2026 Olys Team Event PBP Day 2 - Will It Be YAYmoz? Or GO!GO!lev?

[RoseAugust]

Just finally watched the men. Yuma was divine! I discovered at Nationals that I enjoy Ilia's skating more in person than on my tv, but I'm pretty sure that even in person his skate today would have hit me as really sloppy.

 

[skateboy]

Lajoie spends more time on her knees than

Sorry, I just had to take a gulp of my Scotch whiskey...

 

[Sasha'sSpins]

I'm glad to hear that and hope that helps dampen the media attention on his unfortunate 50% of my potential comment about his Team Event performance

What Ilia Malinin meant by '50%' effort comment after figure skating team event

Ilia Malinin's agent exclusively told USA TODAY Sports that the figure skater didn't mean to infer he gave only \

www.usatoday.com

I don't have a problem with Ilia's '50%' comment. He said that he has to pace himself and he does!

He showed great sportsmanship, as he always does when it comes to Yuma.

Speaking of which, I enjoyed watching the overhead camera on YouTube of Ilia just before his name was called. He applauds Yuma's score. He said he did watch Yuma's skate after all and was happy for him.

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[skateboy]

I'm glad to hear that and hope that helps dampen the media attention on his unfortunate 50% of my potential comment about his Team Event performance

What Ilia Malinin meant by '50%' effort comment after figure skating team event

Ilia Malinin's agent exclusively told USA TODAY Sports that the figure skater didn't mean to infer he gave only \

www.usatoday.com

Just chiming in to say that I really, REALLY dislike Christine Brennan. That is all. LEAVE ILIA ALONE!

 

[Sasha'sSpins]

Just chiming in to say that I really, REALLY dislike Christine Brennan. That is all. LEAVE ILIA ALONE!

My friend, when it comes to Christine Brennan, you and I are simpatico! I am very proud of the fact that she blocked me long ago from her Twitter account. I only watch her on the USA Today YouTube Olympic series because of Brian Boitano and the (so far) great guests that they've had on - including Ilia!

 

[canbelto]

I really like Chock and Bates FD. Probably the best one they've had in years.

 

[skateboy]

My friend, when it comes to Christine Brennan, you and I are simpatico! I am very proud of the fact that she blocked me long ago from her Twitter account. I only watch her on the USA Today YouTube Olympic series because of Brian Boitano and the (so far) great guests that they've had on - including Ilia!

I think you should be extremely PROUD of the fact that Christine blocked you! (Especially on X/Xitter.)

 

[Sasha'sSpins]

I think you should be extremely PROUD of the fact that Christine blocked you! (Especially on X/Xitter.)

I consider it a shining star, a sparkling diamond on my Blocked From crown!

I don't remember exactly what I said to her on Twitter/X but I vaguely recall that it was something Mean Girl from Philly, something along the lines of what I thought of her, her reporting, and her 'knowledge' of figure skating!

 

[skateboy]

I consider it a shining star, a sparkling diamond on my Blocked From crown!

I don't remember exactly what I said to her on Twitter/X but I vaguely recall that it was something Mean Girl from Philly, something along the lines of what I thought of her, her reporting, and her 'knowledge' of figure skating!

Oh, she's just awful! Good for you.

 

[Karen-W]

I haven't been blocked by Christine Brennan but I have been blocked by Bev Smith and I consider that a badge of honor because she's as much of an idiot hack as Brennan us in her own way.

 

[honey]

I enjoyed all of the teams today. The top 4 dance teams were all really great especially.

While I don’t think C/B are great skaters, they certainly have a well choreographed program that they performed extremely well. I was entertained by it, certainly. I can’t take that away from them. I don’t think they are 9 points better than G/F or 13 points better than L/L though. But their overall impression is very polished and I really appreciate the clear artistic intention in what they are doing. It stands far above G/F’s generically lovely program for me. I just don’t think we need to be giving GOE through the roof for weakly performed twizzles or slow step sequences.

I’ve heard from non skating friends that they thought Chock/Bates were amazing today. I think this program is going to go over extremely well with casual fans.

 

[VGThuy]

Ilia Malinin may be swagger but Yuma Kagiyama is figure skating. IMO, he might have the best skating skills ever. No joke.

 

[reckless]

Georgia squeaking into the team final is potentially significant for Team USA. They could win pairs and take a point off of Japan.

I'm not sure it makes much difference. If France had qualified instead of Georgia, K/O would have almost certainly beaten the Kovalevs in the FP and gotten at least 7 points. That would offset any benefit from the less-likely scenario of Metelkina/Berulava beating Miura/Kihara.

 

[MsZem]

Ilia needs to skate to Heated Rivalry one of these days. Ilia does Ilya.

He could never. I'm still amazed that they found an actor who can really embody Ilya, who's larger than life and incredibly complex at the same time.

And I guess it's the same with skaters like Ilia and Alysa and their non-conformist aesthetics. Some just don't get it. And they'll never understand.

Alysa rocks. Ilia has pushed the envelope technically in incredible ways, but is nowhere near the skater Yuma is (but then again, few people are).

There are skaters whose aesthetics and performances are much more interesting to me than Ilia's, but that's a personal preference of course.

 

[Skate Talker]

La/La are at risk of the Gui/Fab trajectory. They have such speed, power, and precision in their foundational skating and steps. But they’re still lacking in connection, presentation, artistic perspective. If they don’t open up, if they don’t develop some real concept of their skating and what they want to convey and achieve, and if they don’t get compositionally better programs and aligned packaging, they’re going to be permanently slotted off the top step of podium as the cold athletic technicians.

Which would be a huge shame given their talent and theoretical ceiling. Maybe they’ll get better programs and attention in the coming quadrennial assuming many retirements.

