“Anya has enough fuse for the whole season”: how Russia praised Shcherbakova after a short program at the Grand Prix in China

“Shcherbakova feels like a fish in water”

Russian figure skater Anna Shcherbakova won the short program at the Grand Prix stage in Chongqing, China. For her rental, she scored 73.51 points and set a personal record. The athlete admitted that she was satisfied with her performance, but did not intend to stop there.

“I got all the elements, the jumps, but I’m only happy that they are done, while I need to work more on quality,” TASS quoted Shcherbakova.

The debut of the 15-year-old student Eteri Tutberidze at the adult level took place at the Grand Prix stage in Las Vegas, according to which she won first place. According to her, changing time zones does not cause her discomfort, and she tries to spend free time from competitions on sleeping. In addition, the Russian woman thanked Chinese fans for their support.

“When they just announced that I would go to China, local fans started writing to me that they were really waiting for me. I didn’t think they knew me here. This is very nice, as well as the fact that today a lot of people came and so many toys were thrown onto the ice. I was very surprised when they threw a plush avocado - the exact same one I gave my sister for my birthday two days ago, I don’t even know who and how could find out about this, ”Shcherbakova shared her impressions.

One of the key elements of the figure skater’s performance was the Lutz cascade - the Rittberger, which she managed to complete without undercutting. Well-known trainer Tatyana Tarasova appreciated the uniqueness of her program and paid tribute to her team.

“That's why I love Daniil Gleichenhaus (choreographer of the Tutberidze group. - RT )? For what he does with Eteri. Ani has very complex approaches and exits. Running steps, maximum two runs. One-two - a change of direction, one-two - a change of position. And so she picks up great speed. It is very difficult. This is the complexity of the program, ”the expert said on Channel One.

After Skate America, many experts expressed confidence that the judges underestimated the participants from Russia, leaving the chances for the local athletes to fight. Despite the victory of Shcherbakova, some of them noted that she deserved great points. According to the choreographer Ilya Averbukh, justice has finally triumphed in China.

“I believe that Shcherbakova was not highly appreciated in the short program on Skate America, she was clearly condemned. I think that now everything is on the case, and the fact that Anya improved her result by 10 or 8 points is quite deserved, ”Sport24 quotes a specialist.

In addition, he added that the athlete will continue to delight fans with her results.

“If we turn to history, then Evgenia Medvedeva had a crush when she burst into adult figure skating for the first time at age 15, and Alina Zagitova. I think that Anya at the same age will have enough fuse for the whole season or two for sure, ”Averbukh concluded.

However, according to the silver medalist of the 2012 World Cup, Alena Leonova, in Chongqing, the judges also somewhat underestimated Shcherbakova's points.

“Anya Shcherbakova showed her maximum, good rental, everything is cleanly executed. She already feels comfortable in the company of more famous skaters, this does not frighten her and does not bother her. Like a fish in water. This can be seen from the way Shcherbakova is confident in herself during skiing, ”RIA Novosti quotes Leonova.

According to the 1988 Olympic champion Natalia Bestemyanova, the silver medalist of the World Junior Championship will gain confidence with every new adult competition in her career.

“It was still difficult for Shcherbakova to go out for the first time in an adult start, and now she has been“ released ”. She is a star, and behind her is everyone else. This time everything turned out much better, it was more interesting to look at her, ”said the expert.

“Everything is in Lisa’s hands”

The fourth place after the short program is taken by Elizaveta Tuktmysheva. A higher result prevented her from showing a drop in the triple axel. According to her, this mistake was the result of an excessive desire to cleanly execute an element.

“Nothing happened, I was in good shape, really wanted to do. Because of this, she went abruptly on the road, and this entailed such mistakes, ”the Russian woman said.

Tarasova lamented the failure of Tuktamysheva, who, in her opinion, could cost her to get into the Grand Prix finals. In addition, she was surprised that in her program there was no cascade of Lutz - sheepskin coats.

“Look how emotional she became. How pulled up the program. Everything has been completed for her. I love so much. It could not have crossed my mind that she would pluck the axel. What a pity, ”said the specialist.

At the same time, Averbukh stressed that the student of Alexei Mishin still has chances to get into the top three according to the results of the Chinese stage of the Grand Prix.

