Favorite Russian lady? | Page 4 | Golden Skate

Favorite Russian lady?

Ares

Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 22, 2016
Country
Poland
Anna Pogorilaya :drama:

I really like Tsurskaya, Tuktamysheva & Konstantinova too though. Ksenia Stolbova (pairs) :devil:. I also have a soft spot for Alena Leonova.
I could very well be a fan of Sotskova as she has great lines, and technique but her programs are zzzzzzz and she's rather slow. I would like to see more connection to the music too but she has certain qualities that the vast majority of Russian ladies lack.

Favourite junior: Sofia Samodurova ... not a fan of new jumping beans of Eteri so far.

Retired ones: Maria Butyrskaya, Irina Slutskaya, Anjelika Krylova (Ice Dance), Jana Khokhlova (Ice Dance), Ekaterina Gordeeva (pairs, and later on as a pro).
 

skylark

Gazing at a Glorious Great Lakes sunset
Record Breaker
Joined
Aug 12, 2014
Country
United-States
All Time. Ekaterina Gordeeva. Every movement she made, every slight tilt of the head, every extension, every position in the air or on the ice is pluperfect. I watch her in the SOI group ladies numbers and am even more convinced. She hits every position not just with precision, but with a conviction born of artistic excellence and vision. In her pairs skates with Sergei, watch for what her arm will do slowly, in any drawn-out moment. She just has this exquisite quality of a dancer, in posture, in attitude, and in gentleness.

There's one thing I wish all pairs ladies would emulate, not just Russians. In the group 5 axel lift, most of the ladies have very straight posture that seems a tad bit stiff to me. Ekaterina's posture was beautiful and with her head lifted, but just slightly softer through her back, not hunched, still great posture. Whenever any pair does that lift, I can't help comparing the look of it to Katia's.

When Katia participated (and won) Battle of the Blades when she was nearly 40, partnered with hockey player Val Bure, she just confirmed the exquisite perfection of everything she does on the ice. Never mind the singles and doubles. Every movement she made came from the inside out, with attention to music, attitude, and a higher purpose than winning. Beautiful skating at heart and soul, mind and spirit.
 

IleK

On the Ice
Joined
Mar 11, 2012
She never won worlds but, she did win the silver in 2003. Elena Sokolova.....https://i.ytimg.com/vi/91n9YMR4M1g/maxresdefault.jpg

Thank you! That was the Elena I couldn't remember the last name. She was a very special person, incredible happy when she was on, you could see the happiness in every inch of her, and very sad when she failed. The same as Leonova. And both of them have silver world medal. She was the first russian lady I liked.
 

LKGwennire

On the Ice
Joined
Apr 29, 2014
Country
Brazil
Elena Radionova :love:
She was the first skater I actually became a fan of, back when she was still a junior in 2013. One of the reasons I was brought to seriously following the sport (until then I was a very casual viewer). She's had her ups and downs throughout her career but overall she has kept her signature star quality. Her performance is great even when her packaging is not the best, and her fighting quality is amazing. I wish to see her technique improve more and more to watch her for some more years!
 

enzet

On the Ice
Joined
Sep 13, 2006
I'm not really an uber of any of them, but I like (in no particular order):

Zagitova - love her free program and think the backloading fits the music perfectly, so I completely approve of that in her case. She is a great technician with some artistic potential, so I hope she continues to improve. I probably like her the best of all the young Russian ladies that emerged in the last 10 years.
Pogorilaya - just a lovely skater overall, so I hope she can overcome all her problems and come back strong again (although I wouldn't bet on that actually happening :cry:).
Tsurskaya - hated almost everything about her (except her amazing jumps, of course!) during her first junior season but was pleasantly surprised by her progress since then. She still lacks that extra something for me but she is a very strong skater.
Trusova - Very impressive! She has the big tricks, which I always find really exciting to watch and she is a wonderful artist for her age! Her Big Spender SP is my favorite SP of the season junior or senior (along with Wakaba's). The choreography just is brilliant and she is doing such an amazing job with it. Normally, I would never think of Big Spender as a good choice for a girl like her, but somehow it is working wonderfully. Lots of potential there!
Samodurova - didn't like her last season, but now she is just lovely. A nicely balanced skater with strong jumps AND artistry.
Kostornaia - I'm not crazy about her, but everything looks just fine to me!
 

Manitou

Medalist
Joined
Jan 17, 2014
Historically Slutskaya.
Currently Lipnitskaya, but after she quit it's probably Radionova.

I kind of silently hope that Yulia is secretly training and one day will be back...
 
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