“The strength of our girls also has a negative side”: refereeing at the Grand Prix stage in China was criticized in Russia

“Thank you for the inconceivable lightness and beauty”

The fourth triumph of the Russian Anna Shcherbakova ended the fourth stage of the Grand Prix in figure skating. The athlete not only confidently beat her competitors, but also ahead of schedule became the first participant in the tournament finals.

Well-known trainer Tatyana Tarasova emotionally reacted to the performance of the athlete. On the air of Channel One, she praised her for the cleanly performed quadruple loot, which became a key element of the rental. In addition, the specialist paid tribute to the Shcherbakova team, led by Eteri Tutberidze.

“Anya, thank you for being happy.” I have never seen a man jump two quadruple Lutz and, probably, I will not see. But you, like fluff, like a feather, you playfully do this program. You are so cute! How much labor was invested in it. Thanks to the coaches! Thank you for these unthinkable dexterity and beauty, ”said Tarasova.

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The Olympic champion of 2002 Alexey Yagudin was also impressed with the number of Shcherbakova. He was surprised at the courage and strength of the 15-year-old skater who decided to perform such complex elements.

“At the first, unfortunately, they are undercooked. But they told me that you need to jump above the opponents a few goals, then there will be no questions. Shcherbakova today was 10 goals higher than all the other skaters, ”he said.

In turn, the 1994 Olympic champion Alexei Urmanov praised the contribution of young Russians to the world figure skating.

“Our girls are great fellows. They move figure skating forward in a technical sense. Elizaveta Tuktamysheva perfectly performed two triple axels in the free program, Scherbakova jumped two quadruple Lutz. Perhaps, somewhere it was possible to find fault with undercropping, but it was a chic performance, which only she can boast. Today, no one in the world does this and it is worthy of praise and respect, ”the specialist said in a conversation with RT.

At the same time, he preferred not to compare the skills of the students of Tutberidze, emphasizing that everything would be put in place only in-person confrontation.

“It is not yet possible to say who is the sole leader, since they have not yet had a face-to-face meeting. Therefore, everyone is looking forward to this moment. I’m sure that this will happen already in the Grand Prix finals, ”Urmanov added.

1988 Olympic champion Natalya Bestemyanova noted significant progress in the performances of Shcherbokova, for whom this season was the first at the adult level.

“Anya today skated perfectly, even better than at the Grand Prix in the USA. It grows from start to start, ”the expert summed up.

As for Shcherbakova’s future plans, according to the group’s choreographer Daniil Gleichenhaus of Tutberidze’s group, it’s too early to say whether she will take part in tournaments ahead of the Grand Prix finals.

“It's hard to say, let's see. If we need to ride somewhere else, then this may be in Russia. It will depend on whether we change something in the programs, ”the specialist explained.

However, the Chinese Grand Prix was not without disputes about the objectivity of the judges ’ratings. In the speech of Shcherbakova, the jury members revealed incomplete and unclear ribs, which led to a significant decrease in the final points. Fortunately, this did not affect the placement of the student Tutberidze on the podium, but caused a flurry of criticism from experts.

“Our girls skated well, I am very happy for them. But in my opinion, refereeing is not very adequate. It is clear that Russia cannot be represented in the Grand Prix finals by six athletes, so the judges are trying in this way to diversify the composition of the participants and tighten the skaters from other countries. But, of course, it’s not very pleasant to see how, for example, Shcherbakova loses about ten points after she was given a shortage. At the same time, Miahara, which does not spin most of the jumps, which is visible to the naked eye, loses only five points from the initial assessment. That is, the system does not work exactly as it should, ”said Oleg Vasiliev, Olympic champion in 1984, in an interview with RT.

He added that there is only one way to deal with such controversial situations - to prove his innocence on ice.

“You know how they say:“ There is no reception against scrap. ” I think that you don’t have to fight, but instead you have to be two heads ahead of your rivals, create interesting numbers, strengthen programs, as Anna did. Then the judges will be powerless, and the political component will go by the wayside, ”the expert concluded.

At the same time, Yagudin noted that one should not pay attention to such provocations.

