Worlds 2006
Men’s Free
This? Is me not being a happy camper, as I set my video timer for the time that was stated on the television and on the TV guide – no, five minutes earlier even! – and still my video comes in with someone skating! I hate Eurosport when they’re doing tape delayed stuff!!!
Alain Preaubert FRA
No idea where I pick him up but he’s running and stepping and then pops a horrible triple lutz to a single… more steps around… clad in black pants and t-shirt with a paisley shirt, combination spin doing and it travels a good bit… running some more… and now a straight line step… he’s got Seth Cohen hair… and gloves… and he falls in his steps… camel spin to sit spin with change edge to layback change foot sit spin with grab of skate blade, change position to upright and he’s done. Annick Dumont is laughing as he finishes, Simon says first minute was terrific then his concentration went south… we see on the slo mo a great triple axel… and then the flip triple toe from the footsie cam… lutz the right foot turned as he spotted and Annick scares me as we see her reaction…Simon says something about so many being so good tonight and we’re in the penultimate group…last group was really good… I hate Eurosport sometimes, did I mention that I hate Eurosport? *seethes*
Marks TES 31.15 PCS 31.47 for 61.62 and 94.80 and he’s third.
Min Zhang CHN
30 on Friday, pink shirt, black pinstriped trousers, Swing Medley the music… steps back to begin, counting out the beats… and into crossovers to the quad… and he gets the toe with double toe on the end of it… steps around and down the ice to the axel double… sit spin with change of edge and out… lutz triple and he can’t hold the landing, steps out of it... sit spin with change edge to change foot sit spin … step sequence… and to the corner for the straight line right out of that… doesn’t quite reach the end of the ice… camel spin to sit spin layback spin change foot sit spin with change edge to upright cross foot and he’s done. He points to his head on the end of it… we see quad again… little forwards on landing but nothing major… had to really sit on the knee though… the lads think that it didn’t look like he even tried for a triple axel, just looked like he did a double on purpose, which mystifies them…
Marks TE 28.41 PCS 31.29 for 59.70 and ten skaters still to come… 91.81… Savoie had 99 bugger I missed Matt!!!! So not happy!!! And Zhang is eighth at the moment.
Chengjiang Li CHN
Bright blue trousers and slightly lighter blue
shirt, Liebestraum is the music… blows a kiss to begin…and around the corner as
I remark on the improvement in his lines over the years, and he does a lovely
quad toe triple toe combo that makes me swoon… axel triple is perfect and the
crowd do roar…flying camel spin with nice position and change of edge… and dip
out of that. Down the ice now in a straight line step, plenty of difficulty, am
unsure as to how it fits in with the music… and now the loop triple and that’s
clean… camel spin with travel and sit spin with change position change foot sit
spin better with change edge and up to shotgun spin… circular step… very good…
sit spin with mad travel change foot sit spin and he’s done. Wow… that was
impressive and the Canadian crowd show their appreciation… and there are people
standing; I can’t remember a time I’ve seen him skate better… and he’s
thrilled, just look at him! That quad combo was perfection… base value of
13points… axel was good… and Chris notes how he’s improved with the arms and
the presentation as well… so it’s not just me then!
Marks TE 39.60 PCS 33.79 for 73.39 and new PB, 104.82 overall and he leads.
Sergei Davydov BLR
In navy with icicle looking like wingy thingys on his chest diagonally… and I’m sad to report he is still rocking the mullet… axel triple is clean… down to the corner and the triple lutz triple toe, double footed badly on the toe… steps to the triple flip… nice running edge of that… huge flying sit spin change position, and well centred with good speed…steps with a little stutter and this the circular pattern, lovely deep edges on it… camel spin to sit spin with change edge to upright change foot sit spin layback with change edge going to upright spin and out of that and right into the sit spin with change edge change foot sit spin… down the ice now in the straight line step sequence where he does good footwork that fits in well with the music… even if I don’t personally like the music… and he ends on one knee on the ice and right on the music… Simon thinks that in places the footwork was too intricate and he got himself all tangled up… Chris says there’s no time for a breather with the new system… two footed badly on the toe… flip Chris says was taken off on the outside edge so it was really a lutz… he says the judges will look at that… will take level off for wrong edge on the entry he reckons…
Marks TE 35.00 PCS 31.07 for 66.07 and 96.90 and new PB he’s fourth with 8 to go.
