2018-19 Russian Men's figure skating

CanadianSkaterGuy · Nov 8, 2018

Holy Headband said:
Gumennik ended up winning Kazan Cup ahead of Kovtun.

If Kovtun's 4S was called in the SP, Gumennik's should have definitely been. Neither was sufficiently rotated.

Here's results:
https://fsrussia.ru/results/1819/4etap/index.htm

Not bad skates (though not great) by any means from Gumennik and Kovtun.

FS Kovtun: (3 quads, but other errors, including a single toe and double lutz)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jaffUR4nWYk

Not a huge fan of Kovtun's SP yet, but his Carmen FS is pretty good for him (except the jump telegraphing first minute) -- those are nice looking quads and he could put the heat on the other Russian men, if he gets it together.

vorravorra · Nov 9, 2018

CanadianSkaterGuy said:
If Kovtun's 4S was called in the SP, Gumennik's should have definitely been. Neither was sufficiently rotated.

Here's results:
https://fsrussia.ru/results/1819/4etap/index.htm

Not bad skates (though not great) by any means from Gumennik and Kovtun.

FS Kovtun: (3 quads, but other errors, including a single toe and double lutz)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jaffUR4nWYk

Not a huge fan of Kovtun's SP yet, but his Carmen FS is pretty good for him (except the jump telegraphing first minute) -- those are nice looking quads and he could put the heat on the other Russian men, if he gets it together.

Its interesting that Gumennik spent two seasons falling from 3A but he got a decent 4S almost straight away. Of course he is yet to grow, although according to info on his parents they are relatively small and slight. Still, I don't see him remaining 165 cm. Even Kolyada is 167 cm and at 16 he was smaller than Gumennik.

Tolstoj · Nov 9, 2018

I've to say the judging was way too biased over Kovtun: they wanted so badly to let him win and yet he didn't. Pyotr should have won with a bigger margin (you can see in the protocols the bv for his FS was almost 10 points higher than Kovtun)

It makes me concerned for nationals: if Maxim manages to skate one clean program, scores will be over the moon for him, screwing the others.

vorravorra said:
Its interesting that Gumennk spent two seasons falling from 3A but he got a decent 4S almost straight away. Of course he is yet to grow, although according to info on his parents they are relatively small and slight. Still, I don't see him remaining 165 cm. Even Kolyada is 167 cm and at 16 he was smaller than Gumennik.

I bet already with Mishin he was planning to work on quads and maybe tried few. The problem with his jumps was only about his skating, he used to skate very slow and that also made his jumps smaller, and also lack of confidence when attempting difficult elements like the 3A.

It's all coming now because he grew up a bit, he attack the programs more, and obviously the coach decided to focus on him (which forced Nugumanova to move to Turenko), having a coach that works almost exclusively with you can make the difference, but he has always had great basis.

We can safely say Gumennik is the most promising junior Russia has, with performances like these last two from the Kazan Cup, he can also make a statement at senior nationals.

vorravorra · Nov 9, 2018

It's too early for Gumennik to play at the senior level so I don't see him getting high PCS at Nationals. Now he needs to get some mileage on that quad, grow to his adult size and in the pre-Olympic season he may be ready. He'll have plenty of time yet to become the next hope of Russian men's skating and get crushed by the pressure of expectations.

ejnsofi · Nov 10, 2018

silverfoxes said:
"At his best," lol. Doesn't exist. He is never going to develop this character that everyone seems to think he has hidden somewhere. He's had more than enough opportunities to show it, he gets every gift in the world given to him by judges and the Fed, and every time it's the same old story. Just look at him and Hanyu back to back. One has the aura of a champion, one looks like he's going to the gallows every time he steps on the ice.

Do not count out Dima, and I'm sure Sergei will be much better than at SA.

With 5th place at NHK we can count him out of GPF. Great to see Voronov with silver and good chances to go to Vancouver for finals

QueenOfTheRoad · Nov 10, 2018

Tolstoj said:
I've to say the judging was way too biased over Kovtun: they wanted so badly to let him win and yet he didn't. Pyotr should have won with a bigger margin (you can see in the protocols the bv for his FS was almost 10 points higher than Kovtun)

It makes me concerned for nationals: if Maxim manages to skate one clean program, scores will be over the moon for him, screwing the others.

