jumps will look like when she turns sixty!

But seriously, with an ultraslim <5ft body Tur is not the normal case. Unless we see skaters with her build invade the sport in swarms there will still be the puberty problem before quads will become common. And as skatelikewind1966 pointed out, there is more to FS than the jumps. Miki did not win with her quad in 2002 either.

 

[Mao88]

Videos now in the videos & results thread

 

[hippomoomin]

Marin was holding her stomach two weeks ago before her FS too. I thought she might have a stomach but again here... Hope not.

Yes she was incredibly brave - didn't Miss a beat. Why was Marin holding her stomach - she looked so nervous

 

[hippomoomin]

Sadly Alina had some sort of meltdown as I feared, but not in the way I thought. It's probably due to her nerve. On the positive side, she is in the final, and her non-jumping elements look better than her pervious competition.

 

[sunn1ly]

Just saw the protocols.

Since we dont have a lot of skating hopes in Bulgaria I want to congratulate Alexandra Feigin for having 4-th TES in the FS. Hope this motivates her and her coach work even more especially about the PCS. She is really hitting the bottom in PCS.

For me the highlights of today are Rika's 3A and Lin's comeback after the hit. They are just great fighters. And all these 13 years old girls are wonderful. The last group was really really ahead from the other groups.

I like the Russian girls especially their presentation and expression. But maybe because of pressure or great expectations or too risky transitions and elements at the end of the program, always jumping with their hands up high or whatever, but they didn't have a day. Happy Alina will go to GPF. Crossing fingers for Marin as well.

 

[lavoix]

So have the top 3 here made the JGP final?

 

[[email protected]]

So have the top 3 here made the JGP final?

Kihira - yes
Zagitova - very likely
Honda 50/50

 

[bosskil]

If RusFed doesn't change assignments, I'd say:

Kihira -100%
Zagitova - 95% (basically IN, if not some weirdest, highly unlikely scenarios)
Honda - 60% (in current form, Gubanova easily wins 6 out of 10 duels vs Konstantinova)

 

[kimganos]

I thought it had a slight hook on the end.

It's tough watching most skaters at this level after seeing Marin. Her performance skills are just .

Marin is extraordinary!

 

[jeff goldblum]

What an event (at least the last group).

Cool to see Kihira land the triple axel, but I agree with others it just doesn't have the impact that Midori's did. I guess it's a tough standard to reach when the first two ladies to land the jump in competition were probably the two biggest jumpers the sport has seen. I think she'll do well, but I honestly feel something is missing from her skating.

Marin, on the other hand, is just breathtaking to me. She really seems to fill the whole volume of the arena when she performs. I agree this stomach holding gesture might be a sign of nervousness; she definitely looked nervous. She seemed slower and a bit more restrained than in Yokohama, but I'm surprised she was 8 points lower here; other than the mistake on the flip-toe the programs were identical and I actually think some of her other jumps here were a little stronger than the previous event. She had stated before this season her goal was to win the JGPF, so hopefully she will get her chance to try and do that. If not she can try and become the second skater to win two junior world titles.

I like Zagitova in terms of her basic skating and skills. She has beautiful jumps when she lands them, despite the troubles today. I am not a huge Medvedeva fan, but I think Zagitova is actually a better skater in terms of natural talent and ability. I just wish she could go somewhere else for training because I just don't care for the styling. You'd think that as a Russian skater with Russian coaches and Russian choreography that they could come up with a better Don Quixote. Maximova, Plisetskaya, Osipova, and many other Russian dancers are known as the definitive Kitri's of their generation. Not that Zagitova is portraying Kitri per se, but I think they could have done much better.

I also have this general sense that choreography is lacking for most of the skaters these days with so many programs that don't seem to create much of an overall cohesive impression. Don't know if this is just a juniors problem or not.