Emanuel Sandhu CAN
In his black pants with red and black shirt/blouse… Simon calls him immensely talented but can he put it together… I’m going out on a limb with my answer to say no… starts off with steps back and his arms in tango hold, now down the ice for the quad… and it’s huge with triple toe on the end…and that was fab. Crossovers to the corner for axel... round he goes and gets that…flying sit spin with change edge and good speed and the crowd went wild when he got that… clapping as he does his steps… and triple lutz and down he goes and why do I do this to myself??? Step sequence is good… lots of speed and good steps in it… and there I was, all ready to eat humble pie… camel spin change foot camel spin. With change of edge… and out to the boards for a straight line step worthy of the name that has the crowd clapping along… and just short of the end… camel spin to sit spin butt spin change foot camel spin to sit spin to shotgun spin and upright and he’s done. And he grimaces and raps his temple with his fist… but at least he’s smiling… Canadians are giving him a good reaction… and he’s taking his time taking his bows… we see quad in slo mo… textbook. And we get it on the footsie cam just to make sure… axel was really brought around the corner… and we see the lutz again and it was not a pretty fall... footsie cam on the footwork… Chris says 7 of the 8 elements were as good as it gets. And the look on his face at the end… says it all. But he’s happy enough in the kiss and cry…
Marks TE 41,87 PCS 37.54 and he looks surprised… and you can see him doing the maths 78.41 and he leads with 107.36.
Johnny Weir
Dressed in his swan costume, black pants, white top with silver lines, red glove on his right hand, has had back problems all week Simon tells us… straight into crossovers and around to the axel triple is lovely… nice running edge on the way out. Down the ice to the triple lutz triple toe…flying sit with change of edge and change of position… steps… and now the flip triple with landing that makes me hmmm….sit spin change foot sit spin… with change of edge and change of position twice with the second one making me go ouch… straight line step sequence… nicely done. Glide to centre for butterflies into camel spin sit spin change foot sit spin to grab foot spin with wobble on the way in and travel, and gets it and spins a little more and he’s done. Simon calls it beautiful, just a little flicker of doubt in the final spin… Chris praises landing on the axel… see the combo, Chris thinks also that he lipped his flip… Simon says he didn’t look to suffer from the injury… his back has been in spasm apparently…
Marks TE 36.85 PCS 36.68 for 73.53 and he’s behind Sandhu 106.91… four tenths of a point.
Evan Lysacek
In the black outfit with the gold trim on the bolero jacket, white shirt and little tassel tie… Simon says no-one’s sure how he came second in his group with his performance in qual… starts off with crossovers and the axel triple is good… more crossovers to the lutz triple with wobble on the landing, and he puts turns in before doing double toe… flying sit spin with change of edge… steps with turns to begin the circular step, and did Simon call it a triple toe? Honestly not sure… this is what you get for typing and looking at the same time… steps to the triple flip which was perfect. Sit spin with change edge change foot sit spin and up… good spin that, no much travel. To the boards… straight line step… he’s really selling it… end to end… and then the camel spin to sit spin with travel to change foot camel spin to sit spin with change edge to upright scratch/headless spin, and stretched arms over head spin, and he’s stepping towards the end and he’s done. Simon thinks that has him out of contention for a medal and I tend to agree…Chris says he got double toe on the end of the combo, so I feel better… skid going into 3ax but landed it well… free foot went right down on the lutz, got double toe eventually… flip was lovely. We see the footwork from the skycam… a good use of the skycam for once!
Marks TE 34.07 PCS 36.25 for 70.32 and he’s 105.25 overall, over a mark behind Weir, 2 behind Sandhu. He’s in third with five to go.
Nobunari Oda JPN
Not seen him before (not seen qual tape yet!) Red velvet coat with Victorian bow and much gold brocade, blue trousers… Barber of Seville… steps and a little mini spread eagle… now crossovers to the axel triple and that was clean and gorgeous… triple lutz triple toe loop… made it look easy… sit spin with change edge to change foot sit spin with lots of speed and change of position, that was nice… and now steps to the triple flip and he gets such spring there! Flying sit spin is huge and good speed, nice changes of position… and he marches at centre ice, does a little screaming thing then he’s into the circ step… lots of character in here… to the boards for a straight line step… and it went end to end and was packed! Camel to sit to change position change foot sit spin with change position and really fast spin to finish and people are standing and that was amazing!!! Oh I’d heard so much about him, but I loved that! Only 18, at his first worlds… oh well done! Little bit of humour in the choreography which Chris liked... praises his good soft knee bend… Chris mentions some of his spins defy belief… he says the program had it all except a quad, Simon points out that the way he jumps, that’s probably only a week away!
Marks TE 41.49 holy smokes! PCS 36.76 for 78.25 and his mouth falls open! New PB, he’s thrilled. And he leads with second on the night, and 114.48 overall.
