"The amazing rentals of these young skaters evoke mixed feelings."
The first stage of the Grand Prix of figure skating this season is over, but his events are still being discussed. One of the main topics is still the triumphal performance of the Russian woman Anna Shcherbakova, who performed two quadruple lutz in the free program and became the winner of Skate America.
Fans and experts continue to admire 15-year-old student Eteri Tutberidze. So, the 2006 Olympic champion Roman Kostomarov called her free program a historic event in the world of figure skating.
“At official competitions, making two quadruple lutz is something incredible. Our girls are now well done, it's nice to watch them grow. Especially for the wards of Eteri Tutberidze’s group, ”Kostomarov’s Izvestia quotes.
1999 world champion Maria Butyrskaya also praised Shcherbakova.
“It doesn’t fit in my head, like a thin one, like a little girl’s feather, everything turns out so easily. And you watch this quadruple lutz, and it’s not tortured, it is made with such a reserve, ”the ex-figure skater Sport24 quotes.
However, there are those whose rental has caused skepticism. Three-time European Championship medalist Kiira Korpi expressed concern that working on complex elements at such a young age negatively affects their condition. She wrote about this on her Twitter page, attaching a fragment of a Russian woman’s number to the post.
“Only I have amazing rentals of these young skaters cause mixed feelings? I admire their incredible technology, but I can’t help but think about how much effort they achieve at that age, ”wrote Korpi.
Shcherbakova herself, summing up the results of the first adult stage of the Grand Prix for herself, admitted that she was pleased with the result, since she managed to gain invaluable experience.
“But there are still many things that we will work on. It is very interesting to compete with adults, but I tried to think only about my rentals, and not about rivals. We are working on the quadruple Lutz in training, and if it turns out, then you need to show it at the starts. This is a lot of work, but everything is refined in the classroom. You just need to get together and be confident, ”said Shcherbakova in an interview with the official site of the Russian Figure Skating Federation (FFKKR).
“Refereeing is also a little politics”
Another topic of discussion during the stage in Las Vegas was the assessment of the performances of Russian skaters. The judges lowered Elizaveta Tuktamysheva's points for the components in the short program, as a result of which she took preliminary fifth place. At the same time, the American Brady Tennell is on the first line, breaking a personal record.
According to Russian coach Katarina Herbolt, refereeing in Las Vegas really raised questions, however, the performance of the 2015 world champion was notable for its complexity, which inevitably led to errors.
“You need to ride clean, then there will be no problems. I do not really agree with shortcuts in the short program. In the native walls, skaters are always helped, but our girls should not be mistaken, because otherwise the judges try to create favorable conditions for other athletes so that there remains the possibility of rivalry, ”Herbolt explained.
Butyrskaya adheres to a similar point of view. She noted that local athletes are often helped to occupy higher lines, stricterly punishing rivals for mistakes. According to her, this is especially true for American skaters.
“I perfectly understand how difficult it is to make a triple axel, put it in the program, perform it purely from a difficult approach and with a chic exit. And I would bet a lot for it. This means that the people who sit there are not well versed in figure skating, or they have some kind of attitude from the leaders of their countries, for example. We understand that refereeing is also a small policy, ”cites Butyrskaya Sport24.
“Like it when viewers shout“ Wow! ”
In addition to the sports component, the aesthetic side of performances at Skate America is also actively discussed. And here Shcherbakova was again in the spotlight, during the execution of a free program, she unexpectedly changed one dress to another. Experts praised this technique.
“Shcherbakova’s is not just a transformer dress. This dress is a trick. A real attraction embedded in a costume. Witty and spectacular. And most importantly, Anya copes with this quite deftly. Initially, you don’t even suspect that the outfit could change that way, ”said Pavel Kaplevich, Honored Art Worker of the Russian Federation.
The junior world champion herself admitted that she likes to watch the reaction of the public during the change of outfits.
“Now changing the dress is not so difficult, but I worked a lot on this in training. But at first it was difficult. This is the idea of my coach. I'm glad everyone likes it. I myself like it when the audience shout “Wow!” She said.
Interestingly, Shcherbakova’s show number also contained a dressing-up episode. The winner of the stage went on the ice in a kimono, under which was a traditional dress.
The fans were impressed by the demonstration performance of the winner of the American men's tournament Nathan Chen. He performed a back flip, which is forbidden in official competitions due to the risk of serious injury.
At the same time, the end of the stage for Tuktamysheva was not so successful. In a demonstration, she demonstrated last year's short program, but her crown triple axel ended in a fall. Nevertheless, the athlete noted that she was satisfied with her result.
“Third place is also not so bad, and I am finishing this stage with positive emotions. I was able to get together after a short program and roll back an arbitrary program with the mood. The fact that I managed my psychological state gave a positive response in my soul, ”admitted Tuktamysheva.
The stage in the world capital of gambling could not do without an appropriate atmosphere. So, after the competition Shcherbakova, together with her choreographer Daniil Gleichengauz, visited one of the largest casinos in Las Vegas - Bellagio, and silver holders in the competition of sports pairs Daria Pavlyuchenko and Denis Khodykin sat down at the card table right during the demonstration number, accompanied by the song of Elvis Presley Viva Las Vegas.
“Research done right after surgery - no cancer”
Meanwhile, many are watching with interest how the story unfolds around the 2014 Sochi Olympic champion Adeline Sotnikova.
In early October, information appeared that the ex-athlete gave 2 million rubles to a fortuneteller who promised to cure her younger sister Marina, who suffers from a congenital disease. The woman allegedly convinced her that the cause of the disease was spoilage, which must be eliminated. At the same time, relatives of Sotnikova denied these rumors.
Komsomolskaya Pravda, referring to friends of a former skater, said that the purpose of her visit to the fortuneteller was to not help her sister at all, but to return Ak Bars hockey player Vladimir Tkachev, who left her after a short romance. It is reported that the girl was depressed after breaking up and decided to resort to a love spell.
In the family of Alexei Yagudin, the news is more positive. His wife and Olympic champion in 2006 Tatyana Totmyanina a week ago underwent an emergency operation to remove the gallbladder and is already recovering. Doctors suspected that neoplasms in the organ may be malignant, in connection with which the tissues were sent for examination. Fortunately, the worst suspicions did not materialize.
“After the tour in Yalta, Tanya almost immediately went to a hospital in Moscow. She was told that the formations had decently progressed, there were 6-7 of them. It is clear that the gallstone had to be removed. However, this was not the concern; many live without it. According to all indications, there was a probability of 50 to 50 that there is cancer. The studies were done immediately after the operation - there is no cancer, ”said Yagudin on NTV.