Men's Short Program Play-By-Play

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Dmitri Aliev (OAR)

Gorgeous 4Lz+3T! Wow! And a wonderfully clean 4T as well! Flying camel spin with alright speed and positions. Very clean 3A! And Tatiana Tarasova is going nuts. Well-centered spin right into footwork, which could be a bit more complicated but had good polish and a tiny slip near the end. A fairly good spin for him.

I love the contrast between his contemporary free and this very traditional and masculine Russian program. That quad lutz was out of this world and those jumps will give him plenty of bonus points, about 6 extra points. He could still work on his spins but he has bold expression here, strong technique, and classical ease. What a commanding program at just 18! eace:

 

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21 CHAN Patrick (CAN)

Music: Dust in the Wind by Kerry Livgren, performed by Kansas

White/black ombre sweater, black pants

4T
3Lz+3T
CCSp
3A - fall, looked <
StSq
FSSp
CCoSp

Shame about the fall, the rest was good.

SP: 45.08+45.93-1.00 = 90.01, 2/21

 

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Patrick Chan (CAN)

Gorgeous 4T to open, no combo so he'll have to put it later. Beautiful 3Lz+3T combo. Fantastic, strong classical camel positions in the first spin. Harsh fall on the 3A, just jumping out of the circle (also looks dinged). Wonderful step sequence with strength and sensitivity. And an extremely well-centered pair of spins to end the program.

Ouch, shame on that darn 3A! At least he went for it and it was better than his performance in the team short program. Some of his spins were only Level 3s because they were slightly rushed. Those edges are just to die for. But he'll only get in the high 80s to low 90s with this program.

 

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22 TANAKA Keiji (JPN)

Music: Memories by Gary Moore

Black velvet outfit

4S - fall, maybe<
3F+3T
FCSp
CSSp
3A
StSq
CCoSp

Fall on quad, the rest was solid

SP: 40.30+40.74-1.00 = 80.05, 13/22

 

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Keiji Tanaka (JPN)

Hard collapse on the opening 4S (looks < as well). Very strong 3F+3T, good comeback! Fine flying spin and good combo spin to mark the start of the second half. Good landing on the 3A, just a tad to the side on the landing edge. Good speed and attack through the circular step. Fine back camel entry into the final spin.

That looked like a very harsh fall on the quad, but he should receive decent GOEs on the rest of his elements. He was able to maintain the tone of the guitar riffs, though the choreography and the speed were slightly deficient. Nonetheless, a comparable performance given his outing in the short.

 

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23 BYCHENKO Alexei (ISR)

Music: Hava Nagila (Jewish Folk Song)

Brown vest, white shirt, black pants+gloves

3A
4T - bit forward
CCoSp
3Lz+3T - bit twofoot
FCSp
StSq
CCSp

Tight on the jumps, but he smiles

SP: 43.63+40.50 = 84.13, 8/23

 

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Alexei Bychenko (ISR)

Confident 3A to start. A little forward on the 4T but completed. Decent combo spin with alright positions. Good 3Lz+3T with a touchdown of the foot on the second toe. Not a bad camel spin. Exuberant and furious footwork that covered the entire ice surface. A little slip at the end of that ending spin.

Not as clean and steady as his team short program, but still a very entertaining and bold performance. He was able to carry that very iconic and spirited folk music without dipping in energy anywhere in the program. Opa! L'Chaim!

 

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24 VASILJEVS Deniss (LAT)

Music: Recondita Armonia by Giacomo Puccini''

White blouse, black vest and pants

3Lz+3T
3A - fall, looked <
CCSp
3F
CCoSp
StSq
FSSp

Fall on 3A, but the rest was good

SP: 39.34+41.18-1.00 = 79.52, 15/24

 

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Deniss Vasilevs (LAT)

Lovely and simple curve to start the peaceful program. Calmly presented 3Lz+3T to open. Collapsing fall on the 3A, a shame. Interesting positions throughout the first spin. Good flow out of the 3F, right into the back entry spin with a good center. Open footwork seqeunce with sweeping movement and great positions. Nice change of edge spread eagles right into his iconic sit spin with fantastic poise.

I admire his posture and refined lines. Shame on that 3A with that sit-down fall, but he was able to get through the rest of his elements very well. But he will likely get dinged on that 3A, ouch.

 

[dorispulaski]

25 Yuzuru HANYU JPN

Music	Ballade No. 1 by Frederic Chopin
Element Number	Description	Score
1	Quad Salchow	13.21
2	Fly. Cam​el Spin 4	4.20
3	Change Foot Sit Spin 4	4.43
4	Triple Axel	12.35
5	Quad Toeloop + Triple Toeloop	18.63
6	Step Sequence 4	6.00
7	Change Foot Combination Spin 3	4.36
	Technical Elements Score:	63.18

 

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Yuzuru Hanyu (JPN)

Gorgeous 4S right into a spread eagle. Wonderfully centerred donut spin. Good illusion into the change foot sit spin. Spectacular entry into the 3A with confidence. Brilliant 4T+3Trippon. Fantastic step sequence with smooth edges and a stellar combo spin!

