2026 Worlds Pairs SP PBP - Prague Fling

[Karen-W]

IzzoMai - 2tw - nice but they need to upgrade it if they truly want to be competitive; throw 3z - very nice; SBS 3z - wow, swishy; BIDS - solid; SBS spins - unison was trash throughout; step seq - fine; lift - good.

That was quite decent! I'll say this, that music is a lot better than any of the snoozy stuff one of their coaches (Severin Kiefer) ever used to skate to when he did pairs, lol. I'm guessing a SB for them? And should easily qualify for the FS too!

ETA - I don't agree with that score - they deserved higher, even with only a 2tw.

 

[MacMadame]

SBS spins - unison was trash throughout

And in different hemispheres.

 

[miffy]

Maybe just the angle but that looked like the tiniest 3 throw ever, it looked like there was no distance at all.

It will be so awkward if the home team are the only one to not make it though.

 

[mtnskater]

Wow! Martin Bidar’s skating is beautiful!

 

[Karen-W]

ValBid - 3tw - sketchy dismount; SBS 2a - fine though far apart; throw 3z - awful fall with a twisted leg; lift - fine; step seq - hard to not make it pretty when you're skating to "Clair de Lune"; BIDS - fine; SBS spins - not bad.

Well, that SHOULD go behind IzzoMai but I don't trust the judges to not PCS them into 2nd and the Q.

 

[Karen-W]

It will be so awkward if the home team are the only one to not make it though.

Eh, my money is on CalMag or HoliDar being the one team to not make it through. Or NagaMori because they've yet to figure out the secret sauce to competing consistently well outside of Asia.

 

[Sally1214]

Elements that "are the best of all of the 21 teams?" The best, Mark? Really? I mean they were good but I'm thinking Mark is getting a bit carried away with "home team" sentimentality.

 

[Citlali]

Worked a little and have no one on the schedule all afternoon, just in time for the second group

 

[Wyliefan]

Cannot get used to this techno-Dvorak in the arena.

 

[Jay42]

I'm on CBC for my stream, is the audio as weirdly balanced on the ISU stream as it is on CBC?

 

[Karen-W]

HoliDar - 3tw - very fast rotation & well landed; SBS 3s - done; throw 3lo - agree with Tonia - huge; lift - decent but under review; BIDS - solid; SBS spins - unison got off after the 1st position & very far apart; step seq - sloppy & not a lot of unison - not a great element to end on.

Ehhhhh... Probably enough to make the FS over ValBid. They had good speed throughout, I thought, and it was a good program but the last two elements were just really meh - would be more impactful with better program construction.

 

[Andrey aka Pushkin]

Ukrainians didn't have a single side by side movent, not even by mistake

 

[Andrey aka Pushkin]

It would be very impolite to leave the hosting nation without a pair in the free

 

[Matryeshka]

CalMag doing their best to help the home team

 

[Wyliefan]

Oh Italy, how are the mighty fallen.

 

[Andrey aka Pushkin]

That's a very weird program from the Italians....
The pattern on the ice is just weird, not a single circle. And the whole vibe is just adult skating circa 1999....

I'm confused more than anything else.

 

[terisa]

".... but what a heartwarming story to hear..." for the 45th time.

 

[Karen-W]

CalMag - SBS 3s - fall for her & he had issues with his; 3tw - fine; throw 3lo - two-footed landing; lift - alright - I hate the way she tilts overhead rather than being parallel to the ice; BIDS - fine; step seq - actually quite nice; SBS spins - slow but decent unison. Oh, that pointing to the heavens was just the cheesiest of ending poses.

Better than I expected but it will be close, I think. ValBid may be in trouble for making the FS.

ETA - not as close as I thought - sandwiched between HoliDar & IzzoMai and getting the Q!

 

[Citlali]

Can't believe Irma and Riccardo are the only italian pair here. After 4 years with solid pairs competition this is pretty

 

[Jay42]

I do really like the Swiss pair but I am very over Michael Jackson programs

 

[Andrey aka Pushkin]

Why is Oxana so hunchbacked?

 

[Karen-W]

VouBou - 3tw - bit clunky on the landing for her; SBS 3t - very nice; throw 3lo - so much extra air after she finished the rotations; lift - solid; step seq - not as dynamic or as interesting as the music requires; BIDS - good; SBS spins - why bother with unison?

Solid enough but they should NOT end on SBS spins when they're probably their weakest element.

 

[Matryeshka]

Now, let's give the Swiss some big girl and boy programs and we'll be all set for this quad

 

[victorskid]

After 2 of 6 groups we get the first ice resurfacing.

The SP results so far:
1 Q Karina AKOPOVA / Nikita RAKHMANIN ARM 67.12 39.33 27.79 7.00 6.86 7.04 0.00 #1
2 Q Oxana VOUILLAMOZ / Tom BOUVART SUI 60.12 34.43 26.69 6.61 6.89 6.57 1.00 #6
3 Q Sofiia HOLICHENKO / Artem DARENSKYI UKR 58.85 33.30 25.55 6.46 6.29 6.46 0.00 #4
4 Q Irma CALDARA / Riccardo MAGLIO ITA 58.79 33.91 25.88 6.54 6.46 6.46 1.00 #5
5 Q Gabriella IZZO / Luc MAIERHOFER AUT 58.22 33.28 24.94 6.21 6.29 6.25 0.00 #2
6 Anna VALESI / Martin BIDAR CZE 56.58 31.55 26.03 6.54 6.39 6.64 1.00 #3




Will the home Pair be the only one not making the FS?

 

[Amy L]

The last chance for a different last place is probably Les Kovs, they could do well or could splat 3 times depending on their injury situation.

I don't expect the baby JPN to have a repeat performance from Milan but it's possible.

 

[Karen-W]

Good Lord - Les Kovs are going to try and keep going another 4 years! What did we do to deserve such punishment?

 

[Jay42]

Good Lord - Les Kovs are going to try and keep going another 4 years! What did we do to deserve such punishment?

I honestly just don't see how they're healthy enough for that to work honestly.

 

[Andrey aka Pushkin]

Zhang/Huang make me miss Nathan Chen

 

[Sally1214]

Good Lord - Les Kovs are going to try and keep going another 4 years! What did we do to deserve such punishment?

Aha! I was just coming back into the room and thought I heard they were thinking of staying in for another 4 years. Well, good for them if that's what they want to do. Shame about their kitty going missing. Hope s/he finds the way home.

 

[viennese]

I honestly just don't see how they're healthy enough for that to work honestly.

Yet she's able to get to the rink straight from her waitressing job, by the look of that costume.