Ilia Klimkin RUS
Bright blue pants for him, leading up to body suit of blue, with flesh net on the arms and curlicues of bronze and blue on those, 1001 Nights the music… start with crawl to triple axel and he gets that… quad should be next, toe with triple toe, very nice… doubles the flip ack! Stars to camel spin nice position and change of edge, up and out of that, around in steps now, and I think this the circular step sequence… besti squat leaning back in it… out and to the camel spin with travel change edge change foot camel spin change edge to bent leg camel spin… to the boards… straight line step… drummy music and he’s using the music well, really keeping going, turning and using his edges… camel spin to sit spin to skate hold in front of him to upright, then change foot camel with change edge to sit spin to upright spin and he’s done. Simon can’t quite wrap his head around the double flip… and you could tell that he was thinking about it too… such a shame! The quad combo was the best I’ve seen him do in an age… needed more running edge on way out of the toe, but he made it count…
Marks TE 34.69 PCS 34.03 he’s happy enough with that, he gets 68.72 and overall 101.37 and he’s sixth.
Stephane Lambiel SUI
Red and black jacket type shirt, black trousers…music Dralion from Cirque du Soleil… drums to begin… and around to the axel triple and he double foots it, leaves it very late, nearly hit the boards on it, and he really had to sit on the knee to control it… sets up quad now, and quad toe double toe, deep landing on the quad… sit spin with change of edge, change foot site spin as Chris says he was so deep on quad landing edge, no way could he get three turns on the toe… leaning slightly on the triple lutz but it’s clean, and he’s doing steps out of that now, circular step, and every so often we get a flash of a smile from him… butterfly to flying sit spin with travel, but nice and fast, and eventually he gets it centred… steps in straight line… along the diagonal, little stumble in the middle of them… camel spin to sit spin so fast, to change foot sit spin with change edge and change position and headless spin with travel and he’s done. And he is beaming there… you could see how much it means to him… says thank you to the crowd… made rotation on the triple axel, but he made the rotation… could easily have put hand down on the quad but he didn’t… he fought hard for everything…Chris predicts ok first mark, high second mark…has four point lead from the qualification…
Marks TE 39.49 PCS 37.92 for 77.41, and third on the short, and first overall, 117.64.
Brian Joubert FRA
In the James Bond outfit, sparkly white and silver on the front, black on the back tux jacket, black pants, 007 on the back, Die Another Day the music… starts off making gun shape with hands… a warning to the judges? Sets up the quad, oh yes, quad triple toe! Well done… not great running edge on way out… axel triple and that is perfect. Flying sit spin is nice and fast and well centred... he mimes a boxing match… down the ice now for the triple lutz and he puches the iar when he gets that… circular step has loads of energy to it… and he nearly whacks the boards there… but great steps… mimes driving, so we have the car race… camel to sit spin change edge change position to upright change goot sit with change edge… to the boards, straight line step… good stuff there… would like to see more change direction… sit spin nice but travel, change foot sit spin more travel, change position… and he’s done rihggt on the music… and doesn’t he like that! Canadians adored it, there are people standing… Simon says the word choker is hung around his neck, but maybe tomorrow night he can disprove that… that’s the best I’ve seen him skate in a good while… fair play to him. Little forwards on the quad… and we see the coach cam on that, and the footsie cam where he nearly smacked the boards… sky cam in the straight line step…
Marks TE 42.88 PCS 37.43 and he leads on the night and he’s thrilled! 80.31 and overall he’s third with 114.36.
Jeffrey Buttle CAN
In the black pullover with the bobbles and the white collar and cuffs and black trousers… sing, sing, sing by louis prima is the music… and the noise in the arena is just deafening… takes his pose and smiles… and shimmies to a whoop from a female in attendance… down the ice for the combo triple flip triple toe… good man! Around now for the axel triple with turn out of it but he gets it… sit spin with change position and travel, that the flying spin… circular step now and Chris says this is great and it surely is… good turns and steps, use of the edges and music… and he’s selling it for all he is worth. Sit spin with travel change edge change foot sit spin to upright and out… back and around the corner, down the ice for the lutz and the lean on that and down he goes and you could hear the gasp in the arena! Straight line step is very good, hands and feet a flying… and across the ice to the centre spot to the camel spin with travel to sit spin with change position change foot sit spin to upright spin to scratch spin and spin to centre ice, eye flirt the judges and slide back and he’s done. He never stopped selling that one and there are people standing and Canadian flags waving, as Chris points out that it’s not a good night for the Canadians with the lutz… and I’m reminded that wasn’t that Kurt’s bogey jump as well??? Chris loves how he doesn’t set anything up, there are no telegraphing moves… little bit of travel in the spins he picks up on as well… and that fall was hard on the hip… and we see the coach cam and I can’t read lips but I don’t think I need to!
Marks TE {he grimaces} 36.30 PCS 38.00 for 73.30 and he’s 107.78, currently in fourth place overall.
Lambiel, Oda, Joubert, Buttle, Sandhu, Weir, Lyscack, Li Klimkin Savoie Verner, Davydov Preaubert Smalun, Kovalevski, Chiper, Serov, Zhang, Urbas, Dinev Griazev Berntsson Zivanovic Sawyer, Zelenka Pfeifer Matsipura, Othman, Nurmenkari, Hamer.