And this is annoying. If Voronov will decide to have the weakest skate at the Nats, like he was last year, and Kovtun ans Samarin will get these kind of PCS, Voronov will be the first to be screwed, Grand Prix or not. The second who might bite the dust, because PCS are his strength when judged correctly is Aliev. The third is naturally Kolyada as both Aliev and Kolyada are not doing great till now and we know how Russ Fed love the quads and are blind to anything else. Kolayda might still have a chance against the programs with many quads as his programs are very well done this year and when you compare a Carmen with the other, is clear who should deserve better PCS, but Aliev's programs are too quiet and understated.
But we still have a but. Kovtun's jumps didn't scream to me "we are stable and well-rotated and we deserve loads of GOE". His technique is sometimes good, sometimes wonky and all over the place. I don't think that at this moment they would be regarded with good GOE outside Russia. Samarin's jumps on the other hand are much better.

rachno2 · Nov 10, 2018

Watching the mess at NHK (and at Skate America, and at Helsinki), it should be evident that men's figure skating is an inconsistent, chaotic field. It isn't limited to the Russian men, although the added pressure of being the country's "great hope" makes matters particularly hard for them (Raf mentioned this in an interview yesterday).

In a post-quad world, splat fests and inconsistency are to be expected. When you are deriding your male figure skaters for not stabilizing these difficult jumps fast enough and delivering great results all the time, you only exacerbate the cycle of inconsistency and burn-out. Everybody has been struggling this GP season, from every country. I hope we can keep that in mind before we descend on Dima and Misha.

That said, Voronov is pretty much a lock for GPF, so Russian men succeeded on that front. Congratulations to Sergei for qualifying two years in a row! Kolyada's chances are all but dead. Hopefully he and Aliev can have better skates at their next assignments without the added anxiety of qualifying.

coldblueeyes · Nov 10, 2018

I'm not surprised about Sergei, I just hope he can skate decently at Nats, otherwise no second half of the season for him again, and that would be a tragedy. On the other hand, Dima and Misha need at least a better event on their second assignment, because so far they've been a let down in the grand scheme of things. It will be a fun battle, though. Pretty much an open game at the moment for the russian men.

skatenewbie · Nov 10, 2018

Aliev out of GPF, Voronov probably will get into GPF. Kolyada's fate is in his own hand but probably will be on GPF too. my bet is 1 or 2 russian (1 canadian?), 2 japanese, 1 usa, 1 czech

RemyRose · Nov 22, 2018

National Qualifiers

Junior Men (18 spots)

Selection through JGP (automatic entry)
1. Danielian
2. Rukhin
3. Savosin
4. Kovalev
5. Murashov
6. Iakovlev
7. Mozalev
8. Vetlugin
9. Gumennik

Selection through Cups events, in order of qualification
1. Samsonov
2. Yablokov
3. Sviridenko
4. Dikidzhi
5. Lutfullin
6. Kunitsa
7. Polianskii
8. Golubev
9. Kutovoi

Alternates, in order of qualification
1. Kondratiuk
2. Tsekhanovich
3. Udalov

*Require selection through coaching council (not selected through JGP or Cup events)
1. Ignatov (scheduled for Tallinn JrB Nov. 30-Dec. 1st)

Senior Men (18 spots)

Selection through GP or JGPF (automatic entry)
1. Lazukin
2. Kolyada
3. Dmitriev
4. Voronov
5. Aliev
6. Samarin
7. Gumennik

Selection through Cups events, in order of qualification
1. Kovtun
2. Savosin
3. Samoilov
4. Petrov
5. Miliukov
6. Lezheev
7. Shulepov
8. Kovalev
9. Rukhin
10. Murashov
*11. Zotov [or Erokhov; see below]

Alternates, in order of qualification
1. Katichev
2. Kniazhuk
3. Kokovkin

*Require selection through coaching council (not selected through GP, JGPF or Cup events)
1. Erokhov

RemyRose · Nov 22, 2018

RemyRose said:
(I would add Ignatov here but he has yet to skate this season plus he withdrew from Tallinn trophy.)

Oh nevermind, I found Ignatov. He moved from the Senior roster (Challenger event) to the Junior one. So it's him, Danielian and Iakovlev https://data.tallinntrophy.eu/2018/TallinnTrophy/INTEST2018/CAT001EN.HTM

I will add him to the possible coaching council substitutions for Jr Nats.

serephy · Nov 22, 2018

RemyRose said:
I will add him to the possible coaching council addition for Jr Nats.

