2026 Worlds Womens FS PBP - La Vie En Drone

[Reuven]

I think Mark sowed confusion about a few of the skaters when he kept saying “retiring.” I think, and I saw others voice this as well, I think he was referring to the skaters’ programmes being retired as this was the end of the season.

 

[Vagabond]

I think Mark sowed confusion about a few of the skaters when he kept saying “retiring.” I think, and I saw others voice this as well, I think he was referring to the skaters’ programmes being retired as this was the end of the season.

Yes. And sowing confusion like that is inexcusable, particularly when he is the commentator on the official ISU stream.

 

[peibeck]

Just finished watching and what a mixed bag of emotions I have. Thrilled for all the podium finishers. Sakamoto, especially, was a dream. Huge jumps, huge emotion.

Chiba's skating skills are so beautiful. I don't find her as emotionally connecting, but I'm hopeful she'll soon find a piece that really takes her to that next level.

Pinzaronne's free was my favorite program two years in a row. And what a time to lay down a brilliant skate when others failed to deliver.

Amber, frustrating as she often is, at least laid down the best first two jumping passes of the comp. The axel was glorious. Having seen the result before watching, I expected far worse. Still frustrating for her and her supporters to let another good opportunity go by the wayside.

I am slightly more baffled by Isabeau letting the lutz/loop combo error seemingly throw her off. It's a super high risk jump to begin with, which rarely is called clean by women attempting that combo. She didn't seem as engaged and into the performance as in the past, despite hitting all her lovely positions. As Uncle Dick used to say, the smile on her lips wasn't reflected in her eyes.

Jia Shin was the breathe of fresh air we all needed til the final flight.

 

[RoseAugust]

I suspect y'all will think I'm crazy, but of the top three I enjoyed Mone's program the most. I agree with the placements and am thrilled for Kaori, but Mone did it for me today.

 

[Icetalavista]

To me it reads more like "I have no more f'cks to give" and I kind of appreciate that given how earnest the sport is.

I’ve always thought she looks like she’s going to sleep, all the time. And I’m embarrassed I JUST noticed that the dress back is two faces

 

[Aussie Willy]

at the thread title.

Caught the end of the event this morning my time.

OMG Kaori is freaking amazing. I would rate as one of the best all time. Love love love

Chiba is lovely. Beautiful skating skills.

Pinzaronne - switched on about halfway through so I need to go back and watch it. However after already seeing it at the Olympics and how she brought it home, I think it is one of the best choreographed programs of the women's this year. Beautiful.

Isabeau is so elegant and a beautiful skater. However she needs to take a lesson from Pinzaronne on how to really use the music because it is a bit skating through. Lack of attention to the nuances and detail in the music.

Amber needs to let go and let it flow. Too much thinking. It is hard work watching her.

 

[Private Citizen]

I am slightly more baffled by Isabeau letting the lutz/loop combo error seemingly throw her off. It's a super high risk jump to begin with, which rarely is called clean by women attempting that combo. She didn't seem as engaged and into the performance as in the past, despite hitting all her lovely positions. As Uncle Dick used to say, the smile on her lips wasn't reflected in her eyes.

I think she was silently seething for the entire program after the mistake . It’s a shame; she landed a clean one in her practice run through and two clean ones in the warmup.

After basically nothing was called for anyone at the Olympics, I think she decided to switch to a base value optimization strategy: back to the lutz-loop combination and also doing two lutzes in the free. If Sakamoto, Chiba, etc can flutz without penalty, Levito can too. And she did not get even a warning on the one lutz she did at the Olympics.

I wondered if a substantially new jump layout also contributed to her seemingly thinking through the program.

I’d have left the program the way it was. Her October performances looked like March performances with how well the program moved. Her March performances looked like October performances, tight and thinking through the elements.

The inconsistent calling is going to make it very hard for skaters to strategize. I’m not sure Pinzarrone would be the bronze medalist with Shin Amano calling. Almost every jump could’ve been given at least a q. Skaters with borderline rotation can have outcomes swing by 15 points based on the caller.

 

[MacMadame]

Amber needs to let go and let it flow. Too much thinking. It is hard work watching her.

This is a better motto for her than Breathe and Believe!

Almost every jump could’ve been given at least a q.

Yes, but the q is stupid. I don't think almost every jump could have been given a < which cuts down on the amount of angst on my part. And, if they get rid of the q, it cuts down on the power of the tech panel to determine the results.

 

[toddlj]

Those of you with sharp critiques for Isabeau should perhaps remember that she has been to worlds four times and never finished lower than 4th. That's an impressive accomplishment. Team USA is lucky to have her consistency.

 

[Evgeniafan]

Those of you with sharp critiques for Isabeau should perhaps remember that she has been to worlds four times and never finished lower than 4th. That's an impressive accomplishment. Team USA is lucky to have her consistency.

