Moscow Men's event - Who will Man Up?

[skatingpj]

Handicapping the men's field in Moscow, what are the chances that the bar that Chan set at Canadians is the first of many for him or once in a lifetime? Does Chan's outstanding National win make him the man to beat?


If you are willing to be quoted during the CBC broadcast - kindly put an OK at the end of your response. If you would like to simply share your thoughts - am looking forward to reading them!! Cheers Pj

[Andrushka]

I do not consider Chan to be the man to beat.Nor do I think that what he has done is the achievement of a lifetime,there is always room for improvement.-OK

[skatingpj]

Hi Andrushka...I guess what I meant was that it was a pretty memorable performance - by anyone's standards and I am talking performance and not scores because national scores don't mean much to me...so...who is the man to beat for you?

[Mathman]

Chan is Mr. CoP. He is the first (perhaps of many to come) who has totally mastered the IJS. He will do three quads. He will do a level four footwork sequence. He will get 9.0 in Skating Skills and 8.5 in Transitions. (The only reason he won’t get 9.0 in Transitions is that for some reason Transitions always runs a half point behind Skating Skills). His only rival in P&E, CH and INT is Takahashi, who is unlikely to land a quad.

OK

[Visaliakid]

I believe Takahashi is the odds on favorite to take the Men's title. Chan definatlely is in the mix and Oda could surprise. Let's just say that I would not care to predict the outcome; the field is wide open as I see it. OK

[RumbleFish]

Chan will win without any doubt if he puts together 2 clean programs with quads like he did during the Canadian Nationals. Takahashi might challenge him if he lands quads but I doubt he will.
OK

[Sally1214]

I believe that, if Patrick Chan is able to skate at the same level he did at the Canadian National Championships, he will be standing at the top of the podium at Worlds. He is most definitely the man to beat.
OK

[oleada]

Chan will win if he skates clean or close to it, but I want Takahashi to take ti all. Chan is no doubt talented and special, but his skating does not move me the way Daisuke's does. I'd love to see Brian cap a disappointing season with a medal; and I would also love to see Kozuka or Oda medal.

There are too many talented men int his field and only 3 medals. It will be exciting and depend on who skates the best on the day.

[luckiest1]

While I do think that the gold is between Chan and Takahashi (my two favourites skaters, so I'm loving it!), let's not count out the underdog. There are so many talented men, I don't know who might have the skate of his life and step on the podium. OK

[Ozzisk8tr]

For a post Olympic year the mens field is so strong. If they all skate clean it's Chan's for the taking but who knows what may happen. Chan is a skaters skater. OK

[robinhood]

He is the man to beat. that's why he has to be careful, given Patrick's ego. he shouldn't take this for granted, as the Japanese contingent is very strong

OK

[misskarne]

Chan will never be the man to beat until such time as he can consistently land his 3A and 4T in competition.

He has only done that at two competitions this season, and Canadian Nationals must be disregarded as all scores at National Championships for any country tend to be over-inflated.

Though his lines are nice and clean, I also feel that his PCS tend to be ridiculously over-inflated.

His delivery lacks emotional intensity, and I find that he does not "capture" my attention - I am easily distracted watching him.

If Daisuke Takahashi puts all his elements together, he could very well be impossible to beat, especially if he lands the 4F.

I would also not exclude Oda or Hanyu as surprise packets, and Gachinsky will be very eager to do well on home soil, although he has the tendency to be overwhelmed by pressure instead of using it to his advantage.

The American men will also be eager to prove that they are a superior overall team without Lysacek.

OK.

[Domshabfan]

Chan will never be the man to beat until such time as he can consistently land his 3A and 4T in competition.

He has only done that at two competitions this season, and Canadian Nationals must be disregarded as all scores at National Championships for any country tend to be over-inflated.

Though his lines are nice and clean, I also feel that his PCS tend to be ridiculously over-inflated.

His delivery lacks emotional intensity, and I find that he does not "capture" my attention - I am easily distracted watching him.

If Daisuke Takahashi puts all his elements together, he could very well be impossible to beat, especially if he lands the 4F.

I would also not exclude Oda or Hanyu as surprise packets, and Gachinsky will be very eager to do well on home soil, although he has the tendency to be overwhelmed by pressure instead of using it to his advantage.

The American men will also be eager to prove that they are a superior overall team without Lysacek.

OK.

It is Kozuka who is Japanese No.3 not Hanyu. Yes I agree if Hanyu is given than chance he can be a factor, depth of Japanese men's skating is just scary.

As for your question pj, I don't think Chan is the man to beat at the championships. His Canadian championships performance was good but I don't think that will makes him the favourite. He has yet to show a consistency that one expects from a favourite, falling less often is one way to do that and if he does that here I think it will show his mental toughness. Personally I think it is going to be one of the Japanese that is going to win the title, very likely Takahashi but I would be more than happy if it is Kozuka.

Ok

[mmot]

Looking at the season's record so far, yes, the championship title is Chan's to lose. But that's what we all thought when Takahashi arrived in Gothenburg in 2008, after winning the Four Continents with 2 quads and the highest score in the history of the COP. Then we also know what happened to him. It'll be a battle of psychology and mental strength, as any other championships are.

OK

[VarBar]

Patrick Chan's GPF was just his second best competition this season and even if we deduct 10 points from his total score, he still outscores Takahashi's highest number of points at this year's 4CC. But while I am giving the edge to Patrick, I am not ruling out a Daisuke win.

[minuet]

Based on what has transpired this season, there are 2 skaters who have set themselves apart in the PCS area - Chan and Takahashi. While some may not agree with it, it is who the judges have determined are the strongest in this area. This trend has taken place all season and I see no reason for it to all of a sudden drop at worlds. Whichever one can back up their program with the technical goods will win the title. Again, based on what has transpired this season Patrick has had the better skates than Daisuke especially towards the later stages of the season making him the favourite for worlds.

OK

[blue_idealist]

I think Chan is the man to beat at Worlds this year, but his performance COULD be topped, most likely by Takahashi. I wouldn't count Brian Joubert out either, though. Even if he falters in the short he showed at Europeans that he could rise to the occasion in the long.

OK

[clarie]

Patrick is the man to beat this year. He has a powerful arsenal of skills and his last 2 competitions of the year justify that fact. If he skates both his programs cleanly, I feel that he will be unbeatable for this year. I'll be rooting for him.

OK

[manleywoman]

I'm going to put this out there . . . I think Ryan Bradley will land on the podium. Yup, I said it.

ETA: OK!

[aaron]

There's only one skater who has beaten Patrick, coincidentally in Moscow; Thomas Verner, I think, is the another alternative. He's armed with good edge quality and has the experience of landing 2 quads at Tokyo Worlds. If the pressure is off, I believe he can do some amazing job.

OK