Also Semenenko....he only skated at one event but he was on the podium there.

QueenOfTheRoad · Nov 22, 2018

Will Rukhin and Kovalev skate both junior and senior at Nats or will they let their place from juniors for someone else?

RemyRose · Nov 22, 2018

QueenOfTheRoad said:
Will Rukhin and Kovalev skate both junior and senior at Nats or will they let their place from juniors for someone else?

No. They will skate at both Junior and Senior Nats. They will not withdraw from Junior nats unless they are injured as this is how the Jr World team is decided and surely they want to try and qualify for that.

RemyRose · Nov 22, 2018

serephy said:
Also Semenenko....he only skated at one event but he was on the podium there.

Yes but everyone who qualified through the cup events except for Polianskii made the podium at least once. Not to mention 2 other guys who didn't qualify who also made the podium once (Skirda/Udalov). That would be way unfair to those guys who went through 2 cup events and qualified above Semenenko who is the 6th alternate. Ignatov is understandable because it's his last season as a junior. I don't agree with it but it's understandable.

plushyfan · Nov 22, 2018

Alexandr Golubev https://www.instagram.com/p/BqeVw3ehlb-/ his SP scores https://twitter.com/bell_canon/status/1065275813761736705

a part of his FS https://www.instagram.com/p/BqXjc2chRFB/

he is 13 y.o.

I don't know his LP's scores today

serephy · Nov 22, 2018

plushyfan said:
Alexandr Golubev https://www.instagram.com/p/BqeVw3ehlb-/ his SP scores https://twitter.com/bell_canon/status/1065275813761736705

a part of his FS https://www.instagram.com/p/BqXjc2chRFB/

he is 13 y.o.

I don't know his LP's scores today

Protocols from the free skate today are here : https://www.fsrussia.ru/results/1819/5etap/oKMC__Scores.pdf

Sasha was 8th in the Free (7th overall) and skated pretty clean except for a bobble/step out on his +2Lo. He had the 3rd highest TES score but his PCS let him down slightly. On a positive note he landed his 3A (and all his jumps except for the 2Lo) cleanly in both the SP and the FS and qualified for Junior Nats.

Bcash · Nov 23, 2018

RobinA said:
I'll say, I love Kolyada and think he's one of the best men out there if you don't count the jumps. His Carmen is great and suits him perfectly, unlike the unfortunate Elvis (I think it was) program from last year. He's an old style skater - precision over slop and big tricks. In fact, even his falls look precise. He doesn't look like a happy camper, maybe he is a head case. I keep hoping he'll pull a Paul Wylie and FINALLY get it all right at exactly the right time and snag an Olympic medal.

I'm not sure who came up with "packaging" ideas for him but he needs to ditch that 90s costume. He has many appealing qualities, in various aspects more appealing than Hanyu, Chen or Uno, not to mention Jin. With his style and technical potential he really should be establishing himself as a great force in men's skating. The right mental space for competition and a standout vehicle should be what he and his coaches (and maybe outside advisors) should focus on now.

QueenOfTheRoad · Nov 23, 2018

This year Nats is the most unpredictable from all Nats, apart from betting on huge undeserved PCS for Samarin and Kovtun. Anyone from Kolyada, Samarin, Aliev, Voronov, Kovtun, Lazukin can snatch a medal, anyone can implode spectacularly.

rachno2 · Nov 23, 2018

QueenOfTheRoad said:
This year Nats is the most unpredictable from all Nats, apart from betting on huge undeserved PCS for Samarin and Kovtun. Anyone from Kolyada, Samarin, Aliev, Voronov, Kovtun, Lazukin can snatch a medal, anyone can implode spectacularly.

Gumennik will podium at this rate.....

2018-19 Russian Men's figure skating

CanadianSkaterGuy

vorravorra

Tolstoj

vorravorra

ejnsofi

QueenOfTheRoad

rachno2

coldblueeyes

skatenewbie

RemyRose

YOLO

RemyRose

YOLO

serephy

QueenOfTheRoad

RemyRose

YOLO

RemyRose

YOLO

plushyfan

serephy

Bcash

QueenOfTheRoad

rachno2

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