“You can, of course, sit with a magnifying glass and peer into these ribs, but most importantly, tomorrow no one will wonder what points were put up at the Grand Prix in China, what shortcomings were revealed. Most importantly, another gold medal of the adult tournament hangs on Shcherbakova’s neck and she gets into the finals. The rest will remain only on pieces of paper, ”said Yagudin.

“We consider Tuktamyshev a veteran”

Tuktamysheva’s third place also raised a lot of questions from both fans and specialists. Despite the fact that in China she earned her best points this season, some suggested that the judges also underestimated her performance. Russian coach Alexei Mishin remained in agreement with Vasilyev that this was due to the jury’s unwillingness to let a large number of Russian representatives enter the final part of the tournament.

“Apparently, the strength of Russian girls has a negative side. Perhaps the general atmosphere is such as to prevent the overwhelming number of Russians in the Grand Prix finals. And I think this explains Liza’s third place, and not second, ”the mentor suggested.

At the same time, he was pleased with the result of the ward, who almost unmistakably completed the entire free program, which could not do without the crown triple axels.

In China, Tuktamysheva returned to her last year’s free program, in which, she said, she was more confident. Tarasova positively evaluated this decision, since, in her opinion, this number is more suitable for the athlete.

“I am very glad that they returned to the old program, that she performs in this dress, which suits her very much. Well done, Lizok! They thought up everything very well with Aleksey Nikolayevich Mishin, ”said the coach.

Bestemyanova also noted that the performance looked more harmonious from all points of view.

“It happens, Lisa is not the first and not the last to do it. But she really looked lighter, the program is more rolled in, the suit looks better. I really liked that they returned it, it’s not in vain, ”she said.

According to Bestemyanova, due to her age, Mishin’s student is more difficult than the rest of the Russian team. In this regard, she deserves more respect.

“We consider her a veteran, and she’s a very young girl, she has just been playing since a very young age. It seems to me that they do not give her sufficient levels in some elements: in the track, the slope. But she is a heroine, I respect her very much as an athlete, ”the expert added.

The second student, Mishina Sofya Samodurova, became the fifth according to the results of the Chinese stage of the Grand Prix. Despite this, experts praised her performance. So, Yagudin noted the confidence with which the athlete goes on the ice, and also suggested that in order to achieve great results she lacks some emancipation.

“Sophia regains her former confidence, she has matured, so she would have to add youthful enthusiasm, lightness. And she dealt with the elements. And I absolutely disagree with the underscoilers who delivered her, ”RIA Novosti quoted Yagudin as saying.

Urmanov also urged not to write off Samodurova.

“In the short program, the judges saw her as short, although it seems to me that everything was clean, it looked reliable and good. She does not lose her technical form and is quite capable of continuing to act and fight, ”the expert emphasized.

At the same time, according to Bestemyanova, the 2019 European champion needs to complicate her programs due to more valuable elements.

“She skated well, but she is again put underscores, which no one except the judges sees. I don’t know if Sonya is teaching more difficult jumps now, but, of course, she needs to do this. They’re probably working on it, Alexey Nikolaevich knows what he’s doing, ”Bestemyanova is sure.

“They dance love beautifully”

The winners of the dance couples tournament were Russians Victoria Sinitsina and Nikita Katsalapov. For the silver medalists of the 2019 World Cup, this victory was the first at the stages of the Grand Prix, in connection with which many experts emphasized its importance.

“They go to their cherished dream, we believe in them. And we go to her with them. If I was absolutely shocked and delighted by the short program, then there may be questions. But there is a composition. They dance love beautifully. I would like to think that Victoria and Nikita can fight, ”Tarasova shared her impressions.

In turn, Bestemyanova expressed confidence that the athletes will cope with the shortcomings of the free program and compete for the main trophy of the Grand Prix finals.

“We all congratulate Vika with Nikita on the victory! The only thing, I think, they are somewhat upset that they lost an arbitrary program to the American duet. But Sinitsina and Katsalapov have time to finalize, to clean something, to show some elements from a more favorable side at the next start. They will have it in Moscow, we hope that their native walls at home will help them to perform successfully, ”said the expert.