World Championships review: pairs

I have already discussed ice dance and men and now I want to say couple of words about pairs at World Championships 2016.

Someone may call the results in pairs a complete surprise, but for me, there were only two surprises – quite disappointing performance of American pairs and Aliona’s bronze. Everything else, unfortunately, is a very natural result.

I don’t know why Valentina and Ondrej decided to change the SP. Carmen is certainly great choice :) but let’s be objective, programs are not their most important issue right now. Or, maybe, they have done it already for the next season? This season I really liked the other Italian pair – Nicole Della Monica / Matteo Guarise. They improved a lot in presentation and add some beautiful lines to their skating.

Hao Zhang is reliable as a Chinese Great Wall in lifts and ruthless in throws. Horror, he’ll “kill” this girl too!( And this absolute indifference towards her……I can only imagine what she’s going through at trainings, if he treats her in such way even at competition in front of millions eyes. Desperate girls do pair skating ……

“Fly High, Fly Far”

I still don’t get it, why James – Cipres decided that they need a quad throw. They need to start skating clean what they already have. Than results will improve even without quad. But they are so beautiful! Vanessa’s body is such an absolutely unattainable ideal. Such luxury in pairs surprises me every time and causes great respect. Yes, it’s harder for Morgan to do all the pair elements……but he should be happy that near him is such beauty)

After such a fabulous skate of the free program at 4CC ,where Alexa and Chris even won the technical score over Sui and Han, I wasn’t expected such a disastrous performance at home! And Americans hoped for three spots, and it was real! Clean skate of their FP would have made the audience go crazy! Because it’s so powerful! Even a pity, that we won’t see it again. But if they want to impose the fight to leaders, they need to stop this tendency “someone will lie down”. Upset me – I expected more.

“Work Her Will”

Want they or not, Kirsten and Dylan now will always be compared to each other. And Dylan won this unspoken competition for the second year in a row. However, Kirsten and Michael are also improved and he doesn’t look as a skater so weaker then her. But Luba and Dylan this season are so good! Even with problems on jumps. The pair has harmony, warmth, and this trivial, but important for the perception of a pair “relationships between a man and a woman”. You can watch endlessly how Luba works in lifts. And I always appreciate when skaters have two different programs, in completely different styles.

“Sound the Charge”                               “Set Down Our Deeds”

I’m so sad, that Volosozhar – Trankov‘s programs that I actually liked came on the period of their career, when they have no motivation, no desire to compete and no fire in their eyes. And they had no desire to compete at Worlds. They had to. Maxim told about it in interview in prep clear. And what they wanted? To skate only at Russian Nationals and maybe European Championships and then only at Olympic Team event? With this approach, and, of course, technical mistakes, the result is logical.

Technically Tarasova – Morozov were pretty solid. It’s a time for them to move on the next level. To do this, they need to heal this “small mistakes at competitions” illness, do interesting programs and sew elegant and modern costumes. They have a common enemy with Shibutani – boredom. And for obvious reasons, it is much easier for Evgenia and Vladimir to overcome this problem.

“Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken”

Of course, having one 100% problem element, everything else Ksenia and Fedor needed to do perfectly. Unfortunately, it did not happen. But at least, some fans now will have no doubt whether Fedor is injured or not. Actually, the judges could have easily putted them into third. Could. But they did not. Perhaps, showed their attitude to “selective” participation in competition. Hello missed World Championships 2015) “The man who fears losing has already lost.” Still, I don’t see reasons for fans to be in hysterics, shouting, “Oh no, everything is lost!” Nothing is lost. There is still time before the Olympics. The main thing is to recover and to make right conclusions about this season’s results.

“Tireless”

Aliona Savchenko is an athlete with a capital letter. What a character! What a desire to skate! The pair has huge potential! And Bruno is not as bad, as some figure skating fans are writing about him. And he is trying very hard to match her. But their bronze seems to me both a coincidence and a big “in advance”. I am sure they understand it too. So, they won’t stop at that level and will meet the expectations. 

“Beware Our Sting”

I expected a victory from Sui and Han. And if last year, it was possible to call their second place at Worlds a silver with a slight golden tinge, this year it’s just silver. But still have reached a new level for themselves. Their SP it’s just something! So hot, not typical for Chinese pairs damn hot! Just wow. And I really love the music from Samson and Delilah) Every year they try something new. Especially, I’m surprised how Wenjing has changed. She become such a confident beautiful young woman! The judges actually were ready to give them an unconditional victory…..but perhaps, health problems prevented to skate the FP clean.

“Though All Men Do Despise Us”

Perhaps, at the beginning of the season there were a lot of doubts, whether Megan and Eric is able to confirm their title. But there is one thing you can always be sure about – they won’t give up so easily. And this year the victory seems even more convincing. Although, I like their last season’s programs more. They can be criticized for disharmony, not very good twist, lack of beautiful lines and notorious pairing. But when they go and skate so powerfully and confidently, with lutzes and quads, it’s all doesn’t really matter. “Never forget what you are, for surely the world will not. Make it your strength. Then it can never be your weakness. Armour yourself in it, and it will never be used to hurt you.”  And yes, there’s something in their FP….something touching……

To be continued. Only ladies’ event remain.

Related topics: Alexa Scimeca Chris Knierim, aliona savchenko bruno massot, Cheng Peng Hao Zhang, Evgenia Tarasova Vladimir Morozov, Kirsten Moore-Towers Michael Marinaro, Ksenia Stolbova Fedor Klimov, Lubov Iliushechkina Dylan Moscovitch, Meagan Duhamel Eric Radford, Nicole Della Monica Matteo Guarise, pairs, Tatiana Volosozhar Maxim Trankov, Valentina Marchei Ondrej Hotarek, Vanessa James Morgan Cipres, Wenjing Sui Cong Han, world championship