Men
As expected, reigning World Champion Javier Fernandez ran away with the gold medal here, though he did have to come back from a pretty rough short program. As he is wont to do, Javi tripled out of a planned quad salchow, and his lack of technical content was too great to be saved by program components. Javi is a strong technician and an engaging performer, but he does not have the killer competitive instinct one associates with a top skater. It doesn't really seem to bother him when he screws up in competition, and coach Brian Orser seems bizarrely zen about it too. The long program was better here than it was a few weeks ago in Beijing, but he still missed his solo quad salchow. Javi may think he needs three quads in that long program to beat Yuzuru Hanyu, but the consistency is never going to be there. I'm a big fan of both the Guys and Dolls long program and the "Malaguena" short. Javi's packaging is more sophisticated this year than it has been in the past, and he can sell a program. Some fans complain that Javi does the same comedic schtick every year, but I don't think he really has the artistic range to give us drama. Don't reinvent the wheel when you're winning. He's obviously a strong contender for the gold medal in the Grand Prix Final on home ice in Barcelona, especially as the other top men have not been terribly consistent thus far.
I was somewhat surprised to see Adian Pitkeev take the silver medal, but this event was in Russia, after all. Adian isn't much of a performer, but he is more polished than the other top Russian men. I appreciate his lines and posture. Eteri Tutberidze's students may not have the best jump technique, but she does make them pay attention to detail more than the other Russian power coaches. Adian actually won the short program here thanks to Javier Fernandez's mistakes, and I expected him to completely melt down in the long program. The Russian men are not the best at handling pressure. He missed a triple axel, but otherwise it was a strong skate. The Mission makes for good skating music, and Adian uses the music well. He could give us a little more face. I see Adian ascending the international ranks as he asserts himself as Russia's best men's skater. God knows they've been looking for a man post-Plushenko who can win medals at Worlds.
The bronze went to our boy Ross Miner, who looked much stronger here than he did at Skate America. Ross is a very pleasant skater, but he's never going to wow you. The skating skills are good, but he doesn't get as much power as the other top men. The packaging is fairly basic. Ross seems to have the music taste of a middle-aged white woman. The jumps are looking more consistent, but I don't see that quad salchow ever really happening. Legendary Russian coach and commentator Tatiana Tarasova said Ross would be a really good ladies' skater. The shade of it all. Ross is a skater who the U.S. Figure Skating Association has always liked, and this placement bodes well for his chances at Nationals. With Jason Brown out with a back injury, Josh Farris still recovering from a concussion, and many talented teen skaters without much international experience challenging for top spots at Nationals, Ross could be a serious contender for the World team. At the end of the day, we can count on him to place respectably and not embarrass himself on television.
Another fourth place finish has to be a disappointment for Adam Rippon, who has repeatedly stated his desire to win Nationals and medal at Worlds this season. It's time for Adam to abandon the quad lutz. If you can't rotate it, it's not worth getting a measly three points for your solo jump in the short program - plus a one point deduction for a fall - when you could get six or seven points for a really good triple flip. Be a skater who owns being artistic and say "screw it" to the quad. Legend Tatiana Tarasova believes Adam's short program music (Queen's "Who Wants to Live Forever") is too "big" for him. I think he gives it artistically, but it would be more effective if he skated faster. Skating skills have never been Adam's strong suit. That Beatles free skate is still a disaster, and I don't understand why he wanted to do it. The music edits are bizarre, and he doesn't really engage with it. He's still in the hunt for a spot at Worlds, but this season may just be a wash for our blue-haired friend.
The Russian and British commentators were all very upset that bronze did not go to Mikhail Kolyada. The Russian argument is that Kolyada had a quad and therefore was superior. He did outscore the two Americans on the technical mark, which is valid. However, they edged him out on program components. The British commentators believed Kolyada had a more engaging performance. I don't agree, but program components are about more than performance ability anyway. The American men are much more polished and mature than the young Russian. Though Kolyada's choreography accentuated the score from Nightmare Before Christmas (a unique musical selection that I appreciated), he seemed to be going through the motions, as many young skaters do. There wasn't an authentic connection to the music. I also found his posture to be lacking, even though his choreography did a good job of masking it. Overall, I think the placements were correct, though Kolyada is a talented skater to watch for the future. I didn't get the spectator outrage over this one. In fact, I think it was a surprising example of good judging, as it would have been easy to bury the quad-less American men behind the Russian upstart.
Something to consider while watching Sergei Voronov skate: are there transitions in this program? Choreography? I enjoyed the British Eurosport commentators mentioning his "old-school" style, which is the nice way of saying there is nothing going on in this program. Next.
This concludes a disappointing Grand Prix season for Nam Nguyen, who emerged last season as Canada's great hope for the future. He actually had a very good long program performance here, but he got crucified on program components. I can't say it wasn't deserved. Nam's skating skills are still lacking for a men's skater at this level, and his presentation is junior-ish. He does not perform with his whole body. He seems focused on delivering the technical elements and forgets about the performance quality. There is some choreography, but it's like he's just checking off boxes as he goes through the program. Spins are still bad. I agree with the British commentators - lose the white shirt. An all-black ensemble would accentuate his lines. When you're landing two quads in a long program and can't pull yourself up to the top 6 of a so-so Grand Prix event, you need to step back and assess what's going wrong. Brian Orser has taught Nam how to deliver under pressure, but it's time to iron out the details and make Nam a complete, mature senior skater.
