Shcherbakova's mistakes and Tuktamysheva's controversial assessments: how the short program of figure skaters ended at the stage of the CD in Sochi

The tournament, which was supposed to be the highlight of the Saturday program, left a scandalous aftertaste, and it seems to be becoming a tradition.

At the previous stage of the Russian Cup Series, the scandal, let me remind you, erupted after two-time world champion Alexandra Trusova, who first performed a triple axel in the competition, lost about ten points to two Khrustalny skaters - Kamila Valieva and Daria Usacheva.

Elizaveta Tuktamysheva turned out to be in Trusova's shoes in Sochi - with the only difference that Alexandra landed her axel in Moscow with a mistake, and the St. Petersburg athlete performed the jump confidently, easily and with an excellent exit.

Like the other two jumping elements of the program - a cascade of triple lutz and sheepskin coat and a triple flip.

But this was not the sensation, but the sudden and rather gross mistake of the leader Anna Shcherbakova in the Lutz-Rittberger cascade.

Formally, the athlete counted this cascade as 3 + 2, although in reality the element could just as well be considered torn off: Anna hesitated with a take-off for the second jump, turned her around, and she landed, as she would have, on two legs, as it happens, when the skater is "lost" in the air.

On the other hand, the error turned out to be quite uncharacteristic for the country's strongest skater, the judges did not expect her at all, and in such cases, as practice shows, many referees simply get lost, not daring to lower the mark.

For two of the three spins, Shcherbakova (like Usacheva) received one additional point (+2), but even if the bonus allowances were taken away from the final ratings of all three athletes, the placement in the top three would remain the same.

Is this not a reason for indignation?

If we take the purely external visual side of perception, Tuktamysheva, of course, should have stood above the ex-juniors.

But if you start dissecting the rental of the ex-world champion, it will quickly become clear that Lisa herself is to blame for the harsh attitude of the referees towards herself.

It's a paradox, but she didn't lose by spins.

And their strong point is jumping.

For her cascade, Tuktamysheva - with her explosive motor talent and impeccable technique - should have received not 8.67, but under 12 points.

Then she would be ahead of both Usacheva and Shcherbakova, even if they were given for spins not two, but three bonuses.

But the skater's second jump turned out to be under-rotated, and where it could be purchased, Lisa lost.

She had enough speed and height to complete the jumping series flawlessly, but she was let down by the negligence of the performance, which is characteristic of the athlete.

In other words, lack of attention to detail.

Is it any wonder that Tuktamysheva lost to the representatives of the school, in which it is customary not to lose sight of a single trifle?

I think that is precisely why the judges were initially more loyal to the Khrustalny skaters than to everyone else, adding points and bonuses to them wherever possible.

Is this fair?

You can answer with a categorical "no", but at the same time it is impossible not to admit: this has always been the case in figure skating.

Does such a curtsey make life easier for the skaters themselves?

Oddly enough - no.

Firstly, it is not always easy psychologically to come to terms with the fact that the record sums collected in domestic competitions suddenly begin to pour in when it comes to international starts and international refereeing.

Secondly, the constant feeling that you are someone's goal, and in fact a target, this is the most uncomfortable thing that can be in sport.

They look up to the leader, copy him, repeat the successfully found techniques, and the transcendent complexity of jumps is much easier to master when someone has already walked this path before you, having filled the bumps.

Plus, it so happened that the leader almost never has the right to oversight.

If Tuktamyshev made a mistake in the same axel, no one would have led the ear: a difficult jump, the first start, nerves ... But Shcherbakova was mistaken - we automatically perceive this as a sensation, and the athlete herself receives a sensitive blow to the psyche.

Two-time world champion Evgenia Medvedeva went through the same thing a few years ago, having issued an unprecedented series of unmistakable rentals for two seasons, and now it concerns Kamila Valieva, who is tipped for Olympic gold in Beijing-2022.

Actually, even within the framework of the current Russian Cup, it is obvious that for Shcherbakova, who has already won the first stage of the series in Syzran, it is enough in principle to win one more victory, while for the most experienced Tuktamysheva this is just the first start, a test of strength, performances and jumps.

Although, in order to leave the Sochi stage for herself, Liza just needs to draw conclusions from Saturday's rental.