Wow, that might just be the best Olympic short program... so far! I could feel him softening his energy so that he could let the jump landing flow out. We might well get a world record short program, even compared to his iconic performance with this program at the Grand Prix Final years ago. Everything deserved +2s and +3s all across the board. An iconic program for the ages!

 

[dorispulaski]

26 Nathan CHEN USA

Music	Nemesis by Benjamin Clementine
Element Number	Description	Score
1	Quad Lutz + Combination	9.60
2	Fly. Sit Spin 3	3.24
3	Change Foot Camel Spin 4	3.91
4	Quad Toeloop	8.70
5	Triple Axel	6.35
6	Step Sequence 4	5.30
7	Change Foot Combination Spin 4	4.29
	Technical Elements Score:	41.39

 

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Nathan Chen (USA)

Hard fall on the 4Lz, just out of axis on the take-off. Solid sit spin and nicely centered camel spin. Only a 4T, but not combo so invalid (but looks like he just got the +COMBO instead). Step-out on the 3A. But a beautiful step sequence with great edges and passion. Wonderful spin to end the program.

Ouch, this is going to hurt tremendously. Not sure why he didn't get that 4F instead. But his base value has been completely shot. And that Axel has always been a problem. I suppose the nerves and the hype just got to him.

 

[dorispulaski]

27 Mikhail KOLYADA OAR

Music	Piano Concerto No. 23 in A Major, Tango
Element Number	Description	Score
1	Triple Lutz	7.40
2	Quad Toeloop + Combination	6.30
3	Fly. Sit Spin 4	4.07
4	Triple Axel	11.49
5	Change Foot Camel Spin 4	4.41
6	Step Sequence 4	5.60
7	Change Foot Combination Spin 4	4.57
	Technical Elements Score:	43.84

 

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Mikhail Kolyada (OAR)

4Lz opened into a 3Lz instead. Tilted in the air on that 4T, so a fall sadly and no combo. Decent flying sit spin. Wonderfully high 3A. Nice layover camel spin position and donut spin in the second spin. Good stretched movements and difficult edgework throughout the step sequence. An adequate combo spin to finish.

Yowchies on that fall on the 4T, especially without the combo. This program has grown on me over the season, and his artistry does work with this program more than it did earlier. He'll still get points for the 4T but his base value will be similarly very low.

 

[dorispulaski]

28 Shoma UNO JPN

Music	Winter (from Four Seasons) by Vivaldi
Element Number	Description	Score
1	Quad Flip	13.73
2	Fly. Camel Spin 4	4.13
3	Step Sequence 3	4.37
4	Quad Toeloop + Triple Toeloop	17.20
5	Triple Axel	10.06
6	Change Foot Sit Spin 4	4.00
7	Change Foot Combination Spin 4	4.64
	Technical Elements Score:	58.13

 

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Shoma Uno (JPN)

Got that 4F out fairly well! Strong flying camel spin with good positions. Wonderful dimension and shape in his footwork sequence. Solid 4T+3T right in the second half! Strong save on the spread eagle right into the 3A and spread eagle out. And a strong pair of spins to finish!

Not as technically brilliant as he could be with those landings, but wow, what a fantastic performance! Definitely his best rendition of this Winter program with plenty of attention to detail and being patient with the phrasing of the music, letting it come to him before he gently throws it away or emphasizes it. Lots of light and shade throughout the program. Stirring!

 

[dorispulaski]

29 Javier FERNANDEZ ESP

Music	Modern Times (Charlie Chaplin ost)
Element Number	Description	Score
1	Quad Toeloop + Triple Toeloop	16.60
2	Quad Salchow	13.21
3	Fly. Upright Spin 4	3.40
4	Triple Axel	11.78
5	Change Foot Sit Spin 4	4.29
6	Step Sequence 4	5.80
7	Change Foot Combination Spin 4	4.71
	Technical Elements Score:	59.79

 

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Javier Fernandez (ESP)

Solid 4T+3T to start with great ice coverage. Wow, a perfect landing on the 4S. A fast flying upright spin, almost out of control. Fantastic 3A as well, whoa! Clear positions throughout the sit spin. Elongated breaths and posture throughout the footwork sequence. And a fantastic combo spin at the end with that crossfoot spin right on the crescendo of the music.

Well, that performance just flew by. Wonderful choreography that showed off his interpretative skill and playful humor. His landings were superb today and he let those landings just flow out without any wobble and hesitation which he can sometimes fall prey to. He was pretty much foot perfect.

 

[dorispulaski]

30 JIN Boyang CHN

Music	Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (ost)
Element Number	Description	Score
1	Quad Lutz + Triple Toeloop	19.76
2	Quad Toeloop	11.44
3	Fly. Camel Spin 4	3.99
4	Triple Axel	11.49
5	Change Foot Sit Spin 4	3.79
6	Change Foot Combination Spin 4	4.50
7	Step Sequence 4	5.30
	Technical Elements Score:	60.27