Ladies
After a disappointing Grand Prix season thus far, I had a feeling the Russian ladies would come out to play in Moscow. I pitied the other ladies who had to face a Grand Prix field on Russian ice with three Russian ladies with the potential to sweep the podium. The big winner was Elena Radionova. Fresh off her bronze medal finish at Cup of China, Elena was out for blood and ready to win. I can at least say that the styling has improved. For a girl who is usually serving us JonBenet Ramsey realness, Elena is looking positively classy these days. Elena had a a moment in the long program. She was screaming and crying like Tara Lipinski in Nagano. The crowd went nuts, and it took her a good two minutes to leave the ice after soaking up the adoration. It was a good performance, but let's be real. Her posture is atrocious, and those jumps were landed on a wing and a prayer. I had to throw some side eye to those 8's and 9's in program components, but we were in Russia. I don't think she's in much danger of winning Worlds (despite what some delusional fans may think), but she's on her way to the Grand Prix Final to deliver some more Titanic drama. I'm here for it.
I have to give my respect to Evgenia Medvedeva. After missing her triple flip in the short program, the girl had the guts to tack on a triple toe to the end of her triple loop to make sure she didn't lose points for not having a short program combo. Evgenia allegedly trains a triple toe on the end of most of her long program jumps just in case she needs to pull out an unplanned combo in competition. This is a girl who trains to win. As I've said before, I appreciate Evgenia's polish compared to the other top Russian girls, and there is a natural musicality to her skating that makes her pleasant to watch. I'm loving Eteri Tutberidze's emergence as the new Russian diva coach. She was looking fierce, fabulous, and positively unimpressed with everything she saw from her star pupil. Like Tutberidze's other (now departed) top skater Yulia Lipnitskaya, Evgenia has scary axel technique and a flutz that international judges are consciously ignoring while she's still Russia's #1 lady. Evgenia is not a girl who enjoys coming in 2nd place, and I'm sure she'll be ready to contend for gold at the Grand Prix Final in Barcelona.
Rostelecom Cup marked Adelina Sotnikova's return to major international competition for the first time since her....umm.....controversial Olympic Gold Medal win in Sochi. I'm going to be completely honest. I enjoy this girl's skating much more than I did in 2014. Adelina's time on Russian Dancing With the Stars has done wonders for her performance ability, and both of her programs are much more interesting than the junior-ish dreck that won her the Olympic Title. Sadly, her jumps have completely abandoned her. She couldn't even manage a triple toe+triple toe in the short program, and her triple lutz+triple toe attempt in the free skate was not cute. She completely ran out of steam at the end of the long program and performed a double flip+single toe before wiping out on a double axel. Regardless of the jumps, I really enjoyed Adelina's dramatic interpretation of "Je Suis Malade," and she didn't let the performance quality drop. Note that Yulia Lipnitskaya did not applaud at the end of this performance - as though we didn't already know her thoughts on what went down in Sochi. It will be interesting to see how the rest of the season goes for Adelina. If I were her, I would have cashed in on my fluke gold medal and never competed again. The Russian ladies' field is tough, and I don't really see her going to Worlds. We'll see if the judges give her a free pass at Nationals.
There are fans who are upset that Adelina Sotnikova kept Polina Edmunds off of the podium here. I don't agree. Polina looked better here than she did at Skate Canada, but I think the gap in program components was justified. Polina's skating skills are weak for a lady at this level, and the contrast between her and the likes of Sotnikova and Medvedeva was glaring on that front. She's still too slow across the ice. Tatiana Tarasova let us know that she hates the scratchy sound Polina makes on the ice because she skates on her toe picks. Polina imagines herself as a ballerina. While she is naturally graceful, a real ballerina performs with her whole body and extends all the way to her fingers. There is no energy in Polina's arms - she has dead leaf hands as my dear friends on The Skating Lesson say. Polina got four underrotation calls in the long program. I don't agree with all of them, but it shows that the international judges and technical specialists don't really think much of her jumping ability. Her packaging is moving in the right direction (particularly in the short program), but I still think she needs an overhaul to move up to the next level. The stage mother coach has to go. I hope it's not too late.
Poor Rika Hongo was destined to get railroaded in this field of Russian ladies after a strong start at Cup of China. She didn't have great skates here, but the judges did their part to put her low enough to keep her out of the Grand Prix Final. It was comical to see the Russian crowd not even remotely engage with these programs after the Chinese fans ate them up. Rika is just not a terribly inspiring skater, and there's not much of a reason to care when she makes mistakes. When your selling point is consistency, you're not allowed to fall. I'm not invested.
Alaine Chartrand caught the Curse of the Canadian Ladies in the long program. She had a lights-out short program and found herself shockingly in second place with a career best score. Alaine has good skating skills, and her Pina short program has interesting choreography. She doesn't really sell it, and I'm not sure why some fans are so crazy about it. She doesn't have much performance ability, so it's all a bit boxy and awkward. I had a feeling the wheels were going to fly off in the free skate, and she didn't let me down. Underrotations and falls galore. Why is this girl going for a triple axel? We need to walk before we can run. Let's try to have respectable long programs at international competitions before we crank up the difficulty. I lived for the shady cameraman who gave us amazing audience reactions to this trainwreck.
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