And 5 years ago. Junior World Gold, so 5 years in a row. How long has it been that a US lady had 5 good seasons in a row?

 

[toddlj]

And 5 years ago. Junior World Gold, so 5 years in a row. How long has it been that a US lady had 5 good seasons in a row?

20 years! Sasha Cohen went to 5 worlds and never finished lower than 4th. (She was in 6th in her one appearance at Junior worlds.)

 

[skateycat]

I am peeved at Tonia K for mispronouncing Kaori's name - it's not Kay-or-ee - grumble grumble grumble

 

[Aussie Willy]

Those of you with sharp critiques for Isabeau should perhaps remember that she has been to worlds four times and never finished lower than 4th. That's an impressive accomplishment. Team USA is lucky to have her consistency.

That is very impressive.

I really do love her skating. My only thing about her FS is it doesn't match the musicality of her SP and I want a program where you remember those little moments like Pinzarrone's or Gutmann. She is totally capable of it.

 

[Simone411]

I've been watching the replays on Peacock. I'm so thankful that Peacock provides the replays. I wasn't able to watch the Worlds live this time around because of medical reasons.

I'm so happy for Kaori Sakamoto. Her program was absolutely beautiful and spectacular. She totally deserved the Gold. She retires with 4 World titles and came close to the Kween's 5 World titles.

I don't believe we'll see any other skater come close to Kaori's 4 World titles, at least not in my lifetime. I'm so thankful I got to see Kaori's golden skate.

I believe that Amber was so determined to have a perfect free skate that it messed her up. I'm just seeing it the way it is. I believe that desire to have a perfect free skate got to her and she let her nerves get in the way.

I know we joked about Alysa writing a guide to winning, and I believe my title for her guide said it all, "Alysa's Guide to Winning and Having Fun in Figure Skating Without the Headache. What the Hell!"

If only Amber could have that mindset, but that also goes for several of the skaters. I saw so many skaters under rotate and or pop their jumps. I also saw so many fall while trying to land their jumps. They should just try to have fun and not worry, but that's easier said than done.

 

[her grace]

Saw a selected number of programs just minutes before Peacock took it away.

I was really impressed by Chiba. She had more command and presentation than I’ve seen her have with this LP. Very enjoyable to watch her perform combined with her impressive basics and effortless speed.

 

[Sasha'sSpins]

Alas, Amber is a Sasha Cohen who skates in a period where there are more women who jump consistently.

She's an Olympic gold medalist forever, though.

Yes. Sasha often broke my heart for not winning gold at a Worlds or an Olympics. But there the similarities end. Sasha won individual World medals and an Olympic silver medal. Amber has an Olympic gold medal in a Team event that did not exist in Cohen's day. But it is Olympic gold just the same.

 

[Sasha'sSpins]

Sasha Cohen has an Olympic silver medal and World medal.

Actually, Sasha won three World medals - two silver, one bronze.

That's the point being made - back then mistakes like this didn't necessarily mean no medal

ETA: I actually think Levito is more of an apt comparison to Sasha than Amber, but I see why it was said

It's still possible even now to climb up, at least from mistakes in the SP.

I think that Isabeau has actually been far more consistent than Sasha, even though at the moment Cohen has more Worlds medals. Except for maybe one Pro-Am, I can't remember an international competition where Sasha didn't have at least one fall, or some other major mistake in her FS. She was a Short Program Queen, but the Free Skate was always her nemesis.

I've actually been impressed with how rarely Isabeau falls. She lost a lot of training time with her injury last year. That might have affected her consistency at the moment, but I think she's only going to get better next season.

I'm going to disagree here--Sasha IIRC did fall twice, but the program itself didn't fall apart. In fact, she kind of came alive after the second fall and I think it was almost freeing to her. The biggest problem with Amber is when she falls, it affects EVERY aspect of her skating. Amber can't shake it off. Sasha did. By the time Sasha finished her program, I'd honestly forgotten she fell. Slute was good about that too, not letting a missed jump affect the overall quality of the program. I think that's the biggest weakness of skaters who never skated under 6.0--there's not as much consideration given to the overall feel and total picture the program makes as they do the individual pieces. The Canadians were amazing at falling and still having enjoyable programs--Chan, Buttle, Sandhu, Rochette.

Come on Kaori, JUST BE CLEAN. CLEEEEAAAAANNNNN.

Actually, in her Olympic FS in Torino iirc Sasha had one fall at the beginning, then put her hands down on the next jump (which was not counted as a fall). She then went on to skate the rest of her FS clean and was fortunately still able to hang on for the silver medal.

 

[annie_mg]

Just answering because I was a Sasha uber back in the day. She always had at least one mistake in her long programs, but she rarely made more than one mistake, and most importantly, she never gave up on the performance. If you watched her programs without the fall you would never have known she had made a mistake. That's what I loved about her. Most skaters will look deflated after they make an important mistake, she didn't.