I would maybe advocate they go to IAMO and work with Hubbel and Moir to work on some of the partnering stuff.

I really loved Laj/Lag's Rose program from World's a couple of years ago and wish they had brought that program back instead of White Crow. But I do enjoy White Crow as well, both versions, and since they never got to perform to this music at Worlds last time, I'm fine with them going this route. I don't see any issues with their connection to each other at all and think it's better than many of the higher level teams.

 

[Bunny Hop]

They just replayed Chock and Bates' Free Dance on our local broadcaster. The hosts described them as the "modern day Torvill and Dean". I may go picket the TV station. I know it's because Torvill and Dean are the only skaters casual Australian viewers can name but this is blasphemy.

 

[MsZem]

They just replayed Chock and Bates' Free Dance on our local broadcaster. The hosts described them as the "modern day Torvill and Dean". I may go picket the TV station. I know it's because Torvill and Dean are the only skaters casual Australian viewers can name but this is blasphemy.

There is no team that's a modern day Torvill and Dean. I'd say the closest to that were Virtue and Moir, but they were not as innovative.

 

[miffy]

Chock/Bates skate closely together. I'll give them that. They, like G/F and G/P could have used a mid-cycle Olympics. But I also don't feel like clearing the top out for Fear/Gibson is making me for the next generation.

I think that as soon as G/P and C/B retire L/L and Z/K will race up past L/B and F/G. I love L/B and F/G but I can see them both being passed very quickly, probably on the GP next season.

 

[TAHbKA]

I need a protocol explanation - Aymoz' last spin - some judges gave +3, some -2. Were they watching the same competition?

 

[Private Citizen]

I need a protocol explanation - Aymoz' last spin - some judges gave +3, some -2. Were they watching the same competition?

It had a V, no? I think he rushed and did not have enough revolutions in position on the ending (forward) half of the spin. I'm in the -2 camp.

Overall, I thought Aymoz was really overmarked with issues on two spins plus a questionable quad. I generally trust Tony on replays, but the quad was right in front of me and looked short -- more < than q. I could see the tracing. I watched the video angle, and it looked much better on video than it did in person. In the end, it didn't make much of a difference in results, but I'd have been peeved if France had edged out Georgia based on the overscoring of Aymoz.

 

[TAHbKA]

It had a V, no? I think he rushed and did not have enough revolutions in position on the ending (forward) half of the spin. I'm in the -2 camp.

Overall, I thought Aymoz was really overmarked with issues on two spins plus a questionable quad. I generally trust Tony on replays, but the quad was right in front of me and looked short -- more < than q. I could see the tracing. I watched the video angle, and it looked much better on video than it did in person. In the end, it didn't make much of a difference in results, but I'd have been peeved if France had edged out Georgia based on the overscoring of Aymoz.

It had a V and am not questioning the -2. Or the -1. Or the 0. Or, for that matter, a +3. Am questioning how is it given at the same time for the same spin Did 2 judges blink and the rest did not?

 

[Private Citizen]

It had a V and am not questioning the -2. Or the -1. Or the 0. Or, for that matter, a +3. Am questioning how is it given at the same time for the same spin Did 2 judges blink and the rest did not?

My guess is that some judges counted rotations and / or were bothered by how rushed and sloppy the second half of the spin was, while others marked the speed and control of the first half of the spin and / or got caught up in the general excitement of the program — which is fun but gimmicky and mostly empty, trademark Aymoz.

TBH I can understand the wide spread of marks for that spin, which was a combination of two very different halves, better than I can understand some of the other spreads.

 

[Coco]

There are keystroke errors, too, althoughthis doesn'tl ook like one. I remember Lipnitskaya had a random --3 in Sochi on her layback spin in the ladies individual event sp. Her other marks for that element were mostly +3, with a +2 and a +1. She had fallen on the immediately preceding element so it's possible the judge put the -3 in for that on the spin, not realizing they had already done so on the jump.

 

[Rob]

I'm glad to hear that and hope that helps dampen the media attention on his unfortunate 50% of my potential comment about his Team Event performance

What Ilia Malinin meant by '50%' effort comment after figure skating team event

Ilia Malinin's agent exclusively told USA TODAY Sports that the figure skater didn't mean to infer he gave only \

www.usatoday.com

Well of course he was at less than 100% of potential, he didn’t try the 4A. That doesn’t mean he didn’t give his all on his planned content. It was just a very nervous skate. He didn’t look like his usual relaxed self backstage. He looked like he was worrying about living up to his hype.

 

[Theatregirl1122]

Ilia‘s skate was very clearly the result of nerves and not of not trying hard enough. I don’t have any issues with his effort.

 

[ilovesalchows]

I was surprised to see him giving Joyce an interview before the event on the TTJ coverage. Such a media circus backstage seems an intrusion.

 

[Rob]

Did anyone see that team Poland had a pierogi plushy with them as a mascot? Cute!https://www.instagram.com/reel/DUgIy9Mjhcw/?igsh=eWl3azR0MWg0dnJh

 

[viennese]

Re: Ilia, post skate reaction.

i've never seen that look on his face. I hope there is no injury. Knowing him though, he'll probably come roaring back in the Team FS.

 

[Yazmeen]

I thought so but wasn't sure. Good for her!

Samuelson/Bates were better than Chock/Bates and I will die on this hill, even though this is truuuuuu luuuuuvvvv.

Ya know, folks, it's been 15 years...

And I love Diva Chock's dayum skirt.

 

[Wyliefan]

Did anyone see that team Poland had a pierogi plushy with them as a mascot? Cute!https://www.instagram.com/reel/DUgIy9Mjhcw/?igsh=eWl3azR0MWg0dnJh

I've seen people all over social media going nuts for the pierogi.