“This is a sport, the most difficult element, someone succeeds, someone doesn't. The composition of the women's tournament in China is not very strong. It’s clear that Anya Shcherbakova will most likely not give up this tournament, but Elizabeth can continue to fight, she has rivals whom she can beat, ”the choreographer is sure.

According to Bestemyanova, failure in the short program will only add to the athlete's motivation.

“Liza Tuktamysheva, of course, still has a chance to compete for getting into the top three winners. She just needs to ride cleanly, to do what she knows how to do. It is very unfortunate that today I tripped the triple axel, but it will even be meaner, everything is in her hands. The jump was beautiful, but as if a skate had jumped off, only she herself can tell what happened there, ”Bestemyanova said.

Leonova also urged not to write off the 2015 world champion. She suggested that the main struggle for victory at the stage will unfold between Shchrbakova and Tuktamysheva.

“Who has stronger nerves will win in arbitrary. Lisa is not something that can reach the Grand Prix Final - she can win this stage in China. If she doesn’t fail the mood and there will be the purest execution of the free program, ”the ex-athlete said.

Fifth place in the women's tournament was taken by another student, Mishina Sofya Samodurova. For her performance, she received 63.99 points, and almost lost the chance to compete for the high places of the current stage of the Grand Prix.

“The rental is good, the coaches are happy. Today I did it. In the free program, the goal is to ride cleanly and in pleasure, ”said Samodurova.

Tarasova also positively rated her number, however, she stressed that she had to work hard to become more competitive.

“Until she gets the fourth levels, she needs to work a lot on gliding. It seems to me that the cascade was absolutely docked. She is generally well done, almost brought herself into shape. Collected, small, pretty, reliable, ”the coach shared her opinion.

However, Samodurova’s assessments again made some experts doubt the objectivity of the judges, who considered that the sheepskin coat was not properly made, and also gave the third level to the step track.

“I don’t understand why Sofya scored points for being underwhelmed, it seems to me that this is some kind of game. Even in the report, Tatyana Tarasova and Alexei Yagudin noted that he was not there. So I’m not even talking about myself, but about the specialists who won the Olympic Games. Samodurova, to put it mildly, should have higher grades, ”complained Bestemyanova.

At the same time, Leonova praised Samodurova for being able to get together and demonstrate a fairly high level of skating.

“For Sonya Samodurova, this is a good rental, considering what problems she encountered at the beginning of the season. We could not expect more from her. Everything that was conceived in the short program, she did. I am very happy for her, ”admitted Leonova.

“We tried to give happiness to the fans”

In rhythm dance, the victory was won by the Russians Victoria Sinitsina - Nikita Katsalapov. The judges rated their performance at 85.39 points, which is the second result in history. The skaters were pleased with their performance, but noted that they needed to finalize the technical component of the program.

“We still tried to convey our number, and even if there were any flaws, we tried with a mood to prove it to the end and give happiness to both the fans and the judges. But we will increase the technical score, this is only the beginning of the season, ”Katsalapov explained.

In turn, Tarasova admired the artistry of partners who managed to convey sincere feelings, while not forgetting the rental technique.

"Bravo! How they dissolve in music, how they convey the image of two people in love who fell under the warm and gentle rain. Such a crazy pace! They live in this music: they are open to the sky, the sun, open to love, ”commented the specialist.

The emotional aspect of the performance of the Russians was appreciated by Bestemyanov.

“Katsalapov and Sinitsyna had rough edges in the Finnish steppe, but, fortunately, they were well appreciated today. The emotional attitude is wonderful, a very beautiful dance, it seems to me that everything is great. But there is still room for improvement, ”she emphasized.

According to Averbukh, Sinitsin and Katsalapov will compete with the leaders of ice dancing, the French, Gabriele Papadakis and Guillaume Sizeron. He noted that in the current season they need to gain a foothold in second place, and in the next - to fight for the top line.

“The French also made a good statement about themselves, and they have a very interesting program. But the most important start is the Olympics, and before it there is still time, two seasons. I am very glad that the guys so confidently go around everyone and congratulate them on such a good result, ”Averbukh concluded.