hanca
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Savchenko/Szolkowy won worlds five times, on two occasions it was back to back, a yet they don't have gold medal from the Olympics. Just saying...
Articles confirming new Chinese pairs Yu/Zhang and Peng/Jin
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mag
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But they were always one of the favourites heading into the games. Only one skater/pair wIns the gold but there are usually 2 or sometimes 3 favourites going in.
Japanfan
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What?! Sui's injury is bad enough for there to be questions about S/H's future?!
I haven't read anything that led me to think so, although I do recall reading/hearing somewhere that her recovery from surgery would be brutal.
Perhaps Feraina or other posters who are following the news from China know a bit more about the recovery time/process?
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Japanfan
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I don't agree, the reason being that clean to clean, V/T, S/K, S/M and S/H will likely beat them on PCS. I don't know well their tech advantage will serve them in such a scenario. V/T may not stay in until 2018, but S/K, S/M and S/H all have their eye on the gold. And T/M are on the rise as well. The Russians have a way of skating clean when it counts and S/M managed a bronze after less than a year together (I think it was less?).
This year was an exception, and the mistakes of others allowed D&R to defend.
That said, Megan Duhamel has proved me wrong time and time again.
Everyone wants the OGM. It doesn't mean everyone is a favorite. T&M, no matter how good they are, will not be a factor until after 2018
S&M have skated together about 18 months (definitely a lot longer than one year) and were held up at the worlds. So the judges are dying to crown them with OGM.
S&K lost their advantage due to injuries and no one knows how that will turn out. If there is a Russian pair with any kind of OGM this is it but they can't do it without a quad and an injury free season.
V&T's motivation is in question. They may not compete again.
With Sui's injury, it needs to be seen where they will be in 2018.
Politics are with S&M and D&R. Right now, as two time world champions, D&R are the only favorites for the next OGM, as of today. The judges don't care if they have the pcs skills or not. If they land the jumps and throws the judges will give them high pcs. That's the way it has been for the last two years.
If S&M develop even a little, they might be the only ones that can prevent D&R from winning in 2018.
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It may take time but I think she will recover. She is young and I am sure she has access to the best treatments.
angelflies
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Duhamel & Radford are a shitty team but they are by far the judges favorites. Judges give them monstrous GOE and PCS which they in no way deserve to go with their high base value which obviously you cant question as what you do is what you do. So because of the judges insane overrating of them and their undeserved scores they are the heavy OGM favorites and heavy favorites to win every event for that reason, not because they deserve it.
Xela M
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Aliona needs to be able to land those monstrous throws or they won't be in OGM-contention, but I agree that the judges love this team and are dying to crown them champions.
Hey, who can blame them?
bronwynsings
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I'm a Sui/Han fan and not much of a Duhamel/Radford fan at all, but when they skated as well as they did at Worlds, it's hard to say they're a "shitty" team. They were definitely not the favorites at Worlds this year, since they had been beaten at GPF by Stolbova/Klimov and Sui/Han looked like they could take the title. I'd agree their scores were too high during their undefeated year, but this year, when other teams skated better (S/K GPF, S/H SP), they did beat D/R. And while they've still got a way to go in artistry, their programs this season were a vast improvement over theirs last season.
hanca
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Two things are wrong with your analysis. Firstly, look at the past results of Stolbova/Klimov. In their time leading to previous Olympics they have no great results on their GP, they had one bronze at the Europeans and that's it. Them suddenly something fell into place during their Olympic season, and not even during the GP, but only from December. They suddenly have done great at the nationals, skated completely clean at the Europeans beating Bazarova/Larionov who at that time were pretty established and then skated completely clean at the Olympics. Their skating was not only clean, it had the wow factor, the elements were huge, very good quality. The judges were forced to give them the silver medal, even though I think they were more inclined to give it to Savchenko/Szolkowy.
How can you be so certain that Tarasova/Morozov's time will come after 2018? All they need is to keep skating clean and he judges will have to recognise it. At the last nationals Tarasova/Morozov skated so well that they should have placed above Kava/Smir. The judges gave it to K/S but if they stay consistent, they will force the judges hand.
In comparison, if you look at Savchenko/Szolkowy's result, they were doing great the majority of the Olympic cycle and then they made mistakes when it counted. Twice, during both Olympics. So I wouldn't be so sure that they will get the medal at the Olympics 2018. Yes, the judges may be dying to give them the medal, but to get it they still have to skate well on the day when it counts and it wasn't only Szolkowy who was not completely consistent. Aliona sometimes makes mistakes too, look at the last worlds. On this occasion it was enough, but it very much depend on how the other pairs will skate.
Sylvia
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I think someone should start an off-season pairs discussion/debate thread in the Trash Can.
Does anyone know if the Chinese pairs (3 or all 4 senior teams?) are still in the Toronto area for choreography?
Does anyone know if the Chinese pairs (3 or all 4 senior teams?) are still in the Toronto area for choreography?
clairecloutier
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Okay, I started a general pairs discussion thread for 2016-17 in the Trash Can: http://www.fsuniverse.net/forum/ind...discussion-thread-2016-17.98554/#post-4788243.
