They've been plagued with health problems the past two years, what we're seeing now isn't nearly as good as they were at their peak circa 2018-20.
True, but how long can one keep repeating that? They honestly weren't that bad in the Grand Prix- certainly not amazing, but some unusual errors such as not getting credit for a lift when it didn't go up immediately, etc. And then Nationals was a huge step up. This went back to cautious and he's fallen more on the entry to the throw jump than any pair skater I've ever seen (I think it's at 3, I'm sure someone else knows).
Oh well I haven’t heard anything about that. There hasn’t been a lot of competition since worlds got cancelled though. I am sure all the older pairs do have some issues. One would think if it’s serious they would retire. But why does mike keep falling down on throws
Back problems like Michael's are like that, though, it's not something that is always an issue. Though between those and KMT's rib injury, etc., the twist (which was never their best element, but looked better than it ever had right before the pandemic hit) was permanently derailed into what it is now, for instance.
It happened twice.
Yeah, I think I combined it with the time circa 2016 when he had a similar fall on the twist.
On another note, I’m really sick and tired of
This. Also, I suspect (but could be entirely wrong) that there may have been much more going behind the scenes with the MT/M1 split than what was made public. Even if they hadn't hadn't split, but stayed with the not-great Wirtz coaching team, Kirsten and Dylan may never have gotten any better than they were in 2014. Personally, I wish both Luba Ilyushechkina and Mark Bardei had had more success with their partnerships. Canuck pairs could use some Russian & Ukrainian know how.
Miura/Kihara's twist isn't that great and they lost levels on it in both the TE and the individual event. I think they need to get a specialist in to help with their twists (and for all the Canadian pairs) - it's helped the US teams a lot to have Nina Mozer working with them on the twist and lift elements.
soooooo slow and painful to watch. Those two have so much pedigree on paper but why are they so slow? She's so slim and beautiful and he's a strong guy - why do their lifts look so ugly?
Because everybody's physical condition is different? Not every injury is something you can just work through. There's a reason that many skaters permanently lose the ability to do spin positions due to back injuries, for instance.
Because they're both old and Eric's back is still a problem (in addition to the newness of their partnership).As for Eric/Vanessa...
And yet people still feel the need to comment on KMT's weight...
Agreed. Eric’s back was an issue in the last Olympics, and four years later with a slightly taller and new partner isn’t going to be better.
pairs girl. Not their season, but she has had quite a career. Three Olympics and seven World Championships. Kudos.
FYI: a lot of people who don't usually follow skating are very excited about Vanessa James, the first Black figure skater to represent Canada at the Olympics. There may indeed for show opportunities for J & R. I also expect them both to invited back to compete on the Battle of the Blades.