J
Jeschke
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Kateri
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Jeez, I don't check the boards for a few days, and I come back to this. I can't express how sad and angry this all makes me. 
Them?
HER!
You are right. She could have skated with a clown to become an OGM favorite. This makes me sick. Artur Dmitriev had to actually EARN his OGM in 1998. Nothing was given to him after he paired up with Oksana Kazakova, and at the 1997 worlds they were actually pretty good.
Sorry, just realized that this thread is about the Chinese pairs.
I take exception to calling ANY skater "shitty". Perhaps D&R aren't to your taste and you prefer another team; that's fine, you like what you like. You may feel they were overmarked for what they did on the ice; that's ok, but the judges assign marks, not the skaters. I find it offensive to describe ANY team in that manner, whether they're two time world champions or two adult skaters in your neighbourhood rink. Let's keep it classy, people. /rant over
So back on topic, I don't mind Zhang but was so looking forward to seeing what these young pairs could do. Shame.
Karpenko
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Savchenko is a more skilled and talented skater than Mishkutenok, Kazakova, Dmitriev, Berezhnaya, Sikharulidze, and the entire lot of them. The sport is five times harder now and she's still more polished.
People are completely selling S/M short because of a lousy system, Artur is not even close to as versatile or talented as Aljona technically and artistically. He was never at her level. Nothing is handed to them. The fact that they were even granted permission to compete after two seasons of going against the odds was a miracle in itself. I hope they get world records this year because they're absolutely fantastic.
Yay Sui & Han 
VGThuy
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Savchenko is a more skilled and talented skater than Mishkutenok, Kazakova, Dmitriev, Berezhnaya, Sikharulidze, and the entire lot of them. The sport is five times harder now and she's still more polished.
People are completely selling S/M short because of a lousy system, Artur is not even close to as versatile or talented as Aljona technically and artistically. He was never at her level. Nothing is handed to them. The fact that they were even granted permission to compete after two seasons of going against the odds was a miracle in itself. I hope they get world records this year because they're absolutely fantastic.
Free speech or fighting words?
Karpenko
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Both 
and I mean every word of it.
Aljona is the best pairs skater of all-time. Also after 13 years I've finally gotten used to the J in her name and have retired the i
(I hope that Yu is having a stress-free week, and that everything is jolly and buttercups in team China
)
and I mean every word of it.Aljona is the best pairs skater of all-time.
Also after 13 years I've finally gotten used to the J in her name and have retired the i (I hope that Yu is having a stress-free week, and that everything is jolly and buttercups in team China
)
morqet
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https://t.co/WZhNlT9rw2 Interview with Zhao, Yu and Zhang.
@pandaatlarge tweeted some translations of it.
@pandaatlarge tweeted some translations of it.
clairecloutier
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So this was Hongbo Zhao's idea?? I guess we shouldn't be surprised that Peng/Jin weren't shown or interviewed during this segment ... 
Hoping someone will have time to translate part of it, or just give us an idea what was said? (Beyond what @pandaatlarge shared.)
Hoping someone will have time to translate part of it, or just give us an idea what was said? (Beyond what @pandaatlarge shared.)
VGThuy
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Sigh...
ChelleC
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My opinion of Hongbo Zhao just went down.
barbarafan
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My opinion went down by his behavior when Peng had the bad fall at practice at worlds and he was as bad as Zhang.
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casken
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I truly, sincerely hope there are "Free Yu" banners at every event Zhao is coaching at from now on.
Both
Aljona is the best pairs skater of all-time.
(I hope that Yu is having a stress-free week, and that everything is jolly and buttercups in team China
If Aliona was that great, she should have won 3 OGMs by now.
and (referring to your earlier post) since when did we start comparing a male pairs skater (Artur) with a female pairs skater (Aliona)? It's not a fair comparison.
ginsengtea
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....So because it's his duty to try his best to compete at a home Olympics it's suddenly okay to trample on the lives of his teammates. I'm quite disgusted. By him, by Hongbo as well, though that's been a gradual thing for a while now. He justified the split by saying that besides S/H, China's results at Worlds proved that they were on a downward spiral. Which, maybe if you had sent your #2 team things would've been different, but noooo their results didn't even matter.
I watched the interview and Xiaoyu seemed so unhappy, like she was trying to convince herself that what she was saying was true.
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casken
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That part really enrages me, and makes me wonder if it was all part of the plan. Don't send Yu/Jin to worlds in case they skate well there, send Peng and hope she struggles, and then justify the split. Had Y&J went and did well, it would make the split seem even more selfish on Zhang's part.
I'm sure by now she's been told to get in line and do as she's told like a good soldier if she wants any future in the sport.
I know it was said up thread but please refresh my memory, how old will he be in 2022?
Spun Silver
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40, if you think he is 34 now, which I do, just from looking at him. Heck, he looks 40 now. His Wikipedia page talks about an age controversy.